THE MAIN overstreet issue

[Deucedriver]

With so much info available to us today for REAL prices paid in plain sight, unfortunately the Annual Guide's influence is at a low ebb. Still a valuable tool to dealers and collectors. But, its price changes are only taken into consideration by dealers on a case by case basis. If it went up and dealers think can raise their prices and sell them great. But if they know they cant, they ignore it. If Guide doubles but dealers see same book sell on Heritage/Comiclink/shows/Ebay for triple? WHat price do you think their copy gets stickered at?

 

Is there a solution to the Guide's relavance crisis? Dont know. Its almost good enough to just keep soldiering on as long as possible. Unless they commit to a total, real-time overhaul, the Guide will continue to be an interesting annual one week newsmaker.

 

I have to agree, it's a "valuable tool". Right now I think it's only a reference tool, the prices are all over the place with an amazing number having no correlation to real world sales.

 

The combination of a fast-paced market and the immense number of books that have now been published make a truly accurate once-a-year price guide all but an impossibility. Plus there are so many online tools out there that while it is fun and great to look up data in the guide, outside of novices, who really bases their buying and selling on it?

 

The original poster brought up great points about high-grade books, but I would add the vast numbers of low and mid-grade books that don't sell for anywhere near guide prices on a daily basis. The job would be so big now, I don't see how it would be economically feasible to be accomplished.

 

I agree with aman619 - "...the Guide will continue to be an interesting annual one week newsmaker."

 

Deuce

 

 

[MrBedrock]

The guide becomes much more relevant to price

 

Pre silver age up to 8.0

Silver age to 9.2 and

Post silver age to 9.4

 

The current golden age (pre-silver age) pricing for golden age 9.2 becomes the 8.0 price this is very effective, and not very labor intensive ...

 

Silver age pricing does not change other than the usual Overstreet annual percent bump in price.

 

The current post silver age pricing for 9.2 moves up to 9.4 this year ... plus tack on the usual Overstreet percent bump ... in effect 9.2 goes down in price in guide, but now there is a 9.4 at a higher price than the current 9.2 ... and 9.6 and above are identified as volatile and multiples of price guide.

 

This would not definitively price books, but would establish Overstreet as an extremely good GUIDE ... and as for definitive real time sells ... well that's up to the market ... but Overstreet is relevant and helpful ... it clearly calls attention to the uniqueness of comic ages ... in the eyes of the veteran collector and the new collector ... ESPECIALLY the new collector ...

 

There really is some validity to this.