Happy new year to all and greetings from South Florida. December was an incredibly busy month for us and it was highlighted by the sale of the second Pacific Coast copy of X-Men #1 in CGC certified 9.6 with off-white to white pages for $100,000 (combination cash and trade). As was reported in our October market repot, we had purchased the other Pacific Coast X-Men 1 9.6 (white pages) for $100,500, freeing up the second copy which was listed in both our vault and new arrivals section. The book was sold to a private collector who is an X-Men fanatic and who has a genuine passion for the hobby. After numerous negotiations and proposals, a figure of $100,000 was arrived at which included mostly cash but a few choice Silver Age Marvels as well. Incredibly, this “second” Pacific Coast copy of X-Men no. 1 looked almost exactly the same as the white paged one, and it was obvious that it was neatly stacked underneath the white copy within one of the 6 foot stacks the original owner placed each one of his prized possessions. For those of you not familiar with the history, the “first” X-Men #1 (white pages) had been sold by the original owner on ebay (along with some other choice doubles) before the  entire collection was bought by Robert Roter of Pacific Comic Exchange, Inc. (in mid-late 1999), who named the collection the “Pacific Coast Collection”. The initial no.1, therefore, was not certified as part of the PC Collection until years later, when many of the original owner’s ebay doubles were incorporated by CGC into the named pedigree. Amazingly, that “original” X-Men 1 was resubmitted to the CGC and is now a 9.8!!

 

December concluded with an iron bang for us, as we listed and almost completely sold the Oakland run of Iron Man, an unbelievably high grade group of issues #1-51 plus annuals 1 and 2, on our website. The books were listed consecutively on December 29th and within a few hours most of all the 9.8’s were sold to one collector (who purchased the #2 in 9.9 and the #4 in 9.8), a bunch of early 9.6’s (including the no.1 in 9.8) went to another buyer and over the next couple of days many of the remaining issues were successfully bid upon by a few other collectors.  It was an Iron Man frenzy here for a few days and when the transistor jets had settled,  over 80% of the 53 issues were sold! Most of the books were the highest or second highest graded CGC copies and most had white pages and an unparalleled freshness which is the trademark of the Oakland pedigree. As I had opined in last month’s report, pedigrees sell, specifically high grade pedigrees, especially when part of such an encompassing Silver Age or Bronze Age Marvel run.  The demand for these Marvels is insatiable right now and at an all-time high as the sales data below clearly show:

 

Iron Man Sales:
1    9.8   $3,900
2    9.9     2,750    
4    9.8     2,000   (Oakland)
5    9.6        700   (White Mountain)
6    9.6        400
7    9.2        185   (Oakland)
8    9.4        350   (Winnipeg)
9    9.2        150   (Winnipeg)
10    9.6        400   (Oakland)
11    9.6        400   (Oakland)
13    9.6        400   (Oakland)
14    9.6        400   (Oakland)
15    9.6        400
16    9.6        300
17    9.6        350   (Oakland)
20    9.6        350   (Oakland)
22    9.6        275
23    9.6        200
24    9.8        550
25    9.8        650
26    9.2          70   (Winnipeg)
28    9.6        190
29    9.4        150   (Oakland)
31    9.2          60   (Oakland)
32    9.8        450   (Oakland)
33    9.8        450   (Oakland)
34    9.2          70   (Winnipeg)
35    9.6        175   (Oakland)
36    9.8        450   (Oakland)
37    9.6        175   (Oakland)
38    9.2          60   (Oakland)
39    9.8        450   (Oakland)
43    9.8        650
44    9.2          50   (Oakland)
45    9.8        375   (Oakland0
46    9.8        375   (Oakland)
47    9.6        225   (Oakland)
48    9.8        325   (Oakland)
49    9.8        375   (Oakland)
50    9.6        150   (Oakland)
51    9.8        350
Ann  1  9.8        700
        2  9.8        375   (Oakland)

 

