Kevin.J Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 9 hours ago, Waylander said: Hi Kev, Still around collecting those funny books, though given up on new titles as my OCD and being completist could not keep up with those darn variants. Which has meant more funds to look backward, so working on my bronze age book. You well? Yeah......I guess I am as well as can be expected I also have given up on the new stuff, unfortunately completist works backwards too, but a lot more expensive At least I am complete with Silver and Bronze for the most part, just Golden age to go Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin.J Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 8 hours ago, Redshade said: I apologise if I seemed a bit abrupt with my answer to your post. It reflected, if anything, my frustration at being outbid in all the auctions that I tried to participate in and in no way was meant to be an admonishment to your goodself. You are no doubt aware that all the auction houses put their sales online so that one doesn't have to be physically there to bid, some being audio only with others being video and audio? I wish you well in your searches. Stephen. No apology needed, I didnt see your answer as abrupt at all I dont usually get into bidding wars if I can help it, I pick what I would pay and bid in advance and then dont look again until the auction is over, maybe get 2 or 3 things out of 10 and that is fine, I would be in trouble if I won all 10 Bidding live is too easy to get sucked in, the last thing I really wanted and bid live was CSS #22 and paid more than I would have liked but copies dont turn up to often and it was one of my last grail books. I am lucky that I have collected for so long that I have managed to get the collection I have at what seems reasonable prices now, there is always something else around the corner though Redshade 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Albert Tatlock Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/warren-and-wignall-ltd/catalogue-id-srwar10238/lot-e610b916-c400-4bde-b69f-ac4900d2eda1 This lot was estimated at £50/£100, and may have gone for that kind of figure were it not for Werewolf By Night # 32 (9p version, excellent condition, approx VFN) lurking unsuspected therein. However, just 1 day before the sale, after having only the picture of the cardboard box with the top 2 mags showing, the auction house added the other scans, and WBN # 32 lurked no longer. I was the only bidder in the room and another bid or two would have sent me home empty handed. I hoped against hope that no-one else had inspected the contents, but obviously a rival had got his fingers dusty. Link to post Share on other sites
Every Day A Story Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 3 hours ago, Antoni Veys said: https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/warren-and-wignall-ltd/catalogue-id-srwar10238/lot-e610b916-c400-4bde-b69f-ac4900d2eda1 This lot was estimated at £50/£100, and may have gone for that kind of figure were it not for Werewolf By Night # 32 (9p version, excellent condition, approx VFN) lurking unsuspected therein. However, just 1 day before the sale, after having only the picture of the cardboard box with the top 2 mags showing, the auction house added the other scans, and WBN # 32 lurked no longer. I was the only bidder in the room and another bid or two would have sent me home empty handed. I hoped against hope that no-one else had inspected the contents, but obviously a rival had got his fingers dusty. What price did the hammer drop? Not clear from the link. Link to post Share on other sites
Redshade Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 (edited) 5 hours ago, Every Day A Story said: What price did the hammer drop? Not clear from the link. £720 plus 24.6% in fees. Edited October 8, 2020 by Redshade Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin.J Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 1 hour ago, Redshade said: £720 plus 24.6% in fees. Wow, honestly to me that looked like a box of junk, with only the 1 book, as pointed out and I didnt think that was worth very much, I see HG cents issues slabbed going for a bit but a vf pence, it seems like I missed something. Link to post Share on other sites
Get Marwood & I Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 4 hours ago, Kevin.J said: Wow, honestly to me that looked like a box of junk, with only the 1 book, as pointed out and I didnt think that was worth very much, I see HG cents issues slabbed going for a bit but a vf pence, it seems like I missed something. The WBN looks nearer a VG to me if you zoom in. Lots of surface wear and creasing. I've seen a lot of bulk lots going for bizarrely high sums at auction lately. The last one I went to in person was an eye opener. Not only are the books often in much worse condition when inspected in person, compared to the photos, there is very little care taken with them - any amount of people can view and handle them and the staff aren't exactly attuned to the fragility of the items. I grimaced when the lot I won was brought to me and plonked down in front of me. I'm not sure what's going on really and why lots with one stand out book seem to go so crazy lately. It feels like panic to me. Link to post Share on other sites
