What OA Can You Get For $30K

[Artemaria]

I've had some of the same frustrations you've had, and the competition is such that no matter how much you've got to invest, getting the top stuff still depends on being in the right place at the right time (and, finally, at the right price). As somebody who's relatively new to collecting comic OA, but not completely unfamiliar with other styles, I've noticed the same thing is prevalent no matter the field: if you find a piece you like from an artist you like at a good price, snap it up because chances are there are other people who feel the same way you do, and many of them will likely have deeper pockets, better connections, or both (but hey- maybe I'm just a little jaded because South Bend is not the place for those connections to come in handy ). Those frustrations are also common- I'm certain there's people with $50k out there that are frustrated that a great Frazetta painting is either out of their price range today (but wasn't years ago) or not on the market, .

 

I'd say keep your chin up, eyes open, and you'll find some kickass artwork soon enough to fit what you're looking for. Being picky isn't bad as long as you like what you're "stuck" with (thumbs u

 

M-52

 

I really appreciate the encouragement. I'm not out of it yet, and I don't anticipate being out of it for a while. Just frustrated that reasonably priced pieces that I like are becoming much harder to come by, and by the fact that I'm missing those that do pop up.

 

But, you're right, when things come around, they will be all that much sweeter.

 

Thanks again.

 

- A

 

[Artemaria]

As of a week or two ago, you could have had a McFarlane Spiderman cover for just under 30K. ASMs are pretty much 30K+ if you can find someone to sell. Miller Daredevils are hitting 30K+ and Wrightson plates are 25K and above depending on image, etc.

The prices are getting out of hand.

 

Getting out of hand or getting out of a range we're comfortable with? Who's to say they are out of hand? I too can't afford what I could in the past, and wish prices were lower. Alas, we can't roll back time.

 

Hari

 

 

 

Hari -

 

Good point, but one of the differences between you and others is that you've already been doing this for a little while and have amassed a really spectacular collection.

 

For those of us like myself (I've only been collecting since Jan 2007), the sea change has meant that many many pieces that we would like to someday own are out of a range that we're comfortable with. . . . and may never be available barring some calming of the market froth (so to speak).

 

That prospect of never owning a potential grail unless you make some other fairly large sacrifices is a difficult one to face as when someone is new and is trying to build a collection.

 

Just some food for thought.

 

- A

 

 

 

[heartened]

As of a week or two ago, you could have had a McFarlane Spiderman cover for just under 30K. ASMs are pretty much 30K+ if you can find someone to sell. Miller Daredevils are hitting 30K+ and Wrightson plates are 25K and above depending on image, etc.

The prices are getting out of hand.

 

Getting out of hand or getting out of a range we're comfortable with? Who's to say they are out of hand? I too can't afford what I could in the past, and wish prices were lower. Alas, we can't roll back time.

 

Hari

 

 

 

Hari -

 

Good point, but one of the differences between you and others is that you've already been doing this for a little while and have amassed a really spectacular collection.

 

For those of us like myself (I've only been collecting since Jan 2007), the sea change has meant that many many pieces that we would like to someday own are out of a range that we're comfortable with. . . . and may never be available barring some calming of the market froth (so to speak).

 

That prospect of never owning a potential grail unless you make some other fairly large sacrifices is a difficult one to face as when someone is new and is trying to build a collection.

 

Just some food for thought.

 

- A

 

 

 

I completely agree with you. I remember when I started, back around 2000 (which, mind you, isn't that long ago!), and I said the same exact thing to the guys who were doing this for years before me. So, while I definitely see and agree with your point, you may have some guy in 5 years telling YOU that YOU had it good back then, and look at where prices are now!

 

More food for thought

 

Hari

 

[dem1138]

Hari - You are a wise man.

[otherworldsj33]

30K will NOT get a good Killing Joke page !!

[comix4fun]

30K will NOT get a good Killing Joke page !!

 

 

4 months ago $16k got you a good page.

 

12 months ago $22k (only 10k of it in cash) got you a GREAT page.

 

The page is Heritage was GREAT page.....pretty much every page in KJ is good, and of stellar workmanship.

 

Offering $30k cash to a person with a good page would probably shake one loose pretty fast.

 

One sale does not a market make....at least not for every page.

