Hulk 181 Getting out of my range... 3 3

[Chillax23]

Blargh I sold my IH181 CGC 8.5 last year to fund a house down-payment (along with a lot of my collection including a Showcase 4 and Showcase 22) - glad I did, but sad at the same time - but I made a tidy profit on it

Picked up a Hulk 180 CGC 7.0 as a poor substitute, but will need to get a IH181 CGC 7.0 soon to match

[Hey Kids, Comics!]

I have collected since 1984 and had never owned a copy until last Summer when I paid $1050 for a raw 6.0/6.5. After a press, it came back a 7.5. Amazingly, a few months later, I bought a box of 200 original owner books that had been sitting in the guy's attic for 40+ years (obviously unbagged/unboarded). Before looking through them, he told me there was some older books in there that he didn't buy off the stands but traded a Hulk issue for them years ago. I was sure that there would be no 181 in there, but while flipping the spines of the vertically stacked books, I saw it. Then an All-Star 58, then an ASM `129, then a MP 15. The guy asked for $100 for the lot and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep that night, so I offered him all the cash I had on me, which was $400. After a press, it came back an 8.0 and the Punisher was a 6.0. Oddly enough, it was apparently the 180 that he traded away as there were 5 or so consecutive  issues on either side of the 181 there. 

To summarize, I paid $1k+ after a 30-plus year wait and then found one a few months later for $2. TWO BUCKS! And all this happened last year!

Edited November 7, 2017 by Hey Kids, Comics!

[story cover & art by...]

13 minutes ago, Hey Kids, Comics! said:

I have collected since 1984 and had never owned a copy until last Summer when I paid $1050 for a raw 6.0/6.5. After a press, it came back a 7.5. Amazingly, a few months later, I bought a box of 200 original owner books that had been sitting in the guy's attic for 40+ years (obviously unbagged/unboarded). Before looking through them, he told me there was some older books in there that he didn't buy off the stands but traded a Hulk issue for them years ago. I was sure that there would be no 181 in there, but while flipping the spines of the vertically stacked books, I saw it. Then an All-Star 58, then an ASM `129, then a MP 15. The guy asked for $100 for the lot and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep that night, so I offered him all the cash I had on me, which was $400. After a press, it came back an 8.0 and the Punisher was a 6.0. Oddly enough, it was apparently the 180 that he traded away as there were 5 or so consecutive  issues on either side of the 181 there. 

To summarize, I paid $1k+ after a 30-plus year wait and then found one a few months later for $2. TWO BUCKS! And all this happened last year!

Amazing... bought a raw copy from a old lady of CL came back 5.5... closest I came to a good story

[scarlet_speedster]

i remember back in the 90s i went into a great escape in Nashville and the manager there wanted to trade me even his hulk #181 for my Xmen #3 his hulk was nice too, but you couldnt give away hulk 181 or  amazing spider-man 129 at the time at least not in the tenn area. still kicking myself on the hulk lol.

[Hey Kids, Comics!]

46 minutes ago, scarlet_speedster1 said:

i remember back in the 90s i went into a great escape in Nashville and the manager there wanted to trade me even his hulk #181 for my Xmen #3 his hulk was nice too, but you couldnt give away hulk 181 or  amazing spider-man 129 at the time at least not in the tenn area. still kicking myself on the hulk lol.

I've NEVER seen a time (especialy in the 90's) when those two books weren't hot sellers! 

[scarlet_speedster]

well at the time gold and silver were selling much better than bronze  so i guess he thought the xmen would move much faster than the hulk. most of the comic shops in nashville always had copys of hulk 181 or asm 129 on the wall.

[ThothAmon]

2 minutes ago, scarlet_speedster1 said:

well at the time gold and silver were selling much better than bronze  so i guess he thought the xmen would move much faster than the hulk. most of the comic shops in nashville always had copys of hulk 181 or asm 129 on the wall.

It's always been a hot book. In'82 $20 was a lot of money.

[Howling Mad]

On 11/6/2017 at 6:14 PM, Hey Kids, Comics! said:

I have collected since 1984 and had never owned a copy until last Summer when I paid $1050 for a raw 6.0/6.5. After a press, it came back a 7.5. Amazingly, a few months later, I bought a box of 200 original owner books that had been sitting in the guy's attic for 40+ years (obviously unbagged/unboarded). Before looking through them, he told me there was some older books in there that he didn't buy off the stands but traded a Hulk issue for them years ago. I was sure that there would be no 181 in there, but while flipping the spines of the vertically stacked books, I saw it. Then an All-Star 58, then an ASM `129, then a MP 15. The guy asked for $100 for the lot and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep that night, so I offered him all the cash I had on me, which was $400. After a press, it came back an 8.0 and the Punisher was a 6.0. Oddly enough, it was apparently the 180 that he traded away as there were 5 or so consecutive  issues on either side of the 181 there. 

