I would 100% grade and authenticate it. What’s nice is you still have the other copy to flip through too. Great buy! Just had the chance to meet Kevin Eastman at Granite State Comic Con. He’s a wicked nice guy
Great pickup! TMNT #1 is a personal grail I hope to own again one day. Love that you went back to get this. Just an amazing book and a great story on how you obtained it. To answer your question...No, I would not. I am not a slabber at all. And I would want to be able to see those inside signatures whenever I wanted. Sealed up, you'll never get to see that part of the book. Thanks for sharing this story, Mike!
Way to go! May everyone else have the same luck to recover their favoutite "mistakes" and I love the name Rubber Chicken. No, I don't believe in slabbing.
Something you could preserve, protect, and pass down to your kids who may appreciate the story behind it all when it comes to comics and collecting. Happy for you Mike and go with your guts!
Really cool book…If it’s a treasure to pass on to your kiddos, just encapsulate it…nothing like being able to open up a book and see sigs in pen on the inside. They can always grade it later when AI takes over the grading process…🤣🤣🤣🤣
Just hearing you talk about this book I would say … YES!! Why are you even thinking about it lol it would look super dope on the wall you have built behind you
Rubber Chicken is such a great store, I’m a little annoyed you’ve featured them twice now. My secret honey hole is gone, LOL! Jay and everyone there are great, wish I lived closer or they’d be my LCS.
Congrats on the huge pickup!! I know it feels nice to have it back in your collection again!!! Love the vid as always my man and keep up the good work!
Mike! I started watching your vids back in June which inspired me to get back into collecting. Tonight I completed all the vids from the very first one, and wow, what a journey. Your vids helped me through a rough summer and lit a passion I had put away in the basement for far too long! Thank you for your videos. Really special stuff. I wish I had that comic book crew you’ve made in the past couple years. Magical. 🙏
@@s.i.r.7832 wow thanks so much! I hope you enjoyed the journey, I don’t think I could ever go back and watch any of these videos again, but then again, I lived it. Happy you are getting something out of the channel and I hope it made your summer just a little bit better
Great vid. You mentioned selling off some older books to help fund the big turtles purchase. You have so many vids on finding books and deals, I would LOVE some vids on navigating selling books. To answer the main question of the vid - I normally am not a slab person at all, but because you already have a 5th print that you can use as a reader, I would consider getting this one graded and slabbed.
Mike, I’d absolutely get it graded. This is definitely a legacy book to pass down to the kids. I would go with CGC/JSA, but that’s a personal preference. Great find! Let us know what you decide!
Yes,absolutely since this book has such historical significance in the comics world get it authenticated and graded. You want to preserve this book for posterity and the less handling of it the better. The value will only keep increasing as the years go by.
If it were me, because of the signatures, I would have it authenticated and slabbed. Plus with the price you paid, paying a little extra to keep it preserved forever is worth it. You can always crack it if you really want to thumb through it
Huge TMNT fan. Always envious of seeing someone get their hands on a TMNT issue one, but always more excited to see how happy they are. Glad you represented Mikey properly too. At this point, I'd say clean, press and slab for sure.
Mike, on the grading question, I'd say have it graded and authenticated, unless your feelings toward the book would be diminished if the number came back less than you expected. (Meaning, you definitely don't want to run the risk of looking at it every single time and be slightly disappointed all over again each time) If there's no risk in that, then I say go ahead and send it off after Jeff presses it.
I'd get it authenticated and graded. This books is a legacy item. You have the fifth print to read. The third print would looks gorgeous in a slab, and would be a solid addition.
The book and signatures are awesome. I personally have a hard time sending my higher dollar books out to get graded and only recently started collecting slabs of my own. But with that being said I would get it graded and authenticated to preserve it. I'm planning on sending a lot of my bigger books out at some point mainly for preservation and value when I eventually pass them on 😊
Great pick up. Yes, I would get it graded and authenticated. To preserve the quality of the book. It's a book that is hard to get signed by both creators.
Congratulations on the awesome purchase!!! Love the mask ! LOL! I would say yes to the authentication and grading! A book that special to you would be devastating to have something happen to it!!
