Aahz

On 9/28/2024 at 10:18 AM, gumbydarnit said:

The troubling aspect for me is when I go into comic book store I mainly see my age group thumbing through back issues, not younger generations. Regarding the younger generation, they seem less interested in acquiring large quantities of collectibles. They seem to have less of the collector gene then we do. Both of these aspects make me feel like the hobby’s runway isn’t as long as some would have you believe.
 

BUT as I always say, do the opposite of me and you be a successful collector / investor ; ) 

 

 

I don't think that there is less of a collector gene, but a lot of collections (esp. comics) take up a load of space.   Also, I think lot of back issues were kept so that you could read a whole story ... TPB make that a heck of a lot easier.  I'm in the process of downsizing stuff just because it sits in a box in a storage unit ... to what end.  At least the art I can put on the wall or keep close by and thumb through portfolios.

This is a question that bedevils all of us, it's not surprising, and we are the wrong group to ask!  When I started collecting and pages were $10, then you don't worry about it.  Now as the entry level is $100 a page, of course we might ask ourselves, are we just throwing money into the wind? However, even though there may be fluctuations and some pieces will top out, I don't think this hobby can be compared with Beanie Babies and other "manufactured" crazes, trading/baseball cards, and even comics.  Why?

1) Because each piece is unique .... not necessarily valuable, but unique.  You can always go out and find another baseball card, coin, or even Action 1.  However, if you are looking for one page ... that's it.  If an artist has a limited output for what ever reason, what is out there is out there.  That changes market dynamics.

2) Even though the collecting is gathering steam now, there have always been collectors even before it was "worth" anything because people enjoy the art.  Again, nott a mass craze like Beanie Babies.

3) There are different types of collectors in this space ... not everyone is going for the same thing.  There are character driven collectors, first appearance, type of art (strip, commission, illustration, etc), genre (horror, superhero, etc), artist, and the list goes on.  There is of course overlap as well.  There is enough to go around and still have unique collections.

4) Most people - collectors or not - can appreciate cartoons and comics.  They may not be diehards, but there is a reason why Scooby Doo is still around, Superman and Spiderman are still icons, etc.  It's part of our shared experience.  I also think that most people can appreciate looking at something original that goes into making the final product.  If you have one piece of comic book art or a cartoon cell hanging on your wall, people will check it out ... they may not be as excited by your Thomas Kincaid art.

One comment that has come out recently is that there is concern that collectors are aging out of Golden and Silver age art because the nostalgia isn't there ... I don't see that happening and I think auction prices substantiate that.  As people get deeper into the hobby, the interest to what came before increases.

Just my .05

They send everything to Dallas and send out from there.

I was only interested in the Kaluta zombie cover, which went for $15K+.  A Kaluta House of Mystery cover went for 10K on Heritage in June, so this was a bit more ... although this was arguably a better cover.

This could also be an unpublished inventory story for use in one of the DC War books.  They did this for both the mystery and war stories.  They also heavily relied on a stable of excellent Filipino artists to do these.  Here's a bit of an odd equation, but how is the quality of the paper ... is it regular art board?

I have been using the Microsoft Lens app on my iPhone.  It is a free download and works really well.  You do not have to worry about a tripod or anything, since the software adjusts the angle of the scan.  You also have the opportunity to crop the shot.  Great for larger format pieces.  As other's have said, you have to be aware of the lighting to minimize shadows and glare.  I recently used it on this one: https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=2044860

I feel comfortable saying that there is close to 0% chance that any of your family or successors will feel as passionately about your collection as you do.  I think kids may like a piece or two, perhaps only because it reminds them of you.  It's the nature of collecting.  You could be collecting Monets and your heirs will see the $$$ value but not necessarily appreciate the art the way you do.

In a will, it's probably best to make a provision to allow heirs to pick what they want at an appropriate valuation and then direct the executor to sell the rest.

For safety's sake (of the art), you should itemize what you have and where it is so that it doesn't get "disposed" of.

So let's add an extension to this question.  Leaving out "modern" art ... let's randomly say since 2000 ... is those pages from the 60's-90's have had that 10-30x run up, how much further can it go?  There is a lot of art of all types out there, and we have seen special pages go for 10's-100's, but what about a run of the mill 80's DC cover?  A run of the mill Gill Kane cover from the 70s?

I generally don't care because I don't sell, but like most people I don't want to overpay either.  Are there categories that have topped out?

Did the Johnny Craig Haunt of Fear cover do so well (compared to the other EC covers) because it was a "#1"?  I thought the Feldstein and Ingles covers had much better images.

