AF #15 7.0 SHATTERS GPA record

[TFL-migration]

I bought my AF 15 back in the late 80's. Helping my young nephew deliver papers. He got a part time job working at comic book booth inside an Antique Mall. A man came in and offered the book up for $800 or so. Maybe a little less. He had a few other book's with it. The owner of the booth didn't have the money so I got it. I still have it. It is a raw copy. Grading out at around 7.0 - 7.5 Maybe an 8.0 on a really good day. OW/W pages. I am in no hurry at all to sell it. My nephew has a nice copy as well. He has quite a few book's. He isn't selling either. There part of out retirement nest egg...

[action1kid]

I would conclude that this is not the time to buy an A.F 15..REAL-ESTATE, STOCKS..Remember,they were all suppose to go up and up forever ..well they didnt as you now know.Nothing goes up forever,my point being dont worry about missing the wave or you will pay dearly like in stocks and housing if bought at a top.When a book is not hot is when to buy it...this book will cool down again,oh yes it will., and thats when ill buy it

[delekkerste]

And yet, anyone who bought an AF 15 during the go-go 1960s, then during the early 1970s recession, then during the early 1980s recession, then during the 1980s bull market, then after the 1987 market crash, then during the early 1990s recession, then during the 1990s bull market, then during the tippy top of the dotcom bubble, then during the recession in 2002, etc. etc. (i.e., the best of times and the worst of times), would have done very well for himself.

 

So actually, your examples prove to be great advice!

 

What can I say...it's better to be lucky than good.

[Wally's Comics]

I would conclude that this is not the time to buy an A.F 15..REAL-ESTATE, STOCKS..Remember,they were all suppose to go up and up forever ..well they didnt as you now know.Nothing goes up forever,my point being dont worry about missing the wave or you will pay dearly like in stocks and housing if bought at a top.When a book is not hot is when to buy it...this book will cool down again,oh yes it will., and thats when ill buy it

 

I would agree with you on the buy low sell high theory -

 

but I don't think I have ever seen a "steal" price on an non-resto

AF15 with great presentation in over 25 years.

 

There have been acceptable market priced ones that weren't way marked up

but getting a "buy low" deal on this book is something I really haven't heard of in

a long time. If it presents well, people love to hold on to this book.

 

And not to say that a super deal on a highly presentable/non resto is out of the question.

I would just be surprised to see it.

 

[Aman619]

also keep in mind that I posted earlier that I looked up the census after the 7.5 sold for 43K. I was very surprised to learn that there were still only 25 copies higher!

 

And the 7.5 was tied with 24 more 7.5s. Thats just 50 HGish copies to go around for the hottest book of the decade, if not the hobby. Certainly there's enough demand to push prices higher..? There are more Hulk 81s in 9.6/9.8 and they fly out the door. So I agree that the jump to 43K was dumb luck and due no doubt to auction fever/psssing contect madness, but it has already caused a 7.0 to jump in price accordingly. Fasten your seatbelts! Its going to be a bumpy ride! (for AdamStrange)

[LordRahl]

And yet, anyone who bought an AF 15 during the go-go 1960s, then during the early 1970s recession, then during the early 1980s recession, then during the 1980s bull market, then after the 1987 market crash, then during the early 1990s recession, then during the 1990s bull market, then during the tippy top of the dotcom bubble, then during the recession in 2002, etc. etc. (i.e., the best of times and the worst of times), would have done very well for himself.

 

So actually, your examples prove to be great advice!

 

What can I say...it's better to be lucky than good.

 

So if the price appreciation of the last 40 years has been nothing but dumb luck, what's to keep the next 40 from going the same way? After all it's just luck, and no one can predict which way your luck will run.

[OldGuy]

the flipside

 

[VintageComics]

Sell an AF #15 6.0 for about GPA and just one day later the 7.5 pops at $43, 000 then the 7.0 a week later pops the $20,000 mark!