I am also not big into grading. However, with the rarity and condition of the book as well as Eastman and Laird double signed. Having it authenticated, I think that is a fitting piece to encapsulate, protect and show off.
As soon as you mentioned the mask, I knew! 😂 Cowabunga!! Seeing as how you have a 5th printing as well. Even I would slab that book I think. I too am not one to slab. I'm worried about sending them in. I still say they should let you sit with your books through the whole process. Or at least one of the other types of preservation methods that is out there. Definitely one of the greatest rags to riches stories in comic history.
Amazing pickup. I’d love to upgrade to the more iconic 3rd printing (I have a 5th as part of a display alongside Eastman and Laird sketches) Such a big price jump though, and I have so many hobbies to fund 🤣🤣🤣
I've got a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 5th Print and I am perfectly happy with that for now! Good for you on that 3rd Print! It is even more rare because it has both of their signatures!!! Wow!
I don’t have any graded comics, I like to be able to read them. But if you do grade this one, you also need to frame a photo of you holding the book with that mask & shirt on next to it! Great video. Thanks. 😅
You already have a 5th print that you can flip through and read any time that you want. If I were you, I would definitely get that authenticated and graded. What a great purchase!
When it comes down to grail books. I have 4th print (3x) I had two of them signed at Granitecon a few weeks ago. and I'm sending them in to be slabbed keeping one as a reader. I agree with you I'm really am not a slab fan, though the ones I want to stay forever I do
Never graded a book before (I just don't have anything valuable enough), but given that if this were put in a sealed case, the internal signatures would *never* see the light of day again. Given that this is the second time you've owned it and it will seemingly stay in the collection, I'd say, you should clean it, press it, and put it in something nice like a comic capsule to enjoy. Great book!
Damn, Mike, the wall selection is looking pretty incredible. All those first appearances and iconic covers and silver age stuff. Very impressive, if a good bit out of 'lunch money comics' range now! Great to see the evolution of your collection over the channel's life span.
Great video and awesome purchase!!! I’m not one who has any slabs but I do agree with you on preserving certain ones for the future. This would be one of those comics that needs protecting. Cowabunga!!!
Awesome video man! Definitely authenticate and grade it for preservation, history and pass down to your kids, then just buy a reprint to enjoy the reading nostalgia...great video Mike as always!
Congrats on getting a fantastic book back my friend! My answer to your question on whether or not to authenticate and slab it would be the question, is it something you will keep forever and pass down to your kids? If yes, then I think it would definitely help them someday in the future to prove it's provenance when they are deciding to do with it next. Great video as always my man, save some Halloween spirit for the 26th!
I am a huge TMNT fan and this video makes me happy. I own 1st 2nd & 3rd in my collection. Right now i’m on a mission to complete the whole Archie TMNT runs. Currently right now i’m 71% away to complete it all.
I would grade it to authenticate Lairds sig. You can get Eastmans anywhere, he signs everything. I am aiming for a 9.8 copy of this but would still grade that and keep it as my second copy that’s signed. If you haven’t watched my video on my TMNT 9.8 collection you should, its crazy
Echoing alot of the comments from other folks, I'd probably get it authenticated and slabbed. I grew up with the Turtles so for me at least, getting those signatures authenticated and locking in that grade for such an impactful pierce of pop culture media would be my reasons for slabbing it. You have a raw copy as well so you can appreciate the story and art whenever you want. Regardless of what you choose, I think both options are solid outcomes. Congrats on that epic pickup!
I would get it graded because you have the signatures on the cover. I have a tmnt #3 with the signatures on the inside front cover only, bought it several years ago for $45. I will not slab my copy because the signatures are on the inside only, but you have signatures on the cover.
