Is this asking price legit?

[StarBrand]

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Marvel-Tails-1-C ... r=1&_rdt=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Ramses818]

Sold for $595! Lots of books going for crazy money...

[greg]

I was concerned that the "crazy money" being spent toward modern and recent non-keys was a bad sign for the hobby, but I think I am over that now.

Here's why I think it is OK:
I don't think $595 for Spider-Ham is a good idea, and I don't think books printed last week should be $595, but I think those sales show how many other ways there are to spend $595 and really get something great.

Did you know you can get slabbed complete comics from the 1940s for ANY Golden Age character for $595? I didn't know that. I assumed they were all thousands of dollars and that they were impossible to find. Nope. There are many that are still way under $1,000.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/292439572221" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Because there are Golden Age major character books at that price, there are also Silver Age and Bronze Age books in even better condition for $595... many are first appearances for characters that are more popular than ever with multiple movies and other media.

The entire hobby still has amazing "they don't make them anymore" books from the earliest days up through twenty years ago that can be purchased for the same price as a lot of these eyebrow-raising Spider-Ham or so-hot-until-they're-not recent variants.

A few head-scratcher sales that get people talking and thinking can be a catalyst for things like Hulk #181 skyrocketing. Until recently, the first full appearance of Wolverine was cheaper than a lot of recent variants. I think that isn't true now because so many people realized which was the better option.

I think this "more serious" book is still pretty cheap, when you compare it to Spider-Ham.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/292192192176" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Ramses818]

Well said Greg. Obviously there are lots of better books at that price. I actually think it helps me collect books I want when people chase books like these. My friend just got a Shadowman black preview with sleeve for $13 because people were chasing other books! I have lots of stories like that..lol.

[depluto]

That's where I am too, Greg. I've almost completely ditched variants (I get Valiant ones when my LCS cuts me a deal or I see them cheap) and I'm bulking up my older books. I hardly ever buy anything with more than a 20-cent cover price.

I also got rid of thousands of junk books. Those things tend to build up in your collection like barnacles.

[nycjadie]

Agree with all of these comments. I've shed a lot of barnacles over the last several years.

I do buy variants, and once in a while, I might drop some serious money on variants. For example, I've purchased the metal Valiant variants through my dealer for $300. But I also get all of the other variants for the issue, too.

Yesterday, I splurged on a big book. $1100 for Giant Size X-Men #1. Super white an clean. I'm guessing it's a 9.4 with a press. Maybe even a 9.6. Just some slight creasing on the back top. Fingers crossed. If it grades that high, it might just be my most valuable book.

[possumgrease]

Because there are Golden Age major character books at that price, there are also Silver Age and Bronze Age books in even better condition for $595... many are first appearances for characters that are more popular than ever with multiple movies and other media.

I took your advice and just consummated a best offer transaction on a 1945 4.5 CGC copy of Action Comics 83. I have no idea whether it was a good buy, but I think it's going to be much cooler to own than a 1:100 Del'Otto Spider-Ham variant. It will be the oldest comic I own, so thanks for the encouragement to spend.

[greg]

Because there are Golden Age major character books at that price, there are also Silver Age and Bronze Age books in even better condition for $595... many are first appearances for characters that are more popular than ever with multiple movies and other media.

I took your advice and just consummated a best offer transaction on a 1945 4.5 CGC copy of Action Comics 83. I have no idea whether it was a good buy, but I think it's going to much cooler to own than a 1:100 Del'Otto Spider-Ham variant. It will be the oldest comic I own, so thanks for the encouragement to spend.

Looks nice! https://www.ebay.com/itm/-/292440803830 ... 675.l10137" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[StarBrand]

So, this asking price was legit! The selller obviously thought he might be able to get it and he did. I wonder what the census on Spider-Ham 1 CGC 9.8 is.

[greg]

So, this asking price was legit! The selller obviously thought he might be able to get it and he did. I wonder what the census on Spider-Ham 1 CGC 9.8 is.

The 1985 book (Peter Porker, Spectacular Spider-Ham #1) hasn't really been worth submitting, but there are 24 CGC 9.8 out of 49 submissions (49%).

The 1983 book (from the first post) Marvel Tails #1 has 97 submissions and 49 are CGC 9.8 (51%).

[StarBrand]

So, this asking price was legit! The selller obviously thought he might be able to get it and he did. I wonder what the census on Spider-Ham 1 CGC 9.8 is.

The 1985 book (Peter Porker, Spectacular Spider-Ham #1) hasn't really been worth submitting, but there are 24 CGC 9.8 out of 49 submissions (49%).

The 1983 book (from the first post) Marvel Tails #1 has 97 submissions and 49 are CGC 9.8 (51%).

Thanks. Maybe more people will submit that book after seeing sales like this one and the price will come down. That’s always an interesting battle between supply and demand.

[greg]

So, this asking price was legit! The selller obviously thought he might be able to get it and he did. I wonder what the census on Spider-Ham 1 CGC 9.8 is.

The 1985 book (Peter Porker, Spectacular Spider-Ham #1) hasn't really been worth submitting, but there are 24 CGC 9.8 out of 49 submissions (49%).

The 1983 book (from the first post) Marvel Tails #1 has 97 submissions and 49 are CGC 9.8 (51%).

Thanks. Maybe more people will submit that book after seeing sales like this one and the price will come down. That’s always an interesting battle between supply and demand.

I think that we're just now starting to see the effects of dwindling supply for the major keys after almost 20 years of CGC slabbing. Anything that hasn't been "worth slabbing" from the very beginning of CGC is still likely to have lots of supply out there, and when a book becomes "worth slabbing" in the market, you can expect a large number (probably multiples of the number submitted thus far) to appear on the CGC Census within a year or so.

In other words, it's probably far safer to sell a "suddenly hot" book while the CGC 9.8 book is "low supply" than to be buying one. A perfect example from this same timeframe is probably G.I. Joe #21 (1984). Multiple copies of CGC 9.8 G.I. Joe #21 sold above $2,000 in mid-2009, but by the end of 2009 they were $500. It's almost 10 years later, and the CGC 9.8 has only recently rebounded to around $900 with a $600 average in 2017.

[StarBrand]

OUTSTANDING analysis!!!

[lobo]

In other words, it's probably far safer to sell a "suddenly hot" book while the CGC 9.8 book is "low supply" than to be buying one. A perfect example from this same timeframe is probably G.I. Joe #21 (1984). Multiple copies of CGC 9.8 G.I. Joe #21 sold above $2,000 in mid-2009, but by the end of 2009 they were $500. It's almost 10 years later, and the CGC 9.8 has only recently rebounded to around $900 with a $600 average in 2017.

Ugh don't remind me though I only spent $1200 on my first copy. I've since acquired 10 copies since with a buy in as low as $350.