GermanFan

So we are back in pre CGC times again? Meaning CGC certifications have lost their core function: creating trust.

Because shapeshifters are real. Even in the comic collecting community there are some.

If its under 10 k look for a trustworthy board member as a middleman and compensate him. If its a high ticket book pick it up in person.

On 12/9/2023 at 3:41 PM, VintageComics said:

Aren't these guys kids of Mark Wilson?

Their dad was a monster comic dealer for decades and their uncle was well known too.

These guys aren't amateurs. This is all just great fodder for video content. 

Here's the same guy interviewing his dad, who he introduces as one of the greatest comic book dealers of the 80's and 90's.

 

That was interesting. How he points out that the money squeezing trickery with comics didnt end with the appearance of grading companies but rather changed (the pressing and resubmit  game).

I just read the market report of : "Art at auction. The year at Sotheby Parke Bernet" 1974-75 (right after the oil shock). It reads like written today: Falling prices all across the board. Rising interest rates, tough to lend money, banks going bankrupt, Inflation, Recession, declining stock and real estate. Worrying if and how the art market responds. Its all cycles. They go on reminding of all the recessions before, WW2, WW1, 19th century and so on. 

Nothing is new under this sun. Especially not the human condition.

On 11/25/2023 at 7:31 PM, stock_rotation said:

Nonsense! Who among us did not delight in Kav & Oakman adding 4-5 pages of complete garbage insightful commentary to every single thread, no matter the subject!

Gresham's Law, baby! It's not just for economics anymore!

Gresham's Law.

The bad money drives the good money out?

On 11/25/2023 at 3:18 PM, KCOComics said:

I do think we saw a population spike during the pandemic. All of the SA key book threads were having lively discussions about auction results and current value. 

It's a lot less fun to discuss prices on the way down. 

Not for me.

On 11/25/2023 at 2:07 PM, CAHokie said:

How much of that peak is just when Roy posts though? 

Serious question though. Do you know if we really did lose a lot of members when the board switched over? There was a concern at the time that some were just not going to come back.  

I still miss the old boards.

On 11/6/2023 at 2:28 PM, drotto said:

What we also may need to factor in is the nostalgia factor of the next generation.  They have shown that people in their 30 to 40 start to get nostalgia for what they grew up on as kids. So their is about a 20 to 30 year cycle where things get hit by a renewed pupularity. So all these kids that grew up on the MCU have about 10 to 15 years till they hit the age where they start longing for and collecting what they loved as a kid.  The MCU for many should be part of that. That could certainly drive prices.

 

 

Why should someone being a fan of MCU Movies start collecting Comics? Maybe a few do of course, maybe most then the Omnibus books or other reprints. I assume the numbers of ppl start collecting vintage comics bc of the Marvel Movies will not having a significant effect on prices.

This is a screenshot from a Ken Burns Documentary. September 1939. Amazing Mystery Funnies down right?

On 9/10/2023 at 4:18 AM, VintageComics said:

It depends on the market we're talking about. 

Highest quality books are outstripping their lower quality counterparts and the gap continues to increase. 

If you have a 9.8 it's not falling as fast as the grades below it, and if it's an exemplary specimen, it's going for stratospheric money. 

I think that as a general rule seems to be holding. 

And as I mentioned, I think the reason for this is that the people with REAL money are buying up quality items because they foresee a glut of poor quality (or fake / digital) items flooding the market place. Supply continues to dwindle for ALL quality assets. 

REAL and QUALITY will always command a premium in any market so these two are the safest bets for investors. 

There is more money in the world than things to buy with. That explains much.

A friend of my father was a very knowledgable coin collector in the 70s. Once he got a call from a seller and went to his house to look at the coins. He bought some coins among them an old german coin he never had seen before. He got it for a song and later sold it at auction for huge money, half the value of a house in germany to that time. The seller was so suspicious he had a revolver laying on the table when they negotiated the deal.

First offer 50$ then later 1000$

What a stupid move. 1000 red flags going up immediately. He guaranteed the failure of the deal. He should have laid $500 cash on the table right in front of her, then maybe going up to $ 1000 in some steps, nearly crying for the loss of his money.

On 8/27/2023 at 5:08 PM, Robot Man said:

There is a fine line between “honesty” and stupidly.

I have had many opportunities to by collections of comics and other collectibles. The owner asked me what the value was. I worked for in some times many hours to give them an accurate appraisal and made them a fair offer only to be turned down. The seller just uses it as a starting point to the next buyer. Is my time and expertise worth nothing? Of course not. There are many actual appraisers who actually charge for their time and education.

Does it always pay to be “forth coming”? I once bought a very valuble sports photograph from a local flea market seller for a very inexpensive price. I knew what it was and he obviously didn’t nor did he seem to care. I sent it to auction and it sold for huge money. I saw the seller a few months later and handed him $500. cash. He was blown away and asked me why. I just told him I had purchased something from him that did real well at auction. He asked me what it was and what I got for it. I refused to answer and just told him to enjoy his windfall. The result? Now he won’t sell to me. So much for “honesty”…

Some times it does pay off. There are several dealers and estate sale owners who give me first shot at stuff because they know and trust me. They know I will be fair and pay accordingly in cash. We have a good relationship.

At a show dealing with a total stranger, I will either just pay their asking price or make a counter offer if we are close. Zero guilt on my part no matter what the item or value.

I have been doing this for 50 years. Great deals are fewer and fewer these days. For every home run there are 50 strikeouts.

Reminds me of the story you once told about finding a coverless Bat 1 in an antique store and the seller said "3" you initially thought he wanted 300 but the you quickly realized he meant 3 Dollars...(iirc).

Colossal price for Koloss.

https://www.comicconnect.com/item/998491?tzf=1

Must be quite rare considering Norway had (guesstimate) a population about 5 or 6 Million in the 60s.

The German Hulk 1 from 1974 had a print run of 78. 000 I believe.

What happens if the seller refuses to finish the deal?

Low grade with amateur resto, but for 20 bucks it was a no brainer for me.

On 6/3/2023 at 2:42 AM, thehumantorch said:

I just keep buying.  Year after year.  Frankly, anything that catches my eye that I can afford.  I don't worry about the market being high or low. 

If someday my collection is worthless - unlikely - or worth less than I paid - more likely but still unlikely - I don't really care, I got to own the books and I had a lot of fun collecting.  For me the value of collecting comics is in the enjoyment, not the dollar value of my books.

On 5/24/2023 at 2:52 PM, FoggyNelson said:

Foreign comics are cool , an compared th the original, they are cheap‼️👍

Some are cheap. But many are escalating pricewise. For instance the UK Locker Planet Comics from the 50s, or the Arnold ECs Hof 1 and TftC 1. 

At least Dell Barks Ducks in mid to lower grade are still affordble thanks to the high print runs.

On 5/20/2023 at 9:12 PM, adamstrange said:

One of the critical aspects to selling the danger is in the drawing of the hands.  The muscles have to show the intensity of the life or death struggle, and Heath replaces his typical cross-hatching for a superb impressionistic approach to the inking.

Drawing/painting hands is complicated. Painters like for instance Velasquez when doing paintings of royalty charged more when painting more hands in the portraits.