Hi Mike, I agree with the people who say you can always read this in some other form of reprint.Slab it dude. And my favorite part of the video was you putting on the mask. Way to retain that inner child or see if your wife likes it. 😅
Something similar happened to me 2 weeks ago, I went to a comic book shop and found dazzler 33, the michael jackson thriller cover. I live MJ, but I did not buy it because I try to pace myself and I already had too many comics I wanted to buy. For the next week I could not get this book out of my head and I really wanted it, so I ended up buying 😂
If i had cgc with me when signing a comic i would sign it. But when getting a comic signed without cgc witness you'll get that label saying that it "might" be signed by the artists instead of a confirmation that it's an authentic signature. Case in point; im from Montreal and in the early 90s mark Bagley was at a comic convention convention in my town. I got my venom: lethal enforcer signed and knew that i would never sell this one because it was one the first artist i ever had a signature from and also i didn't want the hassel to convince others it was the real deal. Fast forward to now, and even with cgc offering some verification of sorts i wouldn't want that grading because it would annoy me that someone else is telling me that it "might" the real thing but not totally sure compared to the authenticated cgc signatures. I know i rambled on there but i hope you get where i was getting at.
The only reason to authenticate the signature (and have it graded) would be to essentially get a “COA” after the fact. In theory, you can always crack it back out afterwards and read it again. But if you do, take very detailed picture of the book in the slab and keep the label, such that you can prove the book is the the one that was cracked out. Personally, I also have a 3rd print as well that is in the 9.0 range that I am not getting graded because I would rather flip and read through it.
Since you have a later printing I would slab, but only because of the signatures. I am normally anti-slabbing and the four or five slabs that I bought because they were great bargains were all cracked open when I got them.
It seems like you consider it a legacy comic so I’d slab it. Just be sure to print out a good pic of the inside signatures so you can have a record of them.
Have it graded. You have 5th print to read. Oversized, I have a second print signed and graded. Definitely important book seeing as it is well over 40 years old and still making movies and comics
If it were me, I would get it authenticated and slabbed. I actually have a TMNT book signed by Eastman that I won in a giveaway, and I would love to get it slabbed, just to keep it nice. Looking sharp in that mask, Mike. That might have to become a regular thing in your videos. 😂😂
First, you will not get the gold label but you will get a gold and black label. That is how they are doing the JSA partnership at CGC. whether I would or would not grade the book, I would 100% send it in. CGC grades magazine size books, a bit softer and as a result, that grade is probably going to come back higher than either of you thought. You may even get that 9.0 worst case scenario you could always crack the book out.
I would 100% grade and authenticate it. What’s nice is you still have the other copy to flip through too. Great buy! Just had the chance to meet Kevin Eastman at Granite State Comic Con. He’s a wicked nice guy
Great pickup! TMNT #1 is a personal grail I hope to own again one day. Love that you went back to get this. Just an amazing book and a great story on how you obtained it. To answer your question...No, I would not. I am not a slabber at all. And I would want to be able to see those inside signatures whenever I wanted. Sealed up, you'll never get to see that part of the book. Thanks for sharing this story, Mike!
I'd get it cleaned and pressed and then bag and board it. 🌟
Yes! Get it authenticated.. weird though as soon as you put on the mask, I didn't know who you were anymore. 😂
Way to go! May everyone else have the same luck to recover their favoutite "mistakes" and I love the name Rubber Chicken. No, I don't believe in slabbing.
Double signatures? Yep, get it graded, Mike! Congrats on the find!
Nice pickup! If you don't want to get the comic slabbed but want the signatures authenticated I recommend you just get a COA for the book!
Something you could preserve, protect, and pass down to your kids who may appreciate the story behind it all when it comes to comics and collecting. Happy for you Mike and go with your guts!
Awesome book!! Love the signatures on the black with the sketches, makes it so original and one of a kind.
Really cool book…If it’s a treasure to pass on to your kiddos, just encapsulate it…nothing like being able to open up a book and see sigs in pen on the inside. They can always grade it later when AI takes over the grading process…🤣🤣🤣🤣
My opinion, once you get a book signed you essentially create a display piece. Therefore, it's now a good candidate for authentication and grading.
I would totally get it graded. It’s something your son might appreciate 10 years from now.
Just hearing you talk about this book I would say … YES!! Why are you even thinking about it lol it would look super dope on the wall you have built behind you
Great find! The Peter Laird signature is what makes that book such a rare find on the cover of the book! I would send it to CGC JSA!
Glad you went back to pick up that awesome book. Definitely worth grading and authenticating this one!
Rubber Chicken is such a great store, I’m a little annoyed you’ve featured them twice now. My secret honey hole is gone, LOL! Jay and everyone there are great, wish I lived closer or they’d be my LCS.