Get Marwood & I Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 I saved this screenshot from an auction earlier in the year - £3,400 before fees for a lot with two WBN pence copies: As a rule I rarely buy to sell - all my purchases are for research and / or personal ownership - but I did do a fag-packet calculation on whether there was money to be made on this lot and I found not. eBay seems to be the only place now where decent lots can go under the radar and even then you have to be lucky and spot a BIN just as it's listed. It seems that all the auction sites are so well vetted now nothing gets through. Maybe the absence of fairs, and with many UK comic shops being closed, dealers and buyers are just going stir crazy and over-bidding for anything. Strange times. Link to post Share on other sites
Every Day A Story Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 8 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said: I saved this screenshot from an auction earlier in the year - £3,400 before fees for a lot with two WBN pence copies: As a rule I rarely buy to sell - all my purchases are for research and / or personal ownership - but I did do a fag-packet calculation on whether there was money to be made on this lot and I found not. eBay seems to be the only place now where decent lots can go under the radar and even then you have to be lucky and spot a BIN just as it's listed. It seems that all the auction sites are so well vetted now nothing gets through. Maybe the absence of fairs, and with many UK comic shops being closed, dealers and buyers are just going stir crazy and over-bidding for anything. Strange times. The difference between both auctions was that the WBN's at this one at least looked to be much higher grade. Link to post Share on other sites
Get Marwood & I Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 14 minutes ago, Every Day A Story said: The difference between both auctions was that the WBN's at this one at least looked to be much higher grade. They did, yes - looked to be. Maybe the winning buyer inspected them in person. In the images I saw pencilled prices of the reverse, stains and spine creases. If the most the market will bear is as follows.... ...a £4,000 outlay (after fees have been added) and before any grading cost have been added - if that was the buyers intention - seems a considerable gamble to me on those two copies. How likely is it that they would have graded out in the territory needed to recoup that outlay? Maybe I missed some other winners among the lot. Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin.J Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 5 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said: The WBN looks nearer a VG to me if you zoom in. Lots of surface wear and creasing. I've seen a lot of bulk lots going for bizarrely high sums at auction lately. The last one I went to in person was an eye opener. Not only are the books often in much worse condition when inspected in person, compared to the photos, there is very little care taken with them - any amount of people can view and handle them and the staff aren't exactly attuned to the fragility of the items. I grimaced when the lot I won was brought to me and plonked down in front of me. I'm not sure what's going on really and why lots with one stand out book seem to go so crazy lately. It feels like panic to me. Yeah it looked a bit ropey to me but said VF as Antoni said it was approx that and he had it in hand. I wish I had the time to go through a lot of boxes of worthless dupes that I put away 20 years ago and see what is worth pulling out now Link to post Share on other sites
Every Day A Story Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 9 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said: I just keep looking wistfully at original pricetags on the bags; 90p and £1.00. Looks like the previous owner had tried to sell these at some point, presumably a very long time ago. If only... Link to post Share on other sites
Get Marwood & I Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 48 minutes ago, Every Day A Story said: I just keep looking wistfully at original pricetags on the bags; 90p and £1.00. Looks like the previous owner had tried to sell these at some point, presumably a very long time ago. If only... Tardis anyone? Link to post Share on other sites
Redshade Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 (edited) 11 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said: It seems that all the auction sites are so well vetted now nothing gets through. Maybe the absence of fairs, and with many UK comic shops being closed, dealers and buyers are just going stir crazy and over-bidding for anything. Strange times. I first noticed that "civilian" auctioneers were going online several years ago and that the days of finding a bargain were long gone. It may be that the lockdown has exacerbated things but this was trending quite some time ago. I contacted Antoni (see above) about the auction that he attended and he told me that whilst there were a few comic fans physically at the auction (and able to flick through the comics on offer including the AS-M 1 and FF 1 ) the vast majority of lots were going to online bidders. Edited October 8, 2020 by Redshade Link to post Share on other sites
