Harbinger 1 Up For Grabs In CGC 9.8

[tssgery]

I'm sorry, but this is crazy.

Don't get me wrong, I really like Harbinger #1 and would love to have a CGC 9.8 copy in my collection. But, $1000-$1500 is crazy money.

The book will not ever become one of those very sought after key books. The audience for it is just too small. If people are looking for books that will appreciate in value, it's got to be a key character in a key title. Harbinger is neither of those to the masses.

Maybe it's just that as I've gotten older I've learned that having the "best" of something isn't mandatory.

If I had $1500 in disposable income, I'd pop for Zeph's ASM 300 CGC 9.8 and give the other $500 to Knightt for his fight against CF.

[worldsbestcomics]

There hasn't been an eBay sale for a 9.8 Harbinger 1 in a very long time. There was a public sale on ComicLink recently before the release of the Harbinger hardcover, before the VEI court victory and before the movie announcement and that sale topped $1000 very quickly.

I had an extra 9.8 Harbinger 1 that I used in a trade to help finish my 9.8 pre-Unity run but if I had decided to sell it, I had multiple offers of $1000+ from Board members. And since the movie announcement, there have been some big dollar eBay purchases/bids from people who don't seem to be Board members.

So, I do not think $1500 is unreasonable at all. In fact, I think it could go higher.

[StarBrand]

There hasn't been an eBay sale for a 9.8 Harbinger 1 in a very long time. There was a public sale on ComicLink recently before the release of the Harbinger hardcover, before the VEI court victory and before the movie announcement and that sale topped $1000 very quickly.

I had an extra 9.8 Harbinger 1 that I used in a trade to help finish my 9.8 pre-Unity run but if I had decided to sell it, I had multiple offers of $1000+ from Board members. And since the movie announcement, there have been some big dollar eBay purchases/bids from people who don't seem to be Board members.

So, I do not think $1500 is unreasonable at all. In fact, I think it could go higher.

Since the movie announcement #1 in CGC 9.6 has hit 125.00 twice. The last one of those was snapped up quickly and could've gone for more.
I noticed a raw copy go from an eBay store in the last few days for 40.00 plus shipping.
Anyway, I'm glad this one's up. It's fun to watch.

[StarBrand]

By the way, this book has 81 views in the first 11 hours. That's a lot for a non-featured comic book.
I seriously considered buying it for that reason, to put it in my store at a high price and drive people to my store. I guess there was a second reason... I liked it long-term.

[Smashey]

Much better to buy 50 raw copies graded NM and see what you get.

Wont happen unless ZWH busts out his hoard for sell. Even if you did find 50 raw NM, you would get 0 9.8 and probaby 0 9.6. Anyone that owns high grade copies like this have already had them graded. And if by chance someone were to have a high grade raw, they would cgc it and put it up for $1000 or more BIN.

If it goes as high as $1,500, it will be someone who doesnt know the Valiant marketplace

I think quite the opposite. Someone who doesnt know the Valiant marketplace wont understand why the book is so expensive, due to the production flaw keeping most copies sub par. Someone who does know the Valiant market, is going to know how rare this book is to get a 9.8, how long its been since a 9.8 surfaced for sale, and that this may just be their only chance to own one.

With how tough of a grade this book is to get 9.8, and the fact that there either arent any more 9.8 raws out there, or very few tucked away in someones collection, $1500 doesnt really even seem unrealistic to me. You could spend far more buying every harby #1 that pops up, more than likely not even getting a 9.8 candidate.

Harbinger #1 on eBay, in raw form, have been selling for $25-$35, the same prices they've been selling for since Acclaim's bankrupcty sale in Feb of 2005.

I dont think raw prices really have any reflection in the 9.8 pricing on this book in particular. Same with Solar #10. You coud buy solar #10's for $10-20 tops raw. Very different story with the tough 9.8 grade. These are two of the books that you just know for fact if you buy raw, you arent gonna get a super high grade no matter how its described.

