• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Purchase of the year!
2 2

148 posts in this topic

Don't know if this got around much, but at last weeks Toronto FanFest, a dealer had the cover to Swampthing #37 framed and up on his wall for sale for...get this...$800 bucks.  Not just an Alan Moore era ST cover, but the issue with the first appearance of John Constantine.  Of course it was quickly bought by a collector who does collect this stuff.  This cover was confirmed by a reputable dealer that it was the real deal upon inspection, no stat or fake.  Crazy!  I didn't think this kind of thing ever happened anymore, and reminded me of the days when as a kid I would hit yard sales and Goodwill thinking I would strike comic book gold.  Too bad the seller didn't do his due diligence (how is that possible???) and a lucky strike for the collector/buyer, eh?

Edited by stinkininkin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, stinkininkin said:

Don't know if this got around much, but at last weeks Toronto FanFest, a dealer had the cover to Swampthing #37 framed and up on his wall for sale for...get this...$800 bucks.  Not just an Alan Moore era ST cover, but the issue with the first appearance of John Constantine.  Of course it was quickly bought by a collector who does collect this stuff.  This cover was confirmed by a reputable dealer that it was the real deal upon inspection, no stat or fake.  Crazy!  I didn't think this kind of thing ever happened anymore, and reminded me of the days when as a kid I would hit yard sales and Goodwill thinking I would strike comic book gold.  Too bad the seller didn't do his due diligence (how is that possible???) and a lucky strike for the collector/buyer, eh?

are you joking me?  Holy shhhheet

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, stinkininkin said:

Don't know if this got around much, but at last weeks Toronto FanFest, a dealer had the cover to Swampthing #37 framed and up on his wall for sale for...get this...$800 bucks.  Not just an Alan Moore era ST cover, but the issue with the first appearance of John Constantine.  Of course it was quickly bought by a collector who does collect this stuff.  This cover was confirmed by a reputable dealer that it was the real deal upon inspection, no stat or fake.  Crazy!  I didn't think this kind of thing ever happened anymore, and reminded me of the days when as a kid I would hit yard sales and Goodwill thinking I would strike comic book gold.  Too bad the seller didn't do his due diligence (how is that possible???) and a lucky strike for the collector/buyer, eh?

It certainly never happens to me!

I can't imagine the run of events that led up to that cover going up at that price. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, stinkininkin said:

Don't know if this got around much, but at last weeks Toronto FanFest, a dealer had the cover to Swampthing #37 framed and up on his wall for sale for...get this...$800 bucks.  Not just an Alan Moore era ST cover, but the issue with the first appearance of John Constantine.  Of course it was quickly bought by a collector who does collect this stuff.  This cover was confirmed by a reputable dealer that it was the real deal upon inspection, no stat or fake.  Crazy!  I didn't think this kind of thing ever happened anymore, and reminded me of the days when as a kid I would hit yard sales and Goodwill thinking I would strike comic book gold.  Too bad the seller didn't do his due diligence (how is that possible???) and a lucky strike for the collector/buyer, eh?

Any chance there's a pic of the cover?

I've always wondered how the ST figure was done there... green ink, red ink, something.   Because I don't think its black line.

It's probably a bit homely in person but with what a valuable cover it is I'm sure the owner likes it juuust fine.

swamp-thing-37.jpg

Edited by Bronty
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, stinkininkin said:

Don't know if this got around much, but at last weeks Toronto FanFest, a dealer had the cover to Swampthing #37 framed and up on his wall for sale for...get this...$800 bucks.  Not just an Alan Moore era ST cover, but the issue with the first appearance of John Constantine.  Of course it was quickly bought by a collector who does collect this stuff.  This cover was confirmed by a reputable dealer that it was the real deal upon inspection, no stat or fake.  Crazy!  I didn't think this kind of thing ever happened anymore, and reminded me of the days when as a kid I would hit yard sales and Goodwill thinking I would strike comic book gold.  Too bad the seller didn't do his due diligence (how is that possible???) and a lucky strike for the collector/buyer, eh?

