ComicLink's most recent Featured Focused Auction, which ended on March 20, 2009, closed with a number of record-setting sales for the Golden and Silver Age books and original art featured in this auction.

Highlights and prices from the auction include: Amazing Fantasy #15, CGC certified 8.5, sold for $122,000; Sub-Mariner Comics #1, CGC certified 8.0 San Francisco pedigree, brought $35,000; Avengers #57, CGC certified 9.8, went for $22,006; Fantastic Four #6, CGC certified 9.6, sold for $20,250; Avengers #3, CGC certified 9.4, brought $18,805; Detective Comics #44, CGC certified 9.4, went for $12,817; Avengers #2 Jack Kirby panel page of original art sold for $11,000; Batman #166 Moldoff splash page original art brought $10,250; Silver Surfer #1, CGC certified 9.6, went for $9.445; and Green Lantern #76, CGC certified 9.4, sold for $9,100.

ComicLink's next Featured Focused Auction will begin on May 7, 2009 and they are currently accepting consignments of vintage comic books from the 1930s thru the 1970s and original comic art. For more information on all of the record-setting sales for this auction or to consign in the next auction, please visit www.comiclink.com.

 

Pedigree Comics' next Grand Auction, which begins on Sunday evening, May 10, 2009, is shaping up to be an incredible event. According to CEO and President Doug Schmell, there are a number of fabulous runs, sets, and individual books already consigned to the upcoming auction. The focus of the auction is the incredible Marvel runs, including the second best CGC Registry set of Captain America #100-#454, the second best CGC Registry set of Nick Fury #1-#18, the 4th highest Registry set of Strange Tales #101-#188, the 3rd finest Registry set of Tales to Astonish #1-#101, the #2 Registry set of Incredible Hulk #180-182, and the 7th best set of Avengers #1-#250. And for DC enthusiasts, the Green Lantern #76-#89 stands as the 4th best set. There will also be a group of ultra-high grade Flash in the auction, almost 20 issues in total. Most are CGC certified 9.6 and 9.4 graded copies with several 9.8 copies.

Also on consignment is an unbelievable collection of high grade and ultra high grade Harvey File Copies. Most of the books (almost 50 in total) are the highest certified copies to date. Titles include Richie Rich, Richie Rich Dollars and Cents, Richie Rich Millions, Richie Rich Success Stories, and more. Almost every book is a CGC certified 9.4 or 9.6 and all are obviously unread and uncirculated file copies. In addition, an amazing group of highest CGC graded copies of Gold Keys and Dells will be included in the Grand Auction, by far the best collection in the world. There are many #1, single highest rated issues in the group, all in 9.6 and 9.8 condition. There are many different titles to choose from, almost all from the popular television photo cover genre. 

Here are some of the individual highlights of the upcoming Grand Auction:

