Edit: Note - due to the first two guesses being posted before the contest was created, they show at the top.
Scroll down to see the contest.
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$2.2 million
My guess...
$3.2 Million.
D/P
I saw paul-f's comment just before going to work today and then tonight, see two guesses so here goes, a non-phone auction contest just for the fun of it, and, to document this rare eBay auction item for posterity. The item as brought to our attention by Fabius in his separate post (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=12447.0) on the forum.
NOTE: this contest will use the same rules we use for phone related auctions
This interesting item was listed on eBay for $0.99 on Aug-14-14 at 18:00:02 PDT in a 10 day auction. It's the very first Superman comic book from June 1938. The first bid was $1,000,000 (yes, million) and 5 day into the auction with 28 bids, it is now up to $2,000,100.00 (yes, million). With just over 5 full days to go in the auction, there is time to do a fun auction suggested by paul-f on Tuesday morning.
The big question is, of course, who can take the best guess at what this comic book will sell for when the auction ends.
The seller listed it as an "Action Comics #1 (June 1938) Superman's Debut, CGC 9.0 - Perfect White Pages" with the item condition as "- - - " and "The finest known copy of the most sought after comic book in the world. A 1938 museum piece with PERFECT WHITE pristine pages." with the auction listing description simply as a
"For sale here is the single most valuable comic book to ever be offered for sale, and is likely to be the only time ever offered for sale during many of our lifetimes. There are no second chances. This is a NO RESERVE auction.
This is THE comic book that started it all. This comic features not only the first appearance of Superman, Clark Kent and Lois Lane, but this comic began the entire superhero genre that has followed during the 76 years since. It is referred to as the Holy Grail of comics and this is the finest graded copy to exist with perfect white pages. This is .... the Mona Lisa of comics and stands alone as the most valuable comic book ever printed.
This particular copy is the nicest that has ever been graded, with an ASTONISHING grade of CGC 9.0 ! To date, no copies have been graded higher and only one other copy has received the same grade. It is fair to say though that this copy blows the other 9.0 out of the water. Compared to the other 9.0 that sold for $2.1million several years ago it has significant superior eye appeal, extremely vibrant colors and PERFECT WHITE PAGES. This means after 76 years the aging process has yet to begin. Truly this book is a museum piece. It is one of only two copies of this comic in ANY condition to ever be graded with the distinction of having White pages, the other being a CGC 2.5 !
If you are looking to purchase or invest in comic books this is without exaggeration the single best graded comic book that exists. It is the highest graded copy of the most sought after comic book in the hobby, and has the best possible page quality that can be assigned. If anyone has ever been curious what an Action Comics 1 looked like the day it came off of the newsstand 75 years ago, this is the answer.
This comic is the best of the absolute best and whoever wins this auction will be the envy of the entire hobby for many decades to come.
I proudly present Action Comics #1 CGC 9.0 WHITE Pages.
Please enjoy,
Darren Adams
"The quality and preservation of the Adams Action #1 is astounding," said Paul Litch, CGC primary grader. "The book looks and feels like it just came off the newsstand. It is supple, the colors are deep and rich, and the quality of the white pages is amazing for a comic that is 76 years old." -Paul Litch SR Grader "
http://www.ebay.com/itm/311050328393
NOTE: Due to the high value of this comic, we will use a 1% gap rule between guesses to prevent crowding. One percent at $2 million is $20,000 which should work well. As such, guess gaps of 2+% can be split. I'll help with these as the auction goes forward and guesses are entered.
Since this is a non-phone contest, the winner will not be included in the Hall of Fame or be counted in the Contest Standings as a win. This one is just for fun. Given the nature of the item, I see a contest guess as kind of like throwing a dart while blindfolded into a 40 mph cross wind while sitting on a bar stool spinning at 10 rpm as it rolls across the room on a bumpy floor at 5 mph.
Absolutely any and all members are very welcome and strongly encouraged to take a guess. After all, there are no wrong guesses, just one lucky one. No one knows the winning bid on any auction until it ends. However, it is important to get your guess in before someone else grabs your guess.
S C O R E B O A R D
$ 2,200,000.00 - tallguy58 ( 1 )
$ 2,500,000.00 - wds ( 7 )
$ 2,872,000.00 - Fabius ( 4 )
$ 3,030,000.00 - paul-f ( 5 )
$ 3,100.000.00 - Russ Kirk ( 10 )
$ 3,200,000.00 - Dan/Panther ( 2 ) -> WINNER - Final Selling Price $3,207,852.00
$ 3,400,000.00 - WEBellSystemChristian ( 9 )
$ 3,500,000.00 - Mr. Bones ( 8 )
$ 3,600,000.00 - Sargeguy ( 13 )
$ 3,700,000.00 - WesternElectricBen ( 3 )
$ 3,900,001.00 - TelePlay ( 12 )
$ 4,100,000.00 - Kenton K ( 6 )
$ 5,000,000.00 - Western Electric ( 11 )
Early Morning Auction Status Changes
08-14-14 Listed $ 0.99
08-15-14 16 Bids $ 1,650,000.00
08-16-14 16 bids $ 1,750,200.00
08-17-14 16 bids $ 1,750,200.00
08-18-14 24 bids $ 1,850,001.00
08-19-14 28 bids $ 2,000,100.00
08-20-14 28 bids $ 2,000,100.00
08-21-14 30 bids $ 2,050,100.00
08-22-14 30 bids $ 2,050,100.00
08-23-14 33 bids $ 2,193,919.38
08-24-14 35 bids $ 2,210,100.00
08-24-14 13 bidders, 43 bids $3,207,852.00 Ended 18:00:02 PDT
Shot in the dark, after the power was cut, 3,700,000.
