OT....now this is a comic book!! The Holy Grail....

[Leon]

wowsers....


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Action-Comics-1-June-1938-Supermans-Debut-CGC-9-0-Perfect-White-Pages-/311050328393?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item486c0b5949




.

[bwbc917]

That's "wowsers" with a capital W!!!!! Does paypal handle a deal like that? Is shipping included?

[christopher.herman]

Now that's an American Beauty.

[irishdenny]

So... If I Bid and Win...
And Then Cancel within the First Hour after the Auction is Over...

Will Ebay be Upset?

Just a Thought? :D

[JollyElm]

I guess the planet Krypton has great gyms, but they could use some more funding in their school system…

156787

Come on, Superman, it's "you're"!!!!!!!!!

[Jacker_ Cracks]

:eek:

[Bored5000]

I usually watch CNBC in the morning as I am getting dressed for work. They had a segment earlier this week on this comic book coming up for auction I know nothing about comic books, but I remember being stunned when the segment mentioned that it was expected to go for $2 million+.

[clydepepper]

Isn't it amazing what some people spend their hard-earned money on.

:D

[pawpawdiv9]

If i hit the lotto- thats the last thing, nah- its not even on my list to get.

[4815162342]

So... If I Bid and Win...
And Then Cancel within the First Hour after the Auction is Over...

Will Ebay be Upset?

Just a Thought? :D

lol

[frankbmd]

it must be really funny.:D

[tschock]

I want to crack it out of the slab to be able to read it. :D

[ksabet]

I want to crack it out of the slab to be able to read it. :D

My 15 mo old would love to join you!

[Jeffrompa]

i was going to bid but I was counting the lint and dust in my pocket and I only have a few pennies to mix in .

[DHogan]

I want to crack it out of the slab to be able to read it. :D

Or crack it out and try for a 10 !

[Mountaineer]

That comic is the equivalent to the t206 Honus Wagner in the comic collecting hobby. Such a nice piece and if I had extra cash to throw down on it, I would. Comics have risen in price the past few years as well so it could be a decent investment opportunity.

[Peter_Spaeth]

My snipe is in.

[Jeffrompa]

I guess my snipe of a buck 2.80 wont get it lol

[Matvoo]

Id prefer a 1.75 million $ shopping spree instead
Its paper get over it at least we collect cardboard :D:p

[Matvoo]

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBidderProfile&mode=1&item=311050328393&aid=y***i&eu=&bidtid=497849486021&view=NONE&ssPageName=PageBidderProfileViewBids_None_ViewLink

This guy shilling? Just wondering

[bnorth]

In my opinion as of now no I don't think it looks like a shiller.

[clydepepper]

In my opinion as of now no I don't think it looks like a shiller.

I never liked Ben Shiller

[wolf441]

Yeah 9.0,....but I heard Mastro trimmed it....:D

[Bored5000]

Here is an article talking about the auction. The only other Action Comics No. 1 with a CGC rating of 9.0 sold for $2.16 million in 2011. The seller was actor Nicholas Cage.

http://www.cnet.com/news/first-superman-comic-book-now-up-for-auction-on-ebay/

[wolf441]

Here is an article talking about the auction. The only other Action Comics No. 1 with a CGC rating of 9.0 sold for $2.16 million in 2011. The seller was actor Nicholas Cage.

http://www.cnet.com/news/first-superman-comic-book-now-up-for-auction-on-ebay/

So it's not even the "finest copy extant"!! :D

[Bored5000]

So it's not even the "finest copy extant"!! :D

Well, the article does state that the Cage copy had "cream colored" to "off-white" pages and that the copy currently up for auction has "pure" white pages.

So I guess this one could be cracked out in hopes being graded a 10. ;)

[bobbyw8469]

I hope like hell the winning bidders cancels the auction win after he wins it!

[kmac32]

Got my snipe ready to go.

[Section103]

Yeah 9.0,....but I heard Mastro trimmed it....:D

Beat me to it. ;)

[tbob]

First time I've ever seen an auction on eBay where a starting price is .99 and the first bid is $1,000,000.00 lol. Wow.

By the way there was a previous post which said prices for vintage comic books have really been on the rise. Not true. Prices of certain books from certain titles in high grade have been rising but in general the overall comic book market is lukewarm at best...