|Amazing Spider-Man #6 CGC 9.2

Amazing Spider-Man #37 CGC 9.4

Amazing Spider-Man #39 CGC 9.4

Amazing Spider-Man #40 CGC 9.4

Avengers #1 CGC 9.0

Avengers #3 CGC 9.2

Avengers #18 CGC 9.6

Avengers #39 CGC 9.6

Avengers #40 CGC 9.6

Avengers #46 CGC 9.6

Avengers #51 CGC 9.6

Avengers #53 CGC 9.6

Avengers #55 CGC 9.6

Avengers #57 CGC 9.6

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D #1 CGC 9.8

Sub-Mariner #1 CGC 9.8

Sub-Mariner #2 CGC 9.8

Daredevil #1 CGC 8.5

Daredevil #43 CGC 9.6

Doctor Strange #169 CGC 9.8

Captain America #100 CGC 9.8

Captain America #111 CGC 9.8

Captain America #115 CGC 9.8

Captain America #119 CGC 9.8

Fantastic Four Annual #1 CGC 9.6

Incredible Hulk #181 CGC 9.8

Green Lantern #76 CGC 9.4

Strange Tales #104 CGC 9.2

Strange Tales #110 CGC 9.4

Strange Tales #114 CGC 9.4

Strange Tales #115 CGC 9.4

Strange Tales #116 CGC 9.6

Night Nurse #1 CGC 9.8

Tomb of Dracula #10 CGC 9.8

Tales to Astonish #44 CGC 9.4

Tales to Astonish #48 CGC 9.4

Tales to Astonish #49 CGC 9.4

Tales to Astonish #50 CGC 9.4

Tales to Astonish #51 CGC 9.6

Tales to Astonish #53 CGC 9.6

Tales to Astonish #57 CGC 9.6

Tales to Astonish #59 CGC 9.6

Tales to Astonish #62 CGC 9.6

Tales to Astonish #63 CGC 9.6

The Grand Auction will run for ten days and will end on Wednesday evening, May 20, 2009 on the Pedigree Comics, Inc. Web site (www.PedigreeComics.com). They are currently accepting new items for the auction and will continue to up until the auction commencement on Sunday, May 10, 2009 and even till the middle of the following week. Please contact Mr. Schmell at 561-422-1120 or 561-596-9111 or email him at DougSchmell@pedigreecomics.com for any questions, comments or information about the consigning process. There will be many, many more ultra high grade comic books added to the auction in the next few weeks. Please make sure you check out the Latest News section of the web site everyday for updated announcements.

Prospective consignors can also upload their own scans, item information, descriptions and reserve amounts for the Grand Auctions by utilizing the Automated Consignment System. It is actually very easy and to do. Just register onto the site, click "Customer Page" under "Your Account" and then click "Consignments" (under "Auctions"). You will then be able to enter the Pedigree Comics Consignment Management System and upload your own CGC certified books and magazines. Pedigree Comics will receive an email automatically once you have uploaded the information and they will then review the information imparted for accuracy. The item(s) will then be added to the May 2009 Grand Auction to be bid on.

1968 Ralph Chicorel, needing to finance his family’s move from Michigan to Wisconsin, decided to sell the Golden Age comic collection that he had painstakingly assembled as a boy. He invited local dealers and collectors to view the collection and submit bids on the comics he had bought off the newsstands, from 1939-1947, when new comics cost 10 cents. The final bid was $3,500, which to the man on the street at the time would have seemed a staggering amount to pay for old comic books.

Fate, though, had different designs than for the story to end there. Ralph wasn’t able to find all of his comics when it was time to sell. The rest of them turned up later, and by that time, his short-term need for cash was past. His successful career negated the need to sell, and he watched over the course of decades as the price of old comics soared.

In 2009, the comics he forgot to sell are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the long-hidden second half of the collection will anchor Heritage Auction Galleries’ May 21-22 Signature Comics and Comic Art Auction, all sold without reserve. When comic collectors see which comics are offered and what sort of condition they’re in, they will surely have trouble maintaining their composure. Titles like Batman #1, Marvel Comics #1, Marvel Mystery Comics #9, Daring Mystery Comics #1 and Gene Autry Comics #1, all in remarkable condition, populate this amazing, single-owner trove.

“Somebody was watching over me, I think,” Chicorel said. “Go figure.”  

“Just when everyone speculated that there were no more great ‘undiscovered’ comic collections, this astonishing collection came along,” said Ed Jaster, Vice President of Heritage. “Lots of people saved comic books, but you almost never see them in true very fine to near mint condition. Also, Ralph had an uncanny knack for buying the ‘key’ issues that would end up being valuable later.”

The collection was so good that when Heritage contacted Al Milgrom, one of the Detroit-area collectors who bid on the collection four decades ago, he immediately remembered Chicorel’s amazing collection all these years later.

“It's one of the great regrets of my life that I hadn't enough money to buy this stuff,” said Milgrom, who went on to become a well-known comic artist and editor for Marvel Comics and other publishers. “It was all the very best, very earliest Golden Age books in the best condition I've ever seen. “

“I had an aunt who knew the fellow who had the comics,” Milgrom continued. “I drove over to his house, and lo and behold there were all these well-preserved Golden Age comics… runs of all the great superhero stuff from issue #1 on. I really wanted to get them but I had no money. There were early issues of everything… Whiz #2… he just had everything. All-Flash #1, Flash #1. The condition was unbelievably good.”

Milgrom ended up finding a friend who was willing to be a fellow “investor,” but their pooled funds came up short of the $3,500 winning bid.

More than a few of these single comic issues will likely sell for well more than $3,500 by themselves in the May auction, Heritage’s comic experts say.

“I’m hesitant to put a total value on a collection like this,” said Jaster. “Let’s just say that a major collection like this should bring a substantial number. It will be exciting to watch whether you’re a buyer or an onlooker.”

You can view highlights of The Chicorel Collection online right now at http://www.ha.com/?type=PR-PRTE031909, where you can read detailed lot descriptions and download full-color, enlargeable hi-resolution images.

 

To view the full catalog of the May auction, go online to the May 21 Signature® Comics and Comic Art Auction Catalog.