Silver Age Sales:
Amazing Spider-Man  51  9.2  475
Amazing Spider-Man  52  9.4  $625
Amazing Spider-Man  89  9.4    400
Avengers  6  9.2  500
Avengers  8  9.2  450
Avengers  19  9.2  300
Avengers  25  9.2  175
Avengers  57  9.4  650
Avengers  69  9.4  90
Avengers Annual 2  9.2  125
Captain America  113  9.6  475
Captain Marvel  3  9.6  175  (White Mountain)
Captain Marvel  29  9.8  280
Daredevil  26  9.4  350  (Mass. Copy)
Daredevil  40  9.4  200
Daredevil  42  9.6  300
Fantastic Four  12  7.5  2,000
Fantastic Four  12  7.5  1,475
Fantastic Four  14  9.4  3,775
Fantastic Four  26  9.2  1,225
Fantastic Four  58  9.6  750  (Boston)
Fantastic Four  60  9.6  675
Fantastic Four  79  9.4  226
Fantastic Four  83  9.4  200 
Fantastic Four  91  9.4  150
Green Lantern  11  9.2  850
Green Lantern  13  9.2  1,150
Green Lantern  16  9.2  1,000
Journey Into Mystery  92  8.5  525
Journey Into Mystery  96  9.4  2,600
Journey Into Mystery  106  9.4  1,500
Journey Into Mystery  122  9.4  1,300  (White Mountain)
Journey Into Mystery  124  9.4  300
Sgt. Fury  18  9.6  700
Sgt. Fury  22  9.8  850
Sgt. Fury  28  9.4  300
Sgt. Fury  38  9.6  275
Sgt. Fury  51  9.8  425
Sgt. Fury  53  9.8  425
Sub-Mariner  3  9.6  460  (White Mountain)
Strange Tales  107  8.5  300
Strange Tales  131  8.5    75
Strange Tales  141  9.6  375  (Western Penn)
Strange Tales  142  9.6  325  (Boston)
Strange Tales  153  9.6  400  (Northland)
Strange Tales  167  9.6  550  (Northland)
Tales of Suspense  40  7.5  550
Tales of suspense  54  9.2  400.00  (Northland)
Tales of Suspense  59  9.6  2,600
Tales of Suspense  59  9.4  1,600
Tales of Suspense  98  9.6     325  (Western Penn)
Tales To Astonish  40  9.2  1,500  (White Mountain)
Tales To Astonish  40  9.2     950
Tales To Astonish  43  9.4  2,750
Tales To Astonish  65  9.4     475
Tales To Astonish  84  9.2  85
Tales To Astonish  87  9.4  125
Tales To Astonish  100  9.6  600
Thor  166  9.6  325
X-Men  1  9.6  100,000  (Pacific Coast)
X-Men  6  9.4  2,000
X-Men  14  9.6  4,250
X-Men  17  9.0     225

 

Bronze Age Sales:
Amazing Adventures  12  9.6  300
Amazing Spider-Man  101  9.2  375
Amazing Spider-Man  121  9.4  625
Amazing Spider-Man  125  9.8  900
Avengers  73  9.4  155
Avengers  91  9.4  125
Cat  2  9.6  100
Conan the Barbarian  5  9.6  350  (Oakland)
Daredevil  80  9.6  180
Daredevil  160  9.6  75
Daredevil  168  9.6  700
Daredevil  175  9.6  40
DC 100 page super Spectacular  13  9.6  950
Defenders  1  9.4  375
Fantastic Four  94  9.6  325
Fantastic Four  167  9.4  90
Fear  20  9.6  200
Giant-Size Super-Heroes  1  9.4  130 
Incredible Hulk  180  9.6  2,475
Incredible Hulk  181  9.4  2,200  (Dallas Stephens)
Invaders  1  9.6  160
Invaders  1  9.6  175
Invaders  1  9.4   75
Marvel Spotlight  7  9.6  425
Ms. Marvel  16  9.8  300
Monsters on the Prowl  10  9.8  325
Star Wars  1  9.6  95
Tomb of Dracula  10  9.6  1,300
Tomb of Dracula  50  9.6  150  (Mass. Copy)
X-Men  94  9.4  2,200  (Dallas Stephens)
X-Men  106  9.4  125
X-Men  109  9.4  135