The Next Wave?

[PovertyRow]

if you beleive this then what do YOU think is ripe for the picking?

 

You rascal!

 

I see a similar rise as we saw in the early 80's. Not only were the mainstream Marvel books increasing but also books like Secret Six, Brother Power, Metal Men, Atom Man, Aquaman etc etc for DC. The pre-code horrors and romance and crime and Good Girl were also increasing well. Lesser GA books were increasing but at a slower and steadier rate. Charlton and Seaboard were in the news. For "the next wave" I would discount those GAs. They will always be dependable and are no surprise. I am talking about surprises.

 

The census is being updated regularly and if you start perusing there will be surprises for those who attend to the 1962 and above books. The older books are a gold mine, in my opinion. The frustrating thing is that I want to keep all I get! But aside from that. What do I see as the next wave?

 

High grade DCs just like Brother Power, Secret Six, Metal Men, Phantom Stranger, Aqua Man. Atom Age books in romance, horror and...especially, crime. (The crime books are considerably underrated aka "undervalued"). Also the things like Seaboard Atlas (which had some nice titles) and Charlton post-code. I also feel that the Spirit sections (which, in my opinion, often literally epitomize state of the art in comics) will eventually be in vogue - but probably considerably after the next 2 or 3 waves!)

 

The thing to keep in mind - often our attention is aimed at the very highest while we ignore the rest. I will ask - when was the last time you (by "you" I mean anyone reading to and responding to this post) looked for the current sell for the kind of books I am talking about? Or are you mainly paying attention to the Marvel keys?

[comicinvestor-migration]

I buy what I bought as a kid and could care less about valuation, resale prices or CGC trends. That means Bronze Age Marvel super-heroes and I really have no interest in anything else.

[PovertyRow]

I buy what I bought as a kid and could care less about valuation, resale prices or CGC trends.

 

If you "could care less" (actually "could not care less") about valuation, resale prices or CGC trends, why would someone with that perception even bother to respond?

[comicinvestor-migration]

Because Mr. English Professor, I am interested in what the spooks, specs and dreks actually over-pay for their comic book investments, so I keep an eye out for hilarity's sake.

 

It's like watching a train wreck each and every night.

 

Guy buys CGC 9.4 for $500, sells a few months later for $300. Determined not to get rooked the second time, he buys a CGC 9.6 for $1,000 and then sells through Heritage for $800 (not counting fees). Then I suppose he kicks the dog a few times and goes back to investing in things he has at least some knowledge of.

 

Now you're talking about a "Next Wave". I translate that into "What can we get the suckers to buy next?"

[blowout]

"Now you're talking about a "Next Wave". I translate that into "What can we get the suckers to buy next?"

 

the same suckers, or the next wave

[Guest]

DC 70s and 80s riding the crest of the wave of the next in-vogue hobby tsunami???

How is that possible? Tonight on Ebay, I was winning or 2nd high bidder on a B&B 29 in CGC 8.0 (HIGHEST graded copy) which just managed to acheive HALF of Overstreet VF ($750)!!!!........and likewise on a #30 of matching quality, a CGC 7.5 SECOND highest graded 3rd appearance of the JLA (with incredible colors) which just about acheived half Overstreet graded guide!!!!! PITIFUL!! These are two PRIME silver age books. Books two and three to the first appearance in B&B #28. How does Brother Power, Hawk&Dove, etc. compare to these? With painfully few collectors after them, Silver age DCs are the red-headed stepchildren of the hobby.

[Bonds25]

Look at what the cream of the crop buyers are buying. Mark Wilson is buying 1960-1972 DC books in 9.4 or better. I think they're a good bet, as well as higher graded horror and crime books from the golden age.

[PovertyRow]

Now you're talking about a "Next Wave". I translate that into "What can we get the suckers to buy next?"

 

Man, and to think I was taken to task a few weeks ago becuase people thought I felt dealers were evil. You can translate that into whatever you please. But you still haven't answered the question in context.

[PovertyRow]

Tonight on Ebay, I was winning or 2nd high bidder on a B&B 29 in CGC 8.0 (HIGHEST graded copy) which just managed to acheive HALF of Overstreet VF ($750)!!!!........and likewise on a #30 of matching quality, a CGC 7.5 SECOND highest graded 3rd appearance of the JLA (with incredible colors) which just about acheived half Overstreet graded guide!!!!! PITIFUL!! These are two PRIME silver age books.

 

OK - let me try this one more time. The NEXT wave. I do NOT mean what folks are doing now. I mean what will they doing in the future. Consider yourslef lucky for the moment on getting these books at half Overstreet. Are you complaining about that?

 

But think to 2003 or 2004. What will these be going for then? That ios what I am ::sigh:: getting at.

