wheres the next run up in silver age?

[blowout]

FFs aren't going to go up until I'm done filling and upgrading my runs...I just KNOW it!!!

 

The prices will spike BIG TIME just as you get tantalising close to finishing your run. Unfortunately, you will of course not have the patience to wait until the entire comic book market tanks and will pay the iminent insane prices for the books.

[Kermit]

[fantastic_four]

Unfortunately, you will of course not have the patience to wait until the entire comic book market tanks and will pay the iminent insane prices for the books.

 

You know me so very, very well. Dunno if I pay "insane" prices, but I'm VERY, VERY IMPATIENT!!!! Everyone sell me their nice FFs RIGHT NOW!!!!

[cvttrdr1-migration]

i need to reply to myself after some thinking and my last post on another thread...the census is such an invaluable tool.One area that will run up,and run up dramatically are those books that are scarce in high grade,books that might normally escape attention. When was the last high grade FF 17 or 18 on ebay? How many # 20 or 30 have you seen lately? About 2 yrs ago,there was an auction for an FF 18 and an FF 19. They went for 600 apiece,give or take a few. I of course don't know what they looked like when they changed hands,but if they hit the market today,they would go for 2000 each i think.I remeber one winner was Blazing,the other a dealer. I remember this so well because i dropped out at 300 each thinking the pricing was insane.i was sooooooooo wrong.So i'm saying scarcity will drive them up. FF 48,while a key,looks to me to have leveled off considerably due to the large # of them out there.I think thats going to be the trend.

[blowout]

But what about demand...?

[joe_collector]

But what about demand...?

 

Demand is fueled by Census speculation. Check out JIM for a great example.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Demand is fueled by Census speculation. Check out JIM for a great example.

 

How about Demand is in part fueled by lack of supply?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[joe_collector]

Demand is fueled by Census speculation. Check out JIM for a great example.

 

How about Demand is in part fueled by lack of supply?

 

Same diff. People who were not (and probably never were) actively seeking JIM issues got in a tizzy when their "Census Rarity" was exposed, leading to further speculation based on supply.

 

Supply does not drive demand, except in speculative (or post-apocalyptic) environments.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Supply does not drive demand, except in speculative (or post-apocalyptic) environments.

 

I can cite from personal example instances where hard to find in hard grade books drive up demand, simply because of the scarcity factor. People want it more because they know that if they don't buy it, there will be 10 people out there who will, and you may never see the same book in comparable shape again.

 

And its not speculation; its reality. The census doesn't dictate demand, it reinforces long held experience that certain books just aren't available in certain grades.

[fantastic_four]

Supply does not drive demand, except in speculative (or post-apocalyptic) environments.

 

What about challenge? My favorite read from the 60s is Amazing Spider-Man, but since they're so much easier to find than the other titles, it's easier to collect than my hardest two titles, FF and JIM. I've got more Spideys than FFs, but the only reason for that is they're easier to find. I enjoy reading Spidey more, but collecting FF is more fun because the hunt is really hard...and that's a major facet of what collecting is all about, the hunt.

[joe_collector]

I can cite from personal example instances where hard to find in hard grade books drive up demand, simply because of the scarcity factor.

 

Of course, but why are people who don't know who Thor is and never collected these books before, suddenly interested in buying all the HG JIM issues they can?

 

Hint: Speculation

 

I can see scarcity affecting overall prices, as current buyers fight harder for each issue that comes up, but that's natural.

 

A significant increase in the actual demand base for comics, simply because they have a low Census number, is speculation, pure and simple.

[joe_collector]

collecting FF is more fun because the hunt is really hard...and that's a major facet of what collecting is all about, the hunt.

 

Sure, but did you suddenly discover JIM at the moment when the BSD's starting promoting its "incredible scarcity in the Census"? Did you never own an issue before?

[fantastic_four]

When was the last high grade FF 17 or 18 on ebay? About 2 yrs ago,there was an auction for an FF 18 and an FF 19. They went for 600 apiece,give or take a few. I of course don't know what they looked like when they changed hands,but if they hit the market today,they would go for 2000 each i think.

