Another Collectible Bites the Dust- Parallels to Comics- Quesada: Pay Attention

[the blob]

I don't see regular moderns as being sold OFF THE RACK as a collectible that will increase in value. Not since about 1995 or so at least.

 

Obviously there's some of this in the after market though.

 

Variants are another story, but even then, I don't think they're being sold that way either, not in the last couple of years at least. It seems they appeal to someone interested in something a less common than the regular 50K print-run issue and/or the hyper completionist. Since so few, if any, of these keep their initial value after 6 months, it's really hard to be selling these as "investments". I'm not a collector of these per se (though I'll buy them after a deep discount), but I do like the idea of an edition that's 10X less common than the regular one, it seems kindah neat, particularly if it has a cool cover. I won't pay anything for it, but it's neat.

[NewWorldOrder]

Simple formula is as long as the characters are known everyday vintage comic books will stay vintage.

 

Then we disagree, as I don't see the correlation between liking the Spider-man movies and spending big bucks on vintage Spider-man comics. The superhero movies brought a lot of "old collectors" back to the fold, but don't confuse that phenomenon with what you're referring to.

 

I have seen a decent amount of examples of the movies bringing in old/new collectors to the back issue market.

 

I am in total agreement that hobby isn’t what is was in terms of news readership back in the 40’-70’s, but I feel the hobby will just branch off into different areas as it is now. For new books I only buy TBP’s because I know 99% of the new material isn’t worth storing or taking up room.

 

It’s not like people just come into the hobby all the time buying back issues then liking the new stuff, generally it’s usually the opposite. I came into the hobby looking/reading the new over produced 1990’s junk, but I eventfully started to collect the older vintage stuff.

 

All new superhero merchandise whether it’s comic books, TPB’s, trading cards, t-shirts, cartoons, toys, and movies can lead new collectors in the back issue vintage marketplace like a gateway drug.

 

It did for me.

 

Joe, I think you always bring up valid concerns, so don’t think I don’t see your points. (thumbs u

 

Even though you may still want to but anthrax in my mail.

 

[Ogami]

I don't really have anything to add, other than to say: I'm not starting a whole new thread to say that the Water Cooler is now a barren wasteland of bat-sh.ite crazies.

[NewWorldOrder]

Honestly though I think the age-old argument is how long will comic books or vintage comic books be around or worth money.

 

As long as they are around in my lifetime for me to enjoy then why the would I care what happens to comic books or that matter anything else when I die. I won’t be around to know the difference so who cares. If I have wife or kids they can either sell them or keep them it’s their call.

 

 

I enjoy them for me.

[Buck Biggins]

Manufactured Collectibles like Hummels and Department 56 villages?

 

True antique collectibles like vintage comic books?

 

I used to collect D56 houses. I mainly focused on the Halloween houses and North Pole series. However, after they started getting into license properties, limited editions and cranking tons of new stuff I lost a lot of interest. I love the ones I have but don't plan on adding any new ones.

 

 

[NewWorldOrder]

When sports players retire they are forgotten and their value goes down.

 

 

 

 

Just to address this point. I think that's debatable.

 

 

Mickey Mantle

Sandy Koufax

Gordie Howe

etc....

 

The value of the cards printed from their playing days certainly have not gone down in value. If you know where I can find a box of 1950's/60's baseball cards, especially Mantles, for cheap, please let me know. I'll even pay you a finder's fee.

 

I would beg to differ that they are forgotten as well.

 

The only name IMO that will stand the test of time is Mickey Mantle, the other two not so much.

 

Sorry but maybe in Canada Howe is a better sell.

 

I am diehard Philadelphia Flyers fan and I know you are a RW fan, but hockey is dying sport in the USA.

 

Either way those players cards should usually be worth money just like Action #1, AF #15 will be as well. I am talking about players like Nolan Ryan, Mike Schmidt, Tony Gwynn and other Hall of Fame players.

 

How will they fare? I doubt very well.

 

I hope I am wrong, but you are also talking to someone who shake his head as I why I ever spent .25c on sports cards to begin with.

 

[bedrockcomics]

Sounds like a good time to start buying Hummels (for keepsake purposes only)

 

I bought my parents a Hummel nativity years ago and have added pieces over the years. It's really a nice set. Maybe I should add a few more camels now.

 

I heard the two humped camels are going for a premium .

[drbanner]

Manufactured Collectibles like Hummels and Department 56 villages?