[Bored5000]

I hope like hell the winning bidders cancels the auction win after he wins it!

The auction is open only to pre-approved bidders. The auction also says that the seller reserves the right to request a refundable deposit or proof of ability to pay before being allowed to bid.

[sbfinley]

I'll give the seller a mountain of credit for the effort put into the listing. An item like this could rest upon itself, but they really made it interesting. The comic style description is pretty freaking cool, and how interesting would it be if the top sporting auction houses made videos for their main 1-3 items like provided in this case?

Edited to add: Donating a portion of the proceeds to charity is another plus.

[Bicem]

Amazing iconic piece. Must be nice having a hobby where your holy grail isn't altered.

[the 'stache]

Holy God. That's beautiful.

[1880nonsports]

By the way there was a previous post which said prices for vintage comic books have really been on the rise. Not true. Prices of certain books from certain titles in high grade have been rising but in general the overall comic book market is lukewarm at best...

remove comic book in the above and replace with almost any collectible......

[clydepepper]

I'll give the seller a mountain of credit for the effort put into the listing. An item like this could rest upon itself, but they really made it interesting. The comic style description is pretty freaking cool, and how interesting would it be if the top sporting auction houses made videos for their main 1-3 items like provided in this case?

Edited to add: Donating a portion of the proceeds to charity is another plus.

...and, even more so, which charity it is...the right thing to do!

[toledo_mudhen]

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBidderProfile&mode=1&item=311050328393&aid=y***i&eu=&bidtid=497849486021&view=NONE&ssPageName=PageBidderProfileViewBids_None_ViewLink

This guy shilling? Just wondering

So how would you determine shilling on this? Serious question - I can only assume because of the number of bids from this buyer with this seller. Could also be totally legit - No?

[egbeachley]

So... If I Bid and Win...
And Then Cancel within the First Hour after the Auction is Over...

Will Ebay be Upset?

Just a Thought? :D

How about winning it for, say, $3.0 million. Getting the appropriate emails, then cancelling. Contact the winner directly and work out a payment for 4.5% less, splitting the difference of the 9% Ebay fees. Saves the seller and buyer $135K.

Karma!

[GehrigFan]

I actually know Darren, and knew he had a ridiculous collection of high end Magic: The Gathering rare 9.5's and 10's as well as comics, but never did I know he was referring to this gem! With white pages, this does blow the Cage 9.0 out of the water. I think it is easily a 2.5M to 3M comic, but only if the right two parties are willing to part with the cash. Imagine a legit T206 Wagner coming to auction graded a 9 and perfectly centered to boot. That is similar to this book. Wonder how it survived all these years?

[mybuddyinc]

3 Million, then will see who's the toughest ;)


156882

[Steve D]

This all makes me wonder about the Edgar Church copy from the Mile High Collection. It's ungraded, but supposedly according to a former CGC president, it would grade a 9.4 (2 grades above this copy).

Steve

[ATP]

How about winning it for, say, $3.0 million. Getting the appropriate emails, then cancelling. Contact the winner directly and work out a payment for 4.5% less, splitting the difference of the 9% Ebay fees. Saves the seller and buyer $135K.

Karma!

Isn't the eBay FVF capped at $250?

[Eric72]

Out of curiosity, how much money is going to the Reeve Foundation?

[CrazyDiamond]

Wow - Too bad it's not quadruple eBay bucks

[Leon]

Out of curiosity, how much money is going to the Reeve Foundation?

..


Eric, instead of quoting you and responding I accidentally hit the edit button but didn't edit your response at all...sorry about that...

I believe they said 1%, which is still a good bit given the total amount it will sell for...

[Eric72]

Eric, instead of quoting you and responding I accidentally hit the edit button but didn't edit your response at all...sorry about that...

I believe they said 1%, which is still a good bit given the total amount it will sell for...

Leon,

No worries. Thanks for clarifying.

And I appreciate the reply. That will be quite a gift to the Foundation. :) I work for a nonprofit organization and know how important generosity such as this can be.

Hope all is well.

Best regards,

Eric

[clydepepper]

The most recent high bid went up 1 dollar to...

$1,850,001.00

[Jobu]

Just cracked $2 million with 5 full days to go.

[Rollingstone206]

...

[thecatspajamas]

:eek:

Any known reason why they haven't had it graded? It seems foolish not getting it graded to protect its value and risk of damage.