 

C

[clemso]

As of a week or two ago, you could have had a McFarlane Spiderman cover for just under 30K. ASMs are pretty much 30K+ if you can find someone to sell. Miller Daredevils are hitting 30K+ and Wrightson plates are 25K and above depending on image, etc.

The prices are getting out of hand.

 

Getting out of hand or getting out of a range we're comfortable with? Who's to say they are out of hand? I too can't afford what I could in the past, and wish prices were lower. Alas, we can't roll back time.

 

Hari

 

 

 

Hari -

 

Good point, but one of the differences between you and others is that you've already been doing this for a little while and have amassed a really spectacular collection.

 

For those of us like myself (I've only been collecting since Jan 2007), the sea change has meant that many many pieces that we would like to someday own are out of a range that we're comfortable with. . . . and may never be available barring some calming of the market froth (so to speak).

 

That prospect of never owning a potential grail unless you make some other fairly large sacrifices is a difficult one to face as when someone is new and is trying to build a collection.

 

Just some food for thought.

 

- A

 

 

 

I completely agree with you. I remember when I started, back around 2000 (which, mind you, isn't that long ago!), and I said the same exact thing to the guys who were doing this for years before me. So, while I definitely see and agree with your point, you may have some guy in 5 years telling YOU that YOU had it good back then, and look at where prices are now!

 

More food for thought

 

Hari

 

The trouble is s**t happens, unexpected bills, divorce, kids college funds etc and unless you really have to have deep pockets, its hard to hang onto something primo when life calls. I started collecting in 94. I seen the best Ditko ASM pages come and go at $3-5K, splash pages at $12K. Heck I remember Albert Moy was stuck with that ASM 12 splash for $12K for a long time and now it appears to have gone for $80K. Sure if you bought OA long time ago and can hang onto it then you will be quids in, but even in the 90s $5K -$10 K was a hell of alot of money, mind you Miller DK, Bolland KJ, Byrne X-Men were worth nothing.

 

Clem...

[Artemaria]

As of a week or two ago, you could have had a McFarlane Spiderman cover for just under 30K. ASMs are pretty much 30K+ if you can find someone to sell. Miller Daredevils are hitting 30K+ and Wrightson plates are 25K and above depending on image, etc.

The prices are getting out of hand.

 

Getting out of hand or getting out of a range we're comfortable with? Who's to say they are out of hand? I too can't afford what I could in the past, and wish prices were lower. Alas, we can't roll back time.

 

Hari

 

 

 

Hari -

 

Good point, but one of the differences between you and others is that you've already been doing this for a little while and have amassed a really spectacular collection.

 

For those of us like myself (I've only been collecting since Jan 2007), the sea change has meant that many many pieces that we would like to someday own are out of a range that we're comfortable with. . . . and may never be available barring some calming of the market froth (so to speak).

 

That prospect of never owning a potential grail unless you make some other fairly large sacrifices is a difficult one to face as when someone is new and is trying to build a collection.

 

Just some food for thought.

 

- A

 

 

 

I completely agree with you. I remember when I started, back around 2000 (which, mind you, isn't that long ago!), and I said the same exact thing to the guys who were doing this for years before me. So, while I definitely see and agree with your point, you may have some guy in 5 years telling YOU that YOU had it good back then, and look at where prices are now!

 

More food for thought

 

Hari

 

H -

 

This is an interesting point, and I can see the "history repeating itself" point that you are trying to make.

 

My question focuses more on the extremely recent price explosion that people continue to report based on the prevalence of certain factors that previously had no effect on the market, availability of pieces on the internet, eBay as a major force in the market; Hollywood interest in comics and comic art, etc.

 

Several sources have reported that the average price of some of the better original art has gone up, on average, approximately 250% in the last 12 months. From what I've read, this is a fairly unprecedented price escalation for this market for a one year period. While it works out for some (previously unheralded artists who couldn't give their stuff away are now getting a couple of hundred bucks a page; a "new" market in production stats, also previously valueless, etc.) it makes it harder for others. An additional benefit is that some people are selling things that they might have held onto for longer because the money is so good right now.

 

But was there a similar price explosion just before you started collecting in 2000? Or was it just that Cockrum X-men pages were $50 in 1977 and had gone up a good amount in the subsequent twenty three years before you started collecting?