Ben
$2,872,000
$3,030,000
$4,1 million
Big monies here!
2.5m
Quote from: TelePlay on August 19, 2014, 08:21:36 PM
Since this is a non-phone contest, the winner will not be included in the Hall of Fame or be counted in the Contest Standings as a win. This one is just for fun. Given the nature of the item, I see a contest guess as kind of like throwing a dart while blindfolded into a 40 mph cross wind while sitting on a bar stool spinning at 10 rpm as it rolls across the room on a bumpy floor at 5 mph.
Absolutely any and all members are very welcome and strongly encouraged to take a guess. After all, there are no wrong guesses, just one lucky one.
What do you mean non-phone item contest? I see 202 type desk sets in several places. If Metropolis was served by Bell then they'd be WECO.
I'll try to squeeze in the $3.5m slot, if I'm not encroaching.
Best regards!
I'll go for 3.4 million.
$3.1 million
5,000,000
$3,900,001.00
Over the past day or so, the number of bidders has increased from 7 to 10.
I wonder how many are waiting in the wings for that last second snipe?
It's a one of a kind, based on condition, so what will that final snipe be?
$fartoomuch... :P
Here's the 1% "no crowding" gap spreadsheet for this contest, after 13 guesses. I didn't want to resize all my spreadsheet columns so the numbers shown are x1000, or, in other words, all guesses are in the 2 million range and up.
With just over a day to go, it's been bid up to $2,193,919.38, a nice round number, eh? :-\ by now 10 bidders, up from 7 a few days ago.
Now there are four split the different gaps leaving the rest of the gaps wide open so get your last minute guesses in. The "guess window" closes in about 8 hours.
3.6 million
Quote from: twocvbloke on August 23, 2014, 12:29:17 PM
$fartoomuch... :P
Plus more!
Picked up an 11th bidder overnight and two more bids pushing it up to $2.2 million.
Ends this evening with the big winners being: The Seller and the Foundation.
Today saw a 12th bidder enter the auction. What amazes me now is the fact that there are at least 12 people in the world capable of bidding millions for a comic book, are bidding millions for a comic book and a comic book would be worth that much to at least 12 people. It's up to $2.3 million with 5 hours to go.
This one is worth watching for the fun of it. Thanks, Fabius, for bringing it to our attention.
With but 18 minutes to go, the high bid has reached $2,402,038.38. That's almost real money . . . ;)
Still 12 bidders. The final snipe will be exciting.
Quote from: TelePlay on August 24, 2014, 08:43:06 PM
$2,402,038.38. That's almost real money . . . ;)
You could buy a lot of phones with that..
Ben
And the winner of Special Superman Comic Book #1 Auction Contest is Dan/Panther, who with the second entry into the contest offered the winning guess of $3,200,000.00.
Overall, it was an interesting auction from the day it was listed at $0.99. The last few minutes saw the price rise from $2.4 million to $2.6 to $2.7 and then, with the final second snipes, jumped to $3,207 million. When the dust settled, it ended up selling for a hefty $3,207,852.00 and was won by bidder s***p (2501). Once again, our congratulations go out to Dan/Panther for his impressive win in this special CRPF Auction Contests. Must be a second hobby of his? ;)
Thanks again to all who played. As always, you have to play to win.
Now let's start the 2nd special contest. Guess the nationality of the winning bidder. Chinese, Saudi Arabian, Russian, North Korean?
Wow. Wouldn't it be nice to have that kind of money. More money for a comic book than a very, very big house. e-Bay is probably smiling at the highest levels of the company. I wonder how much they get for that kind of sale?
Came across this looking for something else on eBay.
http://www.ebay.com/blogs/stories/top-15-most-intriguing-high-priced-items
Since I don't know how long this link will last, a pdf copy of this page is attached. Keep in mind these are the most intriguing auctions within the past few weeks of this posting. The #1 "most intriguing" in this blog post was this Superman Comic Book.
Sadly, the additional 5 "intriguing blogs" that are linked at the bottom of this eBay page do not include the Model 1 Picturephone MagicMo that sold for $21,433.67 (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=8649.0) way back in January of 2013. Guess the blog writers didn't realize the intriguing, historical importance of this Picturephone.