Same reasons not everyone gets their cards graded.

[robw1959]

Or crack it out and try for a 10 !

I don't think it would earn a 10 with a 1/2" tear on the back page! Really, I'm surprised that it even earned a 9.0 with such a visible defect. I inquired to be sure I wasn't seeing things and the seller replied by telling me that the comic book had been torn at the factory. So I guess in the world of comic book grading a factory-produced tear is equivalent to a printing defect? I suppose if that rip was owner-induced it would have graded lower. Sheesh!

[ramram]

As Kramer would say - "I'm out!"

[clydepepper]

Our 'native bias' aside, anyone want to share their feelings on which is the greater 'Holy Grail' - this Comic Book or the Gretsky Wagner?

I don't know how many original copies of the Comic Book have survived and I've heard at least four different totals for the Wagner. Input Requested.

The Gretsky Wagner card has long been assumed to be, by far, the Wagner in the best condition, but we have already heard of one Comic Book that may be better than this one.

The Wagner is 27-29 years older. Aside from that, what are your opinions?

[Rollingstone206]

...

[Tabe]

If i hit the lotto- thats the last thing, nah- its not even on my list to get.

If I hit the lotto, I'm finding the guy who won Mike Eruzione's jerseys and gold medal from the 1980 Olympics and offering whatever it takes.

[tschock]

Our 'native bias' aside, anyone want to share their feelings on which is the greater 'Holy Grail' - this Comic Book or the Gretsky Wagner?

I don't know how many original copies of the Comic Book have survived and I've heard at least four different totals for the Wagner. Input Requested.

The Gretsky Wagner card has long been assumed to be, by far, the Wagner in the best condition, but we have already heard of one Comic Book that may be better than this one.

The Wagner is 27-29 years older. Aside from that, what are your opinions?

Depends on how you look at it. Action #1 had a HUGE impact on comic books in general, and super-hero comics in particular. To say there wouldn't be super-hero comics without Action #1 is a bit of a stretch (like saying there wouldn't be PCs without IBM or MS), but it did effectively jump-start the genre, which in turn jump-started the huge wave of comics in general. Right comic at the right time. Anywhere in the world you could easily find someone who knows who Superman is. Action #1 had a bigger impact to the overall culture.

No one could reasonably see the Wagner card (or Wagner) causing the same impact.

Now if you are talking specifically about COLLECTING, that's open for debate.

So I would offer that those card collectors seeing the Wagner as a "holy grail" rather than a copy of Action #1 are more "collecting niche nerds" than comic collectors. :D

[GoldenAge50s]

It really is quite simple.

While card collectors think of the Wagner as the "holy grail" of the hobby, comic book folk consider Action #1 in the same way. I find it interesting that 1 of the best known examples of each sell in the same $2 million plus range.

[thecatspajamas]

I don't know too many of what would be equivalent cards like a T206 Wagner in 8/10 condition, or a '52 Mantle in 10/10 condition ungraded do you? :rolleyes:

One's personal knowledge of the census of high-end collectibles is irrelevant to the question you posed.

I think as you move outside the niche of baseball card collecting in particular, and card collecting in general, you will find the urgent NEED to encase everything in plastic with a number grade assigned diminishes greatly. That's not to say that there is anything wrong with slabbing/grading, but it's not for everyone. From what I understand, the current owner of the Edgar Church Collection copy of Action #1 has quite possibly THE most valuable comic collection in the world (including what are estimated to be the highest grade copies of Detective #27 and Superman #1 as well), and refuses to have any of his comic books slabbed/graded. Why? I don't know, but that's his choice. That's not to say that they are not protected in any way (well, now anyway, though if you know the history of the Edgar Church Collection, the comics literally sat in piles for decades, raw, in the basement of Church's home before Chuck Rozanski bought the collection in the late 1970's). To say that he is "foolish" because of his preferred method of collecting is a bit presumptuous to say the least.

I'm not really trying to start an argument here. I just don't think you can apply baseball-card-collecting logic to all areas of collectibles.

[Rollingstone206]

...

[tschock]

One's personal knowledge of the census of high-end collectibles is irrelevant to the question you posed.

