Rick2you2

I would have demanded my money back. That's absurd.

Since almost everything I buy has the Phantom Stranger in it, I certainly can't disagree with your hobby taste. And let me add that it has some advantages. First, you can great really great artwork at a relatively cheap price because you are not getting a hot character. Second, you get to compare art by different artists more easily. From an analytic perspective, it's a helpful tool. And finally, there isn't a lot out there so it acts as a brake on spending while giving you the added pleasure of success with "the hunt." Honestly, I can't see spending A level money on A level art anyway. That's investment grade buying, and I'm pretty pessimistic about OA's long term value. I'll take my 25%+/- profit on Alphabet stock over the past 18 months and be satisfied (and much better on Microsoft, I might add).

Of course. Demographics again.

Chinese collectibles have, but not Japanese collectibles. After the boom in the 1980's, it suffered a collapse with the the Japanese economy which still has not recovered.

As a very broad generalization--maybe. But certainly not for Japanese items or Raggedy Ann related items or old dolls (which are portable), a lot of crystal, and if memory serves me, Cracker Jack collectibles. Jewelry is moving up, in part, because of craftsmanship, unless it is the really old finicky type from the 19th or pre-Art Deco era. And I'll bet that anything tied to the Confederacy has taken a nose dive. You will notice a pattern: the stuff which wasn't part of our childhood heritage doesn't sustain itself unless it has cross-appeal, like jewelry with clean lines and modest decoration. Same with comic art: check out that price on Nyoka the Jungle Girl mentioned by someone else.

As I wrote before, I don't know anything about those cards or the game. But I do have a pretty good grounding in general collectibility, and it is only a matter of time before the clock ticks on anything collectible--unless it has general cross-market appeal (like Frazetta or Rockwell) which may let it cross over into the mainstream. For your sake, I hope the clock doesn't start ticking for a long time instead of a short one. If you have ever seen Antiques Roadshow, they will sometimes have repeats where older shows discuss a particular antique and then show its value in current terms (10-15 years later). You would be surprised how many of them show a value decline, or even stay the same (which is an effective decline when inflation is factored in).

You may like this article at:https://www.thestreet.com/slideshow/13567213/1/10-collections-that-have-lost-their-value-and-why.html It mentions these cards, and then, compares them to baseball cards (with some mixed opinion on comic books).

I just saw this from an article in the Forbes piece mentioned in another thread at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robsalkowitz/2018/08/10/its-up-up-and-away-for-prices-at-the-latest-comic-art-auction/#3c6b482454f3 Cultural and sentimental factors influence all art markets, of course, but they tend to diminish as the work’s historical context fades from living memory. Comic art still has visceral emotional appeal to the people who grew up reading the comics as kids and participated in fandom – and who are now at the top end of their professional careers with money to spend. You can bet that many of the people bidding on these auctions are bidding from the heart at least as much as from the head, and that kind of passion can turn an already-hot market into a spectacular firestorm in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, it makes a lot of sense--a nostalgia purchase which has no chance of holding its value in, say, 25-30 years. Like the "high end" Beany Baby market, it will eventually break some old people's hearts.

I put the hobby aside for a while and did some other things (for a few decades, actually). You were the one who set your goals; goals can be moved. Perhaps, you are really telling yourself: enough for now. Cut yourself off from active involvement for several months and then figure out if you miss it. If so, make new goals. If not, just hang around here if you want. Always good to have someone with an enthusiastic attitude.

In my view, the whole question of "craft" is not just subjective but varies by the limitations in the comic art itself and when the art was drawn. In the "old days", panel layouts were not as adventuresome (in general) and the characters were more stiffly drawn (Wayne Boring, anyone?). Throw in the terrible pay rates, and you have art not generally drawn to the same standards of today. These definitely affect the price, and it isn't just nostalgia. So when I see a nicely done EC page, by, say Wally Wood, I admire it when I look at it closely. But if I were going to spend that kind of money, it wouldn't be on the Wally Wood page. Another factor which is going to depress the long-run of pricing is simply the niche nature of this art. I have shown my pieces to a number of people who feigned interest, and the most honest answer I got was: "it's a lot of black lines; there isn't any color." They liked some of it, like covers and splashes, but most...eh; it all looked pretty much the same. That suggests this is not going to be a break-out field for the future. For those of you who have big bucks in pieces from the stories you loved as a kid, I can't see them having a high appreciation future when the next generation hits its peak buying range.

