jimbo_7071

Blonde gun moll being protected by a thug to blonde police woman being assisted by a cop.

It depends on what you collect. I have many GA books that would be hard to replace in the same grade, so I'm not about to sell them. If I were a SA Marvel collector, I would cash out right now, buy into the stock market—which will recover more quickly than collectibles markets—cash out of that in three-to-six months, and then re-build my collection at a discount.

Maybe it was, "Don't run with Mom and Dad in your hands."

You may already know that the US army experimented with using camels in the southwestern US in the 1800s. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Camel_Corps My question is, are there any western comics that depict this use of camels in the US, either on the cover or in a story?

Granted I've taken some long breaks from the hobby, but there are books on my want list that I have never seen offered with the grade and page quality that I'm looking for. I doubt I'll see any of them in this soft market, but I can hope. The hard part will be passing up the good deals I see this year and waiting for the better deals I'll see next year.

I've been collecting since the 80s, so I've seen the GA market go up and down several times. I agree with you that the bubble is bursting, but I don't think prices will go down to early 2000s levels. I do think we'll see prices go down to about 2011/2012 levels. (I think the economy will have recovered from the coronavirus by this time next year; I'm thinking in terms of the correction that was due regardless.) I agree with you about demographics if you're talking really long term, say 30 years out; the GA collector base is ageing. However, I think we'll see a very slow stagnation of the peaks between now and then. I think we'll still have ups and downs, but I think the midline of the curve will become horizontal eventually. If we bottom out around 2022, I think we'll see prices that match 2018/2019 levels before the end of the decade.

Weird Tales to Weird Worlds.

Weird Comics to Weird Horrors.

One-strap black overalls to two-strap red overalls.

I don't think too many people will be sharing milkshakes this week.

Well, I was going bet my (wooden) nickel on Ira Wasserman, but come to think of it, did Marty ever say that he was a he? And how do we know that he didn't use a pseudonym in the contest? Maybe Marty Mann is actually his real name!

My buying is paused for a different reason: I'm hoping against hope that one of my grails will show up at a discount, and I want to have the funds available to go after it. I do expect collectors' best stuff to be locked up tight for a few years, but there are always some guys who have to sell at a particular time (due to the disposition of assets during a divorce, etc.).

The best places to buy comics are, as always, senior community centers. Just look for widows in their 80s or early 90s and say, "Hey grandma, did your late husband happen to leave any old comic books lying around the house? Yeah? I'll give you full price for them—ten cents apiece!" You could pretend to make friends with the little old ladies first—that helps. (I mean, that's how guys like Ernie Gerber and Jay Maybruck do it, right?)

Bad guy in a fedora to good guy in a fedora and reflection in a mirror to reflection in a lake.

Some of the Crippen books have very nice pages, especially the ones that were stolen and sold off before the others. There are many pedigrees with so-so pages, though. Denver, Allentown, Recil Macon, Cookeville, and Rockford all fall into that category. There's a Silver Age pedigree, Savannah, with really crummy pages.

I have a very small slabbed GA collection. I only buy a handful of books each year, but I target books with nice pages. I do have a couple of C/OW books, but those are books that I've had since the 80s, so they have sentimental value. https://www.myslabbedcomics.com/GalleryRoom.asp?Order=Date&Page=1&GSub=2266

For rare stuff I'd accept OFF-WHITE . . . maybe even CREAM-TO-OFF-WHITE for true unicorns like Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 or Jumbo Comics #7. I wouldn't accept LT/OW or SLIGHTLY BRITTLE for any book; I'd rather do without.

Body-less skull to body-less head.

I collect mostly GA books, and I accept WHITE or OFF-WHITE-TO-WHITE pages. I will accept OFF-WHITE for books in old-label holders because CGC was stricter back in the old-label days. I will occasionally accept OFF-WHITE for newer slabs, but only if I think WHITE or OW/W is unobtainable for a particular issue.

To be fair, Lou, I do think that we're at the beginning of a buyers' market where prices will tend to be on the soft side for a couple of years. That trend was beginning before the coronavirus came along and is part of the usual cycle in the hobby. Most collectors will hang on to their best stuff until the next sellers' market, so although there will be some bargains to be had, the selection of high-grade GA material won't be great. Bottom feeders will be in heaven.

I was following the auction on HA tonight, hoping for some deals. No bargain-basement discounts yet. An apparent VG- raw copy of Mystery Men four went for close to three grand. I actually laughed out loud when I saw that.

No. 1 to no. 2.

People might still be willing to sell their good stuff for 2018 prices, but you won't see much top-notch material in the no-reserve auctions. People won't risk offering it that way unless they have to.

It seemed like prices were softening a little before the virus hit. My guess is that we'll see a bottom in 2021/2022, and then prices will start to climb. I buy at all times. The selection is better when prices are high. I don't expect to pick up any of my grails in high grade during the soft market, at least not right away; people will sell their riff-raff first.

Yes, but what if if the seller cancels all of the bids first? Then the item isn't selling. If there is over 24 hrs. left, is there still a penalty?