n2wdw's Tales of the Comic Book Room 15 15

[n2wdw]

My Thoughts on the Matt Baker Auctions Last Night

So many great Baker books on sale last night on eBay.  It seems like a lot of Bakers are coming on the market lately.  Anyone else notice this?  I suppose people are cashing in on the popularity.  I used to think Bakers would eventually cool off, but I don't see that happening.  There are some books you see over and over again, but for the uncommon ones, it seems the sky's the limit.

TAR 43 CGC 3.5 went for $952.  This really shows the market power of full cover, "romantic" Baker covers.  This comic isn't the most uncommon, but you don't see it often, and that really showed up in the closing price.  Over the last couple of years, more common, lower grade Bakers could be had for well under $500.  I wonder if the market for lower grade Bakers are now going to go up in price too?

 

TAR 45 CGC 2.5 went for $1425.  You never see it often, and it has the beautiful fireplace cover with the unusual yellow background.  I thought this was a very nice copy for a 2.5.

I really wanted to win this auction.  My max bid was $925.  But clearly I way under-priced it.  I wonder when we'll see one of these again for sale?

 

The big surprise for me last night was Cinderella Love 25.  This is the first time I've seen one of these for sale since I started collecting Baker a few years ago.  It closed at $4025!  I won't even mention my max bid, I never had a chance.  Could CL 25 be the most valuable Baker? 

 

Now we get to the comic I really wanted.  Well, that's not quite true.  The one I wanted the most was CL 25, but I was pretty sure I didn't have a chance at it.  So this is the one I wanted the most that I thought I have a realistic chance to win.  True Love Pictorial 11. 

I thought this might be my best chance ever to get a copy of this book, because it was restored (due to trimming).  But it went to someone else at $710.  I was the under bidder at $700.   This is the one that I'll really regret. 

 

 

I did have one minor Baker win last night. Fighting Marines 10.  And I had a few other non-Baker wins last night so I'm not too depressed.  But I still wish I'd bid higher on True Love Pictorial 11. Oh well ... the search continues.

 

[Robot Man]

I think in general, lower grade Bakers have met a little price resistance lately. Still strong but prices seem to have stabilized. Considering that high grade ones are usually 6.5-8.0 for the most part. Nice looking 1.5-3.0 copies still sell well because sometimes that’s the best you can find. 

I have cooled off on them as well as LB Cole. I have a lot of them and am now just holding out on the few I really want.

I’ve given up hope on a CL #25 unless I get lucky. Great book but my personal #2 Baker cover.

You bid stiff on that TLP #11 but it is just one of those Baker standouts that everybody wants.

[Yorick]

6 hours ago, n2wdw said:

I did have one minor Baker win last night. Fighting Marines 10.

That looked like a very nice copy.  REALLY white.  Congrats.  I'd have bid higher, but I'm trying not to add any other Baker titles to my want list!

[n2wdw]

Rare Bakers -- Or Just Not Collected?

Lately, Matt Bakers that you don't see very often have been coming up for sale, and I wonder if that's because the price has reached a point that some people have decided to sell.  That's made me think about some non-romance Bakers that I have in my collection, that you rarely see come up for sale.  Are these truly rare, or is it they don't come up for sale because they aren't in demand?

I actually think Cinderella is rare; I've never seen another copy for sale.  Although since it's not a comic, maybe copies are listed in places I don't regularly frequent on eBay.

There's a Midget on eBay at this very moment, so maybe that by itself argues against its rarity.  I actually have 2 copies myself.  But these small size comics always seem rare to me, much like the DC digests (try completing a collection of those!).

CGC doesn't note the cover of All Picture by Baker, but the Amash book credits the cover to Matt.  I think CGC's non-credit helped me get it for a decent price.

Anyway, just some random thoughts before football starts later today.

 

[Marty Mann]

Is there any interest in this?  Does have a "Lady In Red".

 

[n2wdw]

21 hours ago, Marty Mann said:

Is there any interest in this?  Does have a "Lady In Red".

