Sales are happening every day in our hobby.  Truth be told, it is hard to keep up with all of them.  But there are those occasions where certain sales catch your eye, draw your attention, and make you look into it further.  This is one of those sales.  Keep in mind, this inquisitive mindset only happens on a comic book we are already interested in.  Any other comic book sale we hardly pay attention to; we’re not interested.  But it does make you wonder, hence the writing of this article.  Collectors should take notice.  Maybe take advantage of such sales and acquire key comic books for their collection.  It’s been an ongoing discussion amongst collectors for years, and this article will only barely touch the surface on the topic.  Let’s talk about recent sales in the market!

If you missed Part I of this article series, you can catch it here.

GRADING COMPANIES

Before I go any further, again, let’s talk about the different grading companies out there.  There are many to choose from like CGC, CBCS, PGX, and EGS.  Each grading company varies as far as perks, and most importantly turnaround time.  So do your due diligence and determine which one best fits your collecting goals.  Most people choose CGC for the look and feel of the slab while others choose CBCS for the faster turnaround time and cheaper cost to grade.  Each company has its pros and cons.  At the end of the day, the selling value may be what ultimately helps you make your decision.  CGC and CBCS are the major grading companies in the industry and most favorable between collectors.  You decide.

TRUTH RED, WHITE & BLACK #1 (2003)

So, let’s talk about some recent eBay sales on one of the hottest comic books in the market right now.  A sales variance that kind of made me scratch my head a little.  What was once an $85 comic book this time last year is now $600+ according to recent sales on GoCollect.  As we already know, Truth Red, White & Black #1 features the 1st appearance of Isaiah Bradley in comic books.  He later becomes Captain America after receiving an injection of the Super Soldier serum developed by Project Rebirth.  A fan-favorite character for many collectors if you’re watching the Falcon & Winter Soldier episodes on Disney +.  Try to get a copy for below FMV nowadays is almost impossible...... well almost impossible.

There was a Truth Red, White & Black #1 CBCS 9.8 that sold April 2nd for $342Whoa!  I missed that one.  Ironically, just a couple days earlier on March 29th another CBCS 9.8 sold for $450Hmmm.  As a comparison, on April 2nd there was a Truth Red, White & Black #1 CGC 9.8 that sold for $710, right after that, same day, $900, then the next day $700; you get the picture.  Wow!  Talk about a price disparity? You tell me why?

Looking at both CBCS listings closer I really can’t explain it.  Both CBCS listings had the phrase “NOT CGC” in the title of the listing which is a tactic used by many sellers on eBay to garner more “hits” and more “views” when people are searching for the word CGC in the title not just CBCS.   It works!  But for some reason did not equate to more bidders in this case.  Collectors know what they want, and in these comparisons, we all know what that is.  CGC sales dominated CBCS in this example.

WRAP UP

There you have it.  Just another small sample size of recent sales between CGC and CBCS on a specific comic book in the same grade during the same time period.  For the most part, I think this is what is happening in all types of sales between CGC and CBCS; CGC is seeing the higher sales price.  As a result, collectors are grading their collection with CGC versus any other competitor.  Customer service, turnaround time, cost, and quality of products are the biggest game-changers I have heard between the grading companies so choose wisely.  Either way, I wish you luck in your comic book collecting endeavor.  Until next time you comic book junkies....

Please share your thoughts about the disparity between CGC sales and CBCS sales.  Have you experienced this price difference as a seller?  Or are you taking advantage of the price difference as a buyer?  Have you cracked in 3rd party slabs and resubmitted them to CGC?  Which grading company is your favorite?  Let me know.

GoCollect is the #1 comic book price guide for tracking sales data of all graded comic books in real-time. Fair market values are now at your fingertips. Check out all the features at www.gocollect.com