Also. The market is there to raise the BIN price on raw Harbys. I havnt been back into comics long. But I do know that I told myself 2 months ago i wouldnt pay more than 25-30 for a harby 1. There havnt been too many on ebay, but I do know that there was a guy with a BIN of $50 and had 2 copies. I offered $35 (5 more than i told myself my max was), and he said he refused to go lower than $42. 2 days later, both copies were sold from offers. I think a $40 BIN would sell within hours of listing, and possibly $45. If $30 was the standard, thats about a 33% rise.

Mix it all in with the Harby HC, VEI's return, and movie news. I think its going to hit a record, which to be honest, I dont even really want it to lol. I only own 1 copy. Im not gonna be able to hoard it if they get too high.

Time will tell. I think most of us would agree the BIN of $1000 was at least a bit low. And when it comes down to a book like this, and the fact that someone willing to dump a grand on a book, probably isnt strapped financially, a couple hundred extra than what they are wanting to pay might ensure that they will win. I know that if $1500 wasnt a big chunk of money for me, with 5 seconds left to bid, bids at $1200, and I want this book, i would throw a couple hundred extra bucks into the pot to ensure its mine, knowing that I may never have another chance. And also knowing if another one does pop up, it WILL sell for more than this one does.

[ckb]

Severely underpriced at the moment too with all the talks going on. If i wasnt towards the bottom of the food chain, I would snag this in a heartbeat.

Agreed, the buy it now of a grand was low.

Man, I wish whoever would have let the BIN sit for awhile. I would have grabbed it.

[ckb]

I wasn't necessarily suggesting you could get 50 copies for that same amount, but if you bouught 50 raw copies you might well get the 9.8 and quite a few 9.6/9.4's for which You could recoop a good hit of your money.

If only personal experience would have born out your optimisitic theory....

[Escaflown4]

I'm sorry, but this is crazy.

Don't get me wrong, I really like Harbinger #1 and would love to have a CGC 9.8 copy in my collection. But, $1000-$1500 is crazy money.

The book will not ever become one of those very sought after key books. The audience for it is just too small. If people are looking for books that will appreciate in value, it's got to be a key character in a key title. Harbinger is neither of those to the masses.

Maybe it's just that as I've gotten older I've learned that having the "best" of something isn't mandatory.

If I had $1500 in disposable income, I'd pop for Zeph's ASM 300 CGC 9.8 and give the other $500 to Knightt for his fight against CF.

It is crazy, but definitely not the first for Valiant. Anyone remember what the first CEAR CGC 9.8 sold for?

Anyways, whatever happened to Aug? He literally disappeared after that auction....

[tssgery]

I'm sorry, but this is crazy.

Don't get me wrong, I really like Harbinger #1 and would love to have a CGC 9.8 copy in my collection. But, $1000-$1500 is crazy money.

The book will not ever become one of those very sought after key books. The audience for it is just too small. If people are looking for books that will appreciate in value, it's got to be a key character in a key title. Harbinger is neither of those to the masses.

Maybe it's just that as I've gotten older I've learned that having the "best" of something isn't mandatory.

If I had $1500 in disposable income, I'd pop for Zeph's ASM 300 CGC 9.8 and give the other $500 to Knightt for his fight against CF.

It is crazy, but definitely not the first for Valiant. Anyone remember what the first CEAR CGC 9.8 sold for?

Anyways, whatever happened to Aug? He literally disappeared after that auction....

If prices are really this crazy, what's a CGC 9.8 Unity Red going for these days. I've got one that I'd sell if the price were right. Seriously.

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

There hasn't been an eBay sale for a 9.8 Harbinger 1 in a very long time. There was a public sale on ComicLink recently before the release of the Harbinger hardcover, before the VEI court victory and before the movie announcement and that sale topped $1000 very quickly.

I had an extra 9.8 Harbinger 1 that I used in a trade to help finish my 9.8 pre-Unity run but if I had decided to sell it, I had multiple offers of $1000+ from Board members. And since the movie announcement, there have been some big dollar eBay purchases/bids from people who don't seem to be Board members.

So, I do not think $1500 is unreasonable at all. In fact, I think it could go higher.

