Collector’s item or investment—what grade?

[bronze_rules]

Any comic is an "investment" if you buy it for the right price. If I buy a VG X-Men 94 for $4 as part of a larger lot, and sell it for $50, I've made a significant return.

 

I think we need to distinguish between some things on these boards.

 

 

Wholesaling: the sale of a large amount of goods to a retailer for breakup and individual resale...what you just described.

 

Arbitrage: buying goods in one market in order to sell them in another, taking advantage of the spread...what I do when I buy on eBay to sell here or at shows.

 

Investment: buying something at market price, holding it, then selling it for (hopefully) a profit...which is what I think the OP was talking about.

 

 

Things get confusing when terminology isn't used the same way in a discussion.

 

I would call what he described closer to arbitrage. There are no guarantees to anything, but with arbitrage, the ability to find good deals, and some knowledge of what current perceived demand and values are, you have a very good chance of expecting to get a net positive return on your investment (via flipping very quickly). Similar to the way that if a dealer offers 20-30% on a collection with some keys, they can expect to get an overall decent return on collection (best part of being a dealer is having the deals find you). One of the desirable strategies, is of course buying below market value, not at high ranges.

 

But from the perspective of an investment, there is more uncertainty over the long run. The blue chips will likely do well, but there will also be periods where they fluctuate with high volatility. Considering the recent uber high prices with UHG slabs, I would expect them to revert to the mean over time, not continue to the moon.

 

As keynes once quipped, "the markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent."

[Bomber-Bob]

I think the best guide for an investment book is to use the CGC Census.

Personally, I think early Silver Age DC currently holds a greater investment potential than mainstream Marvel. The performance of Showcase 22 has shown us that high grade early DC is rare and can be valuable.

 

I think absolutely the WORST guide for an investment book is to use the CGC census. The best guide for an "investment" book, is, surprisingly, a combination of eBay and Overstreet. If you're serious, troll eBay for books that consistently sell for significant multiples of Overstreet and buy at shows from dealers who aren't dynamically pricing their books.

 

I'm curious why you think the census is the worst guide for an investment book ?

Thinking in terms of October's definition of buying something at Market Value

and holding it for the long term I think the CGC census is a great guide.

Ebay, Overstreet, GPA all show you current value and may help you with a quick flip but the census will give you a good indication of rarity for the long term.

[the blob]

I think absolutely the WORST guide for an investment book is to use the CGC census.

 

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well, it is one way of getting a sense that maybe some books were warehouse finds and very easy to find in 9.6 - 9.8 and thus avoiding paying a premium for a 9.8 SA book that turns out to be vastly easier to find in 9.8 than the issue that came out the next month.

 

then again, CGC is about 10 years old, so at this point much of this is already reflected in market price. in 2001 people might have been paying way too much for some 9.8s not realizing that not every SA book is HFT in 9.8.