What *would* you have bought? 0

[Flambit]

Inspired by the recent "What would you buy" post - which I thought was a great idea for a topic, but I can sort of see why people might not want to advertise what they are in the market for while pieces are available.   

So, now that certain pieces from our recent history are now unobtainable, if you hadn't dropped the ball or bailed out for whatever reason - what would you have bought in the last year or two that you really regret?  

And hey, I get it - people may not want to say anyway... 

For me: my biggest regret from the last few years is missing out on that Alex Ross Top Ten #1 cover on Clink.  I'm a huge fan and that's pretty much the ultimate statement on those characters (aside from the Ha #1 cover).  At the time more money than I really thought it was worth but I'm bummed now.  

Also regret missing that awesome Byrne Power Man/Iron Fist cover with Whirlwind on Clink (to the Donnellys no less - so that one is gone forever).  Just a great piece from Byrne in his 80s prime with revisiting his first hit character.  I was the underbidder and I feel like the buyer got a great deal because Byrne prices exploded right afterwards!

That amazing Byrne Jimmy Olsen splash from two Clink cycles ago: probably one of the most beautifully executed Byrne Superman figures I've ever seen.  I fought for that one, but it ultimately just went way higher than I really felt it should have (at the time), but kudos to the buyer/seller - a fantastic piece. 

That Kirby New Gods Black Racer cover... I really waffled on that one.  Such a fantastic, in-your-face image, and a steal, but I couldn't get around how derivative I felt the character was (Black Racer/Silver Surfer.. one is one a surfboard, one is on skis...  I love you Jack, but c'mon...).  Still, a great deal, and I don't think we'll see a Kirby character cover go that cheap again.  

Bonus: That Kevin Maguire Absolute Justice League elevator cover that Maguire listed on eBay.  Didn't even bid.  

[Catwoman_Fan]

I regret not going hard for this splash page from Detective Comics #457 , when it was auctioned on ebay a couple years ago. 

PRIME O'Neil and Giordano. 

At the time I couldn't rationalize spending that much on an interior page (non-cover) but now I wish I had stretched for it.

Edited March 13, 2018 by Catwoman_Fan

[vodou]

5 hours ago, Flambit said:

Inspired by the recent "What would you buy" post - which I thought was a great idea for a topic, but I can sort of see why people might not want to advertise what they are in the market for while pieces are available.   

So, now that certain pieces from our recent history are now unobtainable, if you hadn't dropped the ball or bailed out for whatever reason - what would you have bought in the last year or two that you really regret?

I think this one will go over better, all rear-view mirror. But maybe folks should include images? Those of us that don't specialize in whatever a post is about won't know why (visually) it's a regret for the poster. Flambit, for example, I have no idea (except Kirby Black Racer cover, because it's really recent and somebody posted here scoring it!) what any of those pieces you're bringing up look like. Sorry, and oddly no overlap at all?, just not what I follow. But, of course, I'm curious...

I'll post my own recent "ugh?!!" items soon.

[vodou]

I'll have to think about it some more, but for now this is the only one that's screaming "dummy!":

Kent Williams Blood original edition tpb cover, from HA's 2017 spring signature sale. It's a nice big oil.  I backed off as under-bidder when the number hit a ceiling for me because the rest of my loose change at the time was going toward (or just had, can't remember anymore) another bigger and better piece (not by Kent). Funny thing though, in the year that's passed since...somehow I'm not in love with it anymore, so really no regret except that I just should have pushed through and made the other guy pay more, if nothing else. He got a deal. It's a $10k piece won for less than $4k. Still like it today, but wouldn't pay a dime more than $3k, though I doubt I'd ever get that opportunity (and I'm A-ok with that too!)

And then this one, now I'm remembering, same sale...

Passed for the same reason, $8k was too much in relation to other stuff I had going on. Also, fully expected this to run to $15k and so I didn't even take it seriously until live it just petered out so (imo) low. I was surprised and then disappointed that I didn't just bite the bullet, but I was saving ammo anyway for the KW above (Williams comes after Totleben alphabetically!) that was sitting really low pre-live. Thought I would be able to scoop it up cheap after everybody else was word out and spent all their money getting through the alphabet pre-W. That actually never happens and you'd think I'd know better by now!

I was gratified to see it re-sell at $13k last HA, totally outside my budget, but that's more in line with where I thought it should be all along.

[vodou]

And finally, this one, another Totleben ST cover oil out of HA from August 2015:

This is the post-Moore Veitch story where ST takes over Constantine's body to bang Abby, all this to "produce" the next generation of ST. If you think about it, that's pretty far out stuff for 1988! Love it. I hate the circular aspect to the image and that's why I didn't really go for it, but in hindsight less than $3k...duh. And that's after it sat on Albert's site for years at $4k iirc. (Which I always knew was "too much".) Oh well. Still to this day do not like the circularity of the image, but I should have taken it down, there's only one, and it's a great weird story from back in the day, and very early in Constantine's publishing "life" too!

