DBS’s “Top 10” - September 2019

[DirtbagSailor]

[DirtbagSailor]

Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

List based on frequency of sales in some cases, price in other cases, and a little bit of subjective judgment sprinkled in.

Would like to include more modern issues and/or variants (which are absolutely selling mind you), however, for the most part, VH1 books seem to sell (presently) more often.

[jaden_sai]

VEI Top 10 ?

[DirtbagSailor]

VEI Top 10 ?

May need to actually.

Problem is that (for example) Rai #0 sold a TON of copies, while a VEI variant might sell 5-8 copies in the same timeframe. This makes it hard for VEI to compete with VH1 in the back issue game.

However, I could do something with ONLY VEI titles.

[magnus20009]

This was great.

I would love to see a VEI TOP 10. I would even know what books to select as some of the rarer variants don’t trade hands that frequently

[greg]

List based on frequency of sales in some cases, price in other cases, and a little bit of subjective judgment sprinkled in.

This is a good list and nice "throwback" design.
I have been meaning to add a "total dollars" calculation to the sales records.

As Valiant fans, we know we have a Bloodshot #0 Platinum sell for a few thousand dollars once in a while and that's a single book with a "newsworthy" price tag, but we might see $20,000 in total dollars change hands for Rai #0 or Harbinger #1 in the same time period. I think it would be very interesting to see not only Valiant, but other major books in the industry "total dollars".
Does the "total dollars" changing hands for Amazing Spider-Man #300 beat the "total dollars" for Amazing Fantasy #15? Inquiring minds want to know.

[jaden_sai]

VEI Top 10 ?

May need to actually.

Problem is that (for example) Rai #0 sold a TON of copies, while a VEI variant might sell 5-8 copies in the same timeframe. This makes it hard for VEI to compete with VH1 in the back issue game.

However, I could do something with ONLY VEI titles.

I was thinking of a VEI only Top 10, I don't think any VEI books would crack the overall Valiant Top 10 currently.

-j

[Juki]

Fun read DBS! I would think a VEI top ten would be way more difficult to pick ten comics that are head and shoulders above the rest (especially with limited Variant issues). Maybe do a top 15 VEI list based on the highest known single sale for an issue within the last year? I think that would be interesting.

If you went this route maybe don't include Signature Series sales to get a feel for the max value of the comic books themselves? But, consider including errors (as you did with the above list).

[greg]

List based on frequency of sales in some cases, price in other cases, and a little bit of subjective judgment sprinkled in.

This is a good list and nice "throwback" design.
I have been meaning to add a "total dollars" calculation to the sales records.

As Valiant fans, we know we have a Bloodshot #0 Platinum sell for a few thousand dollars once in a while and that's a single book with a "newsworthy" price tag, but we might see $20,000 in total dollars change hands for Rai #0 or Harbinger #1 in the same time period.

Looks like I ran the numbers a couple of years ago:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=51108" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These numbers are for recorded CGC sales...

Total Sales by Book between 2002 and 2010
Harbinger #1 $50,838 (271 sales)
Harbinger #0 Pink $23,459 (246 sales)
Unity #0 Red $15,893 (106 sales)
Solar #10 $15,597 (167 sales)
Rai #3 $14,261 (164 sales)
Bloodshot #0 Platinum $13,177 (6 sales)
Magnus #1 $12,567 (259 sales)
X-O Manowar #1 $12,123 (220 sales)
Chaos Effect Alpha Red $12,067 (54 sales)
Solar #1 $11,111 (223 sales)

Total Sales by Book between 2011 and 2014
Harbinger #1 $39,270 (232 sales)
Solar #10 $13,085 (102 sales)
X-O Manowar #1 $11,551 (172 sales)
Harbinger #0 Pink $10,771 (93 sales)
Rai #0 $8,402 (147 sales)
Archer & Armstrong #0 Gold $6,064 (33 sales)
Magnus #1 $6,039 (119 sales)
Rai #3 $5,823 (87 sales)
Rai #1 $5,814 (98 sales)
Unity #0 Red $5,772 (39 sales)

Total Sales by Book during 2015
Harbinger #1 $34,800 (131 sales)
Rai #0 "Matte" $16,723 (166 sales)
Eternal Warrior #4 $15,087 (106 sales)
Solar #10 $9,100 (59 sales)
X-O Manowar #1 $8,587 (87 sales)
Solar #3 $6,803 (51 sales)
Harbinger #0 Pink $5,845 (39 sales)
Archer & Armstrong #0 $5,784 (75 sales)
Eternal Warrior #1 Gold Flat $5,509 (11 sales)
Rai #0 "Glossy" $5,319 (44 sales)

Total Sales by Book during 2016
Harbinger #1 $42,712 (157 sales)
Eternal Warrior #4 $26,686 (280 sales)
Rai #0 "Matte" $21,984 (274 sales)
X-O Manowar #1 $9,342 (119 sales)
Solar #10 $8,254 (49 sales)
Harbinger #0 Pink $6,357 (45 sales)
Solar #3 $5,911 (63 sales)
Shadowman #1 $5,520 (74 sales)
X-O Manowar #4 $5,076 (59 sales)
Eternal Warrior #1 Gold Embossed $5,074 (46 sales)