Congrats again! Awesome one to have in the PC let alone signed. If that was my copy I would definitely get it graded 🐢🐢🐢
Missing a 🐢
There that's better.
Congrats on the huge pickup!! I know it feels nice to have it back in your collection again!!! Love the vid as always my man and keep up the good work!
Great pickup!! I’d get it pressed, graded and authenticated for sure! 👍
I actually LOL'd at your sign off. 😆
Mike! I started watching your vids back in June which inspired me to get back into collecting. Tonight I completed all the vids from the very first one, and wow, what a journey. Your vids helped me through a rough summer and lit a passion I had put away in the basement for far too long! Thank you for your videos. Really special stuff. I wish I had that comic book crew you’ve made in the past couple years. Magical. 🙏
@@s.i.r.7832 wow thanks so much! I hope you enjoyed the journey, I don’t think I could ever go back and watch any of these videos again, but then again, I lived it. Happy you are getting something out of the channel and I hope it made your summer just a little bit better
Great vid. You mentioned selling off some older books to help fund the big turtles purchase. You have so many vids on finding books and deals, I would LOVE some vids on navigating selling books.
To answer the main question of the vid - I normally am not a slab person at all, but because you already have a 5th print that you can use as a reader, I would consider getting this one graded and slabbed.
Mike, I’d absolutely get it graded. This is definitely a legacy book to pass down to the kids. I would go with CGC/JSA, but that’s a personal preference. Great find! Let us know what you decide!
Man hell yeah slab slab slab it's signed!
Yes,absolutely since this book has such historical significance in the comics world get it authenticated and graded. You want to preserve this book for posterity and the less handling of it the better. The value will only keep increasing as the years go by.
I have a TMNT #1 fifth print in a 9.6. slowly working my way up to the earlier reprints. Thx for sharing
If it were me, because of the signatures, I would have it authenticated and slabbed. Plus with the price you paid, paying a little extra to keep it preserved forever is worth it. You can always crack it if you really want to thumb through it
Huge TMNT fan. Always envious of seeing someone get their hands on a TMNT issue one, but always more excited to see how happy they are. Glad you represented Mikey properly too. At this point, I'd say clean, press and slab for sure.
Mike, on the grading question, I'd say have it graded and authenticated, unless your feelings toward the book would be diminished if the number came back less than you expected. (Meaning, you definitely don't want to run the risk of looking at it every single time and be slightly disappointed all over again each time) If there's no risk in that, then I say go ahead and send it off after Jeff presses it.
I'd get it authenticated and graded. This books is a legacy item. You have the fifth print to read. The third print would looks gorgeous in a slab, and would be a solid addition.
The book and signatures are awesome. I personally have a hard time sending my higher dollar books out to get graded and only recently started collecting slabs of my own. But with that being said I would get it graded and authenticated to preserve it. I'm planning on sending a lot of my bigger books out at some point mainly for preservation and value when I eventually pass them on 😊
Great pick up. Yes, I would get it graded and authenticated. To preserve the quality of the book. It's a book that is hard to get signed by both creators.
Congratulations on the awesome purchase!!! Love the mask ! LOL! I would say yes to the authentication and grading! A book that special to you would be devastating to have something happen to it!!
I stared at that book every time I went in there 🤩
I am also not big into grading. However, with the rarity and condition of the book as well as Eastman and Laird double signed. Having it authenticated, I think that is a fitting piece to encapsulate, protect and show off.
As soon as you mentioned the mask, I knew! 😂
Cowabunga!!
Seeing as how you have a 5th printing as well. Even I would slab that book I think. I too am not one to slab. I'm worried about sending them in. I still say they should let you sit with your books through the whole process. Or at least one of the other types of preservation methods that is out there.
Definitely one of the greatest rags to riches stories in comic history.
The eight ball says......slab it. I would do it just for protection/preservation.