~ ahem ~

"Amazing Spiderman #300 will NEVER sell for $1000, with 5% of that going to Greg for site upkeep."



:EDIT: Half that post disappeared. How weird.

Anyways, it was "you know, talking about how something may NOT be worth as much money as people think may be a BRILLIANT marketing strategy."

Then the rest...

[TKWill]

There hasn't been an eBay sale for a 9.8 Harbinger 1 in a very long time. There was a public sale on ComicLink recently before the release of the Harbinger hardcover, before the VEI court victory and before the movie announcement and that sale topped $1000 very quickly.

I had an extra 9.8 Harbinger 1 that I used in a trade to help finish my 9.8 pre-Unity run but if I had decided to sell it, I had multiple offers of $1000+ from Board members. And since the movie announcement, there have been some big dollar eBay purchases/bids from people who don't seem to be Board members.

So, I do not think $1500 is unreasonable at all. In fact, I think it could go higher.

~ ahem ~

"Amazing Spiderman #300 will NEVER sell for $1000, with 5% of that going to Greg for site upkeep."

What happened to the donate button on the pages? Did it go away when VEI took us under their wing?

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

Much better to buy 50 raw copies graded NM and see what you get.

Wont happen unless ZWH busts out his hoard for sell. Even if you did find 50 raw NM, you would get 0 9.8 and probaby 0 9.6. Anyone that owns high grade copies like this have already had them graded.

This is not true. I haven't graded any of my hoard.

However....

I would be very surprised to find a 9.8 candidate in the lot (I haven't looked.)

VERY surprised.

9.6, sure, 3-4 maybe, maybe a little more.

But a 9.8?

Not likely.

There's a reason there are only 12 on the census.....

(Does this mean, since there are only SIX Primer #2s on the census, and since it's a MUCH more well known book, that it is worth $3000...? )

And if by chance someone were to have a high grade raw, they would cgc it and put it up for $1000 or more BIN.

If it goes as high as $1,500, it will be someone who doesnt know the Valiant marketplace

I think quite the opposite. Someone who doesnt know the Valiant marketplace wont understand why the book is so expensive,

A little research by them would actually cure that.

due to the production flaw keeping most copies sub par. Someone who does know the Valiant market, is going to know how rare this book is to get a 9.8, how long its been since a 9.8 surfaced for sale, and that this may just be their only chance to own one.

With how tough of a grade this book is to get 9.8, and the fact that there either arent any more 9.8 raws out there, or very few tucked away in someones collection, $1500 doesnt really even seem unrealistic to me. You could spend far more buying every harby #1 that pops up, more than likely not even getting a 9.8 candidate.

Harbinger #1 on eBay, in raw form, have been selling for $25-$35, the same prices they've been selling for since Acclaim's bankrupcty sale in Feb of 2005.

I dont think raw prices really have any reflection in the 9.8 pricing on this book in particular.

They absolutely do. They are, as I already pointed out, INDICATORS of where the market is headed. As raw copies go, so too graded copies, only on an exponential scale. If a Harby #1 raw were to sell for $75, it is a REASONABLE expectation to think that a 9.8 would now sell for $1500.

It is the OVERALL DEMAND for the book that shapes what it sells for graded or raw.

Same with Solar #10. You coud buy solar #10's for $10-20 tops raw. Very different story with the tough 9.8 grade. These are two of the books that you just know for fact if you buy raw, you arent gonna get a super high grade no matter how its described.

I understand what you're saying, but the point was not whether you could get a 9.8 buying sight unseen, but rather how the market fluctuates. If a Solar #10 suddenly became a $150 book, a 9.8 would become a $2000 book, or more.

Also. The market is there to raise the BIN price on raw Harbys. I havnt been back into comics long. But I do know that I told myself 2 months ago i wouldnt pay more than 25-30 for a harby 1. There havnt been too many on ebay, but I do know that there was a guy with a BIN of $50 and had 2 copies. I offered $35 (5 more than i told myself my max was), and he said he refused to go lower than $42. 2 days later, both copies were sold from offers. I think a $40 BIN would sell within hours of listing, and possibly $45. If $30 was the standard, thats about a 33% rise.