To summarize, I paid $1k+ after a 30-plus year wait and then found one a few months later for $2. TWO BUCKS! And all this happened last year!

My understanding is that for a solid decade or so IH180 was seen--frankly rightfully--as Wolverine's first full appearance. So in an odd way it made sense. He probably liked IH181 better, but IH180 might have been the more valuable issue at the time.

[Hey Kids, Comics!]

15 hours ago, Howling Mad said:

My understanding is that for a solid decade or so IH180 was seen--frankly rightfully--as Wolverine's first full appearance. So in an odd way it made sense. He probably liked IH181 better, but IH180 might have been the more valuable issue at the time.

That's what I assumed....that it was done at a time where 180 was the more coveted book.

[Dick Pontoon]

IH #180 was never the more valuable or in-demand book, it's been #181 since the '70s.

[scarlet_speedster]

and having the better cover over 180 doesn't hurt anything

[Hey Kids, Comics!]

17 minutes ago, Pontoon said:

IH #180 was never the more valuable or in-demand book, it's been #181 since the '70s.

I knew it was in the early 80's when I started collecting but I thought MAYBE in the 70's, it could have been the 180.

[jason4]

Book doesn't stop rising..glad I got my 7.0 a month ago for 1700.00. I don't see one under 2k atm

[drotto]

6 hours ago, jason4 said:

Book doesn't stop rising..glad I got my 7.0 a month ago for 1700.00. I don't see one under 2k atm

I paid 1500 raw for me 7.5 about 9 months ago.  Now GPA has it at around 1950 market value.  Still  not sure what is driving the latest spike especially in boom at 7 or higher.

[Jaydogrules]

I severely overpaid for my hulk 1, 5.5 and 181, 9.6 in August, 2013, and still own them today (I never sell my books).

Some of the best money I've ever overspent.  

-J.

Edited November 10, 2017 by Jaydogrules

[alexgross.com]

i got my first hulk181 three years ago. scored a 9.0WP for $2100 cash. everyone then was saying its a popular book but pricey. ha, now i wish i had got ten of them at that price. just recently got an 8.5WP for a good bit more than i paid for my 9.0 then, and i expect that trend to continue for the foreseeable future! 

[story cover & art by...]

9 hours ago, www.alexgross.com said:

i got my first hulk181 three years ago. scored a 9.0WP for $2100 cash. everyone then was saying its a popular book but pricey. ha, now i wish i had got ten of them at that price. just recently got an 8.5WP for a good bit more than i paid for my 9.0 then, and i expect that trend to continue for the foreseeable future! 

Solid evidence people don't know what they're talking about... IH181 is a underdog... always has been... 

Edited November 15, 2017 by story cover & art by...

[MBMiller25]

On 11/6/2017 at 7:14 PM, Hey Kids, Comics! said:

I have collected since 1984 and had never owned a copy until last Summer when I paid $1050 for a raw 6.0/6.5. After a press, it came back a 7.5. Amazingly, a few months later, I bought a box of 200 original owner books that had been sitting in the guy's attic for 40+ years (obviously unbagged/unboarded). Before looking through them, he told me there was some older books in there that he didn't buy off the stands but traded a Hulk issue for them years ago. I was sure that there would be no 181 in there, but while flipping the spines of the vertically stacked books, I saw it. Then an All-Star 58, then an ASM `129, then a MP 15. The guy asked for $100 for the lot and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep that night, so I offered him all the cash I had on me, which was $400. After a press, it came back an 8.0 and the Punisher was a 6.0. Oddly enough, it was apparently the 180 that he traded away as there were 5 or so consecutive  issues on either side of the 181 there. 

To summarize, I paid $1k+ after a 30-plus year wait and then found one a few months later for $2. TWO BUCKS! And all this happened last year!

Incredible Story, Thanks for sharing that.  Congrats. 

[cortown71]

Can't wait till I can trade my extra 181 for an AF 15... Well I can dream about it anyway.

[Engr62]

I paid $4.25 for my copy of IH 181 in 1975 when I was 10 years old.  My LCS had several copies that they were charging a premium for about a month or two after it came out.  Up until that point, the most I'd ever paid for a comic was a copy of Fantastic Four 73 for $4.50 from that same LCS.  I really felt like I was getting ripped off to pay $4.25 for a comic that was only a month or so old.  I guess I did since I still have the comic, and I didn't recoup my $4 over the cover price.

Here is a scan of the copy I bought.