For sure grade it and thumb through your 5th printing. It needs to be on your wall for sure. Keep it up Mike! Love the content. 👌🏼
Absolutely grade it
Awesome addition. I am a TMNT fan as well, have been for a long time.
keep it ungraded. great video! thank you... lots of love
Yes grade it, cause the older it gets the more harder it’s going to be to get ahold of it love your channel
Amazing pickup. I’d love to upgrade to the more iconic 3rd printing (I have a 5th as part of a display alongside Eastman and Laird sketches)
Such a big price jump though, and I have so many hobbies to fund 🤣🤣🤣
120% you should get it graded and signature verified! Great get! Really enjoyed this shorter video
I've got a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 5th Print and I am perfectly happy with that for now! Good for you on that 3rd Print! It is even more rare because it has both of their signatures!!! Wow!
I agree with most people here in saying get that bad boy graded!
I don’t have any graded comics, I like to be able to read them. But if you do grade this one, you also need to frame a photo of you holding the book with that mask & shirt on next to it! Great video. Thanks. 😅
You already have a 5th print that you can flip through and read any time that you want. If I were you, I would definitely get that authenticated and graded. What a great purchase!
When it comes down to grail books. I have 4th print (3x) I had two of them signed at Granitecon a few weeks ago. and I'm sending them in to be slabbed keeping one as a reader. I agree with you I'm really am not a slab fan, though the ones I want to stay forever I do
Never graded a book before (I just don't have anything valuable enough), but given that if this were put in a sealed case, the internal signatures would *never* see the light of day again.
Given that this is the second time you've owned it and it will seemingly stay in the collection, I'd say, you should clean it, press it, and put it in something nice like a comic capsule to enjoy.
Great book!
Yessir! You love to see it!
Hoping cgc adds the JSA authentication for magazine size sometime soon
Damn, Mike, the wall selection is looking pretty incredible. All those first appearances and iconic covers and silver age stuff. Very impressive, if a good bit out of 'lunch money comics' range now! Great to see the evolution of your collection over the channel's life span.
Definitely authenticate, it would look beautiful with that gold and black stripe cgc label.
Double signed and in great condition definitely worthy of grading . A fantastic addition to your collection and also a significant investment IMHO 👍
Great video and awesome purchase!!! I’m not one who has any slabs but I do agree with you on preserving certain ones for the future. This would be one of those comics that needs protecting. Cowabunga!!!
Love your channel Mike, I say yes to getting it graded….must do!….👍
Love the costume….nuff said!
Awesome book. Yes, I would.
Awesome video man! Definitely authenticate and grade it for preservation, history and pass down to your kids, then just buy a reprint to enjoy the reading nostalgia...great video Mike as always!
Just to preserve the book and maybe one day you have an emergency and you have to sell it. Yes get a graded. Thanks for the video.
$575 is a great price for the TMNT #1. Love that book, got 2 second prints and a third print. I’d get it authenticated and graded!
Congrats on getting a fantastic book back my friend! My answer to your question on whether or not to authenticate and slab it would be the question, is it something you will keep forever and pass down to your kids? If yes, then I think it would definitely help them someday in the future to prove it's provenance when they are deciding to do with it next. Great video as always my man, save some Halloween spirit for the 26th!
+1 Like for wearing the mask 🤣😂🤣
I am a huge TMNT fan and this video makes me happy. I own 1st 2nd & 3rd in my collection. Right now i’m on a mission to complete the whole Archie TMNT runs. Currently right now i’m 71% away to complete it all.
Love the mask!! Get the book authenticated. Because the book is valuable. love the show.
Slab it. Loved the mask! Soooooooooo funny 😆
Great signatures! Great story! Great mask! I would probably get it slabbed for the reasons you named.
Awesome video! My favorite cartoon and toys, growing up. You got a sweet deal.
I would grade it to authenticate Lairds sig. You can get Eastmans anywhere, he signs everything. I am aiming for a 9.8 copy of this but would still grade that and keep it as my second copy that’s signed. If you haven’t watched my video on my TMNT 9.8 collection you should, its crazy
Definitely will get it graded 100%. The book looks great congratulations.
Hell yes !!! Get it cgc
so cool, i want that book. I would keep it raw. However I think you want to slab it. Do it!
Echoing alot of the comments from other folks, I'd probably get it authenticated and slabbed. I grew up with the Turtles so for me at least, getting those signatures authenticated and locking in that grade for such an impactful pierce of pop culture media would be my reasons for slabbing it. You have a raw copy as well so you can appreciate the story and art whenever you want. Regardless of what you choose, I think both options are solid outcomes. Congrats on that epic pickup!