A "NM raw" copy sold on eBay for $32 + $3 on 3/9. Item # 260216874860.

Mix it all in with the Harby HC, VEI's return, and movie news. I think its going to hit a record, which to be honest, I dont even really want it to lol. I only own 1 copy. Im not gonna be able to hoard it if they get too high.

VEI has been "back" for a while now. Yes, they've gotten some press in the industry, and yes, there's a quiet background buzz where there was none before.

But it's not that much. The Harby HC is now over half a year+ old. It's something, but it's not "earth shattering."

Time will tell. I think most of us would agree the BIN of $1000 was at least a bit low. And when it comes down to a book like this, and the fact that someone willing to dump a grand on a book, probably isnt strapped financially, a couple hundred extra than what they are wanting to pay might ensure that they will win. I know that if $1500 wasnt a big chunk of money for me, with 5 seconds left to bid, bids at $1200, and I want this book, i would throw a couple hundred extra bucks into the pot to ensure its mine, knowing that I may never have another chance. And also knowing if another one does pop up, it WILL sell for more than this one does.

We'll see.

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

There hasn't been an eBay sale for a 9.8 Harbinger 1 in a very long time. There was a public sale on ComicLink recently before the release of the Harbinger hardcover, before the VEI court victory and before the movie announcement and that sale topped $1000 very quickly.

I had an extra 9.8 Harbinger 1 that I used in a trade to help finish my 9.8 pre-Unity run but if I had decided to sell it, I had multiple offers of $1000+ from Board members. And since the movie announcement, there have been some big dollar eBay purchases/bids from people who don't seem to be Board members.

So, I do not think $1500 is unreasonable at all. In fact, I think it could go higher.

Since the movie announcement #1 in CGC 9.6 has hit 125.00 twice. The last one of those was snapped up quickly and could've gone for more.
I noticed a raw copy go from an eBay store in the last few days for 40.00 plus shipping.
Anyway, I'm glad this one's up. It's fun to watch.

$125 is definitely an upswing in price, but it's only about 25% more than usual...it's not a radical upswing.

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

I'm sorry, but this is crazy.

Don't get me wrong, I really like Harbinger #1 and would love to have a CGC 9.8 copy in my collection. But, $1000-$1500 is crazy money.

The book will not ever become one of those very sought after key books. The audience for it is just too small. If people are looking for books that will appreciate in value, it's got to be a key character in a key title. Harbinger is neither of those to the masses.

Maybe it's just that as I've gotten older I've learned that having the "best" of something isn't mandatory.

If I had $1500 in disposable income, I'd pop for Zeph's ASM 300 CGC 9.8 and give the other $500 to Knightt for his fight against CF.

It is crazy, but definitely not the first for Valiant. Anyone remember what the first CEAR CGC 9.8 sold for?

$1500, but that was the FIRST CEAR 9.8 for sale. The price has gone down a lot since then...last sale was for $376+....and this isn't the first Harby #1 9.8 for sale.

By the way....all the talk about it only increases interest....

[mrwoogieman]

[JustCallMeAric]

I'm predicing that it will sell for $1376.03

[MoonChild]

man, I hope mine slabs at least 9.4 hopefully 9.6..

[superman-prime]

If someone else wants it as bad as rico it will go sky high its at 910 now

[StarBrand]

There hasn't been an eBay sale for a 9.8 Harbinger 1 in a very long time. There was a public sale on ComicLink recently before the release of the Harbinger hardcover, before the VEI court victory and before the movie announcement and that sale topped $1000 very quickly.

I had an extra 9.8 Harbinger 1 that I used in a trade to help finish my 9.8 pre-Unity run but if I had decided to sell it, I had multiple offers of $1000+ from Board members. And since the movie announcement, there have been some big dollar eBay purchases/bids from people who don't seem to be Board members.

So, I do not think $1500 is unreasonable at all. In fact, I think it could go higher.