Prospective consignors and sellers of Comics or Comic Art are invited to http://www.ha.com/Sell?type=PR-PRTE031909, email Barry Sandoval at BarryS@HA.com or call 1-800-872-6467, ext. 1377. 

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalog, please contact Client Services at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 1150, or visit www.ha.com/Catalog to order by email.

The Daily News Online.com has reported that the original hand-drawn storyboards from Plane Crazy, the 1928 animated cartoon in which Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse made his first appearance will be on display in Buffalo, New York on April 4, 2009.

Drawn by Ub Iwerks who, along with Walt Disney, designed Mickey, these drawings are considered the rarest and most valuable Disney art in the world.

On April 4, 2009 The Buffalo International Film Festival in partnership with Shea's Performing Arts Center, 646 Main St., and The Walt Disney Company is presenting "Mickey Mouse Movie Masterpieces: A Celebration of Walt Disney." The all-day event will include 10 original, rare Mickey Mouse cartoons from the Disney Studio Archives and the complete uncut 1940 Fantasia, unseen since 1990 on the Shea's screen.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and the Shea's box office.The event benefits various children's charities in Western New York, the restoration fund for Shea's Buffalo, and The Buffalo Film Festival.

The storyboards will be hand-carried to Buffalo by Michael Carbonaro, noted comic historian. Originally part of the collection of Mort Walker's National Comic Art Museum in Boca Raton, Fla., the artwork will eventually find a home at Steve Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Baltimore, Md.

Iwerks, Walt and Roy Disney's original partner in their animation company, drew Plane Crazy all by himself, in secret, after the Disney’s lost the rights to their highly successful animated character Oswald the Rabbit in early 1928. Plane Crazy, however, was not released to the general public until after Steamboat Willie the first Mickey Mouse sound cartoon and the first cartoon designed specifically for sound. Steamboat Willie (also supervised and co-animated by Iwerks) was a smash hit, prompting the later release of Plane Crazy and Gallopin' Gaucho (the second Mickey cartoon) with synchronized sound tracks.

The drawings are warm and charming: Mickey Mouse - newly created - displays all of his iconic appeal in these first drawings.

Pat Powers, creator of Powers Cinephone, supplied his sound system to the Disney brothers in 1928 and made it possible for Mickey Mouse to talk. Mr. Powers' family was from Buffalo. Ralph Kent, another Buffalo native, became the "Keeper of the Mouse." Along with John Hench, he was the most respected Mickey Mouse artist at the studio and received a "Disney Legends" award.

For more information on Shea’s Performing Arts Center visit: http://www.sheas.org/.

 

CGC returns to Emerald City ComiCon this April 4 and 5, 2009 held at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center in Seattle, WA.

Featured guests at this event include Mike Mignola (Hellboy, The Amazing Screw-On Head), Mark Waid (Brave and the Bold, Kingdom Come), Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Wake the Dead), Adam Hughes (Wonder Woman, Catwoman), and Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Incognito), as well as many more.

Come by CGC at booth #712 during the show to drop off your submissions or to make arrangements for Signature Series. If you can’t make the show, arrangements can be made in advance with one of their Authorized Witnesses through their Chat Boards.

 

Basement Comics will be displaying at Atlantique City this weekend and will be bringing inventory that has never been displayed before.  Toys, art, and magazines that all came with comic collections and purchases will finally be priced and offered for sale. "We are proud to fill a large booth and represent comics and collectibles at this great show," said Al Stoltz of Basement Comics. Basement Comics will be located at Booth #732 at this weeks show.

For more information on the Atlantique City show visit: http://www.atlantiquecity.com/

 

Deadline week is here!  Nomination ballots for the 2009 Harvey Awards, honoring works published in 2008, are due this Friday, March 27, 2009.  Ballots will be accepted by email until midnight, March 27, 2009.  For those who wish to mail the ballot, it must be postmarked by March 27, 2009. Ballots can be downloaded from HarveyAwards.org. Completed forms can be e-mailed to harveyballots@hotmail.com.

In addition to voting, creators are invited to blog, tweet, and use other social networking options to promote their work and the Harvey Awards.

Nominees for this year, as well as any prior year, can now use the just-released Harvey Awards Logo bullet on their websites and published works to show that they have been honored.  Included in this press release, these images are available for download at the Harvey Awards website.  These images were designed, incorporating a self-portrait of Kurtzman, by John Gallagher and Mark Wheatley.

The Harvey Awards will be presented on October 10th, 2009 in Baltimore as part of the Baltimore Comic-Con.  This year, our Master of Ceremonies will be Scott Kurtz.