I've always liked that cover.  It has great Baker art.  But I think probably the interest is relatively low except among the Baker or St. John completists.  Maybe I'm wrong, especially with the "Lady in Red."

[MB1952]

All pictures Adventure #1 it’s now label by cgc Baker cover. That book it’s really hard to find.

goes well with the fightin marines Baker books 1-12.

[Ricksneatstuff]

On 9/16/2019 at 9:36 AM, n2wdw said:

My Thoughts on the Matt Baker Auctions Last Night

So many great Baker books on sale last night on eBay.  It seems like a lot of Bakers are coming on the market lately.  Anyone else notice this?  I suppose people are cashing in on the popularity.  I used to think Bakers would eventually cool off, but I don't see that happening.  There are some books you see over and over again, but for the uncommon ones, it seems the sky's the limit.

TAR 43 CGC 3.5 went for $952.  This really shows the market power of full cover, "romantic" Baker covers.  This comic isn't the most uncommon, but you don't see it often, and that really showed up in the closing price.  Over the last couple of years, more common, lower grade Bakers could be had for well under $500.  I wonder if the market for lower grade Bakers are now going to go up in price too?

 

TAR 45 CGC 2.5 went for $1425.  You never see it often, and it has the beautiful fireplace cover with the unusual yellow background.  I thought this was a very nice copy for a 2.5.

I really wanted to win this auction.  My max bid was $925.  But clearly I way under-priced it.  I wonder when we'll see one of these again for sale?

 

The big surprise for me last night was Cinderella Love 25.  This is the first time I've seen one of these for sale since I started collecting Baker a few years ago.  It closed at $4025!  I won't even mention my max bid, I never had a chance.  Could CL 25 be the most valuable Baker? 

 

Now we get to the comic I really wanted.  Well, that's not quite true.  The one I wanted the most was CL 25, but I was pretty sure I didn't have a chance at it.  So this is the one I wanted the most that I thought I have a realistic chance to win.  True Love Pictorial 11. 

I thought this might be my best chance ever to get a copy of this book, because it was restored (due to trimming).  But it went to someone else at $710.  I was the under bidder at $700.   This is the one that I'll really regret. 

 

 

I did have one minor Baker win last night. Fighting Marines 10.  And I had a few other non-Baker wins last night so I'm not too depressed.  But I still wish I'd bid higher on True Love Pictorial 11. Oh well ... the search continues.

 

 

The CL 25 went pretty much in the predicted range. I have owned half of them on the census and sold them. This price was about right. It (and GCE 12) are the two monster Baker romance books for sure. 

The TAR 43 and 45 both went slightly less than I was expecting and the seller did not do well on these. I won the TAR 45- it was an old copy of mine (I think I have owned all but one of these on the census ). It is in many ways my favorite Baker cover of all.

[Sackolantern]

Might be real pissed .... just backed off a raw Cinderella Love 27

[manetteska]

20 minutes ago, Sackolantern said:

Might be real pissed .... just backed off a raw Cinderella Love 27

Where?

[Sackolantern]

3 minutes ago, manetteska said:

Where?

Wisconsin

[manetteska]

1 minute ago, Sackolantern said:

Wisconsin

Care to share any more details? Price, condition, still available?

That’s one I’ve been looking for. 

[Robot Man]

On 9/23/2019 at 2:30 PM, kat123 said:

All pictures Adventure #1 it’s now label by cgc Baker cover. That book it’s really hard to find.

goes well with the fightin marines Baker books 1-12.

No babes, but a great book!

[Qua-Brot]

17 hours ago, Sackolantern said:

Might be real pissed .... just backed off a raw Cinderella Love 27

So that was you on the other side?

I'm always wary about bidding high on these, been burned before with cut outs or missing cf - I'll let you know next week which one of us was the smarter one (unless you'd rather not know)

[manetteska]

20 minutes ago, Qua-Brot said:

18 hours ago, Sackolantern said:

Might be real pissed .... just backed off a raw Cinderella Love 27

So that was you on the other side?