Since the movie announcement #1 in CGC 9.6 has hit 125.00 twice. The last one of those was snapped up quickly and could've gone for more.
I noticed a raw copy go from an eBay store in the last few days for 40.00 plus shipping.
Anyway, I'm glad this one's up. It's fun to watch.

$125 is definitely an upswing in price, but it's only about 25% more than usual...it's not a radical upswing.

I won two or three Harbinger 1s in CGC 9.6 last year, and although I didn't record how much I paid, I'm pretty sure they didn't approach 100.00. I think I won them for around 60.00 or 70.00 each including shipping. Not sure, though. I see Greg has them at 85.00 in that grade in the guide.

[greg]

I won two or three Harbinger 1s in CGC 9.6 last year, and although I didn't record how much I paid, I'm pretty sure they didn't approach 100.00. I think I won them for around 60.00 or 70.00 each including shipping. Not sure, though. Anyone else record sales on Harbinger 1s in CGC 9.6?

The 12 month average (11 sales) is $93.40 (before shipping).
The 90 day average is $123.75.

[StarBrand]

I won two or three Harbinger 1s in CGC 9.6 last year, and although I didn't record how much I paid, I'm pretty sure they didn't approach 100.00. I think I won them for around 60.00 or 70.00 each including shipping. Not sure, though. Anyone else record sales on Harbinger 1s in CGC 9.6?

The 12 month average (11 sales) is $93.40 (before shipping).
The 90 day average is $123.75.

Thanks for the info.

zephyrwashotwasrightasalways

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

I won two or three Harbinger 1s in CGC 9.6 last year, and although I didn't record how much I paid, I'm pretty sure they didn't approach 100.00. I think I won them for around 60.00 or 70.00 each including shipping. Not sure, though. Anyone else record sales on Harbinger 1s in CGC 9.6?

The 12 month average (11 sales) is $93.40 (before shipping).
The 90 day average is $123.75.

Thanks for the info.

zephyrwashotwasrightasalways

I get my info from the same source he does.... I'm a very big "convince me by backing up your claims with hard data" kinda guy.

In case no one had noticed it before.

[Chiclo]

I won two or three Harbinger 1s in CGC 9.6 last year, and although I didn't record how much I paid, I'm pretty sure they didn't approach 100.00. I think I won them for around 60.00 or 70.00 each including shipping. Not sure, though. Anyone else record sales on Harbinger 1s in CGC 9.6?

The 12 month average (11 sales) is $93.40 (before shipping).
The 90 day average is $123.75.

Thanks for the info.

zephyrwashotwasrightasalways

I get my info from the same source he does.... I'm a very big "convince me by backing up your claims with hard data" kinda guy.

In case no one had noticed it before.

I am very tempted to make a Wikipedia entry about you and mention that in it.

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

I won two or three Harbinger 1s in CGC 9.6 last year, and although I didn't record how much I paid, I'm pretty sure they didn't approach 100.00. I think I won them for around 60.00 or 70.00 each including shipping. Not sure, though. Anyone else record sales on Harbinger 1s in CGC 9.6?

The 12 month average (11 sales) is $93.40 (before shipping).
The 90 day average is $123.75.

Thanks for the info.

zephyrwashotwasrightasalways

I get my info from the same source he does.... I'm a very big "convince me by backing up your claims with hard data" kinda guy.

In case no one had noticed it before.

I am very tempted to make a Wikipedia entry about you and mention that in it.

[x-omatic]

I still believe that Harbinger 1, compared to the print ruin, is still the hardest book by Valiant to get in 9.8 grade. In fact it is fairly hard to get in 9.6. I don't think a single copy I have won on eBay would grade 9.6. I have found taht the biggest flaw people miss in grading the book is the very fine spine splits that occur due to the thin cover stock that was used. It is know that this was a problem discovered during printing and it the printer tried to fix it by changing from using 2 staples to using 3 on the binding. I had one of, if not the first, 9.8 graded. I sold it for over 1k at the time to a fellow board member who now is a co-owner of Valiant. I think I might still have a copy that would grade 9.8, but I do really miss that book.