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Most Expensive $1 Comics as CGC 9.8's
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Started by revat,

54 posts in this topic

revat

revat

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Posted

Greetings,

I've recently come across a few listings of seemingly 'nothing' books that are plentiful in dollar bins (even in NM) that are extremely expensive in CGC 9.8's ($500+).  I assume its generally because of a common production or shipping defect or rarity, but maybe its just perception?  I don't know.  I can see why a something might get into the $200-$400 range, but going over $500......wow.   I'm not talking about ultra CGC 9.8's expensive books that have somewhat pricey raws, I'm talking about the books you'd probably pass over when looking in dollar bins.  I'm also not talking about some ultra rare variant that no one knows about.  Just regular comics no one would notice but comic specialists would pay through the nose for.

The two I can think of immediately are Wolverine 35 (1st ongoing series), (I did some research and read about the demand for that one), and GI Joe 26 (1st series).  What are some other ones? And any thoughts on why some explode and some don't?

I know this looks like i'm trying to find comics to hunt for in 2022 when I go to a LCS or comic show again, but I'm more just curious.  

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awakeintheashes

awakeintheashes

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I remember when I first saw what Darkhawk #1s were selling for in 9.8. I purchased about 200 at $0.50 each from dealer back stock immediately. Not $500 but definitely a nice profit from $0.50 plus grading fees. 

Wolverine #41 second printing in 9.8 used to sell for A LOT compared to non-9.8s. I haven’t checked in a while, though.

Edited by awakeintheashes
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JollyComics

JollyComics

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1 hour ago, revat said:

Greetings,

I've recently come across a few listings of seemingly 'nothing' books that are plentiful in dollar bins (even in NM) that are extremely expensive in CGC 9.8's ($500+).  I assume its generally because of a common production or shipping defect or rarity, but maybe its just perception?  I don't know.  I can see why a something might get into the $200-$400 range, but going over $500......wow.   I'm not talking about ultra CGC 9.8's expensive books that have somewhat pricey raws, I'm talking about the books you'd probably pass over when looking in dollar bins.  I'm also not talking about some ultra rare variant that no one knows about.  Just regular comics no one would notice but comic specialists would pay through the nose for.

The two I can think of immediately are Wolverine 35 (1st ongoing series), (I did some research and read about the demand for that one), and GI Joe 26 (1st series).  What are some other ones? And any thoughts on why some explode and some don't?

I know this looks like i'm trying to find comics to hunt for in 2022 when I go to a LCS or comic show again, but I'm more just curious.  

The origins of Shadow Eyes and Storm Shadow are in both GI Joe #26 and #27.  I am very sure both issues will be hot in following of GI Joe #21.  Have seen both copies sold well.

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revat

revat

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2 hours ago, kav said:

I believe there are collectors that just collect grade.  I have sold lois lane books that would normally be a dollar but were in pristine condition for $70-$80 each raw.

but would you be able to find NM (not ultra high grade) copies of Lois Lane in your local dollar bin?  

 

I'm talking the EXTREMES.  Like "near complete-ignore" for even NM comics in the dollar bin but somehow CGC 9.8 goes over $500.  

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awakeintheashes

awakeintheashes

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Outside of Registry completion/competition, I have no idea. 

I’ve heard that ultra high-grade of certain super common 90s sports cards are starting to increase in value. This may be part of an influx of collectors who want the highest available grade of a character/book they have fond memories of and are willing to spend $$$ instead of do the work. 

Edited by awakeintheashes
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Qalyar

Qalyar

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Sometimes the cheapo stuff is surprisingly hard to find. Admittedly, that's because almost no one cares. But for various reasons, every now and then, someone will want high grade copies of a book (or a run) that isn't considered sexy.

There are books that may very well exist out there in the thousands, even as 9.6 or 9.8 raws. But they're cold books, so it's not economically feasible for dealers to index them or make them available. They exist in longboxes on shop floors or in back rooms, but aren't readily for sale. Even fewer get graded, so someone who wants their cold books slabbed but doesn't want to play the high-grade lottery dance might find chasing the handful of existing slabs more appealing than it should be.