Roy, not to pour salt in the wound, but... Dude, where have you been?!

 

GPA can be thrown out on AF 15 right now. The book seems to be on a big move across all grades, and until it's reached some stability at a new price point, GPA (which is a trailing indicator) will be a buyer's best friend.

 

You know I knew it was a hot book...I looked at a recent GPA sale of $8800 for a 6.0 and priced accordingly. Looking back if I had waited for the 7.0 and 7.5 to sell I probably might have gotten more. I just did not realize how much influence those two 9.4 sales would have on lower grades.

 

In any case.

 

1) 2 boardies got nice undergraded books

2) 1 boardie got a nice AF #15 for a price at the start of the curve and not at the tail end

3) Yeah my GF is pretty and sweet. And she encourages indulging in comics so she'll be around for a while.

4) At least greggy didn't read this thread and pounce on me.

 

[action1kid]

Oh Im not saying AF15s are going to go down.Im saying at some point soon enough,, its unprecidented growth rate will slow down alot...Please dont be fool enough to think thats not gonna happen..It happens to virtually everything thats hot...Housing?

[Dark Knight]

I bought my AF 15 back in the late 80's. Helping my young nephew deliver papers. He got a part time job working at comic book booth inside an Antique Mall. A man came in and offered the book up for $800 or so. Maybe a little less. He had a few other book's with it. The owner of the booth didn't have the money so I got it. I still have it. It is a raw copy. Grading out at around 7.0 - 7.5 Maybe an 8.0 on a really good day. OW/W pages. I am in no hurry at all to sell it. My nephew has a nice copy as well. He has quite a few book's. He isn't selling either. There part of out retirement nest egg...

 

Would love to see a pic of it if you have it available

[CAP Freak]

I bought my AF 15 back in the late 80's. Helping my young nephew deliver papers. He got a part time job working at comic book booth inside an Antique Mall. A man came in and offered the book up for $800 or so. Maybe a little less. He had a few other book's with it. The owner of the booth didn't have the money so I got it. I still have it. It is a raw copy. Grading out at around 7.0 - 7.5 Maybe an 8.0 on a really good day. OW/W pages. I am in no hurry at all to sell it. My nephew has a nice copy as well. He has quite a few book's. He isn't selling either. There part of out retirement nest egg...

 

Sub it into CGC

[tth2]

I think anybody who is looking to sell a copy of this book that is at least mid grade unrestored would be crazy not to put it in some sort of auction format at this point (non ebay). Im sure there is a price point ceiling and maybe its already been reached but considering the insane demand for this book you really cant see the book dropping that much from the highs the book is setting right now.

 

I agree somewhat Eric, but auctions just freak me out when selling.

 

somebody puts up a nice AF #15 that should theoretically go for $15K and (if they were to follow the direction of many here and go the NO reserve route) it closes at $11k turning into a windfall for the buyer. This assumes a totally legit approach to said auction with no shilling by anyone. this latter point increases the risk tremendously, methinks..........

 

I give big Kudos to those who place big books into no reserve auctions (assuming the auction is on the up-and-up). Admittedly, most seem to do quite well, but it ain't for chickenlittles like me..........

 

when i sell my big books someday, i'm just gonna put a price i can live with on them and be patient

I can see why you were in the insurance business, Harry! You're all about risk adverseness!

[tth2]

And yet, anyone who bought an AF 15 during the go-go 1960s, then during the early 1970s recession, then during the early 1980s recession, then during the 1980s bull market, then after the 1987 market crash, then during the early 1990s recession, then during the 1990s bull market, then during the tippy top of the dotcom bubble, then during the recession in 2002, etc. etc. (i.e., the best of times and the worst of times), would have done very well for himself.

 

So actually, your examples prove to be great advice!

 

What can I say...it's better to be lucky than good.

Now you're just being argumentative. Surely you must admit that 46 years of essentially continuous price appreciation, across all sorts of economic conditions (including the worst economic period since the Great Depression), is more than just luck?

