Good news first or bad news first? Let's get the bad out of the way, we want to end on a high note. I'll start with several examples of what I consider to be, overall, decent, quality books that are backsliding big-time. Ok, maybe you think this is a pretty high sale price? Me too, I agree. This is a cool book for sure, but as far as keys, it's the 3rd appearance of the Teen Titans, not the 1st. The point I'm making though, is look at the previous sale price for the same book.

How about Bronze Age Marvel? Again, you can argue $195.20 is still too high for a 9.8 copy of a common, mid-70s Marvel. And I would not push back. To be fair, there are only 65 CGC Blue Label 9.8s right now, but that could be simply because not many people think to send this book in. Not much bang for the buck if you don't get a 9.8 back. In any case, once again, look below to the previous, recent sales for this book. Huge backslide.

One more Bronze Age Marvel, and this one, I would argue is a key book. Classic Jim Starlin Thanos storyline, with the 2nd full appearance of Thanos. The battle with The Avengers. Drax the Destroyer. Good stuff. And Death makes an appearance. I actually thought those times when Thanos would pal around with Death and just talk, were pretty surreal and cool. I probably would not send in an 8.5, but that's not the point here. Is the point that, in this example, Overstreet actually has a higher value, at $64.00 for VF 8.0? Nope, but that's kinda interesting. The point is just look to the previous Heritage sale price, which goes back to 2021, shown below.

Ok, on to the good news. But it's the same old points I've been making for years, for the most part. Topic and scarcity! Let's start with Dizzy Dames #1. Topic? I think you get it, might not fly as easy today. What's wrong with Ditzy Dudes? Why can't that be a comic book title? Isn't that basically the same as Florida Man, by the legendary creator Mike Baron (Nexus, Punisher, Flash)? Anyway, it's nice to see an ACG in the spotlight. A typically underrated publisher, but those early issues were pretty cool! Scarcity? Not that scarce a book, with 44 CGC copies, but this is, for now, the sole Finest Known.

It takes a lot for most westerns to stand out among their run, especially the longer series, they were very predictable. Topic? Oh come on folks, do I really need to explain this one? Just trust me, and buy any bargain-bin or thrift store copies of this you can find, with a straight face. Scarcity? Again, it's an early 60s Dell, not a scarce book. Scarce in grade though - 9.6 makes it tied for Finest Known. And the cat has been out of the bag on this one for a long time. You'd have to go back 12+ years to get this book, in this grade, for under a thousand dollars on the aftermarket.

Who buys Gold Keys? Apparently, lots of people! Topic: It doesn't really matter all that much who the publisher is if you have an icon. And yeah, Scooby Doo is in a weird way iconic. America has a history of coming up with funny talking animals. But this is more than the subject matter. Which brings me to, Scarcity. I talk about end-of-run a lot. I will admit, in most of those cases, I do not have actual data handy. Actual print runs. Sometimes, but rarely. The data that does exist, however, does indicate that in general, the final issue in a run is the final issue for a reason. Sales were in the toilet. The title was not making money. Final issues in most runs are, by nature, scarcer. So here you go, final issue in the run, and tied for Finest Known copy. And this comic, in reality, you do have a chance of finding in a thrift store.

Ending the comics section on a high note, we have all seen more than hints of this in recent years. Romance comics were eventually going to get their place in the sun. Historically scoffed at and lonely in bargain bins for decades. However, especially if super high grade, y'all should have been paying attention. Topic: Just take a minute and soak in the actual subject matter on many of these. This guy just hauled in a babe, in a fishing net! Why was DC keeping these titles alive in the 70s? Sales had to be dismal. Scarcity: Oh, what a shocker. This is the sole Finest Known copy!

Look at this ancient PCGS case! Heritage calls it a Generation 1.2 "rattler" holder. I freely admit I was previously unaware, and can only guess it got that name because this far back in time the coins were not always snug in their holders? These early holders can command premium prices, probably because there was more variance in the range of quality within grade ranges with no "plus" grades. Meaning, lurking within a single grading interval, were some premium items. This is where the CAC stickers come in, and this one has a green CAC sticker. Look to the previous market report for my thoughts regarding putting stickers on slabs. This coin was a high outlier for the certification and grade.

This Half-Cent Piece puts an emphasis on the variance and subjectivity for examples given the same grade. The sale price for this coin was ~5X what we'd expect to see for this certification and grade. So what's going on? This one has a Gold CAC sticker, which is intended to say Exceptional for this grade. And people trust that. It is a great looking coin, and the Generation 3.1 green label holder was starting to look pretty professional!

It may not be commonly known, but Nostomania is expanding coverage in the magazines database to include any type of "fanzines". There are very few price guides for fanzines, they are not listed in Overstreet, and we know Nostomania members collect them. As this sale of Alter Ego shows, there is absolutely a market for these fan-created magazines, with this Finest Known copy bringing close to five thousand dollars in a recent Heritage Signature Auction. This issue of Alter Ego, published by Roy Thomas, includes articles by Thomas and Otto Binder.