Plus, frankly, I don't think there are as many high-grade copies of "cheap" books as many people would expect. Especially when you're talking about books that tend to end up in discount bins, there may be a lot of physical copies out there, but life in the bargain box isn't conducive to maintaining grade. The assumption is that no one cares about the condition of those books, and, largely, that's accurate. I've had more than one dealer refuse to answer an inquiry about a book's condition on the grounds that "condition doesn't matter" for cheap comics.

That said, if I ever drop $500 for any of the dollar store drek that I sometimes collect, shoot me.

Meanwhile, at least some of these prices are probably people (both sellers and, sadly, buyers) who think that anything in a 9.8 slab is mystically transformed into gold...

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Qalyar

Qalyar

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Those Marvel Team-Up 131 sales have to be people trying to speculate on the White Rabbit first appearance? I guess? Both of those sales were auction sales, and both had nontrivial bidding wars that chased up the price. But as far as I can tell, they look like legitimate sales not crazy shilling shenanigans (and don't look to have overlapping participants, either).

Before those, the previous 9.8 sale looks to have gone for $190 back in June, which is itself a huge jump from the 2016 transactions that were the only earlier data for this book in grade. I'm not sure what has changed to make (some) people care about this one, but I'd guess that there's a market to absorb at least another 2 or 3 copies for over $200, if not necessarily the $700+ mania (but maybe...). It will be interesting to see whether this effect trickles down to 9.4/9.6 slabs, but so far those are still hanging out broadly in the $60-80ish range that a lot of random slabs go for. Still a lot better than the ~$30 (or less) slabs that are signs of absolutely zero interest, though. So there's some possibility...

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kav

kav

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18 minutes ago, revat said:

but would you be able to find NM (not ultra high grade) copies of Lois Lane in your local dollar bin?  

 

I'm talking the EXTREMES.  Like "near complete-ignore" for even NM comics in the dollar bin but somehow CGC 9.8 goes over $500.  

Not anymore.  But when i bought them they were indeed in a dollar bin.  This was abt 1992.

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Raze

Raze

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2 hours ago, revat said:

Greetings,

I've recently come across a few listings of seemingly 'nothing' books that are plentiful in dollar bins (even in NM) that are extremely expensive in CGC 9.8's ($500+).  I assume its generally because of a common production or shipping defect or rarity, but maybe its just perception?  I don't know.  I can see why a something might get into the $200-$400 range, but going over $500......wow.   I'm not talking about ultra CGC 9.8's expensive books that have somewhat pricey raws, I'm talking about the books you'd probably pass over when looking in dollar bins.  I'm also not talking about some ultra rare variant that no one knows about.  Just regular comics no one would notice but comic specialists would pay through the nose for.

The two I can think of immediately are Wolverine 35 (1st ongoing series), (I did some research and read about the demand for that one), and GI Joe 26 (1st series).  What are some other ones? And any thoughts on why some explode and some don't?

I know this looks like i'm trying to find comics to hunt for in 2022 when I go to a LCS or comic show again, but I'm more just curious.  

What is the demand for wolverine 35? I get the GI Joe 26. And what other book have you noticed that I need to look for? 

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Qalyar

Qalyar

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1 minute ago, Raze said:

What is the demand for wolverine 35? I get the GI Joe 26. And what other book have you noticed that I need to look for? 

Yeah, GI Joe 26 doesn't actually surprise me at all. That's the origin book for Snake Eyes. And since his "key", GI Joe 21, is officially entering crazy-pants prices, it makes a lot of sense that it will lift this closely associated issue. This shouldn't be a dollar-bin raw, and I'd buy it in a dollar bin if I found it there.

No clue on Wolverine 35 though. Spanish Civil War/Superhero crossover fans?

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