D2

you are a good parent. some parents would just let their kids jack up debt. Are there any outliers that you saw and missed out on that you really remember and it stuck to you?

Ahhh… so a rare signed book, he will take his time, but a common book like spawn 1 or hulk 340 he will sign in haste. Which makes sense, with 30,000 submissions, not to mention a limited catalogue, really… I’d be bored signing the same 5 books, over and over and over again

I love these kinds of things, and I fully admit I am a total nut when it comes to chatting about this, so I thank you in advance for bringing this up. I will talk about Hulk 181, because it’s easy and I like the book. I will blend objective numbers with subjective thinking. First let’s look at how many there are and the prices they command (grouping together SS for the sake of argument): 9.9 - 1 exists. No sales figure 9.8 - 155 exist. Average sale: 75k, Low: 66k 9.6 - 400 exist. Average sale: 22k, Low: 18k 9.4 - 630 exist. Average sale: 14k, Low: 11k 9.2 - 850 exist. Average sale: 10k, Low: 8k 9.0 - 1,190 exist. Average sale: 8k, Low: 7k So the first thing I think we can all agree is if 1,000 or many thousands were found and made available to the market. Yes the book values would decrease. I do not believe that doubling the count would decrease the value 50% however. The second thing I would note is, in order to keep a book’s ‘value’, essentially: 155 “people” must be willing to pay $66,000 for a 9.8 copy for Hulk 181. Now we all know many owners of that 9.8, I am sure, have and have had that book way before that value ballooned. Regardless… moving forward, any transaction that takes place must sustain those “lows”. Subjectively, I think those CGC counts are too high to sustain those values. I really do. I don’t think that value of that book will ever be cut in half, but essentially I try to guess, what would someone be willing to pay for something, and 155 people to shell out $66,000 for each copy? Don’t see it. Same example, there are 1,190 copies for a 9.0 valued at $7k. It’s easier for someone to buy multiple copies at 7k, but still… that is 1,190 transactions. $8,300,000 to own them all. Nah, not likely. It’s like De Beers, own the market, own the price. Right now the values hold. But these numbers and costs, don’t make sense to me long term. Too many of them.

You as well!

Yep, with two kids, and a nasty mortgage rate

Right now, this very second… I can’t afford to buy a comic book. I am on a comic book freeze. 🥶

As long as I have something.. some sort of collection, it will always be a battle. I met this guy several months ago, buying a slab off him. We got to chatting comics. He said he was only selling these for a friend, but he used to be a huge collector himself. I asked him, what happened? He said he gave it up cold turkey. He sold every single book. He echoed the same thing we are talking about. He couldn’t have that steady and constant struggle anymore. It went away when he sold every last book. He said as a collector, he moved on to records, because, he liked music, and he spends a lot less money. A long story, but it was interesting for me to see how, this collecting-aura we have, if you will, it really is a part of us. Even after selling the books, he had to move on and collect something else. Selling floppies sucks too. I had thousands and thousands of floppies. Oh god, took me the better part of 6 years to offload them all. Because I didn’t want to take a huge hit and lose all the money I paid to get them. I still lost money though I’m sure… and the haggling and back and forth… what’s the condition, is that a ding in the book? You say NM+ but can I see more than the 12 pictures you posted? Pft… slabs, easy to sell. Collected editions, same deal. Easy peasy, as far as selling goes.

All that drawing and he never got any better… I kid. It is truly a feat. I can see that. He brought a new level to the game. I can appreciate what he did. There were a few pencil covers I saw by him. Honestly, I think all inks did him dirty

It got a lot better. I picked up the returning TPB, I think it’s 10? I also struggled in the first two issues, but by the end of the book I was enjoying the read. It hasn’t brought me the same joy and, simply, shock of how good it was, for the first 18 issues though. Saga will never be as it once was. Those first 18 issues were pure magic. 60 to 65, were above average. What I come to expect from Saga. Better than most. Not better than it was.

That’s not easy! What you’re doing is extremely difficult and, quite frankly, never ending… always having to check and keep in balance. I commend you on that journey and on those efforts. I am definitely not the best, and still slip up, buying things, but essentially I try to have 1 or 2 issues of a favourite series, in something I can be proud of, like, as an example, Dark Knight Returns 1 9.8 Signed Frank Miller, and that’s that. That’s my one celebration book for that series. I try to cap my CGC Collection to… 30 books? It grows to 50, then I try to shred down again. And whenever I do sell off some things, usually the same suspects stick around. For reading, collected series are the way to go! Cheers to the on going battle

I have grown to appreciate what Jack Kirby has done for the comic industry. He is dynamic and impactful. He is a pioneer. I hate his work though. His raw pencils are much better than the final work, but I have zero interest in buying anything of his era. The original X-Men stuff is eye poison.

I like to think I’d be able to stop collecting, but I expect it would be only temporary. But all of my books fit in a dresser too, and much like you, I’ve slowly consolidated into books I’ve always wanted. Luckily I have no interest in Golden Age or Silver Age books… and any Bronze/Copper/Modern Age 9.8s north of 10k are of no interest to me. I also can’t justify having that in my ‘closet’. I’m not rich enough. If I could afford those items without it effecting my family, I’m sure I would, but that’s not my reality, and likely not my reality in the foreseeable future.

I can't compete with that!

I saw the same thing But not quite as scary as 3 Legged Hulk

I agree with DougC's list. Of all the signings I've experienced, Stan Lee was unlike anything I had ever seen. Frank Miller is also a huge draw.

I’d think Tord McFozlove has to be up there. I see a lot of his signatures on books.

They still might. I hear the rumblings of an eventual movie coming out (although the creative team behind it leaves much to be desired). If that does ever come to fruition then they will definitely come out with a reprint. The prices from new are still triple though, but a far cry from where they were a year ago, it was insane! I really do like this book.

Thank you! I appreciate that. I have a few holes and it bothers me but… slow and steady

I’ve had enough arguments with my wife to know there are way too many YOU remarks in there to be at all constructive. Combative, to say the least.

Technically would this be a Spawn 8 recreation?

Actually… yes! 👍

My X-Men collection is shrinking