I'm always wary about bidding high on these, been burned before with cut outs or missing cf - I'll let you know next week which one of us was the smarter one (unless you'd rather not know)

And let me know when it's for sale. 

[n2wdw]

Here's an update on my life.  It doesn't involve comics, so feel free to skip this post.

This week I found a store in DC with a good selection of the Game of Thrones scotch offerings.  Here's what they had (and they were selling at the release price, rather than marked up prices):

 

Here's what I bought.  I need to tally everything up, but I think I have now completed my collection. 

 

The prices were so reasonable that I bought an extra bottle of the Night's Watch scotch, to drink (as opposed to the others, which are on my shelf and probably won't ever be opened).

 

On another topic, here's a pic of the cheese steak that I got last weekend with my wife.

 

 

The picture doesn't do it justice.  It was delicious!  But what is really cool is the place we got it from, the Capo deli on U Street in DC.

 

 

Why is this deli cool?  Because --- you see that refrigerator door?  Behind that's a speakeasy!  So at night, you're getting a sub and you see all the "Beautiful People" going through that door, and you're wondering what's going on.  Well, now you know.  So next time you get the password and you get through the door, and then you can eat your cheese steak with a craft cocktail.

Last thing is, I can't remember if I told you all, but my wife and I are now empty nesters as our youngest started college in September.  So now it's PARTY TIME!  We sold our house in the suburbs, and got an apartment in the city.  My commute went from 1.5 hours each way to 15 minutes.  And downstairs there's a cool sports bar.  Here's a pic of the bar with the Nats sweeping the Cards.  On to the World Series!

[n2wdw]

Game of Thrones Scotch and New Comic Additions

To follow up on my previous post, here's my GoT scotch collection.  I keep them behind the bar on a shelf above the window, as they are for display not drinking.  I do have a few extra bottles for drinking, and I can report they are quite tasty.

 

This winter we added a wood stove to the house. I find it relaxing to look at a burning fire.  The only space we had wasn't big enough for a fireplace, so we went with a wood stove with a glass window.  I didn't know much about wood stoves before installing one, but I've found I like them better than open fireplaces.  They're more efficient and safer (as you don't have the open fire), and just as beautiful IMHO (although you can't hear the crack of the fire as well).  My dog likes it, she likes to take naps next to it.

 

Here are some recent new additions to the comic room:

 

 

Edited November 3, 2019 by n2wdw

[n2wdw]

On 9/16/2019 at 9:36 AM, n2wdw said:

The big surprise for me last night was Cinderella Love 25.  This is the first time I've seen one of these for sale since I started collecting Baker a few years ago.  It closed at $4025!  I won't even mention my max bid, I never had a chance.  Could CL 25 be the most valuable Baker? 

 

 

Last week, another CL 25 was offered on eBay.  It was a beautiful copy (below).  This one closed at $3275 (I was the under-bidder at $3225).  Even though it was listed as possible trimming, I think the buyer got a great deal.

[n2wdw]

Here are some recent pics of the comic room:

[Tri-Color Brian]

On 11/3/2019 at 2:51 PM, n2wdw said:

Game of Thrones Scotch and New Comic Additions

To follow up on my previous post, here's my GoT scotch collection.  I keep them behind the bar on a shelf above the window, as they are for display not drinking.  I do have a few extra bottles for drinking, and I can report they are quite tasty.

 

 

This winter we added a wood stove to the house. I find it relaxing to look at a burning fire.  The only space we had wasn't big enough for a fireplace, so we went with a wood stove with a glass window.  I didn't know much about wood stoves before installing one, but I've found I like them better than open fireplaces.  They're more efficient and safer (as you don't have the open fire), and just as beautiful IMHO (although you can't hear the crack of the fire as well).  My dog likes it, she likes to take naps next to it.

 

 

Here are some recent new additions to the comic room:

 

 

Is that a soft cover Iger book?  Back in the 80s I went to the Blackthorne store in San Diego and bought a hard cover copy from them.  I have never seen another hard cover...