I would get it graded because you have the signatures on the cover. I have a tmnt #3 with the signatures on the inside front cover only, bought it several years ago for $45. I will not slab my copy because the signatures are on the inside only, but you have signatures on the cover.
Send it Mike as a local myself The fact that there not going to be a lot more going to be signed by the authors alone makes it worth sending it.
Hi Mike, I agree with the people who say you can always read this in some other form of reprint.Slab it dude. And my favorite part of the video was you putting on the mask. Way to retain that inner child or see if your wife likes it. 😅
Something similar happened to me 2 weeks ago, I went to a comic book shop and found dazzler 33, the michael jackson thriller cover. I live MJ, but I did not buy it because I try to pace myself and I already had too many comics I wanted to buy. For the next week I could not get this book out of my head and I really wanted it, so I ended up buying 😂
I’d keep it as is, purely because that’s how I have a majority of my collection.
If CGC has the banana gate thing under control I would definitely slab it! That is a great one to pass down.
I’ve never sent a book in to get graded but I would definitely send in that one if I had it!
Signature verified with yellow label would look awesome!
If i had cgc with me when signing a comic i would sign it. But when getting a comic signed without cgc witness you'll get that label saying that it "might" be signed by the artists instead of a confirmation that it's an authentic signature.
Case in point; im from Montreal and in the early 90s mark Bagley was at a comic convention convention in my town. I got my venom: lethal enforcer signed and knew that i would never sell this one because it was one the first artist i ever had a signature from and also i didn't want the hassel to convince others it was the real deal.
Fast forward to now, and even with cgc offering some verification of sorts i wouldn't want that grading because it would annoy me that someone else is telling me that it "might" the real thing but not totally sure compared to the authenticated cgc signatures.
I know i rambled on there but i hope you get where i was getting at.
The only reason to authenticate the signature (and have it graded) would be to essentially get a “COA” after the fact.
In theory, you can always crack it back out afterwards and read it again. But if you do, take very detailed picture of the book in the slab and keep the label, such that you can prove the book is the the one that was cracked out.
Personally, I also have a 3rd print as well that is in the 9.0 range that I am not getting graded because I would rather flip and read through it.
Welcome back into the fold, “fellow chucker”! I was sad when you let it go before. Full disclosure it’s my personal grail.
i believe the current consensus says the 3rd print is actually 36,000 copies.
Since you have a later printing I would slab, but only because of the signatures. I am normally anti-slabbing and the four or five slabs that I bought because they were great bargains were all cracked open when I got them.
Yes - grade it and authenticate it. It will protect the book against damage and well worth it. Thanks for the great content!
It seems like you consider it a legacy comic so I’d slab it. Just be sure to print out a good pic of the inside signatures so you can have a record of them.
Absolutely get it graded and authenticated.
I would 100% send it in just to protect your investment. Also peace of mind.
I would in fact get it graded because you can always reread this issue in reprints. It would look epic incased!
Definitely grade it such an awesome book and it’s signed by the creators🔥🐢
Have it graded. You have 5th print to read. Oversized, I have a second print signed and graded. Definitely important book seeing as it is well over 40 years old and still making movies and comics
You know you are so get to it!
Yeah man I would grade it, if for no other reason because of the sigs. Great pick-up brother!
I’m same as you. I actually don’t have a single graded comic.
But you should probably get that graded and authenticated.
If it were me, I would get it authenticated and slabbed. I actually have a TMNT book signed by Eastman that I won in a giveaway, and I would love to get it slabbed, just to keep it nice. Looking sharp in that mask, Mike. That might have to become a regular thing in your videos. 😂😂
What an unbelievable deal! So cool! My third print was 700 cad with no autographs 🫠
DO IT SLAB TIME!
First, you will not get the gold label but you will get a gold and black label. That is how they are doing the JSA partnership at CGC. whether I would or would not grade the book, I would 100% send it in. CGC grades magazine size books, a bit softer and as a result, that grade is probably going to come back higher than either of you thought. You may even get that 9.0 worst case scenario you could always crack the book out.