It was about USD$600. A few of us have seen the pic. Just a crazy story. These Bissette/Totleben ST covers so rarely ever pop up, so it figures at least a few are buried in random, long-time collections. Very happy for the collector, one of the nice guys of the hobby. At same time, feel terrible for the seller. Wouldn't feel bad if it was a dealer who should have known better, but this was someone who was clearly out-of-touch with modern values. Oh well, at least it was, again, one of the nice guys who got it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Bronty said:

Any chance there's a pic of the cover?

I've always wondered how the ST figure was done there... green ink, red ink, something.   Because I don't think its black line.

It's probably a bit homely in person but with what a valuable cover it is I'm sure the owner likes it juuust fine.

swamp-thing-37.jpg

It's all black and looks great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting.   thx.

Yeah with it being all black I'm sure it presents much better than it would as green or red line.    

I'm jealous, what a buy!

Edited by Bronty
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, J.Sid said:

One of the "nice guys" got it?

We've all been in a situation where a seller has something 25% underpriced and we snatch it up. That sounds closer to financial elder abuse though.

2 hours ago, J.Sid said:

I'm trying to realistically put myself in the buyer's shoes.... Hmmmm.

I can only imagine the outcry if a dealer or quasi-dealer/flipper had bought it...much gnashing of teeth and cries of stealing food out of the seller's children's mouths, I'm sure.

That said, I wonder what anyone else who was interested in the piece would really have done differently. I mean, OK, if you had no interest in the piece, you could just have told the guy that the piece is easily worth more than 50x his asking price, if not 75x. Or, if you have more money than you know what to do with, you could have offered him, say, $50K+ on the spot and probably both sides walk away very happy in what most would consider to be a very good deal for the seller. 

But, if you're most people, and you tell the guy that he's pricing the piece at literally pennies on the dollar, there's a good chance that you won't be the one who ultimately ends up with it, after the seller does his homework and then decides to consign it to Heritage, or prices it at $100K because some crazy friend told him it was worth that much. So, your good deed goes unrewarded, and the seller goes from being an unwary cluebag to greedy, ungrateful a-hole. 

If I had been the one to see it, realistically, I don't know that I'm doing anything different than the buyer, except not telling anyone so that someone doesn't start a thread like this on the CGC Boards... :whistle: 

Edited by delekkerste
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ive had this happen to me before, my rule is simple I treat it all like playing at a poker table. If you sit down at a table and buy in for 5000 dollars after watching rounders 2x and maybe playing a few hands on you Iphone....its not my fault of the others at the table when you get taken to the woodshed. You knowingly put yourself in a situation and asked to engage with people who clearly know more than you about whats going on. Buying and selling high end items with greater value experts than you comes with risks, he knew that and choose to engage anyway.

If you dont know how to play poker, Dont go to the cage and ask for a stack of purples cause you have a "vague idea" of what you are doing. If you dont know the price of something obviously special,dont pay for a table to a sales gathering and put it up for a sale cause you have a "vague idea" of what you are doing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Bill C said:

...and the problem with this scenario is that many sellers would probably think "Oh gee, if he's willing to offer 50K, I better hold onto it as it's gotta be worth much more!" The good deed being punished.

So yeah, assuming I wanted it I'd probably keep my poker face, inspect it, pay his ask (if I felt it was legit), and walk away. Then keep it under wraps for a bit.

Exactly right.   He was asking 800, you pay 800, and walk.   You offer 50k and you’re not getting the art

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you go to the trouble of putting a sticker price on an item in an open market place and wildly, wildly whiff on the price you land on I have trouble seeing the whole "shame / taken advantage of" storyline getting too far unless many other details emerge to support it. I certainly have some sympathy, but like I said earlier, I can't fathom the series of events that culminated in this transaction.

 

The most minimal of due diligence should have thrown up some red flags... Not even necessarily OA specific research, just a quick search into the comic it came from would likely have resulted in a different outcome to this story.

 

Here's hoping it wasn't a grandma setting up an OA booth to pay for her dialysis treatments.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
2 2