Total Sales by Book during 2017
Harbinger #1 $43,346 (155 sales)
Eternal Warrior #4 $24,240 (230 sales)
Solar #10 $20,766 (103 sales)
Rai #0 "Matte" $15,135 (203 sales)
X-O Manowar #1 $10,729 (110 sales)
Harbinger #0 Pink $8,204 (58 sales)
X-O (2017) #1 1:500 Brushed Metal $8,068 (11 sales)
Archer & Armstrong #0 Gold $5,430 (22 sales)
Solar #3 $5,428 (51 sales)
Bloodshot (2015) #1 DMG Chinese $5,375 (5 sales)

[battlepark]

Reminds me how Wizard Top 10 used to look like in the 90s.

Only argument I have is that Bloodshot Plat and A&A #0 Gold should be at the top. So few for sale, and when they do pop up,
it is rarely as an auction, just some high buy it now price. People, let them go!

[SwiftMann]

Great design layout and commentary.

I do wonder if it's fair to include the Bloodshot error in the list versus a perpetual "Honorable Mention." It's sort of it's own beast being 1/25 and accidental.

[iggy101us]

Nice retro Wizard-style layout

Here's a pink Harbinger #0 with "original packaging"

[X-1ManofWar]

Nice retro Wizard-style layout

Here's a pink Harbinger #0 with "original packaging"

I love this list. Thank you. Need to pick up a Rai O before the movie comes out

[SwiftMann]

And Bloodshot #6 sneaking in there at the tenth spot surprises me. I remember buying my copy for $6 when it was "hot" just after Valiant boomed and feeling like a dope a year later. Now, granted, most copies have spent 20 years in dollar bins, so perhaps there is a limited number of good quality, but still surprised to see it having any heat.

[DirtbagSailor]

And Bloodshot #6 sneaking in there at the tenth spot surprises me. I remember buying my copy for $6 when it was "hot" just after Valiant boomed and feeling like a dope a year later. Now, granted, most copies have spent 20 years in dollar bins, so perhaps there is a limited number of good quality, but still surprised to see it having any heat.

It’s not a speculator book; it is, however, a book that does sell often in 9.8. People buy copies, just not for a ton of cash.

[greg]

Nice retro Wizard-style layout

Here's a pink Harbinger #0 with "original packaging"

I don't know about anyone else, but I think that "original packaging" is worth as much as the book. That picture is a two-for-one in my opinion.
(That packaging also clearly confirms that Harbinger #0 Pink isn't a Pre-Unity book - but it was definitely planned Pre-Unity so we let it hang around in the club.)

[DirtbagSailor]

Have worked with Greg and reviewed VEI market data, subsequently revealing the 2019 VEI “Top 10” in the process.

Will build the images soon(ish) and try to have up this coming week.

[nycjadie]

[jmatt]

Enjoying the thread. Thanks!

[DirtbagSailor]

Full disclosure, this VEI “Top 10” I am working on looks 120% retro-AWESOME!

Can’t wait to share it.

[corey]

Full disclosure, this VEI “Top 10” I am working on looks 120% retro-AWESOME!

Can’t wait to share it.

The suspense builds! !!

[Juki]

Full disclosure, this VEI “Top 10” I am working on looks 120% retro-AWESOME!

Can’t wait to share it.

The suspense builds! !!

[StarBrand]

Very cool, DBS!

[kjjohanson]

Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

List based on frequency of sales in some cases, price in other cases, and a little bit of subjective judgment sprinkled in.

Would like to include more modern issues and/or variants (which are absolutely selling mind you), however, for the most part, VH1 books seem to sell (presently) more often.

Using Greg's "market cap" idea might be a good way to determine a Top 10 for both VEI and VH1. I wonder what book has had the most cumulative money spent on it across all grades. I figure that would still be Rai #0, Eternal Warrior #4, and Harbinger 1 recently.

[greg]

Using Greg's "market cap" idea might be a good way to determine a Top 10 for both VEI and VH1. I wonder what book has had the most cumulative money spent on it across all grades. I figure that would still be Rai #0, Eternal Warrior #4, and Harbinger 1 recently.

The data that I provided to DBS is "total CGC dollars spent" (according to GPA) for VEI books, which is a good reflection of which books cause the most money to change hands even if the individual prices aren't necessarily high.

I agree that Rai #0, EW #4, and Harbinger #1 are probably still the all-time top "total CGC dollars spent" for 1990s Valiant, with Harbinger #1 as the "all time leader" but Rai #0 being higher in 2018 and 2019. The "market cap" idea (value of CGC slabs times the count on the CGC census) shows where collectors/retailers have put their focus, and also it shines some light on which books are "held" (lower percentage of existing slabs bought/sold in the market) and which ones are like "hot potatoes" (higher percentage of existing slabs being bought/sold).



That's actually pretty complex to check, since the CGC census changes weekly. I might have to try to do some annual summaries of "hold" vs. "hot potato".