Posted on 08/03/2010 1:30:36 PM PDT by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
A struggling family facing foreclosure has stumbled upon what is considered to be the Holy Grail of comic books in their basement – a fortuitous find that could fetch upwards of a quarter million dollars at auction.
A copy of Action Comics No. 1, the first in which Superman ever appeared, was discovered as they went about the painful task of packing up a home that had been in the family since at least the 1950s. The couple, who live in the South with their children, asked to remain anonymous.
"The bank was about ready to foreclose," said Vincent Zurzolo, co-owner of ComicConnect.com and Metropolis Comics and Collectibles in New York. "Literally, this family was in tears. The family home was going to be lost and they're devastated. They can't figure out a way out of this. They start packing things up. They go into the basement and start sifting through boxes – trying to find packing boxes – and they stumble on eight or nine comic books."
Most of the comic books in the box were worth between $10 and $30 but one – dated June 1938 and depicting the Man of Steel lifting a car above his head – was extremely rare. That issue, which originally sold for 10 cents, is considered to have ushered in the age of the superhero.
"It's a tremendous piece of American pop culture history," Zurzolo said. The couple learned online that ComicConnect.com had brokered the record-breaking sales of Action No. 1 copies for $1 million in February and then $1.5 million one month later. They immediately texted a cell phone picture to the firm's co-owner, Stephen Fishler.
"You couldn't have asked for a happier ending," Zurzolo said. "Superman saved the day."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
“”The bank was about ready to foreclose,” said Vincent Zurzolo, co-owner of ComicConnect.com and Metropolis Comics and Collectibles in New York. “Literally, this family was in tears. The family home was going to be lost and they’re devastated. They can’t figure out a way out of this. They start packing things up. They go into the basement and start sifting through boxes – trying to find packing boxes – and they stumble on eight or nine comic books.”
Just a little suspicious, for one this is great publicity for Mr. Zurzolo, and there is no explanation about where the comic books came from that were “stumbled upon.”
ping
Why couldn’t it be me.
What? No sympathy for the poor sap who sold it for 10 cents back in 1938?
I wonder what those Dark Shadows comic books are worth?!
When Omni magazine came out, Hubby and I loved it so much that we bought two charter subscriptions. One we read and dog eared and enjoyed, and one we kept pristine and untouched. Omni folded, and we had a perfect, unread set.
When we moved, because of an escrow problem of the seller’s, we had to store most of our things and move into an apartment for eight or so months.
Someone at the storage place broke into our things and stole half of the clean Omnis and read and back broke the rest of them.
Couldn’t prove a thing, of course. That was the very last time I labeled my moving boxes with the contents. Ever since, I’ve kept a separate list and numbered each anonymous box.
I recommend everyone do the same.
Is that what Capt. Marvel looked like, I forgot... :-)
Is that what Capt. Marvel looked like, I forgot... :-)
Is that what Capt. Marvel looked like, I forgot... :-)
If these folks had their house since the 1950s, the original mortgage would have been long since paid off.
Home equity loans are literally “betting the house”.
Mark
ping me if you ever get a list and want to sell - much to my wife’s chagrin I have over 17K’em - it’s my stress relief.
Interestingly with the economy the way it is entire collections are starting to come on line for pennies on the dollar. I expect prices to continue to drop a bit as the “recovery” stalls.
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