 

Any light you can shed on such prior significant price escalations over short periods of time (if any) in the market, and the subsequent reactions, would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

- A

 

 

 

[delekkerste]

Several sources have reported that the average price of some of the better original art has gone up, on average, approximately 250% in the last 12 months. From what I've read, this is a fairly unprecedented price escalation for this market for a one year period.

 

Several sources? Are any of them KrazyKat? Prices are up, but not that much. I am quite sure that pages that were $10,000 last year are not $35,000 on average today...

 

 

But was there a similar price explosion just before you started collecting in 2000? Or was it just that Cockrum X-men pages were $50 in 1977 and had gone up a good amount in the subsequent twenty three years before you started collecting?

 

The prices of many collectibles were depressed due to illiquidity before the Internet democratized buying and selling in the late '90s and early 2000s. So, you definitely got a huge, one-time, justified revaluation from that. However, coupled with the Great Asset Mania fueled by negative real interest rates and cheap credit, comic art prices (and just about everything else) have skyrocketed in recent years. We've started to see over the past year an ongoing unwinding of the excesses in certain assets and markets, and I think art (both fine art and comic OA) will, ultimately, not prove to be immune to this, even if some collectors believe that buyers will swoop in at lower prices. The participants in every parabolic market feel that way, and they have always been proven wrong for hundreds of years.

 

I wonder how "real" all these exorbitant asking prices of the past 6 months are, anyway. With the exception of certain niche markets like the KJ pages where the supply is so tight, how many people are really playing in the deep end of the pool these days? How many are paying in cash? How much market "value" would be destroyed if Eric Roberts got hit by a bus?

 

But, hey, what do I know about any of this...I guess someone who's more financially and emotionally vested in the comic art market would be able to give you a more objective and unbiased opinion.

[westform]

Hi; first off- cockrum xmen pages weren't $50 bucks in 1977, covers were! In fact, I bought one recently that the owner had bought in 1977 for $35 bucks!!!

 

Secondly, I don't think prices have risen anywhere like 250% in the last year. It's risen alot in the last year on certain pieces, but these prices didn't come out of a vacuum either. Some pieces are just very hard to find or wrangle out of people. Therefore, it's hard to come up with comps. But, when one appears or you can talk someone into letting go, yes, sometimes you have to pay dearly. That's the nature of this hobby. It's not widgets, much as some would like you to believe.Each piece is unique and somewhat has it's own price.... all JIM splashes are not 30k!! Some are 10k, 20k, and yes 30k.... a couple might even run you 50k plus... You might have to pay cash, you might pay some trade or all trade. There is lot more to pricing in this hobby than static numbers or statistics.

 

Thirdly, I've been collecting over 15 years and there have definately been 12 month periods where the % increases mirror today's increases. We used to joke about it- '2k is the new 1k.' And then, suddenly awhile later '5k is the new 2500'. Anyway, it's happened before. But, keep in mind there are many parts of the art 'market' that have not gone up much, or have gone down. One person's A is another person's B piece and there are still many, many 'deals' out there. You just have to hunt and be patient. But, most importantly, if the piece is right for you and the deal is ok, you have to act quickly. It's always been true. Can't tell you how many pieces I've missed out on over the years because I was a few hours to late calling on the CBG ad............................DF

[Artemaria]

Dan and Gene -

 

The 250% figure was not my own. It came from several posters on these boards (not KK or sequillae) and other places. Even on this thread, there is a post that says a few months ago you could get a nice KJ page for $16K, and other persons elsewhere have speculated that $30K + is the new asking for good pages from that book based on recent auction results.

 

I appreciate the apparently conflicting evidence of "be patient" but "act quickly" and as crazy as it sounds, I know what you mean.

 

Thanks for the thoughtful responses and great historical perspectives (a Cockrum cover for $35???). I really enjoy learning about the good old days of the hobby from people who were there (or at least alot closer to there than myself).

 

It is a true pleasure sharing a hobby with you.

 

Best regards.

 

- A

 

 

 

 

 

[clemso]

Sure not all OA is $30K. Mike Burkey has some great Stuntman 2 pages for $700, but all Machine Man pages have sold out (;-)

 

Clem...

[clemso]

Hi; first off- cockrum xmen pages weren't $50 bucks in 1977, covers were! In fact, I bought one recently that the owner had bought in 1977 for $35 bucks!!!

