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Bronze X-Men...moving up? Underappreciated?
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Started by RockMyAmadeus,

32 posts in this topic

RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

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For the last 10 years or so, Bronze X-Men (and X-Men in general) have been fairly stagnant, after dominating the early to mid 80s and much of the 90s.

After the artificial highs of the unfilled census in the mid 00s, X-Men haven't seemed to do well for a long while.

But is that about to change? Phoenix issues, esp #101 and #134, are on fire, and setting records...but ALL of them are legitimately scarce in high grade below issue #110, and even #110-142 aren't anywhere near as common as their post-Byrne counterparts. X-Men #178 may never see inflation adjusted highs ever again, but #126...? Sure, everyone bought them in huge quantities and kept them in pristine shape....in 1983. But in 1979...? Yeah, maybe not so much, even if they were less subject to attrition than, say, an average issue of Iron Man or Batman.

Seems to me like these books...especially compared to contemporaneous books that have shot up in value in recent years, a la Nova, Ms. Marvel, etc....are looking like bargains, for the most part.

 

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ADAMANTIUM

ADAMANTIUM

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I agree to all pretty much, LCS has priced them higher, especially 1st havok xmen 58, or really any of the "not too key" X-Men 102-127 which in any condition has been priced at $25. With obvious exceptions like #120, which was priced higher....

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cranky's

cranky's

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I've been patient about picking off certain issues the last couple of years because they are so readily available.  It took me a long time to find 105 for a decent price.  I agree they don't move that quickly but they still command strong prices.  Maybe because they are such a heavily collected run that most who want them have them already. 

101, 120, 130 are doing well.  140-141 have dipped.  126 is a great pickup as is 129, which is probably my vote for most underrated key.

I know it's been said before and I may be biased because it was my intro to x-men but the Paul Smith run is as yet unappreciated.  Particularly 162 wolverine solo, 168 kitty pryde fave cover and 1st madeline pryor, 170 storm vs callisto, 173 black wolverine cover...  plus there are variants:gossip:

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Comic-Fan

Comic-Fan

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I would also agree, there seems to no shortage though of high grade issues from the coveted Byrne/Claremont run 108-143. IMO, 101, 109, 120 and 129 are far from topping out as far as an ROI goes.

There’s a slew of untold stories should Marvel decide to test the waters on Alpha Flight, or better yet a solo Guardian origin story.

The Paul Smith run was my introduction to the X-Men, although short lived its still a killer read. 

Edited by Comic-Fan
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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

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X-Men, especially from 1975-1981-ish, was the best title on the stands. It outshone everything. Claremont really had some great ideas. His dialogue was never very good (and some of it is downright painful), but his plotting was tremendous. Issues #107-108 especially stand out. And, of course, the Dark Phoenix saga is as good as it got. Really, the best of its era.

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

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Wow. The X-Men #94, if it's complete. is worth double that alone. Even low grade X-Men below #143 are hard to resist at $5 or less.

I suspect, if all the rights issues get worked out, and the X-Men can be folded into the MCU, these books will rise back to the top. 

It's silly that Ms. Marvel #1 sells for the same price in 9.8 as X-Men #120. Sure, X-Men were saved in decent numbers, but #1s were hoarded by everyone in the mid to late 70s. There are (currently) nearly 4 times as many 9.8 Ms. Marvel #1s, with more sure to come.

Speaking of which...two copies of X-Men #134 in 9.8 sold for $1000+ in the last week, nearly as soon as they were listed.

 

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Knightsofold

Knightsofold

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I recently finished off my GS1,94-143 run and paid a lot more than I wanted to even for readers, average of $10-$20 for mid grades.  I grew up in the 80’s so to me they’re quite common, but the more I thought about new comics costing $4-$5 now, $15-$20 for one of those awesome classics is totally fair.  

 

 

 

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jason4

jason4

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16 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Wow. The X-Men #94, if it's complete. is worth double that alone. Even low grade X-Men below #143 are hard to resist at $5 or less.

I suspect, if all the rights issues get worked out, and the X-Men can be folded into the MCU, these books will rise back to the top. 

It's silly that Ms. Marvel #1 sells for the same price in 9.8 as X-Men #120. Sure, X-Men were saved in decent numbers, but #1s were hoarded by everyone in the mid to late 70s. There are (currently) nearly 4 times as many 9.8 Ms. Marvel #1s, with more sure to come.

Speaking of which...two copies of X-Men #134 in 9.8 sold for $1000+ in the last week, nearly as soon as they were listed.

 

I don’t get the big rise on 134...how can people be confident in this movie after the trailers and the atrocity they did to apocalypse? I have no confidence in dark Phoenix right now other than her classic history in comics. $1000? If the movie bombs...

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Mjolnir!

Mjolnir!

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15 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/X-MEN-ISSUE-131-CGC-9-8-NM-MT-W-PGS-2ND-DAZZLER-BYRNE-CLAREMONT-MARVEL-UNCANNY/202584101005?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055359.m1431.l2649

This book has always been tough in ultra high grade. That damn Star Trek back cover. Wowza.

 

I'm flabbergasted how much this issue is currently bidding for.  :whatthe:

 

I thought these bronze age books were suppose to be under-appreciated/undervalued?  Say What?

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MGsimba77

MGsimba77

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2 hours ago, spidermanbeyond said:

Last X-Men #131 CGC 9.8 sold on Ebay in 10/2018 for $1100.  These copies don't show up much.  Everyone needs this 9.8 to complete their run.  The other issues are more common in 9.8

It's past that now with half hour to go. Don't know if that's close to a record but doubtful since most X-Men had their highs ~ early 2000's

Edited by MGsimba77
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Mjolnir!

Mjolnir!

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2 hours ago, spidermanbeyond said:

Last X-Men #131 CGC 9.8 sold on Ebay in 10/2018 for $1100.  These copies don't show up much.  Everyone needs this 9.8 to complete their run.  The other issues are more common in 9.8

Thanks for the history and explanation!

 

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