Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

Albedo #2 CGC 9.6 NM+ White Pages 1st Usagi Yojimbo
http://cgi.ebay.com/Albedo-2-CGC-9-6-NM ... dZViewItem

Stan Sakai - USAGI YOJIMBO ! Original ART Pinup!!!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Stan-Sakai-USAGI-YO ... dZViewItem

Steve are you the one selling these?

Wonder if in fact there is a better copy in existence? If this one is 9.6 that is great quality. if only a few thousand were produced what are the odds of such a NM (near mint) copy existing toher than this one? $600+ and 6+ days to go.

Like an idiot I open my mouth before thinking...again. My appologies to everyone in the forum


http://www.cgccomics.com/census/grades_ ... te=11%2F84


Here is the census on Albedo #2

Neswizard2 wrote:Steve are you the one selling these?

NO!

Neswizard2 wrote:Wonder if in fact there is a better copy in existence? If this one is 9.6 that is great quality. if only a few thousand were produced what are the odds of such a NM (near mint) copy existing toher than this one? $600+ and 6+ days to go.

This is the third high grade issue of Albedo #2 which Bedrock City has sold in the last several months. The previous ones were CGC graded 9.2 and 9.4

Here is the CGC Census Data for Albedo #2:

Grade / Copies Graded
Mint (10.0) 0
Mint (9.9) 0
Near Mint/Mint (9.8 ) 1
Near Mint + (9.6) 5
Near Mint (9.4) 14
Near Mint - (9.2) 8
Very Fine/Near Mint (9.0) 5
Very Fine + (8.5) 2
Very Fine (8.0) 2
Very Fine - (7.5) 2
Fine/Very Fine (7.0) 2
Fine + (6.5) 1
Fine (6.0) 0
Fine - (5.5) 0
Very Good/Fine (5.0) 0
Very Good + (4.5) 0
Very Good (4.0) 1
Very Good - (3.5) 0
Good/Very Good (3.0) 0
Good + (2.5) 0
Good (2.0) 0
Good - (1.8 ) 0
Fair/Good (1.5) 0
Fair (1.0) 0
Poor (0.5) 0

Total Copies Graded / 43

I wonder if there are any truly Mint 10's out there of Albedo NR 2.

Maybe this seller will keep auctioning off his comics. the next one will be a 9.8 and the stack of 10.0s he has will be graded last

Wow. $1,425.00 + shipping.

I remember when we could not give them away.

I think its crazy that price guides say Albedo #2 is like 200 dollars for near mint when we havent seen one go for that, well never that I can remember.

I wonder how price guides get their prices anyway.

Oh well. Maybe one day Ill be able to afford one.

MikeM

y'know, I have to say that I'd much rather have 1400 dollars worth of original art than a comic - no matter how rare. I guess I just don't understand the appeal of collecting mass market items. Original art has just SO much more to offer.

... my 2 cents

It sure is a testament to how beloved Usagi is though, and it must give you twinges of pleasure Stan - it would me! Congratulations are definitely in order. In that respect I have to approve! ... but it's still a bit weird : )

MikeM wrote:I think its crazy that price guides say Albedo #2 is like 200 dollars for near mint when we havent seen one go for that, well never that I can remember.

I wonder how price guides get their prices anyway.

That's a good question. Now that eBay is around, price guides are fairly useless for such comics. It's all about what people are willing to pay. I remember when the issue was selling for $100 in the mid/late 80s. That was big money to pay for an indie comic book. I also remember when Steve G. had "not for sale" issues of Albedo NR 2 at the SDCC's... when asked how much he'd sell it for, he said, "too much...like $135". Sometime around the turn of the millenium, they were around $200-300. Then all of a sudden the Internet explodes, you have eBay, CGC, and issues are up over $1000. But is that the true value, or are the prices simply inflated because of all the excitement?

Personally, I think it is the true value. Here's why...before you had the internet, you really had to physically search for the issue...too much work for some people, especially for those who don't live near a comic shop, or can't wait until a comic shop locates one for them. It's too much work and few guarantees of getting a copy. Then there were avenues like Mile High Comics, who you could have locate copies for you remotely. Again, not very effective because you're relying on a shop to find it. Classified ads left a lot to be desired. Nobody's paying more than $200 for an issue because they simply aren't being bought in the volumes they are now.

Pre-internet there was no chance for the issue to be bid up like it's been on eBay. You have eBay and now you've cut out the middle man (the shops), the waiting, the locating and the searching. Anyone from anywhere in the world has an opportunity to purchase an eBay copy. A fixed-price book sitting at a comic shop, in a comic book catalog, or at a convention has but only one buyer...that lucky person who happens to be there at the right time with money in hand. Those sellers weren't thinking, "man, I wonder what would happen if I put a $1000 price tag on it". It would never happen. Multiple buyers weren't running into stores bidding up the prices... You put that same book on eBay in an auction...now you've just increased your number of buyers exponentially. And human beings are competitive by nature. Everyone on eBay gets the same shot at the book. It's all about who wants it the most and who's willing to pay for it.

I'm not much of a CGC fan, but I can see how it would actually be VERY beneficial when in the market for Albedo NR2. We're talking about a very expensive book. CGC practically guarantees the advertised condition of the book, so you know exactly what you're getting.

..

I have no interest in purchasing a CGC comic.
It's like taking a comic book and turning it into a giant baseball card.

So how much have Albedo #2 gone for that wasnt CGC?

MikeM wrote: So how much have Albedo #2 gone for that wasnt CGC?

The highest I've seen was $1,200-1,300. I don't remember any that were signed, though. I wonder how much one of those would go for.

By estimates, I'd say a CGC'd signed copy in 9.6 or greater would easily fetch over $2000.

The most expensive copy, if it were to exist, would be a CGC 10 signed by both Stan and Steve G. Easily over $3000. Maybe even $4000.

CGC is definitely evil. But not permanent. The issue can be removed from the slab. My point was that with CGC-graded copies of expensive comics, there's almost no question as to condition. And for most collectors, condition is everything, especially in this cyber-universe we live in. No longer do you have the luxury of physically confirming the grade of a copy in a mylar snug before you buy it. In eBay auctions you are really relying on the seller's ability to grade. And sellers could overlook certain flaws in order to make the sale. The seller can scan the comic and detail every flaw, but it's still no substitute for actually inspecting it in person. With CGC you're basically taking away the guess work...

Of course, to a true Usagi fan, simply owning a copy of Albedo 2 is good enough. At least for me it is!