Rick2you2

Go look at it, and compare it to, say his Superman or X-men work. It should be apparent if you look at it.

On the other hand, I didn’t like Byrne’s interiors on Wonder Woman. It isn’t that his work declined; he consciously picked a different style for that work. I guess that’s an example of why I can’t really say one artist is necessarily better than another (some are, but that is not my point). The artist’s work has to be measured in the context of the style they bring to the subject matter.

There was a Hilton right down the road, of course, and some nicer, reasonably priced restaurants, like Amerone’s in Teaneck (at least compared to Manhattan pricing).

Yup. Oops.

You do realize it isn’t about economics so much as fear? A lot of people have invested a lot of money in a narrow collectible related to our childhoods which we know is somewhat of a rigged market. Sharing views, and outlooks, is both comforting and concerning. But, so much for that.

And where were your earlier complaints, as though I hijacked the topic? Don’t dump on me for following along.

Secaucus's favorite son candidate from the 1950's and 1960's. Really.

I think that one thing neither one of you are considering, which many people also skip over, are the market details—both as to the age of the piece and price level. Some things will continue to rise, at least for a while, other types will stabilize, still others will go down. Perhaps middle of the road Silver Age stuff will drop, but not high end Marvel, current stuff at simultaneously climb (which I suspect) and surprises will happen. Most people don’t buy top end priced pieces, yet this debate ignores the bulk of what people are doing. The fact that a piece sold for only $2,000,000 when people are chasing “—————-“ doesn’t matter much, except to inflate expectations of sellers at the lower end. Let me add that prices in many fields tend to be sticky downwards. There are people holding on to high end oriental rugs because 20 years ago they could command $250,000. Not anymore. Same with 19th century furniture and traditional paintings (usually). They sit, unloved. So, in that sense, you could both be right. So, how about looking at the submarkets at OA and making predictions?

It looks like the penciller was channeling Gil Kane (but not Romeo).

It isn’t that easy. It costs money. But there wouldn’t be a total price crash on an artist/subject which would ordinarily be in high demand. The interference would only have to be a relatively small percentage to prevent the recording of a material drop. Too many potential price drops would at least give the offender the time to unload his/her own stock until the next sale period. That coke dealer probably has such a high markup on his product, he could probably snort quite a bit of inventory in the short run and do okay.

Secaucus used to be known as the Pig capital of New Jersey because of all the pig farms it had (providing pork for NYC, et al.).

Or, save a lot of money and find a closer Holiday Inn/Sheriton/Hilton/Motel 6. Personally, I can’t stand driving to and from the City, and I would not take mass transit.

Secaucus is lovely this time of year. You would be surrounded by a marsh called the Meadowlands, that was created when settlers first ground down the hills into gravel mines, and cut down the native cedars. Then, later generations filled in the holes with piles of garbage. On some of the covered up garbage piles, now grassy hills, there are waste gas collectors which gather up the methanol and recycle it as fuel. Throw in a giant sized shopping mall, with an indoor ski slope, that is slowly headed into bankruptcy, along with a town having lots of outlet stores, and a tourist has everything they could want. Now you know why we legalized pot.

…let alone the cheesecake.

I have no idea how you can possibly support this conclusion. The economy had suffered a terrible jolt from COVID, but frankly, I think the government did pretty well considering we have never had anything like it under our modern economic system. Pumping money into the economy prevented a version of the Great Depression from occurring by growing the money supply. That led to current inflation, which is slowing down, but it allowed people to spend money, thereby preventing the 1930’s economic freeze where the government reduced the money supply. People are buying things. Jobs are available, even though there is a mismatch between skills and openings. Anti-trust actions should help bring back more competition and lower prices. Supply chain issues are being resolved. By the middle of next year, we should be staring at a real expansion. But that’s not to say the OA market won’t hit a bump—or where. There is so much material out there, and the pile keeps growing. Collectors will age out, with pricing reductions likely hitting middle quality and older “non-classic material”. With a newer generation liking experiences instead of things, Daddy’s precious pictures may end up in the drawer next to grandma’s silverware. Who knows? Maybe we should all just go out and buy game cartridge art.

*** Which is where the much despised subject of “market support” bidding by dealers and auction houses, among others, comes into play. They can act to prevent any dip in public auction prices, and given the number of pieces up for auction this time, I would be a bit concerned about the higher end (or if known, any known owner concentrations of an artist’s art). Something funky may be happening, for example, with Amy Reeder’s Madam Xanadu art, not a high subject of demand. There have been a number of interior pages for sale for years and they remained unsold (not very interesting ones). Then, Heritage posts 2 covers at this auction and then a third cover for sale at a later one. Now, all the interior pages are off the market. Probably not a coincidence, but why? Did a mysterious collector get religion and buy them all? Or perhaps, an effort was taken to reduce cheap competition to the pieces being auctioned? Will they mysteriously reappear when the covers are all sold? All curious.

HOOKERS GOT CLASS!!!!

If memory serves me, the price for rare sports cars did drop around that time, but later skyrocketed. Ironic typo.

It may not be a problem, but to me, it lacks worth. I wouldn’t spend that much on “fine” art either. They are just a bunch of pictures which only give little moments of joy. For that, I will only spend a little. My father just died, leaving behind some valuables, and as the saying goes, “you can’t take it with you”. Neither my brother nor I have any interest in a fair number of things his generation gathered, like sterling silver dinnerware, a common current problem with this new generation, too. They also don’t care for most of my stuff, that I lovingly gathered. So why bother buying more at high prices?

I picked 10k because it’s noticeable, and will be remembered. For some collectors, it doesn’t amount to Peanuts. I haven’t spend that yet on a piece because I don’t consider that hobby money. And since I don’t sell what I buy, I don’t recycle “profit”. I doubt I ever will.

High end pieces tend to be the last to drop as they have status. It’s the lower end, I think, that’s likely to be the canary in the coal mine. I would be more focused on things below 10k and see how long they stay on the market, or don’t attract higher bids. But no, no crashing and burning yet, not by a long shot.

Consider yourself lucky. Not everyone would have followed through. In 2009 dollars, I would have expected more for $500, but for $200, I think you got a fair deal.

In a way, it’s like he’s concluded that a lot of collectors, with a lot of money, behave just like big babies lacking impulse control who demand instant gratification of their needs regardless as to cost. I know that sounds harsh, but if Heritage can keep prices artificially high by buying product on its own auction site which expressly tolerates it, that’s the logical conclusion I draw. The only other thing to add is that other auctioneers do it, too (but not necessarily so blatantly).

Well, I just bid $5.00 on a Sunday section, and was immediately outbid. I guess I’m out.

There are no small fish. If you love what you buy, that’s all that matters. Frankly, I couldn’t care less about owning an Art Adams X-Men page. Now, if he did a Phantom Stranger page, then you’re talking. Splashy villain art should be easier than hero art.