maichan wrote:How awesome. Just one to go!!
Please excuse me for asking, and if you don't want to answer I understand...
I've never really gotten into the whole grading and slabbing thing, so I'm kind of ignorant about the entire process.
I think many of those early books can still be found loose for relatively cheap (a few dollars at most). I've never seen graded copies, so what do they go for? What's it cost to get a $2.00 book graded and sealed?
Sure I can answer no problem. All of the sales except one were public so should be recorded by GPA and/or GoCollect.
For the longest time I was never into graded comics - I could not figure out the point as you cannot read the book, and reading the book is the main reason why I collect comics. I am a massive hockey card collector and I understood grading for cards as you can see both sides of the product (in addition to the obvious benefits have having good protection for the card and not needing argue about grade when buying/selling).
A number of years back when I decided to but together a set of all 1961-1965 Silver Age Marvels is when I changed my mind about graded comics. When buying older books in addition to not needing to argue about grade you also have (some) comfort that restoration has not been performed on the books. I put together a complete set of books in CGC 8.0 (got all the keys before the movie run up or I never would have been able to) but foolishly let them go in 2012 when I completed the project. I say foolishly because while I did well on the sale it pains me to see what some of the books go for now - Hulk 1, JIM 83, TTA 27, TOS 39 all have had massive run-ups from where I sold them. I should have held on longer - but to sell. I let them go because the project after being complete didn't mean anything to me. Putting the collection together was more interesting than the actual books. Sure I had read all the early Marvel's but I didn't grow up with the books and many of them are not that great compared to stuff that was put out decades later. I likely should have kept the Spidey as I was a huge Spidey fan as a kid and it would cost a small fortune to reacquire the books.
I then went 5 years before buying another slab. Still bought plenty of comics, but unslabbed so I can read them. (I should note I have bought slabs and cracked them to read the book). When I got back in to slabs in late 2017 I decided that I would only go after slabs where I wanted to keep an archival copy or books where only the covers matter.
That basically broke down into:
Archival:
1) Trying to put together a complete set of all the Valiant comics books from its founding to being sold to Acclaim. This is about 800 super hero books and 50 Nintendo books and a handful of WWF books. Thankfully with the exception of a few books they are all quite cheap and not very difficult of fine. I am about two-thirds through the project. I have all the books unslabbed, almost all from me purchasing them from my LCS when they first came out.
2) A small section of 1980's comics/toys that meant something to me. Think Robotech #1, Transformers #1, GI Joe #1, He-man #1, Frank Miller Daredevil, etc. Basically either what I was playing with as a kid or the first books I was reading. The Valiant project could fit in here.
3) My Usagi project.
4) Don Rosa Duck covers.
Only Covers Matter
1) I am putting together a set of all the Star Wars Action Figure Covers. I need 19 of the 133 released so far. I have the regular cover versions to read.
2) Zenescope Hockey covers. These might be a bit risque but I am a major hockey fan. A bit hard to find as the hockey covers tend not to get slabbed. There are about 20 books and I have half. Haven't read any of them, think they are probably dreck inside.
3) Valiant Entertainment Variant covers. There are 1000's of these so I am focusing on all the 1:50 or rarer ratios or the rarest retailer incentive for each book. Some of these can be quite difficult to find. I am about 1/3 of the way there. Often graded 9.8 copies sell for no more than raw copies do, and plenty of the retail incentive would up in bad condition at retailers so buying slabbed makes more sense. Mostly I buy the hard cover collected editions to read.
As for prices I let other people do the slabbing and buy the slabs. First you must join CGC to slab ($25 per year I think) and their cheapest (and slowest) slabbing fee is $20 per book (not sure how many you need to do to get this rate) plus shipping to and from CGC so I figure it is likely at least $35 all in to slab a book not including the time of finding a 9.8 copy. Of course books they deem to sell for more than $200 they charge more so a Albedo 2 in 9.8 likely costs somewhere between $600 to $900 to slab. However since most of what I buy now are relatively inexpensive books it is easier to let others do the slabbing.
In terms of what the Usagi's cost (and again you could look this up yourself at GPA as they were public sales - note if you do look them up my prices are a bit higher as I record my purchases with sales tax, if any, and shipping, if any, included and GPA excludes this)
Albedo
Nov/1984 - issue #2 - 10 in CGC 9.8 Too much. I am embarrassed to put it down so you would need to look it up.
Apr/1985 - issue #3 - 8 in CGC 9.8 $261.45
Jul/1985 - issue #4 - 10 in CGC 9.8 $360.00
Critters
Jun/1986 - issue #1 - 6 in CGC 9.8 $206.05
Aug/1986 - issue #3 - 4 in CGC 9.8 $150.00
Dec/1986 - issue #6 - 1 in CGC 9.8 $130.00 Not public sale - (my place holder in 9.6 was $39)
Jan/1987 - issue #7 - 1 in CGC 9.8 $161.05
Mar/1987 - issue #10 - 1 in CGC 9.8 $161.05
Apr/1987 - issue #11 - 3 in CGC 9.8 $90.00
Jul/1987 - issue #14 - 3 in CGC 9.8 $95.00
Usagi Yojimbo Summer Special
Oct/1986 - issue #1 - 12 in CGC 9.8 $149.95
Usagi Yojimbo
Jul/1987 - issue #1 - 69 in CGC 9.8 $184.00
All in all with the exception of Albedo #2 the cost to acquire some of the best condition early Usagi books is not that high compared to what other books go for. Excluding the Albedo 2 it is under $2,000 for the other 11 books. It would not be hard to spend that on some Batman or Spider-man books that are extremely plentiful in high grade.
.I know where it is located and have made inquiries but doubt it is for sale.