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Ashcan comics?
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22 posts in this topic

I recently found a rare ashcan comic and was wondering if they are able to be pressed and graded normally, or if there is a special case or something because of their size?  I collected heavily when younger but stopped around 1994 and am just now getting back into the game.

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15 hours ago, DiogenesTheDog said:

I recently found a rare ashcan comic and was wondering if they are able to be pressed and graded normally, or if there is a special case or something because of their size?  I collected heavily when younger but stopped around 1994 and am just now getting back into the game.

Good question. I've never owned one so I'm not sure, but I'm interested to know the answer.

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Newsprint is newsprint regardless of color (though quality and condition will be an issue) anything printed recently would have no issue with pressing.

Just for curiosity sake when you say "rare" do you mean an actual ashcan used for trademark purposes or the 90's gimmicks

 

 

 

 

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14 hours ago, DougC said:

Newsprint is newsprint regardless of color (though quality and condition will be an issue) anything printed recently would have no issue with pressing.

Just for curiosity sake when you say "rare" do you mean an actual ashcan used for trademark purposes or the 90's gimmicks

 

 

 

 

I have a The Maxx #3 black ashcan, according to CGC mine will be the 5-6th known copy.  

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There really isn't a need to press this.  If you send it in to CGC it will come back with a green Qualified label or maybe if you request it, a blue label with a significantly lower grade taking into account the signature that has not been witnessed by CGC. This is also one of those books where I honestly don't believe grading will affect its value. Can we see a pic?

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On 9/14/2018 at 8:03 PM, baslug said:

Wow, awesome!  Where did you find it?  I’ve been watching the Maxx ashcans since 2004. I’ve only seen photos of 4 total - and rumor of a 5th. I’d love to see a pic of it if you’re willing to share. 

Ask and ye shall receive.  Consider my #16 here to be the sixth known copy:

IMG_20180922_112438.jpg

IMG_20180922_112442.jpg

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17 hours ago, DiogenesTheDog said:

Ask and ye shall receive.  Consider my #16 here to be the sixth known copy:

IMG_20180922_112438.jpg

IMG_20180922_112442.jpg

Now THAT is worth the price of admission.

:cloud9:

By my research, this would only be the 5th confirmed copy, though, of course, the other 45 (plus whatever A/Ps or others they made) might still exist.

Very, very nice!

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4 hours ago, keithl said:

I'm curious, is this a true Ashcan or like a previous comment  a 90's gimmick?

Obviously it's from the 90's, but it is an incredibly rare issue.  Last sale that I saw was three years ago for a few thousand dollars:

http://www.comixpriceguide.com/7132/-MAXX-Ashcan-3-BLACK-CGC-7-5-Signed-by-Kieth-Image.html

 

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4 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Now THAT is worth the price of admission.

:cloud9:

By my research, this would only be the 5th confirmed copy, though, of course, the other 45 (plus whatever A/Ps or others they made) might still exist.

Very, very nice!

I'm curious what numbers have been found, do you know?  I know the person that owns #10, she has a full collection of all 12.  

My wife used to date an Image artist back when they were starting out (it's like a mile from here) and said that Sam smudged most of the signatures on this issue from stacking them wet so they threw out most of them because they weren't selling anyways.  She's got gossip from then that's a lot of fun, from a fan perspective.

It's possible that mine is the highest surviving number, so I'd like to look into it if possible...

 

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23 minutes ago, DiogenesTheDog said:

I'm curious what numbers have been found, do you know?  I know the person that owns #10, she has a full collection of all 12.  

My wife used to date an Image artist back when they were starting out (it's like a mile from here) and said that Sam smudged most of the signatures on this issue from stacking them wet so they threw out most of them because they weren't selling anyways.  She's got gossip from then that's a lot of fun, from a fan perspective.

It's possible that mine is the highest surviving number, so I'd like to look into it if possible...

 

Yes, the lady who owns all 12 is, I think, "IBeforeE" on this board.

Mine was #9, I think. I forget now. I don't remember the other 2.

Yes, they stacked all of these when wet, and smeared all of them. Such a shame, too. All my #2s (I owned 10 black #2s) were smudged like that.

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Whoa! That’s fantastic! What a spectacular find!

FWIW, the ones I’ve seen photos of are:

  • #2 (CGC 9.2)
  • #7 (CGC 9.4) - this is ibeforej’s (a member of this forum)
  • #10 (CGC 7.5) - this is the one RMA had on eBay for quite some time
  • #13 (CGC 8.5)

All 4 were part of complete ashcan sets

Ive heard of a #9, but only in the same content as above: “I sold one. I think it was #9”

so, yes, yours would be the highest numbered. Thanks for sharing it with us. 

