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Color OVER Grade?
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22 posts in this topic

I typically save a scan (and date/price sold) from all auction sites of the comics that I'm interested in.  Helpful since other than Heritage, nothing is searchable long after the fact.

It's interesting how different colors are.  I presume mostly sun exposure, but some very high grade comics have terrible colors, while some low grade comics have colors that look fantastic.

I realize we live in a "slabbed" world when it comes to pricing - but do you tend to notice significant price differentials just based on color?  Would an 8.0 with fantastic colors bring a large premium over an 8.0 with poor colors.  It should, I just don't see it routinely in the ones that I pay attention to.  I would personally much rather have a 6.0 with super bright colors than an 8.0 that looks dull.

This is just a recent example that I see from perusing the latest CC auction -

Man O' Mars $175.jpg

man o mars.jpg

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Low grade with deep vibrant colors -bargain and greater sastifaction in the purchase.  Higher grade with dull colors still fetches a premium but I tend to try figure a way to resell such asap.

a lot of time its hard to tell from scans; this applies to all 3 auction houses from my experience 

Edited by Spiderturtle
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I think the color issue is more important when the grades are farther apart...a well-presenting brilliantly colored 3.5 vs. a flat-colored 6.0? Appearance counts for a lot and those people that "buy the book" and not the grade might surprise you. 6.5 vs. 7.0, especially with a rare book would be almost all appearance, IMHO.

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Your example happens to be a Fiction House example, a publisher notorious for a very wide range of color variation on covers.  Most Fiction House collectors (myself included) put a premium on colors over grade.  Of course, I think limitations apply.  Would I take a 4.0 over a 9.0 for roughly the same price due to slightly more vibrant colors?  Of course not.  But 6.0 vs 7.0? Yeah, almost definitely.

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Couple things, first of all you can search all of the completed auctions on Comic Connect as well as Heritage, that might be helpful for you, same with Hakes but there is not as much there. As mentioned above this is almost exclusively a Fiction House issue and even more so for issues of Planet where color will drive a sale over condition unless there are massive condition defects.

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Color matters a lot and I think you see it in DC books of the period as well.  Timely's seem to be more vibrant and consistent.  I always try to look at the CGC label as well.  Even on the two first examples the top one the CGC blue label seems brighter so it could be scanner/picture differences as well.  Certainly the best way to compare is in hand but that sometimes isn't an option.  Color is a big part of eye appeal and that to me matters as much as technical grade if it is close.  4.0-5.0 something like that.  Also really pretty Man O Mars book.  Congratulations.

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16 hours ago, tpetty said:

top one is mine.

bottom one is currently in auction.  bottom one is graded higher - but there is no question which one I would rather have.

I would choose the richer color of course, but between say a 6.0 and 7.0 it's a pretty obvious choice. If say, there was a 1.8 with great color, or a 8.5 but with weak color, I probably wouldn't want either and would keep looking.

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I hadn't realized this was a problem that particularly plagued Fiction House.  Since that is one of my main collecting areas, I guess that explains the wide variability in color that I have recorded.

As an aside, I didn't know you could search old auction results on CC.  I typically monitor Heritage, CC, CL, and ebay and either bid (or watch) every issue of those that I collect (even the ones I already have), and then save the image/date/price.  Getting quite an image collection. :)

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1 hour ago, tpetty said:

I hadn't realized this was a problem that particularly plagued Fiction House.  Since that is one of my main collecting areas, I guess that explains the wide variability in color that I have recorded.

As an aside, I didn't know you could search old auction results on CC.  I typically monitor Heritage, CC, CL, and ebay and either bid (or watch) every issue of those that I collect (even the ones I already have), and then save the image/date/price.  Getting quite an image collection. :)

Which one would you take if price was the same?

complanet66pair.jpg

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On 2/20/2019 at 6:57 PM, PeterPark said:

I think the color issue is more important when the grades are farther apart...a well-presenting brilliantly colored 3.5 vs. a flat-colored 6.0? Appearance counts for a lot and those people that "buy the book" and not the grade might surprise you. 6.5 vs. 7.0, especially with a rare book would be almost all appearance, IMHO.

+1  My preferrence is purchasing books that are appealing to my eye and also match my collection.  A comic that has survived 70+ years and still retains its newsstand fresh bright colors is a real gem no matter what the assigned grade it is.  :smile:

188474914_SupermanandBatman.gif.ba14475da124c93fa2e51359a7d97761.gif

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