2008 Overstreet Price Guide Comes Out Today!

[cd4ever]

The guide is slowly going the way of newspapers, tv guides, and other periodicals. It is becoming outdated and useless. They used to provide a vital service and provide pricing information that was otherwise unavailable to the comic collecting world. With the advent of the internet, it is not needed anymore. Prices can be found via ebay's completed items, GPA, Comiclink, fellow collectors, Heritage and dealers websites. Using all these tools a seller or buyer can make an educated assertation as to what the market value of a given book is. To make matter worse, a seller or buyer can now see that the OS prices he relied on for decades are, in many many instances, wrong.

 

I would like to see all books that sell for cover price or less removed. Or at least just list the title, year, publisher, etc. This would include most everything published since 1982 and should cut the size by a third.

 

Get it online you old fogies!!

 

A monthly mag/online mag with extensive, non-spam, market reports from dealers around the world would be very popular.

 

 

 

[Mac Man]

And for what it's worth, I bought my copy this year. I still like to practice the semi-futile exercise of updating my comic database with the value of my books. I know, I know. And I do enjoy reading the various market reports. It's not the bible of comics, but it's still an interesting and relatively useful tool to keep on hand.

[FlyingDonut]

At the Overstreet Advisors meeting in August, everyone there said Overstreet needed to get on-line. I have no idea why they haven't.

I got my online last year thru heritage.

Me too. All the same material as the book in a handy PDF format. I hope they do the same this year.

 

Thats not what I mean. Whoo hoo, a static PDF. Big deal.

[Foolkiller]

Let me also add to my previous commentary that Overstreet still has brand name recognition as "the guide" -- which is one of the reasons why a buy out of GPA makes sense. I love GPA but many "less intense" collectors look at me like I have three heads when I say GPA, but know Overstreet obviously. These are also buyers who are buying some fairly serious Gold and Silver age books.

 

Overstreet has its place, but in a collectibles market that has daily price updates through sales and a constantly trading marketplace, to not have an online guide renders you obsolete as a matter of fact.

 

I did not bring an Overstreet once to a convention last year. When I began in the late 1990s, I brought it to every show and asked to see it frequently from dealers. Now, only occasionally will I reference it in a transaction.

 

I love Overstreet and want to see it succeed. I think there are some basic steps which can be taken to overhaul this. It should have started years ago but never did. Now it really has to be done.

[blutobc]

I think the Overstreet Guide still has a marketable service. But maybe not to the people hanging out at the CGC boards.

 

Go look at the thread where everyone was giving their years of comic collecting experience. It looked like the typical experience was nearly 30 years.

 

Some on the board are OS Advisors, some aren't advisors but could possibly have more actual comic sells knowledge than the Father of the Guide, himself.

 

20+ years ago, how many here practically memorized the contents of the guide each year.

 

But now the folks here are most likely to be some of the most educated(comic wise) of collectors. The "been there..done that" prevails.

 

So, I'm assuming Gemstone is trying to find ways to appeal to the younger, less informed comic collector...which might lead to their reluctance to go online. But they don't appear to be going more in-depth on newer books, which would appeal to those younger collectors. So who knows???

 

 

[Foolkiller]

If you want to appeal to younger people, you need to be consistent with the technology they use in every other facet of their lives.

 

Ipods to download music, downloadable DVDs and TV shows, instant communication through texting -- and for comics -- an electronic guide with updates.

 

The whole problem with having an annual guide that isn't really up to date is that it doesn't properly educate new collectors anymore with an accurate picture. If I pick up the guide today and see that a NM- AF 15 goes for $50k and then go do some research and find out that it would probably sell for triple that... well... I have to go far beyond the Guide to get the "real" information. And if this is the seminal price guide, it shouldn't be that way.

[NewWorldOrder]

If you want to appeal to younger people, you need to be consistent with the technology they use in every other facet of their lives.

 

Ipods to download music, downloadable DVDs and TV shows, instant communication through texting -- and for comics -- an electronic guide with updates.

 

The whole problem with having an annual guide that isn't really up to date is that it doesn't properly educate new collectors anymore with an accurate picture. If I pick up the guide today and see that a NM- AF 15 goes for $50k and then go do some research and find out that it would probably sell for triple that... well... I have to go far beyond the Guide to get the "real" information. And if this is the seminal price guide, it shouldn't be that way.

 

YUP!

[jools&jim]

Overstreet's history and name recognition are really the only meaningful things it still has going for it at the moment. And being an old fogey myself, I like the idea of a self-contained annual book that I can flip through and read in short installments during my...er "quality time" on the loo.

 

So, my suggestion for Overstreet is two-fold:

 

1. Get out of the pricing game altogether with the annual paper book. The market moves too rapidly, with prices fluctuating on a daily basis -- even if the information were mostly accurate on the day the book went to press, it would still be outdated by the time it hit the shelves. So why bother, especially when there are more and better sources for this information available?

