The Albatross - Overpriced art you get stuck with

[Jesusjon]

I've had pieces kind of go both ways after you receive it in the mail too. In this age of the internet, jpeg's, and touching up scans digitally to make them more appealing, I've been both underwhelmed and overwhelmed when opening up art for the first time.

 

I remember one piece in particular that I bought thinking it was a keeper, and it arrived with a big ol redrawn piece of a panel (that was a characters head) pasted over the original. I looked at the scan I swiped and you could have never noticed from it, and it wasn't mentioned prior to transaction. That piece never became an albatross, but there are a LOT of reasons I end up parting with art.

 

The biggest of which lately is financial pressure. This is an expensive hobby, as people have mentioned. I don't have a lot of new money to put in so if I want to make a big acquisition, something(s) have to go!!

[Mister Trent]

 

Panel pages, no.

 

Complete stories, yes.

 

Throughout something like a ten year period, as Russ Cochran was auctioning-off the EC artwork, most of Craig's (complete) story art sold close to/or at the minimum bid price of $400.

 

At one stage, I owned 5 complete Craig EC New Trend stories.

 

I'm curious how deep the Hampson/Bellamy/Dan Dare/etc. market is. Not knocking what you're into but you're the only one I'm aware of that's into the classic UK stuff. So do you have to really fight for this stuff or is it more a matter of waiting for it to pop up and just paying the price? Most Americans only know of the 2000 A.D. and Judge Dredd (and a bit know of the D.R. & Quinch and Halo Jones stories) stuff.

 

I collect many types of art . . . my tastes are eclectic

 

Hampson and Bellamy never produced work for the American market, which is why there isn't a large following in the USA.

 

Over here, those artists are adored by the generation who grew-up on their strips (and people like me who are second-generation enthusiasts).

 

Hampson and Bellamy art tends to change hands privately, and usually fetch excellent prices. A lot of the examples I've acquired have come directly from long-time collectors (whom I know personally). There is an up-market London gallery offering early Hampson DAN DARE pages (www.chrisbeetles.com) - but you'd have to shell-out prices averaging around $7,000 a sheet.

 

During those times I need to fund expensive purchases, I have no problem raising cash through the sale of spare Hampson and Bellamy art. About a month back, I bought myself an expensive Russ Heath 1950 Atlas Horror cover. To raise the funds ($10,000-plus), I sold a Hampson DARE, together with another piece of vintage British art.

 

As for Bellamy . . . in the late 1990s I released a Bellamy original to an American collector in straight trade for a Graham Ingels HAUNT OF FEAR cover original. That's pretty good going considering Ingels' HOF covers are scarcer than hen's teeth (only one I know of, available for sale in the marketplace, is the # 27 cover, priced $28,000).

 

 

 

 

[the blob]

It seems like comic art collectors do more flipping to acquire new items that "regular" art collectors and such, otherwise this wouldn't be such an issue. If you overpaid, but still love the piece, hang it proudly in your nerd den (and I mean that in a nice way) and maybe in 10 year it'll be worth what you paid.

 

I sort of did the opposite. I have a lot of cheap "o.k." pages bought at a time when i was tossing out a lot of bids on anything from a semi-known artist or character that seemed "cheap", like a 1980's $15 S. Buscema hulk page that, of course, doesn't have the hulk in it. While I do have some nice pages I wouldn't mind hanging up in my nerd den (if custom framing them didn't cost more than most of the pages!), a lot of these other pages aren't going to be hung and are kindah "blah" in retrospect. These are an albatros unless the "blah" stuff has also gone up in price the last 2-5 years, enough to justify the ebay fees, shipping costs paid by me and the tremendous hassle of shipping art if I sell it. but at least they're a little $25 albatross, not a $2500 albatross!

[vodou]

but at least they're a little $25 albatross, not a $2500 albatross!

 

of course if you have 100 x $25, it's still $2500 albatross...just takes that much longer to sell!

 

[sadly...been there, done that]

[armydoc]

Also, while Jon is right to suspect that everyone probably will have an albatross or two if they try to sell, everyone also should keep in mind that they also have a couple of pieces (or more if you've been in this for a while) that have appreciated quite nicely. If it helps, focus on those knowing you can recoup whatever immediate loss you might have to take if you decide to sell those in the future.

 

Back in the beginning I also felt strongly the same as the new guys here - I've no intention on selling, my collection will be a black hole, I can make a few $ or not selling - no biggie - I love the art, etc. What I found was that after 3 years, my tastes changed...a lot.

 

Let's face it, if you've a decent income your first year or two of art collecting is one awesome party of buying up everything you can afford (and some you can't). Then some time goes buy and you can reflect back on what you DIDN'T buy. You know the stuff that seemed a little too expensive or great-looking but off-target.

 

[ex. Who starts out buying Johnny Craig EC panel pages? Nobody. But they're so pretty in person, everybody should have one. Good ones are $750-$1500, which is a mid-to-high sum for many in this group for a single non-focus piece.]

 

Then you realize you'd like some of that but now THAT is even more expensive. So you start thinking about dumping some of the stuff that doesn't look so good anymore. [ex. the endless non-costume panel pages nearly all new collectors grab up in volume 'because they're too cheap to ignore'] Then you find out your true market value.