Nominations for the Harvey Awards are selected exclusively by creators - those who write, draw, ink, letter, color, design, edit or are otherwise involved in a creative capacity in the comics field. The Harvey Awards are the only industry awards both nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals.

As in 2007 and 2008, attendees of the Harvey Awards Ceremonies will receive a Hollywood style swag bag.  The bag from the 2008 dinner included "The MAD Archives" vol. 1 from DC Comics, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" from Amulet Books, an imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc., "Beowulf" Trade Paperback, based on the screenplay by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary from IDW, "Creator Chronicles Preview DVD Featuring Michael Golden" from Woodcrest Productions and Eva Ink, "Stephen King's Dark Tower : The Gunslinger Born", courtesy of Cards, Comics, and Collectibles & The Baltimore Comic-Con, a Toon Tumbler drinking glass from Popfun merchandising, and an exclusive Harvey Awards keychain from LaserMach

This year's Baltimore Comic-Con will be held October 10-11, 2009.  Convention hours are Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM.  The ceremony and banquet for the Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, October 10.  Additional details about the Harvey Awards and the awards ceremony will be released over the next few months. About The Harvey Awards The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. With a history of over 20 years, the last 4 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals.  For more information, please visit: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102519469858&e=001_V-VTXWcdIWnoLPuKb7eMiJntbyKda1pwDvD7tpPPQ9mblK8PGQlm6yGD-zYe43xnwJ33FNgeBloR5bImifJJHsBY_lpJ6ufsr5-uQcisyoEBTa0GniZYA== About The Baltimore Comic-Con The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 10th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area.  With a guest list unequaled in the industry, the Baltimore Comic-Con will be held Oct 10-11, 2009.  For more information, please visit: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102519469858&e=001_V-VTXWcdIVFza6phwQZ1ZxsBZAYvWdojgAzf_qdTcFWCvDvmfJdH8dx8LnoxLWVjofalKFstBgyCQ0fg-cWJBO2J69vqAz4lYOBBcN6Z310FeTHyi3iHc5e8lN3tKmP. 

 

NJ Power 2000 is continuing to list scarce books from the Alberta Collection, including some scarce Amazing Stories and Astounding Stories pulps. Also closing next week is a nice run of affordable I Love Lucy issues. In addition there are some seldom seen Classics Illustrated in various grades. The Dell and Gold Keys continue with many movie and TV issues. Also present are a complete run of ultra-high grade MAD Specials including all bonuses and having no folds, all from the collection of Don Rosa, along with a bunch from the regular MAD series. We've also listed nice runs of Dracula Lives and Rampaging Hulk, with Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu and others to follow. You can see them all in their eBay store and search by category for the items you may want or just to take a look at some of the rarities by clicking on the link: www.stores.ebay.com/njpower2000

 

 

The ComicConnect Event Auction’s Action Comics #1 set the record for the highest price a comic book has ever sold at auction, hammering at $317,200. 

Overall, the Event Auction concluded with some record-breaking prices and a very strong sell through. 

"Bidding was aggressive; a reassuring sign for the economic health of collectible investments," stated ComicConnect co-founder, Vincent Zurzolo.  “We are very pleased with the results.  ComicConnect’s consignors are happy, and we’re excited about the tremendous momentum the site has gained from all the attention this auction has received.” 

ComicConnect would like to thank all the members of the site and the collecting community for their participation in the auction.   

Another ComicConnect Event Auction has been scheduled to end the weekend of May 1-May 3, 2009.  Take advantage of the huge momentum ComicConnect has received over the last month and consign now!   The listing deadline is April 15^th.   ComicConnect charges a 10% seller’s premium, and never any buyer’s premium.  If you have Golden, Silver or high-grade Bronze Age comics to sell, contact ComicConnect at 212-895-3999 (international 001-212-895-3999) or email support@comicconnect.com. To see another Action Comics #1 that will be in the May auction, click here to see the recent FOX Business interview with Vincent Zurzolo, where he debuted the new consignment to the world. 

Listed below are some of the prices realized from lots sold in the ComicConnect auction. 