 

Secondly, I don't think prices have risen anywhere like 250% in the last year. It's risen alot in the last year on certain pieces, but these prices didn't come out of a vacuum either. Some pieces are just very hard to find or wrangle out of people. Therefore, it's hard to come up with comps. But, when one appears or you can talk someone into letting go, yes, sometimes you have to pay dearly. That's the nature of this hobby. It's not widgets, much as some would like you to believe.Each piece is unique and somewhat has it's own price.... all JIM splashes are not 30k!! Some are 10k, 20k, and yes 30k.... a couple might even run you 50k plus... You might have to pay cash, you might pay some trade or all trade. There is lot more to pricing in this hobby than static numbers or statistics.

 

DF

 

There was that beautiful Kirby Thor marvel Pin-up that sold recently for $35K.

That was stunning.

 

Clem..

[otherworldsj33]

Thats true enough but it does nudge it a lot closer to that number.

[heartened]

As of a week or two ago, you could have had a McFarlane Spiderman cover for just under 30K. ASMs are pretty much 30K+ if you can find someone to sell. Miller Daredevils are hitting 30K+ and Wrightson plates are 25K and above depending on image, etc.

The prices are getting out of hand.

 

Getting out of hand or getting out of a range we're comfortable with? Who's to say they are out of hand? I too can't afford what I could in the past, and wish prices were lower. Alas, we can't roll back time.

 

Hari

 

 

 

Hari -

 

Good point, but one of the differences between you and others is that you've already been doing this for a little while and have amassed a really spectacular collection.

 

For those of us like myself (I've only been collecting since Jan 2007), the sea change has meant that many many pieces that we would like to someday own are out of a range that we're comfortable with. . . . and may never be available barring some calming of the market froth (so to speak).

 

That prospect of never owning a potential grail unless you make some other fairly large sacrifices is a difficult one to face as when someone is new and is trying to build a collection.

 

Just some food for thought.

 

- A

 

 

 

I completely agree with you. I remember when I started, back around 2000 (which, mind you, isn't that long ago!), and I said the same exact thing to the guys who were doing this for years before me. So, while I definitely see and agree with your point, you may have some guy in 5 years telling YOU that YOU had it good back then, and look at where prices are now!

 

More food for thought

 

Hari

 

H -

 

This is an interesting point, and I can see the "history repeating itself" point that you are trying to make.

 

My question focuses more on the extremely recent price explosion that people continue to report based on the prevalence of certain factors that previously had no effect on the market, availability of pieces on the internet, eBay as a major force in the market; Hollywood interest in comics and comic art, etc.

 

Several sources have reported that the average price of some of the better original art has gone up, on average, approximately 250% in the last 12 months. From what I've read, this is a fairly unprecedented price escalation for this market for a one year period. While it works out for some (previously unheralded artists who couldn't give their stuff away are now getting a couple of hundred bucks a page; a "new" market in production stats, also previously valueless, etc.) it makes it harder for others. An additional benefit is that some people are selling things that they might have held onto for longer because the money is so good right now.

 

But was there a similar price explosion just before you started collecting in 2000? Or was it just that Cockrum X-men pages were $50 in 1977 and had gone up a good amount in the subsequent twenty three years before you started collecting?

 

Any light you can shed on such prior significant price escalations over short periods of time (if any) in the market, and the subsequent reactions, would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

- A

 

 

 

Prices are definitely up, but I'm not sure the percent increase is much different than in past years. The absolute dollar numbers are higher, so the absolute increases are more eye-grabbing. Hence, the sticker shock, and this thread. I think we're just reaching a point where many of us are taking more notice, because for the most part any continued increases at current rates would price almost all collectors out of the popular artitsts/works.

 

Hari

 

[heartened]

Several sources have reported that the average price of some of the better original art has gone up, on average, approximately 250% in the last 12 months. From what I've read, this is a fairly unprecedented price escalation for this market for a one year period.

 

Several sources? Are any of them KrazyKat? Prices are up, but not that much. I am quite sure that pages that were $10,000 last year are not $35,000 on average today...

 

 

But was there a similar price explosion just before you started collecting in 2000? Or was it just that Cockrum X-men pages were $50 in 1977 and had gone up a good amount in the subsequent twenty three years before you started collecting?