 

For every guy that agrees with me on this, there will be 2-3 more that will stand up and say that in 20 years of collecting they've never sold a piece...ok, whatever. Some of you will sell pieces...sooner than you think. Tastes do change and you will want stuff you can't afford out of your salary or OT or military bonuses or whatever. So you'll dip into your comics, eat ramen noodles for six months, sell your car, or something to get that better stuff. You may even sell some art...for less than you paid. Accept it and understand it's a learning experiece that helps you hone your "eye" the most direct method possible, by hitting you in the wallet. Just don't make a habit of losing $$$.

 

Again the pessimist am I. That's what comes of actually trying to corner the market on ALL* Captain America (1968) and (1996) series OA and later realizing how crappy owning 150 pages of Rick Levins art makes you feel. No joy there looking at page after page of terrible anatomy and psuedo-Image page layouts. Only to then feel even crappier selling those same pages for 25-50% of what you paid! To be fair I made out very well on the Johnny Romita, Gil Kane, Sal Buscema, John Buscema and especially the Gene Colan pages I was also picking up right alongside the Dwyers and Levins!

 

*At one point I actually had 20% of the splash pages, yep nearly 70. I was collecting art as if I was filling in holes in a comic run. Stupid. And not about ART at all.

 

You are incredibly wise, as I am now learning. Please forgive my previous naivety. I am quickly coming to terms with the realities you express above. I am entering "the parties over" phase and wish I would have made a decision or two differently in hindsight.

[Dumur]

Yeah, I have had my share of these. Great topic JesusJon. I find I am getting better though. I used to buy ANYTHING that seemed like a deal. I used to put in a bid of $227 for ANY cover put out by Marvel or DC, and $157 for ANY cover. I still have a couple I wouldn't mind getting rid of, but don't mind having either.

 

Also...tastes change...what seemed awesome 2 or 3 years ago, maybe doesn't appeal to you all that much anymore, but it is a crazy expensive hobby and if you end up seeing a piece you "have" to have, you might have to get rid of some pieces. Even some you have just acquired. I have been guilty of that. I have also felt like when I have purchased a piece directly off of the artist and then have to have sold it to pay rent (Sorry Kalman) It sucks. I never buy with the intention to sell, but I do buy "safe" pieces sometimes that I know will go for what I paid, or more. And I just can't resist a deal... Even if only I think it is a deal... Man I could talk about this for days... Love seeing so many Canadians on here.

[Lambo]

This is indeed an interesting topic.

 

I've been fortunate that I haven't had anything that I would consider an "albatross" in my time as a comic art collector. There have been some pieces I bought that I've regretted as an impulse type buy but they were pieces that didn't cost too much and I don't get that bad feeling in my stomach that Jon mentioned when I see these pieces.

 

Some things I've seen from the activity of collectors who have bought and sold things quickly and have lost money in doing so:

 

1. Speculation: An example of this was the Heroes cover by Sale on eBay a few weeks ago that went for well over 3k. I'm a HUGE Tim Sale fan and a HUGE Heroes fan but I thought, for what it was, it was ridiculously overpriced. The winner (whose name escapes me) put it in his CAF with a comment like "I hope this investment pays off!" I'm a big believer in the "buy what you like" school of comic art collecting and while I understand that there are collectors who buy with the thought of re-selling, I also think this type of thought process lends itself more easily to the creation of the dreaded Albatross.

 

2. The Next Big Thing: I've seen collectors go after art by relatively young and/or new artists with reckless abandon before any 'market' for that artist has been established. How many times have we heard that this guy is the next "Mignola" or "Jim Lee" and then see people pay prices as if that guy is actually Jim Lee and not some new guy who while talented has only accomplished a mere fraction of what a Jim Lee has?

 

3. Whatever You Can Buy, I Can Buy Better: I have noticed that there are some collectors for whom this is all a big competition. They want to beat out their fellow, for example, Captain America collector or fellow Frank Cho collector or whatever. The thrill of the competition gets them going and they make bids or offers in the heat of the moment. Afterwards they immediately regret it. I was at a public auction a few years ago where a bidder won a piece that went for A LOT more than people thought. I knew the second place bidder who was a very serious collector of that particular artist and the pre-auction estimate he mentioned to me was about 1/3 of what the piece eventually hammered down at. I was sitting by the winner and overheard him say to his friend, "Holy sh#t, how am I going to pay for this?" Sure enough, he put the piece up for sale within months of the auction and took a loss on it.

 

Lambo

[Dumur]

Yeah, I have to admit, I have had no Albatross type pieces that are over $500. Any piece I felt I paid too much for are all in the $200-$400 range so it isn't that bad. In fact the only pieces I have that I would value over $1000 (There aren't many) are all pieces I don't think I would even consider selling. And I am more careful now. I have a $100 Albatross that I can't believe I have and I don't think I could ever sell it for more than $20, but it was a page from one of my favorite books and it was the only page I could find out there from dealers and it was a dealer, so it wasn't going up on ebay anytime soon... But I know if I ever have to sell it, I would be LUCKY to get $20 for it. Again, some people just really want certain things. I think another interesting way to go with this is sketches, as that is where I see the most flipping going on... I have seen friends pay for sketches and have actually doubled over laughing at the price (Luckily they laugh with me even though it has to sting a little) I try to stay away from sketches and comissions for this reason... Because if you don't like it, chances are you aren't going to get what you paid... Unless it's an Adam Hughes sketch or one from McKean or someone who doesn't come over to North American shows all that often.

[the blob]

"of course if you have 100 x $25, it's still $2500 albatross...just takes that much longer to sell!"

 

Hmmm, I don't want to think about that, I might be there when I count the complete issues and books I have purchased.