 

Instead, the annual book should consist of nothing but:

 

- Market reports...and not necessarily just from OS advisors -- when the reports are not pegged to sales data in the same publication, just about anyone whose bona fides and credibility can be reasonably well vetted should be able to play!

 

- "collectibility ratings" for titles/runs, e.g., Arak, Son of Thunder: * ; Amazing Spider-Man: *****.

 

- accurate artist & writer identifications.

 

- encapsulated plot synopses by title or run, especially for the good stuff from any era.

 

- an expanded, thoroughly illustrated discussion of grading do's and dont's.

 

- detailed historical information.

 

- publication and circulation data (if available).

 

- "scarcity" ratings (a little controversy is never a bad thing!).

 

- well-written and well-edited feature articles, preferrably by industry veterans (dealers, collectors, artists, writers, editors, etc.), on a variety of historical and market-related topics.

 

- convention reports form the past year with lots and lots of pictures (and captions...always a good sales tool to get lots of faces and names in print!).

 

- etc., etc., etc.

 

I'm sure there are plenty of editorial ideas I'm leaving out, but you get the idea -- in other words, make the Guide a one-stop-shopping guide to the totality of the hobby, and not just one dimension of it (i.e., pricing).

 

2. Take advantage of those "more and better resources" I mentioned by partnering with eBay and/or GPA, or any other potential statistical source for that matter, and attaching the Overstreet imprimatur to a completely new on-line product, which could then with some justification be marketed as THE definitive source for accurate, up-to-the-minute comics pricing ("Combining the Two Most Trusted Names in the Industry!" or some such BS...).

 

In this scenario, the annual Guide becomes the supplement...the anchor for the year, justifying it's retail price (and place on the shelf) by virtue of its comprehensive view of the past 12 months in the hobby. But the real action happens on line: daily updates and options for weekly, monthly, or yearly subscriptions...

 

 

 

[ashrael]

Alright, who wants to start a new price guide with me? I have the computer and database skills. Lets make it online w/ subscriptions

[Moondog]

Overstreet's history and name recognition are really the only meaningful things it still has going for it at the moment. And being an old fogey myself, I like the idea of a self-contained annual book that I can flip through and read in short installments during my...er "quality time" on the loo.

 

So, my suggestion for Overstreet is two-fold:

 

1. Get out of the pricing game altogether with the annual paper book. The market moves too rapidly, with prices fluctuating on a daily basis -- even if the information were mostly accurate on the day the book went to press, it would still be outdated by the time it hit the shelves. So why bother, especially when there are more and better sources for this information available?

 

Instead, the annual book should consist of nothing but:

 

- Market reports...and not necessarily just from OS advisors -- when the reports are not pegged to sales data in the same publication, just about anyone whose bona fides and credibility can be reasonably well vetted should be able to play!

 

- "collectibility ratings" for titles/runs, e.g., Arak, Son of Thunder: * ; Amazing Spider-Man: *****.

 

- accurate artist & writer identifications.

 

- encapsulated plot synopses by title or run, especially for the good stuff from any era.

 

- an expanded, thoroughly illustrated discussion of grading do's and dont's.

 

- detailed historical information.

 

- publication and circulation data (if available).

 

- "scarcity" ratings (a little controversy is never a bad thing!).

 

- well-written and well-edited feature articles, preferrably by industry veterans (dealers, collectors, artists, writers, editors, etc.), on a variety of historical and market-related topics.

 

- convention reports form the past year with lots and lots of pictures (and captions...always a good sales tool to get lots of faces and names in print!).

 

- etc., etc., etc.

 

I'm sure there are plenty of editorial ideas I'm leaving out, but you get the idea -- in other words, make the Guide a one-stop-shopping guide to the totality of the hobby, and not just one dimension of it (i.e., pricing).

 

2. Take advantage of those "more and better resources" I mentioned by partnering with eBay and/or GPA, or any other potential statistical source for that matter, and attaching the Overstreet imprimatur to a completely new on-line product, which could then with some justification be marketed as THE definitive source for accurate, up-to-the-minute comics pricing ("Combining the Two Most Trusted Names in the Industry!" or some such BS...).

 

In this scenario, the annual Guide becomes the supplement...the anchor for the year, justifying it's retail price (and place on the shelf) by virtue of its comprehensive view of the past 12 months in the hobby. But the real action happens on line: daily updates and options for weekly, monthly, or yearly subscriptions...

 

 

 

I understand what you're saying, Mike, but it's not practical. The Overstreet Guide is a very profitable product and though the pricing at times may not reflect the market accurately for every book, for 90+% of the listings it's pretty close. And as a reference book on our hobby it will never be surpassed.

 

So pricing keeps the average hobbyist, the comics dealer, the antiques dealer and the libraries coming back every year, and these groups are the bread and butter customer for this product.

 

 

[jools&jim]

I understand what you're saying, Mike, but it's not practical. The Overstreet Guide is a very profitable product and though the pricing at times may not reflect the market accurately for every book, for 90+% of the listings it's pretty close. And as a reference book on our hobby it will never be surpassed.

 

I used to work for Diamond when the Guide was just upstairs...so believe me, I know it's not practical and why!

