I stumbled upon this through Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin, and thought I'd share.
Over at eBay a copy of Action Comics number one is up for auction. Yes, Action #1, the holy grail of superhero comics. Check it out for yourself.
The item description reads as follows:
"This is a real edition of Action Comics number one it has been certified and includes a certificate of Authenticity that is included in the sealed edition of the comic. I did not want to part with this but current economic conditions dictate that I have to sell it off. Again this is a real edition not a fake."
And here is the picture that ran with the auction:
The opening bid is $50,000. There as of yet been no takers and there is a day left in the auction. Why is this? I think I can explain:
- The picture is either a stock photo of Action #1 or this guy has a pristine mint copy of the book. Or this is one of the numerous (and considerably less valuable) reprint copies that are floating around. I'd vote for either 1 or 3 because if it is a copy of the 1938 Action #1, he wouldn't have to put it on eBay. I know one dealer that offers $1 millon dollars for a near mint Action #1.
- There is no condition whatsoever in the description. According to Overstreet, $50,000 would put you between Good and Very Good on the grading scale. But no one will be willing to pay a penny for it before knowing what dings and dents the book has.Let alone 50K.
- He says it has been certified. By whom? If it's by CGC or perhaps a major comic dealer, being certified might mean something. Certified by his mom or the guy who owns the flea market that he bought it from is another thing entirely.
- It may not be a fake, but that doesn't mean its real. Real in the sense that it was from 1938. This is one of the most reprinted books in the history of comics. Some reprints are almost indistinguishable from the original. Many, non-savvy buyers think they are buying the "real" 1938 Action #1 when they really are buying a reprint.
- The whole "economic conditions dictate that I must part with it" thing is classic eBay hucksterism. Actually, it's classic general overall hucksterism. The "I'd keep it for myself but I need the money" ploy has been used to enhance the value of less-than-what-they-say-it's-worth items since the dawn of time.
- While the seller does have a 100% Positive feedback score, he only 9 feedbacks from 5 different eBay-ers, all for stuff he bought. All from 2005-2006. So, no feedback for anything he sold. (And one of the sellers who left him feedback was Mile High Comics, so this doofus should know what a comic book auction should look like.)
This all adds up to an auction that smells fishier than the dumpster in back of a sushi restaurant in summer. Is there a possiblility that this auction is legit? Yes. But this kind of item would only attract serious collectors. And serious collectors are familiar with eBay and expect certain conditions from any eBay auctions (i.e. multiple pictures of the actual item, accurate description of the condition of the item, information on who certified the item, etc).
I am tempted to e-mail this doofus and ask to see pictures of the item. But I'd figure since this item obviously won't sell that would open me up to e-mails from him trying to do the hard sell for me. I'm sure the "my kid needs new shoes/braces/is in the hospital" ploy would follow soon after!
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