Rick2you2

Perhaps I’m missing something, but rates have been going up most of the year. So did the stock market. That’s atypical.

That’s the historic rule, but in this case it looks like both the market and interest rates went up. So, we may have a different dynamic at play.

I’m not rich; I just don’t care for most potential purchases. And I don’t spend much, either. Bought a cheap car (by preference), gave the house to the ex-wife, and the kids are almost off the dole.Don’t like fine dining very much, don’t care for wine, not much interest in travel, anymore. As for what I leave behind when I die, that’s my heirs’ problems. My artwork similarly reflects my spending habits. I just don’t think the amounts spent, or commanded, for a lot of this stuff is worth it to me. You don’t have to spend a lot to get great memories, but letting them go? No, getting them was hard enough. I spent 4 years trying to get a Sinkewicz cover. I won’t part with it now, and it isn’t even a favorite.

Good thing you said “almost”, since you already know my views. And, as you know, I have acted accordingly. If I had a large pile of stuff that wasn’t near and dear to my heart, then I could sell it or trade it. But money won’t change my life, or my tastes. My father had a collection of Persian rugs he loved, but he would never sell them. They reminded him of his trips abroad, as well as times with my mother and his family. During the last few years of his life, he liked to make kimchi, gazpacho, and count the pelicans while sitting on his deck. Money didn’t matter. What did were his memories. And I guess I pretty much feel the same. My purchases embody my personal sense of nostalgia, and the pleasure of meeting artists and other collectors, or even scoring at an auction. It isn’t the art. It’s the memories.

Nov. 26, 1922, Schultz’s birthday.

If you are investing. Many people here, like Cstojano, don’t.

I hope she steered clear of the January 6 “insurrection”. I would have to wait a long time between sending over something and getting it back.

I don’t take it personally; I do think that there is a difference which deserves to be observed. Would Alex Johnson not be considered a smart guy because he likes fake Sugar and Spike recreations? What about people here who collect things like commissions, even though they have the least likelihood of appreciation? The smart guys who consider the investment value of their collection may own a lot of valuable art, which isn’t always the case, either, nor do brains give one precognitive powers, but I am definitely not one of those who looks at the value of his collection and I am no dope. To me, this is all play money, never to be recouped, and I suspect I am not alone. That point deserves a defense on behalf of all us dumb-dumbs.

They may own the most valuable art, and coveted art, but “best” is in the eyes of the beholder. Since I don’t care for most Silver Age Marvel art, does that make me dumb?

What you are describing could be evidence of the beginning of a price bubble collapse. Or, it could be just a temporary, broad price retrenchment. Or, perhaps, changing market interests. We won’t know until we can use hindsight to figure it out. So long as dealers have stock purchased at low prices, and particularly if they are only part-time, it could be a very long wait.

I have no doubt you are mathematically correct, but I did not care. It’s just money and I am quite comfortable, so why gild the lily?

I have probably lost a lot of money over the years in that sense, but to be candid, I just don’t care. Money has pretty much has taken care of itself for me. But, the fields of economics and business do interest me, a lot.

I did lose money in 2020, but it came back in about 12-18 months. So, I effectively lost 1-2 years worth of asset growth. Not tragic. The economy always runs in boom/bust cycles; usually every 7 to 9 years there is a recession. But then, like in the old Fred Astaire/Ginger Rodgers song, it “picks itself up, dusts itself off and starts all over again.” 2008 and 2020 were exacerbated by special conditions. Same with an earlier recession involving the S&L debacle. Without anything special on the horizon, the worst case scenario should be a retrenchment not a collapse. Of course, if we find out something surprising, like all those medium sized banks are holding too many commercial real-estate mortgages, that’s a wholly different problem. In terms of comic art, I think the biggest long term issue is the aging out of people who collect from earlier eras, like the Silver Age. Much like semi-collectible pre-war cars, they live and die by their market age.

I don’t see it. So long as profits are decent, employment is low, and the Federal government continues to engage in deficit spending, we should be okay unless there is a major war or consumer spending dries up (slowing down isn’t enough, it has to actually shrink). Money has to go somewhere, and the stock market is as good a place as any. So, I think you’ll see relatively stable times (maybe a market correction for a short period of time).

Which is an example of why I don’t expect a lot of top notch art being placed for sale until either the market turns up again or people decide they have to get out.

“Visual excitement”? Must be a number of high-rolling coprophiliacs out there.

“Visual excitement”? Must be a number of high-rolling coprophiliacs out there.

I passed on the Jae Lee cover. I wasn’t willing to pay $1,300 for it 6-7 years ago. This time I went that high, not counting BP, but couldn’t like it enough to go higher. Nevertheless , if one of the other three PS Covers come up, that’s a whole different story…

I agree with Alex on this. Nice work, by the way.

Prior to 1911, most people’s view of art was pretty much limited to landscapes (like the Hudson School), military monuments and family portraits. They were busy trying to grow food and earn a little money while not dying from disease or in one of those charming little wars the Europeans apparently loved so much. The Mona Lisa may have gained notoriety in 1911, but lots of people knew about the Mona Lisa before then. Napoleon even hung it in his bedroom. DeVinci also wanted to boost public interest in the painting by carrying it around while working on it in order to have it gain attention. The realism and pose of the woman were very unusual at the time it was done, and he knew it (as did his contemporaries). The Liefield piece is ugly. Mona Lisa would not have been smiling if she saw it, except if she knew PT Barnum’s saying “There is a sucker born every minute”.

For fans of manga and anime, Yu Yu Hakashu is coming to Netflix in December. So, if you can find some OA, …

Absolutely.

I’m still waiting for “Brother Power: the Geek, Part 1”

It’s reprinted in dailies. I do want to point out the Pogo was very popular once, but compare the prices now.

That really isn’t the way “ overshoot and collapse” works. Whether this is evidence of a broader market retrenchment is a tougher question. When there is a “great crash”, there is usually a “hollowing out” of the market in which so-so pieces don’t hold their value. Then the hollow gets wider as better and worse pieces start to slip. Eventually, as with Persian rugs after the 1980’s, you get a stratification. The best pieces maintain their book value, even if no one wants to spend that kind of money, while the lower end survives. Don’t forget, even after Tulipmania ended, tulips still cost a little money. For this auction, lots of possibilities. Perhaps the pieces just aren’t in a lot of people’s interests (tastes do change). Also, it may be that discretionary funds have tightened up now that the pandemic is over, and discretionary buys are down (go to any good restaurants lately?). Or, buying strategies have changed (why throw in a bid which is going to lose?). Or we are just seeing the continuing “aging out” process where older wealthier people don’t want to buy and not enough new comic buyers are stimulating demand. Or, too many prices were artificially inflated by dealers and speculators, and the chickens have come home to roost. Personally, I think it’s a mix. And, I wouldn’t count on yesterday’s hit staying at the top.