I don't know anything about the game either, but I agree with you; it is crude and unappealing. My guess is the flatness is supposed to be representative of an old time period, but that's no excuse for poor drawing. When was the last time you saw a woman casually leaning on her own hair? (modelling doesn't count) And then there is that right hand; did she lose her thumb?

No luck on my end. The kids would go if I went, but otherwise, forget it. The AC/DC point is a little different. Music of all ages is enjoyed by the younger ones.

You are not being dumb. Your views are a mirror of what every generation does--it buys what it likes and doesn't really care that much about the past (except to show it is different than what came before).

I've been playing with CamScanner the past few days after downloading, and it is really impressive. The program is intuitively easy to figure out; good at guessing image cropping size while letting you make adjustments if its proposed cropping of the image is wrong; includes coloration adjustments and easily lets me email things to myself (or others). I'm not too thrilled with the ads, and I still have to figure out if what I think are limitations are just me not knowing how to run it yet. But at the price of zero plus ad views, it's hard to beat.

Seems like an homage to the old Coppertone commercial advertisement (but yes, it's cute).

Sorry to Mr. Milgrom, but no, not fair. I think you have to separate out "market value" from artistic merit. I don't think you can fairly slot artwork as A, B, C, except as shorthand for saying something will be in high demand or low demand and can be priced accordingly. A goodly portion of the price of OA seems based on the artist(s), the character, the book and art type (cover, splash, etc.) The quality of a particular piece will affect the price, of course, but how it is slotted by artist, etc. seems to carry a lot more weight. So, if Mr. Milgrom did a particular piece which you think is a masterpiece, it won't carry the price of say, Kirby, for a medium grade equivalent. And by the way, if you think something is an A piece, who cares what someone else thinks unless you are thinking of re-sale?

It makes for a hard search, and there is a lot of junk (at least for my collecting habits). I basically just go through the whole pile and see if anything catches my eye.

I'm curious about why you wrote this about Comic Connect. While I think I have only bid on one thing it has posted over the years, that has to do with the offered selection more than anything else.

I thought they lifted it after a period of time. I had called up about it and was told there wasn’t one on my account. Maybe someone can get a clarification?

You can also donate them to Goodwill Industries which sells them at $1.00 each and claim a tax deduction worth more than 10 cents. I did that when I decided to unload a bunch of stored junk.

I was thinking bidding on this one, which starts in a few minutes, but changed my mind. Right now, it's only $1,100 with BP. It has a nice impact look. Original Comic Art: Panel Pages George Perez JLA/Avengers #3 Double Page Spread 38-39 Original Art (DC, 2003).... (Total: 3 Original Art)

First, thank you for the compliment. Second, let me add another point: I try to match the subject of the intended commission with something I know about the artist. For example, I knew of Colleen Doran's history (as well as her artistic skill), so I decided she would be perfect to draw a female version of the Phantom Stranger. Before going to the Con, I went on the Internet, found 2 females in costumes inspired by the Phantom Stranger and brought them with me, along with those collected work reprints of the character's second series. Her version was excellent; it had looked nothing at all like the two models I brought, and she actually enjoyed doing it.

I've generally had good experiences with commissions, but perhaps it is the way I go about it. First, I don't commission an artist unless I meet him/her face-to-face at a con. It lets me evaluate what I think of their turn-around capabilities as well as what work they are showing. And yes, it is a limitation. But, I will travel to get what I want. Second, I find out what they would charge me, and then offer to pay more. I explain that I want the best job they can possibly do, and I don't want them to skimp on time to make a few extra bucks. I also ask for a rough time schedule. If you want some real-life assurance of a completed project, offering to over-pay is an excellent solution. By the way, that offer of mine has been turned down by quite a few artists. That scores points with me. Third, I always bring research material with me so they don't have to go hunting for images of what I want. On occasion, I have bought supplies at a con to give the artist if they don't have them there. Finally, I try to use some common sense by letting the artist have actual free rein on what to draw but giving directons of what it should generally be. I would not pay everything "up front" and have even had my offers of paying half up-front refused.

Not only that, it just makes the people even madder.