• ACTION COMICS #1 CGC 6.0 - $317,200 (highest price ever paid for a comic sold at auction!)
• AMAZING SPIDER-MAN  #1 CGC 9.4 - $104,200 (record breaking price!)
• AMAZING SPIDER-MAN  #14 CGC 9.6 - $53,195 (record breaking price!)
• AMAZING SPIDER-MAN  #1 CGC 8.5 - $23,500
• DETECTIVE COMICS #29 CGC 5.0 - $22,200
• AMAZING SPIDER-MAN  #24 CGC 9.6 (Northland Copy) - $20,195
• AMAZING FANTASY #15 CGC 6.0 - $18,200
• SUPERMAN #1 CGC 1.0 - $18,000
• BATMAN #1 CGC 7.5 (SP) - $16,395
• ACTION COMICS #60 CGC 9.8(San Francisco Copy) - $15,800
• AMAZING FANTASY #15 CGC 5.5 - $13,200
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN #17 CGC 9.6 - $13,195
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN #2 CGC 9.2 - $11,200
• ALL NEGRO COMICS #1 CGC 7.5 - $10,600
• ALL STAR COMICS #3 CGC 6.0 - $10,000
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN #33 CGC 9.8 - $9,700
• ADVENTURE COMICS #247 CGC 8.5 - $9,200
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN #31 CGC 9.6 (Boston Copy) - $8,995
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN #37 CGC 9.4 - $8,644
• FANTASTIC FOUR #1 CGC 6.0 - $8,601
• INCREDIBLE HULK#1 CGC 6.5 - $7,700
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN #6 CGC 9.4 - $7,700
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN #39 CGC 9.6 - $7,695
• MORE FUN COMICS #61 CGC 9.2 - $7,400
• GREEN HORNET COMICS (1940-49) #13 CGC 9.4 (Edgar Church) - $7,200
• WHIZ COMICS #1 CGC 1.8 - $7,200
• SUB-MARINER COMICS (1941-55) #1 CGC 5.0 - $6,533
• FUNNY PAGES #7 CGC 9.2 (Edgar Church) - $6,500
• DETECTIVE COMICS #35 F/VF - $6,500
• DETECTIVE COMICS #38 FN-  - $6,455
• PHANTOM LADY (1^st SERIES) #17 PGX 7.0 - $6,350
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN #29 CGC 9.6 - $6,322
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN #32 CGC 9.6 - $6,200
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN #9 CGC 9.4 - $6,000
• MORE FUN COMICS #47 CGC 9.2 (Edgar Church) - $6,000
• DETECTIVE COMICS #22 CGC 6.5 - $5,900
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN #7 CGC 9.4 - $5,401
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN #19 CGC 9.6 - $5,400
• AMAZING SPIDERMAN ANNUAL #2 CGC 9.6 - $5,200
• SHOWCASE #7 CGC 9.2 (Bethlehem Copy) CGC 9.6 - $5,200
• SUPERMAN #4 CGC 8.0 - $5,000

  

 

Another Action Comics #1 has been consigned to ComicConnect and is being brought to market for the very first time.

Since the story of the Action Comics #1 broke last month, ComicConnect has received hundreds, if not thousands, of calls and emails from individuals around the globe who believe they have original copies of Action Comics #1.  99.9% of the time, they have reprints – confusing publications that look very similar to the real thing.  But one call stood out from the crowd. 

“An older gentleman called from the Midwest regarding a comic book he and his brother, as young boys, purchased off the newsstand in 1938,” stated Vincent Zurzolo.  “Sadly, his brother has since passed away, but the two had kept the comic for over 70 years.  The man has decided to bring the comic book to market by consigning it to ComicConnect’s next Event Auction.”

The comic is indeed a complete, unrestored Action Comics #1, which has been graded 1.8 by CGC.  It will be offered in the first session of the upcoming ComicConnect Event Auction ending the weekend of May 1-3, 2009. 

To see this comic when it was first debuted to the world Monday the 16th on the Fox Business Channel, click here to see the FOX interview with Vincent Zurzolo.

ComicConnect recently set the world record for the highest price ever paid for a comic sold at auction with the sale of the Action Comics #1 CGC 6.0 for $317,200.

Take advantage of the huge momentum ComicConnect has received over the last month and consign now.  Simply upload your comics on ComicConnect.com, and their staff will start promoting your listings and telling prospective buyers to bid on your items. 

For a personal consultation for representation in the sale of your comics or collection, call 212-895-3999 (international 001-212-895-3999) or email support@comicconnect.com.

ComicConnect.com is the online marketplace for comic buyers and sellers, focusing on comic books published between 1930 - 1975.  Membership is free, and members may list their comics for sale or auction for free. 

ComicConnect.com brokers transactions, and accepts a low 10% commission only after comics are sold through the site.  Best of all, ComicConnect.com never charges Buyer's Premiums.   For more information, call 212-895-3999 or visit ComicConnect.com.