 

The prices of many collectibles were depressed due to illiquidity before the Internet democratized buying and selling in the late '90s and early 2000s. So, you definitely got a huge, one-time, justified revaluation from that. However, coupled with the Great Asset Mania fueled by negative real interest rates and cheap credit, comic art prices (and just about everything else) have skyrocketed in recent years. We've started to see over the past year an ongoing unwinding of the excesses in certain assets and markets, and I think art (both fine art and comic OA) will, ultimately, not prove to be immune to this, even if some collectors believe that buyers will swoop in at lower prices. The participants in every parabolic market feel that way, and they have always been proven wrong for hundreds of years.

 

I wonder how "real" all these exorbitant asking prices of the past 6 months are, anyway. With the exception of certain niche markets like the KJ pages where the supply is so tight, how many people are really playing in the deep end of the pool these days? How many are paying in cash? How much market "value" would be destroyed if Eric Roberts got hit by a bus?

 

But, hey, what do I know about any of this...I guess someone who's more financially and emotionally vested in the comic art market would be able to give you a more objective and unbiased opinion.

 

Hi Gene,

 

I guess time will tell, but I'm willing to bet that comic art will prove more resilient to market forces than other assets, including fine art. Not immue, but more resisent. The nostalgic ties that collectors have to comic art, as a representation of their youth, are quite strong. Moreover, not all individuals feels the effects of a market recession to the same degree. Personally, any downward readjustment of prices would push me into one hell of a buying spree! So, bring it on!

 

Hari

 

 

[NightGallery1]

Very interesting topic, but I'm tempted to start a new one that may be more relevant to the majority of posters.

 

Re: What OA Can You Get For $5k

 

or (because at that level I can still hear my wifes voice in my head)

 

Re: What OA Can You Get For $2.5k

 

 

-Bill (I feel like a small fish with gill-rot in a big pond) Berube

[Mighty Hal]

Bill, you could as easily start a threat with "What OA Can You Get for $1K?" and get a bucket of responses.

 

This particular thread is intriguing but misleading. It suggests that there isn't any good comic artwork out there unless you're prepared to pay New Car money. Or New House money, for that matter. It just ain't so.

 

That's like saying, you can't afford any "fine art" if you can't afford a Monet or a Picasso. Pretty silly, eh?

 

Sure, most of us aren't ever gonna get to own a Jack Kirby/Fantastic Four cover. And, if that thought somehow drives some collectors to abandon the hobby, well, they weren't really collectors of comic art: They were only collectors of Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four comic art.

 

That doesn't mean there isn't some great OA out there that the rest of us can and will buy. Which brings up another interesting thread idea: "Who's the Next Jack 'King' Kirby?" Because let's pick up that guy's art NOW.

[NightGallery1]

Hal -

 

Thanks for putting things in perspective for me. Silly as it may sound, I was actually feeling a little down after reading this thread. I was thinking too much about the things that I can't have, as opposed to all the great stuff that is available to me. I guess it's easy sometimes to get caught up in the numbers and to lose focus on why we collect the art in the first place.

 

Thanks again,

Bill

[the blob]

While it works out for some (previously unheralded artists who couldn't give their stuff away are now getting a couple of hundred bucks a page; a "new" market in production stats, also previously valueless, etc.) it makes it harder for others.

 

----------------------------------------

 

Every time I feel like my OA collection that I put together 2 - 5 years ago might just be able to buy me that new roof, finished basement and conversion of my unfinished attic into another floor to my house, which usually happens after I see something like a generic looking X-Men page from the late 80s supposedly being worth $600, I dig a little deeper and still see plenty of somewhat affordable stuff in the $25-$75 range. Stuff that was in the $15-50 range a few years ago. Not a huge jump.

 

If an, admittedly so-so, Eric Powell (who is a pretty hot artist) Goon page doesn't crack $200, I have my doubts that the nobodys out there are getting a couple hundred bucks a page. Maybe for covers.

 

OT: How much are Pinky and the Brain pages going for nowadays?

 

The high end stuff, yes, it's going up. And $30K seems like a lot for a comic splash, but when you compare it to "limited" edition prints by hack artists like Thomas Kinkaide that might sell for $2-3K, it doesn't really seem like a lot for a unique piece from one of the masters of the medium. And millions of guys grew up on Kirby in the 60s and 70s. (Yes, I know, those boomers are all going to die and you can buy the OA back at garage sales for $10 a page...) Thomas Kinkaide is a favorite of housewives and seems to have been hyped by QVC as far as I can tell.