Get Marwood & I Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 7 minutes ago, Redshade said: I first noticed that "civilian" auctioneers were going online several years ago and that the days of finding a bargain were long gone. It may be that the lockdown has exacerbated things but this was trending quite some time ago. I contacted Antoni (see above) about the auction that he attended and he told me that whilst there were a few comic fans physically at the auction (and able to flick through the comics on offer including the AS-M 1 and FF 1 ) the vast majority of lots were going to online bidders. The one I was at, a lot of the online bidders were in the US, unable to see the actual state of some of the lots. Some of them were in for a big disappointment when their parcels arrived. Redshade 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Redshade Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 3 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said: The one I was at, a lot of the online bidders were in the US, unable to see the actual state of some of the lots. Some of them were in for a big disappointment when their parcels arrived. Yes, it was mentioned that the same dealers (as evinced by the same "paddle" numbers winning again and again) were purchasing vast amounts of stuff and that the books would no doubt resurface in the market at some time in the future with an appropriate mark-up after being cleaned, pressed and slabbed. Link to post Share on other sites
Albert Tatlock Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/warren-and-wignall-ltd/catalogue-id-srwar10238/lot-e610b916-c400-4bde-b69f-ac4900d2eda1 This lot was estimated at £50/£100, and may have gone for that kind of figure were it not for Werewolf By Night # 32 (9p version, excellent condition, approx VFN) lurking unsuspected therein. However, just 1 day before the sale, after having only the picture of the cardboard box with the top 2 mags showing, the auction house added the other scans, and WBN # 32 lurked no longer. I was the only bidder in the room and another bid or two would have sent me home empty handed. I hoped against hope that no-one else had inspected the contents, but obviously a rival had got his fingers dusty. Miseed this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Werewolf-By-Night-31-32-34-1st-Appearance-Of-Moon-Night-Marvel-Comics-Bronze-Age-/114331897621?hash=item1a9eb64f15%3Ag%3AvfUAAOSwHX9fJFbM&nma=true&si=507ur%2FvaBShw7thFIZ2AWYgH0Yw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin.J Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 4 hours ago, Antoni Veys said: https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/warren-and-wignall-ltd/catalogue-id-srwar10238/lot-e610b916-c400-4bde-b69f-ac4900d2eda1 This lot was estimated at £50/£100, and may have gone for that kind of figure were it not for Werewolf By Night # 32 (9p version, excellent condition, approx VFN) lurking unsuspected therein. However, just 1 day before the sale, after having only the picture of the cardboard box with the top 2 mags showing, the auction house added the other scans, and WBN # 32 lurked no longer. I was the only bidder in the room and another bid or two would have sent me home empty handed. I hoped against hope that no-one else had inspected the contents, but obviously a rival had got his fingers dusty. Miseed this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Werewolf-By-Night-31-32-34-1st-Appearance-Of-Moon-Night-Marvel-Comics-Bronze-Age-/114331897621?hash=item1a9eb64f15%3Ag%3AvfUAAOSwHX9fJFbM&nma=true&si=507ur%2FvaBShw7thFIZ2AWYgH0Yw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 Weird, the feedback says it was £120 Link to post Share on other sites
Redshade Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 3 hours ago, Kevin.J said: Weird, the feedback says it was £120 Perhaps some shenanigans going on "off piste". Link to post Share on other sites
Garystar Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 6 hours ago, Kevin.J said: Weird, the feedback says it was £120 The listing showed best offer accepted so I assume this was an auction with £20 start and a best offer function, ie higher than starting point, whereby seller ends auction if he gets a good offer. Assume during auction he got offer for £120 and accepted it. Someone got a bargain. It’s comics like this making me seriously considering selling some of my comics. My WWBN, Eternals, she-hulk 1, spider woman 1, black panther etc etc just sat in loft and never see light of day. They mean little to me other than being a completest. They were bought for pennies and seems logical to sell the prices they are now fetching. Link to post Share on other sites
