On June 20, Bodnar’s Auction Sales in Edison, N.J., conducted what was among the largest single-owner comic book auctions in recent history. There were over just under 300 lots of quality comics sold, most were sold individually, all unreserved, and with no internet bidding.
The owner had started collecting as a child, purchased them from newsstands close to his home, read them, and then stored them away in good condition. How many of us wish they had that story? He was one of the lucky ones, which is what makes these comics so rare and valuable. Putting together a collection like this takes time and resources today. However, finding a collection such as this assembled, of important issues, and being able to bring it to market without reserves is like finding a unicorn.
This auction brought the buyers out, and the buzz was real. The emails and phone calls started pouring in weeks prior to the sale. Everyone wanted to know where it came from. On sale day, there was a packed house that was standing room only. There were over 400 registered bidders waiting with anticipation for the comic book portion of the sale to begin. There were also hundreds of absentee bids as well as multiple phone lines for bidders. In an unusual move, there was no internet bidding for the auction.
Joseph Bodnar, owner of Bodnar’s Auction Sales, decided to begin with the highlight of the day, a copy of Amazing Fantasy 15, the first appearance of Spider-Man. The bidding began fast and furious, with an in-house bidder opening the bid at $20,000. Between the large crowd and the bidders on the phone, the bidding quickly jumped to over $30,000. No one was ready to give up easily. It finally landed with a sale price of $36,800, a strong price for one that has not been graded. In fact, none of the books up for auction that day had been graded. The owner had just kept them stored well over the years.
This was only the beginning. The next item up was a copy of X-Men #1, and it realized $9,200. After that, a copy of Tales of Suspense #39 brought $6,037. A copy of Amazing Spider-Man #1 was sold for $8,337, and a Daredevil #1 went for $4,887. A copy of Avengers #4 sold for $4,025, and a Fantastic 4 #48 sold for $2,760. A copy of Amazing Spider Man #14 brought $1,725, and a Amazing Spider Man #2 realized $1,380. The collection was off to a strong start, the first 15 lots sold for over $75,000. At the end, of the day, 274 lots were sold, totaling over six figures. “The owner was thrilled,” said Bodnar.
Bodnar’s Auction Sales conducts monthly multi-estate auctions at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center in Edison, N.J.
For details, call 866-349-7378 or visit www.bodnarsauction.com.