Rick2you2

I saw her at the last NYCC before the Pandemic (3-4 years ago?). She knew a little English, like greeting you, but not much else. Seemed nice and genuine.

When I last saw her at a show, she seemed to have a manager there.

Just having a little fun. We get the point.

I do have to wonder how much of what they show they really own anymore. I have two pieces which are on their website. One is about 6 years old and the other about 2 years old. Others have also commented that pieces they have bought remain there. I know they have a lot of inventory, but it may not be as huge as we are led to believe.

What would it have been worth if you bought stock in Sears Holdings Corporation?

Don’t miss that 9 page Spectre story from Adventure by Aparo. Not his best, but it is complete.

I never said they would plummet. I was thinking something like 10-20%, for the pieces that are more price competitive.

I'm not the one who picked this concept. Voudou seems to think that some stuff shouldn't be sold because it cannot be easily replaced, if at all. I do think, however, that the effective market price on our "masterpieces" is limited because a lengthy backstory is often needed to explain the significance. Yes, shooting up requires some history, but not much. Smack and a sidekick says it all. You also don't need a lot of backstory to appreciate Guernica. Another example would be the ECC cover depicting the Klan. You don't need to know much to get it. If OA is to find a wider market at the high end among people who might care about the details, it is likely to be these kinds of pieces which lead the way, not the first appearance of Mr. Superduper, a third rate villain who sometimes fights a second rate hero. But some art, like the Rocketeer and Betty, don't need a back-story to love. Same with some old Black Cat Mystery covers. With that said, I agree with you that there really isn't anything "priceless" which justifies keeping--except for nostalgia reasons or something personal that resonates.

Hmmm… Then, I think we may see a different set of rules on pricing. A lot of OA enjoys a high price not just for what it is but because of the background story to the piece—characters, first appearances, great runs, etc. When I think of priceless, I think of something that transcends the ordinary into universal. To me, ASM 238 doesn’t do that because it’s appeal is limited by content and knowledge of the backstories. Really nice cover, but not priceless. To be priceless, there shouldn’t be a need to know backstories. I expect the “priceless” category to hold things like GL/GA 85. You don’t need to know the characters to know shooting up in front of superheroes is special.

I was under the impression that baseball cards have taken a hit.

Why? Are you valuing the art based on perceived quality vs. price as a function of demand at a given point in time, or is there an interesting backstory there?

I understand what you mean, but if other collectibles have shown a drop, even if temporary, why not this one? Then, there is the question of all or part of the market. Will Bronze Age boom and Silver Age slip? Does the increase in Boomer retirements herald a slowdown in 1960’s work?

… if the market can absorb the high prices. Your wallet may get luckier if it can’t, and it has to back off a little.

I can probably find a six four year old to copy it for you.

I agree with you, but it is sort of nutty that we can be fearful of not winning an auction for a bit of Bristol Board, with a smidge of ink and pencil on it--for hundreds/thousands/millions of dollars.

Why does that picture look so familiar?😏

G-R-E-E-D.

Don’t be sad. You just joined the ranks of dealer-dom. You doubled your money—on garbage.

Bring it in to point out the mistake.

Why not just bring it back and get the matting redone?

Fed Ex Next?

It’s one thing for the final price to be seemingly high; the ones which draw my suspicion, in particular, are high bids at the start of the auction, which usually means two for it to show up as anything other than a proxie. Maybe if it is a short auction period, or a “fright” bid, which may not actually scare anyone off, or a newbie, but why else? I’ve seen them show up, in particular, on Catawiki, where the estimated range also appears. That site often makes me wonder about price manipulation.

I was just wondering how other collectibles are doing right now, and if we are seeing the beginning of a market correction there. I gather, for example, that baseball cards have dropped. If others have dropped, then a little market padding here sounds like a way for sellers of OA collectibles to try to extend their roll a little longer. And, a good time to sell before a market correction really hits things home here. That would account for high early bids and new material.

But, these are at the beginning, not at the end during the live auction period. What’s the point of a high price now if it can’t win until a lot of time has passed and other bidders can take their shots at you?