Mmehdy

Economic change is the a ship slowly going like the titanic towards an iceberg. Shock and the consequences of a economic shutdown need time to sink in. One of the more significant clues looking ahead like the Federal Reserve does is the Fed changing their policy and allowing low interest rates even if inflation. Why...they know what's coming. The lay-offs are slowly beginning to pile, this week 18,000 las vegas casino jobs disappeared. Lou, this pandemic will have effects which will occur unevenly on all kinds of different markets. For example the real estate market is red hot...why because less people are putting their houses up for sale due to the pandemic thus creating a shortage of the normal supply of houses available and couple that with two major factors of 1-low, low long term interest rates which are increasing buyer power and a mass migration of people going from the city to the suburbs-there is a great NY times article on that. If supply remains low, that market could unaffected or actually increase in value during this crisis. Even during the depression the old saying is "people have to have a place to live" applies here. While the stock seems to offer amazing quick returns..beware what goes up can go down. SO I think a safe haven would be CGC graded Ga/SA with strong page quality seems to be to be more stable. I do not see a great gain like the market did earlier this year translating over to massive GA/SA price increase over time. The GA/SA comic book market has a long way to go as well as all of us together. My sources say Q1 2021 for a vaccine if that is true then the potential is with some vision in the fog for some type of possible ending to this situation. I think a number of true comic book collectors will tough it out no matter what, my worry comes not for the brother and sisters on this board, but how many pure speculators are there in the hobby now and how they react to a downturn in the GA/SA market. We are about to find out when we go thru some tough times, but as mom said, "when times are tough, the tough get tougher. I hope we get thru this sooner and stronger, but when you purchase or sell GA/SA thru this extraordinary time be selective and demand the best of the best for your collection.

gonna talk to my kid for help...thank you

No offense taken In the good old days, say in Feb of this year, you could take a chance, a gamble that paying the highest price for a GA/SA comic book was a pretty good bet, that demand and appreciation would protect you in the future. So I would say adherence to the above was pretty lax. Today, I would not deviate from my comments in your continuing collecting and buying/ selling GA/SA comic books and original comic book art. Using "caution" is a bit of an understatement. News everyday seems a bit bleaker and bleaker, A fellow long time GA collector and wife both of whom work for American Airlines one a pilot and his wife a flight attendant were hit between the eyes today with AA cutting off 19,000 employee's. He done collecting until this work and pandemic situation is settled and called me somewhat in a panic saying Should I consign part of my collection to HA.Com. It does not help that they have dual coast residences and costs which go with them. My advice was simple,do not panic, do not do a knee-jerk reaction BUT think it out. They might be able to do some type of buy-out or long term furlow and of the wife wants the GA comic books out the door first as they are "not doing anything anyway". Dowsize not only in terms of real estate, the Cali property will be history, but carefully look at your GA collection, grade the books with the CGC which have not yet been graded and keep GA books which would be impossible to replace or which mean the most to you and them decide on the rest. Everyday, GA/SA collectors are making this decision, and this is the tip of the iceberg which is yet to come. I hope someday he becomes active buyer in the GA/SA comic book market as he is a true comic book collector. For now, its survival.

I believe that different and various collectable markets will fluctuate on a time line basis within factors for that separate world. . GA/SA comic book collecting has over the last 40 years become more of a recognized investment opportunity and liquidly, especially since third party grading was introduced. While the antique market might have suffered a bigger downturn than other collectable markets could be due to people want to see and touch the items since they could be much large in size or they are more impulse buying material which need personal presence to increase the sales and prices of the items. I do not see any real direct correlation to the GA/SA market other than a indication of some weakness in the economy in general spending wise.