I think as you move outside the niche of baseball card collecting in particular, and card collecting in general, you will find the urgent NEED to encase everything in plastic with a number grade assigned diminishes greatly. That's not to say that there is anything wrong with slabbing/grading, but it's not for everyone. From what I understand, the current owner of the Edgar Church Collection copy of Action #1 has quite possibly THE most valuable comic collection in the world (including what are estimated to be the highest grade copies of Detective #27 and Superman #1 as well), and refuses to have any of his comic books slabbed/graded. Why? I don't know, but that's his choice. That's not to say that they are not protected in any way (well, now anyway, though if you know the history of the Edgar Church Collection, the comics literally sat in piles for decades, raw, in the basement of Church's home before Chuck Rozanski bought the collection in the late 1970's). To say that he is "foolish" because of his preferred method of collecting is a bit presumptuous to say the least.

I'm not really trying to start an argument here. I just don't think you can apply baseball-card-collecting logic to all areas of collectibles.

One of the reasons MIGHT be that it is much more difficult to see the INSIDE of a comic when it is slabbed, and some people (even serious collectors) actually like to OPEN their comics once in a while. Especially when they show them off (to other collectors).

Now balance that with this question. How much time do you seriously spend trying to look at the EDGE of a card? You can begin to see why slabbing a card might have much less impact (on the enjoyment of the card) than slabbing a comic.

[Rollingstone206]

...

[mrvster]

buy it graded......play with it when won......re slab when selling:)

[Leon]

For that kind of money I would be a "scaredy cat". It would go straight into a safe deposit box. Then I would go buy another one, low grade, to read :).

[aaroncc]

I think most comic collectors read the reprints and not the (expensive) originals. There are clubs at some Comic shops that trade reprints just for reading purposes.

[frankbmd]

I think most comic collectors read the reprints and not the (expensive) originals. There are clubs at some Comic shops that trade reprints just for reading purposes.

This begs the following questions

Are comic book graders required to read the comic book they are grading?

Could there not be a flaw on Page 13 that would affect the final grade?:eek:

[Runscott]

This begs the following questions

Are comic book graders required to read the comic book they are grading?

Could there not be a flaw on Page 13 that would affect the final grade?:eek:

I had around 2,000 comics to sell - because most were so old I had to go through them looking for ink and other marks, clipped ads and pics, etc., so that my descriptions would be completely accurate. The last thing you want to do is piss off an ebay comic book collector. You think card guys are difficult...

[bigtrain]

Nice that they accept Visa and MasterCard
But it might exceed my credit limit.

[brian1961]

Scott F : "The last thing you want to do is piss off an ebay comic book collector. You think card guys are difficult..."[/QUOTE]

That is a scream!! Funny, funny!!:p LOL ---Brian Powell

[Leon]

Nice that they accept Visa and MasterCard
But it might exceed my credit limit.

I just got my cc limit raised to 4.0 million, I am all set.

**according to the view counter on the auction page it has been viewed over 680 thousand times!!

[frankbmd]

The Morning Line

Bidder

b***k currently in first odds 2 to 1
e***r currently in second odds 7 to 2
y***i currently in third odds 9 to 1
the field odds 3 to 2

[mark evans]

Missed out on tonight's Mega Millions, for the umpteenth time. Looks like I'll be reading a reprint.

[Jeffrompa]

Leon that is almost as many as my N167s (jk)

[Leon]

Leon that is almost as many as my N167s (jk)

They definitely got some views when they were auctioned. That was an interesting night for sure.

[Gary Dunaier]

I don't know what the fuss over Action Comics #1 is about... it's just an old comic book, read it once and leave it behind...

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/541429_10200226996932331_1574477109_n.jpg


In all seriousness - yes, it's possible to get serious about a comic book - all of you Net 54 people might be interested in knowing that Action Comics #1 has some actual baseball content. The inside back cover has a feature, "Odds 'n Ends," by Sheldon Moldoff which has caricatures of various baseball players, including Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. I'm not going to waste your time making you read a written description of the page, because I can run an image of it right here.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3155/2779146360_7579a25e94_b.jpg

[Leon]

...
In all seriousness - yes, it's possible to get serious about a comic book - all of you Net 54 people might be interested in knowing that Action Comics #1 has some actual baseball content. The inside back cover has a feature, "Odds 'n Ends," by Sheldon Moldoff which has caricatures of various baseball players, including Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. I'm not going to waste your time making you read a written description of the page, because I can run an image of it right here.

....

