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Most valuable comic out there
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73 posts in this topic

21 minutes ago, Krismusic said:

this the perfect example of that just because something is rare doesn't mean its valuable. There are many things out there that are rare or one off but no one wants them.. the rarity adds to the value when the product is highly desirable. 

+1

Yes, as this is the basic economic theory that price for a good is determined by both the supply and demand for a particular good.  (thumbsu

Of course, it's also only a theory since it's based upon a perfect market environment and I am not sure that we necessarily have a perfectly competitive marketplace here when it comes to these high end comic books.  hm

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9 minutes ago, sfcityduck said:

There can be no rationality to this debate.  Ultimately, the question being asked is what comic book will someone want so badly that they will pay more for it than anyone would ever do so for a comic?

The easy answer is to say that some ultra-rich collector out there would rather own the best Action 1 in existence (DA's MH probably) of the best D27 in existence (DA's Allentown probably) over any other book.  The auction prices already paid for Action 1 and D27 would probably bear this out.  

BUT, imagine this scenario:  Someone brings to light a 9.8 Superman 1.  Right now the highest graded copies are two 8.0, followed by 1 6.0.  Could a 9.8 Superman lead to a crazy bidding war between a guy like Hariri and someone else (maybe DA) that yields a price that would not be topped even for the best Action 1 or D27?  Yeah, it might happen.  Because the rarity of high grade examples of Superman 1, the third most valuable book, far exceeds the high grade rarity of Action 1 and D 27. Should a Superman 1 be the most valuable comic?  Not in my view.  But, I'm never going to be part of the bidding wars for those multi-million dollar books.  And in the heat of the moment, if there's a fresh to the market chart topping stunner, you never know what would happen.

After all, we live in a world where a book like Suspense 3, which has zero historical significance, has garnered crazy numbers at auction simply because of the hype surrounding its cover.  We are not in a rational world here.  We are in a world ruled by irrational impulses.

I do think that a Superman #1 CGC 9.8 would sell for more than the Action Comics #1 CGC 9.0. I think that based on the 9.8 mentality of the market.

Superman #1 CGC 9.6, though? I suspect that would sell for less than the AC. Again, based on that 9.8 market mentality.

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What about the fabled movie house 1st app of The Submariner?

Haven't only something like 8 complete and 3 partial copies ever been discovered.

In the world - now that's got to be up there with the most desirable surely?

What would one of those actually sell for, should an owner actually ever consider selling one?

 

I believe someone did an awesome thread about it, with scans of some of the pages?

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23 minutes ago, Beige said:

What about the fabled movie house 1st app of The Submariner?

Haven't only something like 8 complete and 3 partial copies ever been discovered.

In the world - now that's got to be up there with the most desirable surely?

What would one of those actually sell for, should an owner actually ever consider selling one?

 

I believe someone did an awesome thread about it, with scans of some of the pages?

Motion PIcture Funnies Weekly 1 is owned by several board members and the Subby story can be found on the internet.  But, I don't think that MPFW 1 is even viewed as desirable as Marvel Comics 1, and there is reason to question whether it ever made it to a movie house (almost all copies came from publisher files and the provenance on the final copy is a bit uncertain).  Here's the thread the highly esteemed Mark Zaid started on this topic:

 

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3 hours ago, sfcityduck said:

Motion PIcture Funnies Weekly 1 is owned by several board members and the Subby story can be found on the internet.  But, I don't think that MPFW 1 is even viewed as desirable as Marvel Comics 1, and there is reason to question whether it ever made it to a movie house (almost all copies came from publisher files and the provenance on the final copy is a bit uncertain).  Here's the thread the highly esteemed Mark Zaid started on this topic:

 

Thanks - that was a great read (again). - new members would be well served to read the thread, as when all the messing around is put to one side, what this forum is capable of, is quite astounding.

 

This is probably the only place where the biggest collectors in the world of comics freely share 50 yrs worth of wisdom - you would not find this in any other hobby,especially one with so much $$ attached to it

 

The above is a perfect example.

Thanks again @sfcityduck

Edited by Beige
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is there any stats or numbers about how many copies were printed of AF15 and how many known copies exist. I wonder if anyone has tried to compile a CGC, and other grading companies registry to get a aprox count. 

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2 minutes ago, Foley said:

I’m not sure I follow this. You don’t  determine value by introducing hypothetical rarity.

What are you talking about? Spawn #1 would be the most expensive comic ever if there was only 10 copies.

doh!

Spoiler

This is pure, unfiltered, certified sarcasm.

 

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On 11/13/2019 at 12:02 PM, RockMyAmadeus said:

There are quite a few comics more rare than Action #1. Amazing Man #26, for example, or Suspense Comics #3.

And there are a few very limited books recently.

But supply is just one side of the equation. 

The only potential candidate I could see would be Detective Comics #27. If, for some reason, the popularity of Batman were to be increased substantially (unlikely, as he's already one of the most recognized and most loved characters) while Superman's popularity were to decline substantially.

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2 hours ago, GeeksAreMyPeeps said:

The only potential candidate I could see would be Detective Comics #27. If, for some reason, the popularity of Batman were to be increased substantially (unlikely, as he's already one of the most recognized and most loved characters) while Superman's popularity were to decline substantially.

Except that people will always realize that Superman is the great discontinuity, and comicdom's greatest spark. Batman is utterly derivative of so much that immediately preceded him, especially in the pulps.

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On 11/15/2019 at 9:23 AM, Krismusic said:

is there any stats or numbers about how many copies were printed of AF15 and how many known copies exist. I wonder if anyone has tried to compile a CGC, and other grading companies registry to get a aprox count. 

Don't see how that would help in the end though as there are still far more raw copies of AF 15 out there, as compared to graded copies from what I've seen.  :gossip:

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