 

But NEVER surpassed? I think they used to say that about the telegraph, too! Whenever there's dissatisfaction with a product--especially amongst young, bright, creative, and tech-savvy people with good lines of credit--somebody will eventually come up with a better way to do it. If Gemstone was smart, they'd be hiring those people right now, instead of (inevitably) watching the tail-lights pull away in a decade or so...

[kimik]

Overstreet's history and name recognition are really the only meaningful things it still has going for it at the moment. And being an old fogey myself, I like the idea of a self-contained annual book that I can flip through and read in short installments during my...er "quality time" on the loo.

 

So, my suggestion for Overstreet is two-fold:

 

1. Get out of the pricing game altogether with the annual paper book. The market moves too rapidly, with prices fluctuating on a daily basis -- even if the information were mostly accurate on the day the book went to press, it would still be outdated by the time it hit the shelves. So why bother, especially when there are more and better sources for this information available?

 

Instead, the annual book should consist of nothing but:

 

- Market reports...and not necessarily just from OS advisors -- when the reports are not pegged to sales data in the same publication, just about anyone whose bona fides and credibility can be reasonably well vetted should be able to play!

 

- "collectibility ratings" for titles/runs, e.g., Arak, Son of Thunder: * ; Amazing Spider-Man: *****.

 

- accurate artist & writer identifications.

 

- encapsulated plot synopses by title or run, especially for the good stuff from any era.

 

- an expanded, thoroughly illustrated discussion of grading do's and dont's.

 

- detailed historical information.

 

- publication and circulation data (if available).

 

- "scarcity" ratings (a little controversy is never a bad thing!).

 

- well-written and well-edited feature articles, preferrably by industry veterans (dealers, collectors, artists, writers, editors, etc.), on a variety of historical and market-related topics.

 

- convention reports form the past year with lots and lots of pictures (and captions...always a good sales tool to get lots of faces and names in print!).

 

- etc., etc., etc.

 

I'm sure there are plenty of editorial ideas I'm leaving out, but you get the idea -- in other words, make the Guide a one-stop-shopping guide to the totality of the hobby, and not just one dimension of it (i.e., pricing).

 

2. Take advantage of those "more and better resources" I mentioned by partnering with eBay and/or GPA, or any other potential statistical source for that matter, and attaching the Overstreet imprimatur to a completely new on-line product, which could then with some justification be marketed as THE definitive source for accurate, up-to-the-minute comics pricing ("Combining the Two Most Trusted Names in the Industry!" or some such BS...).

 

In this scenario, the annual Guide becomes the supplement...the anchor for the year, justifying it's retail price (and place on the shelf) by virtue of its comprehensive view of the past 12 months in the hobby. But the real action happens on line: daily updates and options for weekly, monthly, or yearly subscriptions...

 

 

 

 

Wouldn't CBM have been a better avenue for this? It already had a lot of the pieces in place - just rename it the Overstreet Comic Book Marketplace and publish it monthly/bi-monthly, with a heavy focus on market reports.

 

I would love to see a source with sales reports from most/all cons during a calendar year from both big and small dealers.

 

Maybe this is something we can do on these boards. All the sellers would have to do is provide a short blurb on how they felt the con went and report notable sales by Age.

[cloudofwit]

And for what it's worth, I bought my copy this year. I still like to practice the semi-futile exercise of updating my comic database with the value of my books. I know, I know. And I do enjoy reading the various market reports. It's not the bible of comics, but it's still an interesting and relatively useful tool to keep on hand.

 

"On hand" is one of the keys for me. I like the feel of a book ---its tangibility. Those old Overstreets even have a pleasant aroma. Bring on the online installments, but the book isn't going the way of the dodo bird anytime soon. Onward Overstreet soldiers...

[cloudofwit]

Can't join in the party...OS 38 hasn't made it over here yet, dammit. Not that it isn't the same old, same old. I assume Doug Sulipa has written his usual 25 page market report (which I go to first, natch).

 

He logged in a whopping 12 of the Market Report's 60 pages. :think: This fact alone warrants some kind of feature article (yes, I might have too much time on my hands--it's Spring Break in teacherville!! :smile:).

[NewWorldOrder]

I would like the "Tangibility" of my finger on the computer mouse and uploading the current prices!

 

LETS SAVE SOME TREES!

 

[cloudofwit]

I would like the "Tangibility" of my finger on the computer mouse and uploading the current prices!

 

LETS SAVE SOME TREES!

 

:frown:

[Mac Man]

...it's Spring Break in teacherville!! :smile:).

 

YES IT IS!

 

I like a lot of Mikey's suggestions about adding more articles, the "collectability" ratings, and scarcity ratings. Might make for some new and fresh material.

[Mr.Diggler]

My Overstreet is missing pages 513-544!!! Son of a !

[jools&jim]

My Overstreet is missing pages 513-544!!! Son of a !

 

"Warning lights are flashing down at quality control...!"

[mica]

My Overstreet is missing pages 513-544!!! Son of a !