That seals it, the book is as good as mine!! It is a neat side story anyway...thanks for the info..

and it's up to 2.3 Million.....how high will it go?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Action-Comics-1-June-1938-Supermans-Debut-CGC-9-0-Perfect-White-Pages-/311050328393?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item486c0b5949


.

.

[barrysloate]

$2.75 million. This could have made a good Net54 contest.

[nolemmings]

$2.75 Million. Now that's truly comical.:rolleyes:

[kailes2872]

i am guessing 3.4 million with it going up 1 million in the last 15 minutes I have my popcorn ready!

[thecatspajamas]

Interesting that at the $2.35 million level, the bid increment is still only $100.

[kailes2872]

i am guessing 3.4 million with it going up 1 million in the last 15 minutes I have my popcorn ready!

gulp...nevermind

[MVSNYC]

$3.2m

[kailes2872]

3.207! 500k snipe!

[kmac32]

Amazing piece of comic history but I could have some really nice cards and not have to ever work with that kind of change

[atx840]

That's awesome. Congrats to the seller and new owner.

[DHogan]

Oh my.

[bobbyw8469]

I got a funny feeling 10 years from now, $3 million will seem cheap for this comic.

[clydepepper]

$3,207,852.00

FREE shipping I assume.

That's a lot of EBUCKS earned

...of course, if he had sold it to one of us away from the 'bay, he would have saved the $32,078.52 in fees.

I personally had to pass because of all the family birthdays coming up this decade.

[ksabet]

I think the rumor is that Kevin Feige won it.

[thecatspajamas]

$3,207,852.00

FREE shipping I assume.

That's a lot of EBUCKS earned

...of course, if he had sold it to one of us away from the 'bay, he would have saved the $32,078.52 in fees.

I personally had to pass because of all the family birthdays coming up this decade.

Selling fees are capped at $250, so in light of the final bid, practically free. And I would hope that for $3.2 million, the book would be delivered personally. I'd hate for the bubble mailer to arrive with a slit in it and an "I'm Sorry" note from the post office attached :eek: ;)

[quinnsryche]

I think the rumor is that Kevin Feige won it.

That would be ironic that the producer of all the Marvel superhero movies would win the greatest DC comic of all time.

[Rollingstone206]

...

[clydepepper]

One possible reason for the duplication of the same bid is a nervous trigger-finger...I've done it myself...with much, much lower amounts involved, of course.

[bobbyw8469]

Can someone explain this bidding?

s***p ( 2501Feedback score is 1000 to 4,999) US $3,207,852.00
Aug-24-14 17:59:30 PDT

9***1 ( 62Feedback score is 50 to 99) US $3,207,752.00
Aug-24-14 17:59:58 PDT

9***1 ( 62Feedback score is 50 to 99) US $3,207,752.00
Aug-24-14 17:59:58 PDT

It looks like the system choked since it shows the same bid twice entered from 2nd highest bidder?

I think that also might be a snipe set up from two totally different sniping software programs. I have seen that happen when a bidder thinks one is going to fail. They do it to ensure that at least one is going to work.

[johnmh71]

I got a funny feeling 10 years from now, $3 million will seem cheap for this comic.

I think that is the hope of whoever bought it.

[thecatspajamas]

The sniping program that I use always registers two bids, even when I'm the only one who bid. I've always just assumed it was a built in safety measure to ensure that at least one registered with ebay in that last-second crunch. I think the identical time stamps would rule out anything physical like a double-tap with the bidding finger. What I don't understand is why ebay would register, and display, two identical bids from the same bidder. Seems like ebay's software would recognize them as being identical and only display one in the bid history. But then, that certainly wouldn't be the first quirk shown by their software.

[auggiedoggy]

Selling fees are capped at $250, so in light of the final bid, practically free. And I would hope that for $3.2 million, the book would be delivered personally. I'd hate for the bubble mailer to arrive with a slit in it and an "I'm Sorry" note from the post office attached :eek: ;)

For $3.2M I'd expect it to be delivered to my city by Lear jet then to my home by limousine in a suitcase handcuffed to the deliverer. Oh, and armed security personnel as well. :D

[Runscott]

Maybe it's been discussed and I missed it, but this particular comic book has sort of an odd history - bought off a newsstand and stored by the original owner, for decades, in a cedar chest !?!?! I wonder what else he saved?