Aman619

Well, the protagonists were both victims of the wars. One died while that other just got stuck in a very long and very bad summer camp. and please dont take that the wrong way. Japanese interned kids have told me that while their parents were very angry to have lost their rights as citizens as well as their possessions, the little kids — as kids do everywhere — played and took it in stride… by comparison to the adults.

gee. guess I didnt have to change the ending to soften you up!

I get it... it does seem like he's "selling" the concept". But no different than other posters and other things other boardiess have felt strongly about here. I mean, the conversation parallels so many others we have read amd/or participated in where someone had a "dumb" idea thats so off the charts based on all the collecting, buying and discussing of comics we have all done for 20-50 years. Thats why I see echoes in the arguments by posters here adamantly opposed to it as we (all?) were against slabbing our comics 20 years ago. New ideas dont always seem obvious or necessary, and certainly not welcome especially when introduced by an upstart for profit organization like Rally Rd. I dont see any personal gain for him except for personal satisfaction, as I think he's mainly interested in the real world manifestation of an concept that occurred to him years ago.... and would love for it to be mainstream AND beneficial financially to other collectors. and yes, if it sounds like a dumb idea, I see your point that its tedious to keep fighting windmills in a hostile crowd like the Golden Age section... you guys are the smartest, savviest collectors in the world! added blatant butt kissing at the end....

Bedrock, you are NOT the target audience for this kind of opportunity. You can stroke a check for anything you want.. You dont speak for the little guy who this might appeal to. Im not the target either. But that doesn't blind me to its appeal to others. But I do see the issues, or complications in us "knowing" what others might want to put their money into. Collectors who realize that they are putting money into comics who also see that money as increasing over time when they sell, could see that putting some money into fractional shares of something that they feel will increase in value is somewhat that appeals to them. Especially AF 15 which just seems to have no limit as it prices nearly every collector out of any decent looking copy.

I’m like everyone else on the boards…. I don’t buy at these prices! I’m lucky to have been accumulating stuff since the 80s… heck, as people are saying about any AF 15, starting to buy keys just a few years ago looks pretty profitable now, at this rate of increases.

Just 3 more bids to the big 3M! 5 more to new worlds record?

Good points. We have been held back by one obstinate old dentist.

Why? Well yeah as stated it does sound too fast. But more like Wata and these games as a market were born at a time of enormous amounts of liquid cash and the height of acceptance of geeky collectibles. action 1 has been collected for let’s say 60 years. After 10 years one sold for a ridiculous 2k. The price of a car. Who can say what it would sell for if comics just started slabbing in an era of 6M baseball cards. One could argue that comics long history and wide consumer collecting base built over time has restrained prices. Look at the shock we feel at what new money is willing to pay right now!! They are not interested in a slow rise in values, just paying a little more than GPA highs like we are. They have the cash and just want it.

He told me I didn’t have to be the shiller anymore, cause you’re handling that now! Lol wait, is this mic on??

well they must be on a lunch break... price hasnt moved all day!

yeas but all the new price points all of a sudden are still a bit bewildering. Look at X-Men already falling off crazy highs in grades 147K in 8.0 with newer sales far less. Daredevil feels like irrational exuberance over rumors that hes arriving in the MCU movies soon. And that DD1 prices haven't budged in many years.

Ive spoken with more than one person who has handled the Promise books and each says they are incredible in hand. Tight, glossy, unread. If you held them you'd understand the grades better. One has to feel that the flaws have been averaged out WITH the perfection in so many other aspects that some here --- looking at scans only --- complain are overly generous. These are like brand new copies with one of two (sometimes pretty noticeable) flaws, thats it! I won't believe that someone from Heritage who may or may not in fact now be he devil ever makes or felt he needed to make a call to CGC to get gift grades, as if its worth his time, or necessarily gets them without having to ask. But it seems thats as easy for some people to believe as so much other stuff on the internet these days.

Spend your bucks on a better copy. This will be a tough sell for the same reasons that are giving you pause.

If I understand the Hughes case, Hughes got underwater, owed both parties money, heritage took steps to make themselves whole for Hughes personal heritage debts before his poster partners could, they sued heritage, won some of their money but were rebuffed when they tried to sue for more after they already inspected what heritage was holding. Right? So heritage got caught being savvy and in a better position than the poster guys to get paid. To which I think they’d say guilty as charged.