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I've spoken with the current owner of #10, she's on a Sam Keith fan page with me and has a complete set of 12. 

According to the locals that I know that worked at Image, mine is probably the highest numbered surviving copy then, they told me that the rest of the pile was tossed after not selling and for having smudged signatures.  It's therefore likely that there are a maximum number of sixteen surviving copies Maxximum (pun intended).  Thanks for the info, I've been curious as to if their info was genuine, and if all of the known numbers are lower, then it's possible.



 

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On 10/6/2018 at 4:40 AM, baslug said:

Whoa! That’s fantastic! What a spectacular find!

FWIW, the ones I’ve seen photos of are:

  • #2 (CGC 9.2)
  • #7 (CGC 9.4) - this is ibeforej’s (a member of this forum)
  • #10 (CGC 7.5) - this is the one RMA had on eBay for quite some time
  • #13 (CGC 8.5)

All 4 were part of complete ashcan sets

Ive heard of a #9, but only in the same content as above: “I sold one. I think it was #9”

so, yes, yours would be the highest numbered. Thanks for sharing it with us. 

 

On 10/6/2018 at 10:26 AM, DiogenesTheDog said:

I've spoken with the current owner of #10, she's on a Sam Keith fan page with me and has a complete set of 12. 

According to the locals that I know that worked at Image, mine is probably the highest numbered surviving copy then, they told me that the rest of the pile was tossed after not selling and for having smudged signatures.  It's therefore likely that there are a maximum number of sixteen surviving copies Maxximum (pun intended).  Thanks for the info, I've been curious as to if their info was genuine, and if all of the known numbers are lower, then it's possible.



 

Well, there you go. People keeping track better than me. :)

By the way...although I don't put too much stock in what the locals that worked at Image might say (being anonymous), it is an additional small piece of evidence to support the idea that many of these were tossed.

HOWEVER...that comes with a huge caveat, considering I found a comparatively large stash of them in 2000-2001 from Jimmy Jay, who had bought them directly from the Image office in that time frame, 7-8 years after they were published (he bought several hundred ashcans, and these were in that purchase.) It included 10 copies of #2 black, and 1 copy of #3 black. If the rest of the pile was "thrown out" as the Image locals claim, my purchase wouldn't have been possible. 

As well, in 1993, comic buyers were still gaga over all things Image, so it seems incredibly unlikely that those books were "thrown out" due to "not selling." Not impossible...but certainly unlikely, especially up until the crash.

We've discussed the ad where they were offered for sale by the outfit in Phoenix, AZ before. I forget the company name, but it was the one with the surfboard in the ad.

That doesn't preclude many, or even most, of them being thrown out...but, certainly, not all of them were. We've been tracking them here on the boards for well over a decade, and despite diligent searches by Maxx fans for decades, only the 5 have been confirmed (as in, with photographic evidence.) So, are there actually 16 surviving copies? Perhaps, but I don't think they were sold and/or distributed on that basis. If there were 16 surviving copies...and yours is literally the first new copy to surface in almost a decade...I would imagine we would have seen/heard of at least a couple more by now.

Of course...with such a tiny print run, it's entirely possible that ALL of these copies are just stashed, but...after the meltdown an devastation of the late 90s, the prevailing theory is that these were, in fact, tossed, not soon after publication, but rather years after the fact, either by Image directly, or retailers that had gone out of business. 

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On ‎10‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 7:40 AM, baslug said:

Whoa! That’s fantastic! What a spectacular find!

FWIW, the ones I’ve seen photos of are:

  • #2 (CGC 9.2)
  • #7 (CGC 9.4) - this is ibeforej’s (a member of this forum)
  • #10 (CGC 7.5) - this is the one RMA had on eBay for quite some time
  • #13 (CGC 8.5)

All 4 were part of complete ashcan sets

Ive heard of a #9, but only in the same content as above: “I sold one. I think it was #9”

so, yes, yours would be the highest numbered. Thanks for sharing it with us. 

Just some history on this, #2 was my copy. 

I purchased it raw from a seller from the Netherlands god knows when and subbed it with a yellow #1 and a yellow #2.  I sold that copy along with most of my ashcans off ebay in more than one transaction but to the same buyer.  I never completed a full set, I had 11 out of the 12 when I decided to sell them; they were buys at different times from different sellers.  

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I'm taking the viewpoint that these books weren't tossed, in bulk, but a few probably got tossed over the years by individual owners.  We're talking about something where there were 50+ copies made, and again, I purchased a raw black #3 from the Netherlands - so these books did travel!  I think we'll see more of them surface, sounds like the next basis for a poll!    Oh and amazing find btw!!!  :cloud9:

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