Do either of these companies cover you if the art is stored in a storage unit?

Thanks everyone for the feedback ... quick follow up: If I were to put portfolios in non-airtight plastic bags, is it a good idea to add desiccant bags?

On 4/8/2024 at 5:53 AM, Rick2you2 said:

I thought the Domínguez cover from the Phantom Stranger at $10,500 was very strong. What I would have wanted, however, was the Kaluta Spectre cover. Beautifully proportioned.

Followed up by and equally strong $9K for the House of Mystery Cover.

Both.  Portfolios of art and framed pieces.  Also wondering if I vac pac the boxed frames or portfolios, if that would promote mold.

Although I have an HP multipurpose Officejet that does 11x17 scans (and I am very happy with it), I actually really have been impressed with the Microsoft Lens app, which is free (not sure if free with 365 or just free).  This is super helpful with the larger pieces.

So we have to do some home renovations that will not allow us to be in the house for a couple of months. Although I don't expect anything to go wrong, there is always the risk of flood/fire when people are playing with water and electricity.  I'm trying to come up with a solution to store/protect the art I own while this is going on.  Do I keep it in the house boxed and in plastic? Offsite climate controlled storage?  

I'm sure I'm not the first to go through this, so suggestions are welcome!  Appreciate the help!

Well addiction always has a progression.  :-).  I also started in the 90's so I've had to adjust my price expectations several times.  I have always focused on a genre with a could have specific characters, but my interests lie outside of the regular superhero work.  This means a really expansive range of potential pages ... so there are plenty in the $500 or less category that I buy because I find them interesting from an artistic standpoint.  The progression over the years has been not one of buying more expensive pages (although it has become the nature of the "hobby" that the prices keep going up), but looking 1) to fill holes from specific artists that I might want within my genre; 2) filling in examples of artists within a specific comic book; 3) looking for specific pages.  At the end of the day, you have to enjoy looking at it.

On 3/16/2024 at 11:43 AM, Xatari said:

I do wonder if the abundance of Sandman art over the past few years will artificially suppress prices to some extent. Very possible we could see a drought down the road followed by an uptick. Full disclosure: I do not own Sandman art or have plans on purchasing. I am just trying to be a student of the hobby and am highly interested in trend analysis. 

I don't think so.  The offerings seem to be heavily from the first story arcs and artists, with a couple of pieces here and there from later stories.  Depending on what story appealed to you, there is probably still a lot of potential interest.  

Heritage did a walk through with Gaiman that was posted on Youtube that was really enjoyable.  Knowing a bit more of the history behind each piece was cool.  Also, he really seems to care about the pieces as art.

Alex Johnson has a really good list of how to value your art.  It's pinned on the boards here somewhere.  Sandman has been on a roll recently on Heritage, with earlier pages bringing from around $2K to astronomical numbers.  There are two Zulli pages with the new Sandman coming up for auction on March 14, which should give you a solid idea.  Pluses to this page - Title page and its the original series.  Zulu's pencils are always beautiful.  However, it is later in the run, it's a set up shot, and there are no characters or dialog. (It is a beautiful page, though).  My guess, would be in the 2-3K range.

I try to do this.  It actually came in handy in one instance.  I have a splash page from a Bronze Age book, all the right indicia and stamps on it, and a story page is one.  Find the story in the printed book, but I can't find the page.  Looks like they took it out in favor of an ad page.  Would never have known if I hadn't seen the printed version.

Sigh.  I think one of the elements you have to take into account is when you actually started collecting.  Given that prices have gone up considerably (and depending on what type of art that you collect), you may have no choice to consider them an "investment."  For those of us fortunate enough to have started in the Dark Ages, the buy in to the hobby was not what it is today.  So I have never looked at my collection as part of my net worth (other than insuring it).  I think I am honestly happier in the hobby that way too.  I think the same thing applies to whether you hang a piece or hide it in a vault.

Now, if I start buying bigger ticket items in today's market, that assessment would probably have to change.

It's funny that this topic has come up because I just watched the documentary on this, and my first thought was, "How is Bouvier still alive?"  Regardless of the the question of contract etc (and I realize this is a lawsuit), to me the main issue was that (at least how it was presented in the documentary), that Bouvier lied to Rybolovlev.  If he said that the seller didn't want to go below x when he knows it's y, that is not a mark up or percentage, it's a lie.

Looking for the Title page to The Battle of Bloody Valley by Buddy Gernale.  Thanks!