Gee, I wish Valiantman would come back! I’m kinda holding the bag here and I’m not a likely user of this thing anyway!

You do, but that’s semantics. You know I don’t look at it as owning the book anyway, just a share of the value increase. You can say I own a piece of the profits of a particular copy that is an avatar for all copies of that issue. Meaning if a different copy sells for 12K, Rally could also… provided the usual. Disclaimers are equal, page quality, upgrade potential causing a higher sale price etc.

Well, “there is another…”. Safely estimated as a 9.4, maybe 9.6. Or a press away at worst. But overall, Batman 1 is first appearance of 2 villains. While AF 15 is first appearance of Spider-Man. And Bat 1 is in reality only 20 years older, which continues to equalize the two books agewise every decade. gA vs SA maybe be a distinction that doesn’t register at all for the new 5M buyers today.

Comic connect might have to use their BFG (from Doom)…. Get on the phone and tell Harare it’s time to to unload one of his 9.0s. Before they are worth even less than they are now. : )

It really is…. If you are “new” to comics as an investor, this book is right at the top of items you’d want to snag. Best graded first Spider-Man. Even with an Action 1 or Tec 27, if you’ve done your research, and learned the landscape for these top books (hello Rob React!) you aren’t buying the highest graded copy.

As currently run, the objects are bought, shares issued, with a hold out period. You can’t sell until say 90 days etc. The object is sold and share values are paid out of the proceeds of the sale. So for now, the entity maintains a lot more control in order to try to guarantee a profit for themselves. They also value the shares at a price higher than price they paid. Therefore if they paid 80k and sell 100 shares at 1000 each, that’s 20k profit for fees/expenses, and an investor needs it to sell for 101K to see any profit on their investment. This too is a limitation as an investment vehicle because it’s not a wide enough open market like Wall Street where you can buy at 9:30am. and sell ten minutes later. Basically you have to decide if the object will increase more than 20% not just if it will increase at all.. but this just means it’s an investment like real estate more than an equity. If you flip a house you pay broker fees so a sale at price you bought is a loss.so you hold on til you’re in the black. Again, there’s the concept, and there’s the available vehicles… if RallyRd et al get too greedy they kill the concept.

Yeah, but you can’t come right and say that stuff. Supposed to agree that we all respect each others dumb collecting preferences. Cause, arguing about it won’t change any minds. To each his own.

No it won’t be for everyone! First you have to have a desire to invest for profit in comics. Then you also have to believe that an Action 1 for instance will keep increasing in value. And finally, you won’t ever be someone who can ever purchase one on your own. If the answer to each is Yes, You must then be willing to gamble/invest whatever you are comfortable with to take part in the appreciation in value. lastly it must be added that you must also have faith in the company that is selling the shares that they will honor the agreement and pay you. im pretty sure what Valiantman has been consistently saying is that the concept has merit… while also not endorsing any particular entity that is doing this as a for profit endeavor at this time. He only began “touting Rally Road” — as he has been accused of many times here — when they appeared in the marketplace, because to him, it was a confirmation of an idea he had many years ago that he could not pull off. In all of these threads what I am hearing on the boards in response to his comments reminds me a lot of what we collectors were saying about slabbing comics. “No way Jose. Doesn’t feel right. Comics are for reading and holding “. Yet here we are. Independent grading directly led to greater values, and profits for collectors and dealers alike. And it became very popular and normal. And nearly all of us here are doing it or actively buying slabbed comics, warts and all. so everyone has their opinions now. Let’s see how they feel later once someone figures out how to do it right. As for myself, I agree with the Concept.

Sigh. I was just too lazy to go back edit my first post so I typed a new one. Then had another thought after that. I DID edit the third one cause maybe I knew someone would be counting!

And I might as well add that there have been two long running themes on the Boards for 20 years. WHAT I collect is better than what you collect. And WHY I collect is purer than why you collect. These themes have cause countless arguments and discussions. It will be ever thus.

For me I started buying and collecting comics off the newssrtand in the 60s. Then in comics shops. Then filled in back issues. Completed runs. Upgraded to HG. And now? They have great value, so I’m focused on the financial aspect more than you are. Which is cool that you don’t look at comics that way. But no reason why I shouldn’t.