XxSpideyxX

2 hours ago, dupont2005 said:

Super hero movies aren’t increasing print runs of modern monthlies, but they are absolutely fueling speculation of back issues. 

But we don't know who are buying those issues.  I would argue that we essentially have two different audience segments enjoying the movies.  The first (the older generation) watch the movies and fuel the back issues that support those movies.  The far larger segment (younger generation) watch the movies but are not called to collect the comics, new or otherwise.

August 9th is Book Lover's Day.

That includes us, right?  

2 hours ago, marvelmaniac said:

I have never purchased a comic for investment purposes or what will happen to it in the future, it was always to complete my runs and enjoy the books/stories for what they are, comic books have always brought me joy.

Even though I do not buy anymore I still thoroughly enjoy my collection, I Love being able to pick up a physical copy of an old book and just look at it or take it out of the Mylite, hold it and flip through the pages. 

I actually Love the smell of decaying paper,  (there was one LCS that had that smell, it hit you right in the face when you walked in, it was like a drug to me),  just knowing that I have all of these books makes me Happy. 

Everytime I walk in or look in my bedroom and see all of the Collectibles/Memorabilia/Comics displayed it puts a BIG SMILE on my face. and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

When I am gone my kids are going to sell them so I have them for ME to LOVE and ENJOY, NOW.

I agree.  There is something tangible and real about holding the comics and completing a run or set.

That being said, let me ask this

Let's say those comics that you own are worth absolutely nothing in terms of monetary value starting right now.  Would you still add to the collections?  Would you read them differently?  Store them differently?  Would you slab any?  I'm sure you would keep them.  That part is not up for debate.  But I wonder if you would store them or read them the same way?   I think (whether we want to admit it or not) we feel some inherent monetary value/investment in our comics.  Despite AND because of our love for them

I'm certainly not trying to argue with you because I agree with you fully.  It just matters to me that these comics are worth SOMETHING beyond sentimental value and I hope they at least remain to do so.

13 hours ago, lou_fine said:

Like the old saying goes on the boards here...................Buy what you love and enjoy, and if it happens to go up in value, then that's just an extra bonus.  

I guess that's my problem.  I love to death the very few comics I own.  But it's honestly hard to feel good about spending a ton of money on them, when I can essentially read them all for free or under a dollar if I really want to.  Why I buy the comics I do basically boils down to two reasons:

1)  I want to own the best version of the "original" versions of the comic books that I can afford because they have strong sentimental value to me.

2)  I see these as an investment in some form.  Whether it be to pass along to my children as a way to remember me, or a way to provide on rainy day when all else fails.

Let's not kid ourselves.  We slab these books to preserve them, but also to help us have a better objective idea of their worth.  We can't really "enjoy" all these books have to offer books if they are permanently sealed.   We slab to protect, give objective value, and, if not to sell, then to pass down.  So I buy the comics because I love and enjoy them, but I deliberately choose the more expensive option.  It isn't good enough for me if it isn't tangible and real.  And if I'm going to spend in some cases a 1000 times more for the same version of something I can read on my phone, I want it not be money wasted in 10-20 years.  

I'm certainly not trying to use these as a retirement fund, but I also hope I'm not completely wasting money.  In a way, it's like a home improvement.  You do it primarily because you want to enjoy it, but you also want it to, in the very least, not depreciate the value of your home    

There seem to be two independent conversations going on here, and I'm not sure how much they each actually relate to one another.

The first being that superhero movies are a fad in the cinematic genre and will die out to some (large?) degree.  With this sentiment, I tend to agree.  If we look at popular movie genres over the years, there has also been a trend of genre popularity every 10 years or so.  Very generally speaking, cinema saw genres gain and lose popularity every decade since sound entered the picture.  We had romantic comedies in the 30s, film noir in the 40s, westerns in the 50s, rebellion movies in the 60s, disaster films in the 70s, adventure films in the 80s, dramas in the 90s, and superheroes this decade.  Of course, each of these respective genres have continued with spattered success, but nothing like the popularity they experienced in their prime decade.  

So yes, I think superhero movies will decrease in popularity starting now.  But I'm not sure we can correlate that to back issues we all own today.  We haven't seen an increase in comic book sales as a result of the increased popularity of superhero films.  We've actually seen the opposite.  What this means (to me) is that the films aren't driving comic sales.  But again, I hope I'm wrong!

8 hours ago, Lazyboy said:

It's a ludicrous statement that is extremely lacking in perspective. Most books that are newer than early Bronze may have their prices constrained by supply, but that doesn't mean demand is lower.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding either or both of you, but I think you are actually in agreement    I believe Marvel Maniac was was saying that the back issues that are in high demand now ( Gold/Silver/Early Bronze) are that way because they weren't artificially cost inflated or offered with those other cheap marketing gimmicks that plague comics today as you point out

3 hours ago, thunsicker said:

As someone said before the last 20 years have been a boon for comics with four factors vastly increasing their value.  

1. The rule of 25 with people who grew up in the 70's and 80's becoming higher paid.
2. The auction houses allowing people to sell to each other rather than to sell back to stores at a very low percentage of value
3. CGC allowing people to sell over the internet with some standards on grade
4. Disney/Marvel putting out the wildly popular films that got those people for whom factor 1 was relevant focused on comics from their youth.

This led to a huge increase in prices over the last 20 years that I'm not sure we'll see again.  We may see some increases over the next 5 to 15 years but I'm bearish on much longer than that.  If I was a gambler I would guess Video Games or Trading Card Games (Pokemon, MTG, etc.) would outperform comics in the medium term.  Though even those I don't think will see the same increases that we've seen in comics over the last 20 years.

