seanfingh

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I have been pretty busy the last couple of days, so I went ahead and posted a response that is kind of old now, but I still feel like it is germane. Also, specifically to kevhtx, as it relates to threads taking on a life of their own - many times some of the best and most informative threads evolved from a much more focused origin. If this thread stays active, you can revel in the fact that your name will live on in perpetuity!!

This is where I think the issue gets very murky. And I think it is at the core of the issue. No matter how much of a true fan or a lover of the artform one is - at some point these slabs are going to be for sale. I am going through it right now. I don't think anyone could argue that I was not a true fan - of the artform, the comics themselves and the SS process. For 10-11 years they were part of a hardcore "black hole" collection. Now about 75% of them are for sale, and about half of that has been sold over the last 11 months. Am I scummy profiteer? I don't think so. But maybe Jim Starlin or Marv Wolfman might think I am - if they see a Special Marvel Edition 15 sell for $700 or an NTT #1 for $400. But the books were 9.8s, they were well cared for through sometimes of months of being handled and signed, and they came out the back as 9.8 SS books. If Jim and Marv are salty about the "fat stacks" I am making, I can also send them sales reports of books that I have 60 bucks into that have been sold for $35. It kind of goes both ways. The danger of the "true fan" analysis is that it fails to acknowledge several economic realities in favor of a "feeling."

Boom!

There is sort of a common well of knowledge that has been passed down over time. Richie can say exactly how many Stephen King books got done. In my mind it was around 12, so I have posted that several times. There were around 100 John Byrnes done back in 2004. Somewhere on here is the exact number. There was a very small number of David Mazzuchellis done in the mid-2000s. I always think of it as around 20, but I imagine somewhere on here is the exact number. So for the real toughies, there is a sort of "oral tradition" that is passed down. But for guys like Stan Lee, J. Scott Campbell or even George Perez, there is no way of knowing with any sort of certainty what the numbers are.

It's not available on the Census. Anyone that makes that claim is basing it upon their knowledge of the market. May be right, may be wrong.

If we ever have a beer together, I could tell you so many stories from that weekend . . .

I witnessed approx. 115 Carrie Fisher sigs at Indy when she was doing that. It was surreal and weird. So was her feeding steak and cheeseburgers to her dog.

Glad to see you post, bud. Hope you and the whole family are well!!

It certainly does. More people should be paying attention to who is leaving the market. It is quite strong right now, but are the people coming in replacing the ones leaving? Is the new pricing structure a barrier to entry. Are there people who would otherwise become heavy users who are never reaching that level because of the current economic climate? Does the shrinking of the congenial group of like minded collectors bode ill for the future? I don't know the answers to these questions, but ignoring them, being glib and dismissive, and refusing to foster productive discourse does not seem to be a prudent course of action.

Classic toolbag bump!! One of my favorite moves of all time.

I also think it is hilarious the number of straw men thrown in this discussion. No has ever argued that the creators can't do whatever they want to do. It's just that in some instances, they shouldn't.

I am Sadfan, and I approve of this message.

Cool book - it does not belong in this thread. There are 9 9.8s of that book.

I first ran into this in 2010 or 2011. Jackson Bostwick (who played Captain Marvel on the old SHAZAM! Saturday morning live action show). He had a sign on his area that said "ALL signatures are $20. I handed two Shazam! #1s and a #5 and he held them for a while and said "I have to charge you $40 for these." I said "Why? Your little sign says ALL signatures $20." He rambled and mumbled incoherently for a while. I called the guy who was facilitating the show, he cleared the extra bread, and i paid it. But it was a head scratcher of all head scratchers. It only got worse from there . . .

Your feelings can suck it too. Let's get this thing locked. PERNTS.

They might, if enough people told you to suck it.

I would never take anything away from your enjoyment of the series, but for me it was a huge let down.

This also used to be the center of the Universe for SS collecting. If you monitored what was going down here, you had your finger on the pulse of the entire market. Now Facebook, Instagram and other social media options have dwarfed the Sig Room in terms of sheer number of participants, books being done, prices paid etc. Technology sort of passed the Sig Room by. It will always be near and dear to my heart. Lots of friendships started right here.

Plus buck teeth

Your welcome

I'm very slightly disappointed that this thread isn't about Cap's huge buck teeth.

That lineup is insane. So many amazing book opportunities

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