[delekkerste]

I'm sorry, you're right - everybody who has ever bought an AF #15 is an investment genius because that book has turned out to do really well in the market since it was published. Probably safer to say that they were just big Spidey/comic book fans, no?

 

Like I said, it's better to be lucky than good. There's no shame in that - they don't differentiate dollars earned from being lucky vs. dollars earned from being good when you deposit your cash at the bank.

[tth2]

I'm sorry, you're right - everybody who has ever bought an AF #15 is an investment genius because that book has turned out to do really well in the market since it was published. Probably safer to say that they were just big Spidey/comic book fans, no?

 

Like I said, it's better to be lucky than good. There's no shame in that - they don't differentiate dollars earned from being lucky vs. dollars earned from being good when you deposit your cash at the bank.

Maybe I`m missing your point. I thought you were saying comics haven`t been a good place to have your money, whereas you seem to be focusing on the intent of someone who in fact put their money into comics.

[Wally's Comics]

[delekkerste]

Gene; you are starting to sound like the newly reformed Ex-Smoker getting on his Soapbox about the evils of smoking................

 

Hey Harry,

 

Sorry if I've been coming off more shrill (than usual!) I guess it's just been bugging me more and more (as it has other people; I think Nerfherder-3 even started an entire thread about it) that people seem to be focusing more and more on the "investment" and monetary aspects of the hobby these days as prices have climbed higher the past few years. Meanwhile, I think a lot of people have really missed out on some truly remarkable investment opportunities in the real world because they were so focused on the comic market (for example, anyone who drives a car could have put two and two together and invested in oil stocks the past few years and made a ton of cash).

 

But, hey, if people miss out on these things, it's no sweat off my back, right? Except that it irks me that foreigners seem to be buying up American companies, real estate and global natural resources (i.e., strategic assets for the new realities of the 21st century) on the cheap every day while we in this country seem content to trade comic books back and forth to each other, and that has me really annoyed, not to mention concerned about the future of this country. Here is a post I made more than 2 years ago in the "Gold $500" thread in the Water Cooler:

 

 

January 9, 2006

 

Here's a good quote that I read in a December 2005 research report from BMO Harris Nesbitt:

 

"As [the Chinese and Indians] become collectively wealthier, they acquire gold, silver and platinum jewelry, which are both consumption goods and investments. Meanwhile, their American counterparts have long been diversifying away from precious metals into baseball trading cards, wines and celebrities' underwear."

 

So, we have a group of countries which makes all the stuff that we buy, effectively lends us money to do it (through their excess savings) and invests their money in productive enterprises (at the business/govt. level) and precious metals (at the individual level). Meanwhile, we consume beyond our means, finance our overconsumption through borrowing, run our economy by buying and selling houses to each other at unsustainably inflated prices and invest our money in comic books. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who's going to be relatively better off in the future.

 

 

I know this is a comic book forum, but I feel like our little group here is a microcosm of the country and what people are doing...trading in baseball cards, comic books and celebrity underwear while the Chinese are eating our collective lunches. It's become a little disheartening and sad of late.

[Wally's Comics]

so what's the next hot future there delekk?

 

get me a stock tip - I'm achin' for good Dogs of the Dow!

 

 

 

 

 

[Aman619]

As prescient as that post attests to you grasp of markets, I think it would be fair for you to dig out an equally misguided prediction/opinion from the past too. Im not looking to reopen old arguments, just making an observation.

 

All I'll add is that every time the US goes too far in the wrong direction, it redirects itself back and corrects the problem. Most often laziness and greed make awareness, reaction and change impossible until its almost too late. But the change does come. To argue otherwise is to advocate the final comeuppance of the US. Perhaps it will come to that someday. Perhaps it has already started.

 

I'm betting it hasnt. And wont in my lifetime.

 

 

[peewee22]

Bottom line is Washington DC needs an ultra-size enema....