[blowout]

what the books are doing now is the best they will do (as cgc graded collectables) unless a competitor comes in to shake up the market IMHO

otherwise downward spiral

[PovertyRow]

what the books are doing now is the best they will do (as cgc graded collectables) unless a competitor comes in to shake up the market IMHO

 

THANK YOU for replying to my real point! I do think the books I have mentioned will increase enough to make profitable. But you may be right as well.

[comicinvestor-migration]

You're looking for needles after the haystack's blown away.

 

The only thing pushing comic prices now are the movies. No new readers/collectors are entering the hobby, so it's just hype-based selling to lure the ever-shrinking number of current buyers to buy even more.

 

I still love 'em, but comics are dead weight right now and will continue to sink in the future. I've even noticed myself scamming money from the "comic tin" to spend on DVD collector sets of 24, Law and Order, and Highlander.

 

If I am getting more entertainment/collector value elsewhere, then the hobby is in for a rough time.

[Bonds25]

I always love reading your posts CI - you're such an upbeat, positive guy!

[PovertyRow]

 

No new readers/collectors are entering the hobby, so it's just hype-based selling to lure the ever-shrinking number of current buyers to buy even more.

 

So you just basically bespot all the PA, GA, AA collectors (and probably a good bit of the SA and even some of the BA collectors) because you feel they are all hype-influenced? Good lord. Do you really think the number of PA-AA and (again) some Sa/BA collectors are so stupid that they are only influenced by hype? Or have we suddenly had tens of thousands of collectors dying in the past ten years?

[BachelorOfComix]

I always love reading your posts CI - you're such an upbeat, positive guy!

yeh, I get the feeling that if CI found a 10 dollar bill on the side of the road he would be upset it wasn't a fifty.

 

Cheers,

 

Bachelor of Comics

[delekkerste]

With painfully few collectors after them, Silver age DCs are the red-headed stepchildren of the hobby.

 

Preach on, Brother Meth. I would advise anyone waiting for the market to wake up to the undervaluation of Silver and Bronze DC not to hold their breath as they will undoubtedly lose consciousness.

 

There will be no "next wave" of booming CGC books - anything that couldn't go ballistic during the CGC mania of 2000-2001 is not going to suddenly take off like a rocket now that the novelty phase has ended and the market is reaching maturation.

 

Gene

[PovertyRow]

and the market is reaching maturation.

 

With absolutely no rancor or negativity to you, I think the market has reached, at best, pre-pubescence.

[blowout]

"I would advise anyone waiting for the market to wake up to the undervaluation of Silver and Bronze DC not to hold their breath as they will undoubtedly lose consciousness. "

 

exactly.

it makes me laugh when people talk about 25-40 year old books as being 'undervalued'.

there might be a case for talking about certain modern books as being undervalued but with SA/BA books we are talking about mature markets.

these books have been valued by the market, and the fact of the matter is that for silver/ bronze dc's there just isn't one.

[Guest]

Exactly interpreted as I meant it, but worded better (I was posting between bidding/sniping wars on Ebay). The off-spring of Silver age Marvel, the Bronze and Modern Marvels, gained in popularity and value as extensions of their Silver age "fathers". In many cases I imagine, high grade collectors, who couldn't shell out thousands on key 60s Marvels in high grade, turned to the latter ages to satiate their high grade collector fix, in which these Bronze age Marvels could be had for hundreds. Many grew up with 70's and 80s as part of their childhood and identify better with books from their childhood era, as well. There's a carry over effect to some extent, into the Bronze and Modern ages based on the hype and popularity, the investor craze on 60's Marvels.

DCs DON'T have the mass appeal of the 60s collectors. They never have, and didn't even acheive it under the first two years of the CGC regime, runaway price train. Of course, they also SUFFER from being so scarce in high grades that collectors just can't assemble runs in high grade like they can in Marvels. With Marvel, it's just a matter of opening your pocketbook, with DCs, you can go show to show with a mil in your pocket and your DC silver age want list will still not change!!! Without widespread 60's silver age DC popularity, I can't see the carry over happening on DC Bronze and Moderns except on possibly ARTIST issue collectors (Adams, etc.).

[Guest]

Interestingly, two comic scholars that I greatly respect, of a small handfull of the most knowledgeable hobbyists, Sean Linkenbach and Dr. K. Contarino, 15 years ago recognized the rarity and technicalities, problematics of DC Silver age comics. In article after article in many diverse publications I've bought for study reference, they pointed out the relative rarity of DC Silver age vs. Marvel Silver Age, and how price and popularity had absolutely nothing to do with rarity. Great reading for investors and collectors alike, or anyone who just wants to know as much as they can about comics.