Yes, I am in agreement with all of this.  An apt comparison might be to what generations before us collected that failed to pass down to us.  Stamps?  🤓 Baseball cards?  😎 Playboy magazines? 😳

AF 15 

6 hours ago, marvelmaniac said:

Nostalgia always brings things back, look at turntables and vinyl records and there are numerous other examples.

 

Excellent points and I love your insight!  I think this sentence kind of summarizes the point I'm trying to make  

Right now, I would argue these Golden/Silver/and Bronze age books are doing well in the market because those of us old enough to have disposable income are finally able to spend it on what is nostalgic for us.  

But, if "kids these days" aren't buying comics (new or old), there will be no nostalgia left for them in comics by the time they are our age.  Without the market support, the values will plummet.  

I'm certainly okay with change and realize I have a different value in these books than any of my friends or family, but my passion for these heroes and this format really makes me want to help it survive for generations to come.  

Since the passing of Stan Lee, I feel comic books have lost the single brightest torch-bearer and mouthpiece for this market.

I’m new to encapsulation.  Are there any ‘recalls’ that we know of regarding cases deteriorating over time or perhaps updates in encapsulation methods/materials that warrant re-slabbing?

We all know plastic is a chemical and deteriorates over time.  ln the absence of any specific identified dates of known defects or improper methods, is there a general rule of thumb for replacing slabs?

The reason I ask is that I bought a comic that was slabbed in 2011.  While the condition of the slab appears to be perfect, I’m curious if I need to update the casing every so often.

Sage, I appreciate your reply   I should have specified...being they are all (I think) high grade, would the investment serve me better to slab them rather than leave them bagged/boarded.  I won't necessarily display them like I do my other key issues, so for me it would purely be a monetary gamble.  But if having them slabbed improves my changes of having a better sale when the time comes, I may go ahead and do it

Hello!

First off:  I'm not really a collector.  I love Spider-Man and have nice high-grade issues of a couple of my favorite comics (33, 39, and 50).  I have them encapsulated mostly so that I can display them and one day give them to my kids in hopes they are of either monetary or sentimental value for them.

That beings said, I have a full set of "Kraven's Last Hunt" that are only bagged and boarded.  They are all in really good shape.  I would say at least a 9.2 each.  And all non-newsstand editions.  

I'm wondering if it is worth encapsulating this set?  This would be purely for financial purposes of selling one day to get the Silver Age Spidey books I really like     I bought the full set in hopes of them going up in value if they ever do a cinematic version of "Last Hunt," which I imagine one day will happen.

Thoughts?

Oh okay thank you.  

Small world!  Well, thank you!

Excited to own this!  Just sent you a question on EBay re: pressing

59 minutes ago, The Lions Den said:

Since I'm the owner of this book, all I can say is that it's definitely a nice, sharp looking copy. I do see a bit of tiny wear that breaks color at the bottom of the spine on the front cover, but that's about it. Hope this helps, and sorry you can't get the notes. That means I can't, either...  

Oh cool!  So I just bought it from you?

51 minutes ago, The Lions Den said:

Since I'm the owner of this book, all I can say is that it's definitely a nice, sharp looking copy. I do see a bit of tiny wear that breaks color at the bottom of the spine on the front cover, but that's about it. Hope this helps, and sorry you can't get the notes. That means I can't, either...  

Oh cool!  So I just bought it from you?

This comic was graded in 2011.  Any idea why I can’t purchase the notes to it?

16 hours ago, The Lions Den said:

There is always that chance. However, there is also a chance you could get the 8.0 and have your comic certified by the best company in the business.

In the notes, it refers to a bend on the top edge of the spine which goes through the book to the back cover. That type of flaw is almost always treated more severely than if it were just slight wear on the top edge of the spine. If you could remove that flaw, you may have a shot at an 8.0. Not only that, if the back cover were cleaned up, it would also improve your chances. 

If it were me, I'd get ahold of joeypost and have him check it out. Either way, good luck!  

Does joeypost do pressings and cleaning?  Sorry, I'm new to this community

8 minutes ago, The Lions Den said:

I'd probably do it just to get it out of that ghastly looking holder...  

hahaha

I worry CGC will be more strict and downgrade me more!  LOL

25 minutes ago, theCapraAegagrus said:

Removing the "light edge-wear" won't increase the condition enough, to my eyes. That would appear to be the only defect(s) that pressing might alleviate.

I'm not an expert, though. That's just my observation. Either way - it's a very nice comic.

Thank you!

1 hour ago, theCapraAegagrus said:

IMO: No.

Thank you!  Care to elaborate?  

ASM 50 is my favorite comic of all time. I would love to have at least an 8.0 copy, but can't afford to buy it.  
 

I have a 7.5 version that I love.  The book has two current conditions that I'm hoping may be improved with a clean and press. What do you think?

The cover has 2" crease along the top that "barely breaks color" There is also some "light dirt" on the back cover than I'm hoping can be removed. Together, I'm wondering if this would bring the book up by .5.  I wouldn't see a grade upgrade for a full or extended color break, but to my eyes, the color break is only around a cm or two.

I tried to take some pictures of the crease and the dirt.

What do you think?




Notes:
spine wear & stress breaks color
light edge wear, bends & few creases
light dirt back cover, small rust stains back cover spine
2" crease top spine front cover barely breaks color, bends through to back cover

Interest in 119 if you can DM me

DM me.  Interested