I do not endorse the word "collapse" for the future of the GA/SA comic book market as I consider that term to mean a 90% fire sale price reduction across the entire GA/SA comic book spectrum. The thread is not dead, it is just waiting for the economic consequences to occur. I do not see or predict an GA/SA market collapse, but a long and serious price correction for a number of years depending upon a resolution of this virus. 50% price reduction is possible, depending on the timeline here. I believe the thread stands for itself...and the test of time will show what was predicted correctly and what was way off. The general rule is half and half.

I think anybody that wants an instant answer, or depression, like instant coffee is going to be disappointed. It will take a many more months or a couple of years to sort out the economic damage that will affect governments, financial markets, and individuals. What is known at this point , is that we do not have an official vaccine nor do you know if its 30% effective or 70%...let alone a world wide distribution nightmare ahead. Folks, this is just gonna take time to play out and not on your or mine time, but the scientists and distribution timetable that lies ahead of us. I can share with you a possible timeline best case from a source within vaccine industry from a conversation I had last week. Best case, a vaccine in Q1 2021 with priority distribution to front line defenders, law enforcement and senior citizens 65 and up. With distribution, that exact time line is unknown. The collectable market and especially high priced GA/SA have a long road and unknown road ahead. The longer time this economic damage occurs, the greater the recovery time. I fully endorse my prior statements that you should use caution when purchasing GA/SA comic books by making sure they are CGC graded, good page and staple quality, and if possible unrestored or a GA/SA book with very minor restoration. I would not pay the "worlds highest price" at this point for any GA/SA comic book with so many unknowns on the table. I do believe there will be up coming more collections sold due to economic damage from this virus and that at some point which we could call bottom, there will be a buying opportunity when prices climb up the level once we have a normal business world again. We cannot even consider when that bottom will occur at this unknown time. I also think it is the best time to reevaluate your collections and "trade UP" if possible by selling duplicates, and GA/SA material you no longer want, and buying upgrade condition copies or filling in holes for your GA/SA comic book collection. I would use caution during these times and not buy something because it is gonna be worth more in the future, but make your purchases from you collectors heart and obtain GA/SA comic books you have always wanted to own and become part of your great collections such that you win at the time you make the purchase.

a true artistic great...

AMAZING ...great stuff

For the price of 39.99 it is amazing value, the paper is so thick you think you are turning more than 3 pages per page.....printing quality is the best of all the books on Fritz. With the improved and bigger sized images I have discovered new details in many of the paintings as well as a appreciation for his revisions along the way. The Book did call out Fritz for the EQ painting revision...a real gutsy call and I agree 100% it does change the meaning of the painting. the best book of the best book of the year by a mile.

WOW great thead, keep it up

I know the book is shipping out now...anyone get it yet?

great reading, thanks for posting

WOW great book and great condition cong

We really need board support on pre-order for this book, Grant has done many great books, but this one is his grand-slam HR. Taschen has a amazing group of followers and art lovers and don't be surprised is some new EC OA and Comic book collectors come on board as a result of this amazing book. It might be a good time to fill in your collection before publication.

I know that the new Tashen EC book is using Gaines file copies for cover reproduction and that every EC cover will be in the books cover gallery.

No second print of the regular edition.....

Update books loaded off ship and sold out to retailers. Vanguard has a few copies left....get the collectors edition as update on Vanguard website, 2d printing coming in Oct

Got the pre-order for the new EC book by Grant Geissman entitled "The History of EC comics" the book is extra large about 12 by 16 and 592 pages and looks amazing...the best book ever published on EC hand down. and ..on the website their are 15 preview pages. The book contains over 100 rarities from the Gaines family archives that have never seen print. Over 1000 illustrations, the best $200 one can spend. I pre-ordered today...great stuff Check it out on the Taschen website

great book cong, never saw that before

I agree over the years the book should have gotten more respect.

RIP..FF run is what kept me collecting comics in the early years...

Cong, worth 15K

send it back for undisclosed restoration unless the price you paid was quite attractive.

I also think the price of the book is great, the collectors limited signed edition is only 69.99 what a bargain

vanguard publishing.com