I think this and the two above are the only pieces I'm really, really, kicking myself one or more years later on. Otherwise, I tend to get what I really want and for the price I want to pay. Sometimes it's just a matter of being more patient than the rest of the market...

 

[Flambit]

4 hours ago, vodou said:

And finally, this one, another Totleben ST cover oil out of HA from August 2015:

This is the post-Moore Veitch story where ST takes over Constantine's body to bang Abby, all this to "produce" the next generation of ST. If you think about it, that's pretty far out stuff for 1988! Love it. I hate the circular aspect to the image and that's why I didn't really go for it, but in hindsight less than $3k...duh. And that's after it sat on Albert's site for years at $4k iirc. (Which I always knew was "too much".) Oh well. Still to this day do not like the circularity of the image, but I should have taken it down, there's only one, and it's a great weird story from back in the day, and very early in Constantine's publishing "life" too!

I think this and the two above are the only pieces I'm really, really, kicking myself one or more years later on. Otherwise, I tend to get what I really want and for the price I want to pay. Sometimes it's just a matter of being more patient than the rest of the market...

 

Yeah, the circular composition would really have bugged me too, but I actually think it kind of worked in that case.  And 3k, wow...

Fair point about pictures.  In order: Top Ten #!, PMIF #106, Superman #4 splash, New Gods cover, Absolute Justice League cover (faces wrap around on the back cover too!)... 

And one last one, a painted Frank Quietly Books of Magic cover.  This goes back a little ways, and I'm trying not to violate my own rules (otherwise we start talking about passing on assorted Kirby bronze age covers for 2k a piece), but Quietly's rep had this on his site for a long time - only 2k!  I just couldn't pull the trigger, I remember mainly because the figure in the background kind of bothered me (too busy), but it's a spectacular piece.  I'd probably buy this today.  

[Pete Marino]

I had this in my hands at NYCC a few years ago, passed.  It was amazing, scary and legendary.  But I couldn't reconcile spending a lot on something that would give my children nightmares.  Still wish I had it though.

 

 

[PhilipB2k17]

There was a James Stokoe Cover I passed on that I really regret not buying when I had a shot at it. 

[g-man]

a really nice Kirby FF page with the XMEN from #28.....and a Wrightson Swamp Thing page...had them in my hand but could not handle the asking $....also several Andru ASM pages. 

[comix4fun]

Just now, g-man said:

a really nice Kirby FF page with the XMEN from #28.....and a Wrightson Swamp Thing page...had them in my hand but could not handle the asking $....also several Andru ASM pages. 

You probably dodged a bullet on the X-men page if it was advertised as Kirby. That was almost all Roth. 

[Flambit]

17 minutes ago, comix4fun said:

You probably dodged a bullet on the X-men page if it was advertised as Kirby. That was almost all Roth. 

I think he means FF #28?  That was Kirby, wasn't it?  

[artdealer]

9 hours ago, Catwoman_Fan said:

I regret not going hard for this splash page from Detective Comics #457 , when it was auctioned on ebay a couple years ago. 

PRIME O'Neil and Giordano. 

At the time I couldn't rationalize spending that much on an interior page (non-cover) but now I wish I had stretched for it.

I remember selling that page for Giordano back in the day.

 

[comix4fun]

1 hour ago, Flambit said:

I think he means FF #28?  That was Kirby, wasn't it?  

That makes more sense. Didn't realize he mean Fantastic Four. 

[g-man]

Yes FF 28....

[Catwoman_Fan]

[buyatari]

22 hours ago, Flambit said:

Absolute Justice League cover (faces wrap around on the back cover too!)... 

 

 

I love the McGuire Justice League run. How much did this one sell for? 

[Lee B.]

19 hours ago, artdealer said:

I remember selling that page for Giordano back in the day.

 

Hi Mitch!  Did you sell that splash before Tony Dispoto offered it in his 1976 catalog?  Best regards, Lee

[Flambit]

1 hour ago, buyatari said:

I love the McGuire Justice League run. How much did this one sell for? 

Somewhere in the neighborhood of $4500, I think.  

[BCarter27]

3 hours ago, buyatari said:

I love the McGuire Justice League run. How much did this one sell for? 

$7200. Buyer was one Lord Manga Khan. Anybody know him? (That's a joke. The price is not.)

Edited March 14, 2018 by BCarter27
I was not the buyer, just to be clear.

[Flambit]

55 minutes ago, BCarter27 said:

$7200. Buyer was one Lord Manga Khan. Anybody know him? (That's a joke. The price is not.)

I definitely misremembered.  I think now that I must have checked in on eBay and it was $4500, but I forgot to watch the end of the auction.  That makes me feel a little better...  

If only the original cover to JL #1 would surface...  I wonder what that would go for?  I've heard that Andy Helfer owns it.