 

I bought the last high-grade copies of #17 and #18 that hit e-bay...I seriously doubt they'd hit $2000 apiece yet, but I agree that they're drastically undervalued by Overstreet--Bob Storms just got somewhere around $4500 for his CGC 9.4 copy of #17!!! A #16 CGC 9.0 just sold for around $950 within the last few weeks, and that's the highest total by FAR I've ever seen on a 9.0 in that issue range. There have been about 5 to 8 copies of #19 to hit e-bay in 9.0 or 9.2 condition, but only 2 copies each of #17 and #18 that I can recall, and no 9.2s of either issue.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Of course, but why are people who don't know who Thor is and never collected these books before, suddenly interested in buying all the HG JIM issues they can?

 

Personally, I can't speak to this because I don't know anyone who collects high grade JIMs that isn't a collector.

 

Is there speculation going on in the JIM market? Possibly. But no one who has been collecting high grade JIMs for years will tell you that it was ever an easy title to collect VF/NM or better copies of. And may I ask, how do you know who is a speculator and who is a collector in regards to these books? Do you email/PM them and interrogate them to discern their intentions?

 

I know I gave up collecting high grade Tales to Astonish in the early 90s because it was IMPOSSIBLE to find NM copies of the first 5 Ant-Man appearances. Looking at the census now would reinforce the that fact. My feeling is that many people gave up trying to collect high grade TTAs and JIMs simply because it was such a futile endeavor before CGC. But with the market exploding, and prices going up, high grade copies are now available (for a steep price). Does wanting to complete that TTA run now make me a speculator simply because I haven't had a TTA book in my collection for a decade? Or am I a high grade collector who now finally has access to the near mint books I couldn't find before?

 

Now, as far as FFs (my area of specialty), I can tell you that all the high grade collectors I correspond with (both on these boards, through eBay, and elsewhere) are just that: collectors first and foremost. They've always loved FFs, but perhaps, didn't always have the financial wherewithall to chase high grade copies. Is there speculation based on census numbers in this title? Possibly, but at the end of the day, I think its negligable.

[fantastic_four]

Sure, but did you suddenly discover JIM at the moment when the BSD's starting promoting its "incredible scarcity in the Census"? Did you never own an issue before?

 

I don't think so, it depends on when you're thinking the "BSDs started promoting" it. I started buying them before CGC set up these forums at least, but I didn't start buying them until I finished my X-Men and Daredevil runs and started getting towards the end of my Spidey and FF runs; sometime in late 2001 I think is when I started looking for them. And that's the main reason I started going after them--I kinda sorta like the character and it was an "expansion" title for me to collect.

 

I've barely bought any this year, the prices are too high and I rate it as my least-favorite title out of the ones I collect. I've mostly focused on upgrading my main runs instead of buying JIMs. I have bought several Thors from 140 up this year.

[uclapeterg]

I bought an FF 18 in 8.5 for $300 from Heritage.. Did I get a good deal? I tend to think so.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

I bought an FF 18 in 8.5 for $300 from Heritage.. Did I get a good deal? I tend to think so.

 

Yes, I believe that was an excellent deal and well worth the $300.

[fantastic_four]

Now, as far as FFs (my area of specialty), I can tell you that all the high grade collectors I correspond with (both on these boards, through eBay, and elsewhere) are just that: collectors first and foremost. They've always loved FFs, but perhaps, didn't always have the financial wherewithall to chase high grade copies.

 

That's me--I started reading in the 1980s somewhere around issue #245, and when I returned to collecting in 2000, I picked back up with it originally to get copies of 48, 49, and 50, but it expanded from there. I like several of the Lee/Kirby stories better than the Byrne run from the 80s.

[drbanner]

I can cite from personal example instances where hard to find in hard grade books drive up demand, simply because of the scarcity factor.

 

What about all the "Gerber no-shows" and "Gerber 8 and up" collectors? I know several collectors that chase after these books for the thrill of the hunt, and not because they think "Toy Town #2" is going to fund their retirement. Prior to CGC, the only quantitative measure of a book's scarcity was the gerber index, and while it draws on Bob's qualitative analysis to rank the books, there are quantitative values attached to each book.

 

Now, there are many killer covers that didn't make it into the Gerber (Captain Aero 26 and Exciting 28? to name two), but here's a Gerber no-show that no one outside of the small group of "scarce book" collectors would be interested in!

 

[fantastic_four]

 

Am I hallucinating, or are you posting Golden Age books in a thread titled "where's the next run up in silver age" located in the "Silver Comics" forum!!?!?!?!? The moderator has been notified, and you shall soon be banned.