True antique collectibles like vintage comic books?

I used to collect D56 houses. I mainly focused on the Halloween houses and North Pole series. However, after they started getting into license properties, limited editions and cranking tons of new stuff I lost a lot of interest. I love the ones I have but don't plan on adding any new ones.

 

Dunno why, but my parents went kinda nuts over them about 10 years ago. My dad bought a small train set and put together a 4' x 8' "Christmas Scene" with all these D56 houses and such, probably had to do with the introduction of "Grandchildren" in his house at Christmas!

 

They ended up with so many that the collection has trickled down to us kids, so I have a small collection myself...now I need to buy small train set and 4' x 8' sheet of plywood, go to Michaels week after week, and create my own little empire.

 

[nwpassage]

I don't post much but I have always found this topic fascinating and wanted to throw in my 2 cents. In my opinion, some of us comic collectors are somewhat guilty of a "whistling past the graveyard" mentality.

 

I by no means think the great crash is coming, or the end of comic collecting is nigh. There are still years of strong interest in the hobby ahead, in my opinion. However, I do think the trends this article highlights are suggestive.

 

I have heard arguments many times about how characters like SpiderMan, Batman and Superman are iconic and will be part of American culture forever. And it will all be OK in the long run because kids are familiar with these characters through movies, etc. However, I think it is assuming a great deal that the familiarity of children with these characters will lead to sustaining the comic hobby across generations.

 

Let me use myself as an example. I am a Gen-Xer. I was familiar with (and even avidly liked some) of the following characters as a child. These characters, in their time, were all very famous, yet I have no interest in collecting any material about them now:

 

Tarzan (used to see the old movies, just an iconic character);

Flash Gordon (I used to watch the old serials on WGN and oved the awful movie with the Queen score; but I knew who Flash was)

Buck Rogers (tv show)

Lone Ranger (watched the old TV show on WGN every Sunday)

Cisco Kid (same as Lone Ranger)

The Shadow (familiar from a few references in old movies, occasionally heard an old radio program, etc)

 

My personal experience makes me skeptical about the belief that the comic hobby is different from others. I still enjoy it. But I do it for myself and I don't think that it will necesssarily mean anything to later generations.

 

I sat at a table of grade schoolers for lunch not long ago, and my grand-daughter brought up the topic by informing her friends I had tons of comic books. A good portion had no idea what a comic book was, those who did wonder owned none, and had no idea where to get one. They were familiar with some of the characters, but it no was was not reminiscent of myself in grade school pouring over the adventures of the fantastic four, or daredevil. I grew up in the silver age, and returned to collecting with the advent of the internet, which made available to me childhood memories at the click of a button. Comics were my lifeline to fantasy when I was a child, a heavenly escape from reality, much like movies and video games are to the kids of today. Where I had boxes of comics and baseball cards, these kids have shelves of movies and video games. .

[Mr. Zipper]

When sports players retire they are forgotten and their value goes down.

 

 

 

 

Just to address this point. I think that's debatable.

 

 

Mickey Mantle

Sandy Koufax

Gordie Howe

etc....

 

The value of the cards printed from their playing days certainly have not gone down in value. If you know where I can find a box of 1950's/60's baseball cards, especially Mantles, for cheap, please let me know. I'll even pay you a finder's fee.

 

I would beg to differ that they are forgotten as well.

 

The only name IMO that will stand the test of time is Mickey Mantle, the other two not so much.

 

I think Sandy Koufax has already survived the test of time. He's been retired over 40 years and is still considered by many as the most dominating left handed pitcher that ever lived. His collectibles are in very high demand.

[NewWorldOrder]

When sports players retire they are forgotten and their value goes down.

 

 

 

 

Just to address this point. I think that's debatable.

 

 

Mickey Mantle

Sandy Koufax

Gordie Howe

etc....

 

The value of the cards printed from their playing days certainly have not gone down in value. If you know where I can find a box of 1950's/60's baseball cards, especially Mantles, for cheap, please let me know. I'll even pay you a finder's fee.

 

I would beg to differ that they are forgotten as well.

 

The only name IMO that will stand the test of time is Mickey Mantle, the other two not so much.

 

I think Sandy Koufax has already survived the test of time. He's been retired over 40 years and is still considered by many as the most dominating left handed pitcher that ever lived. His collectibles are in very high demand.

 

Steve Carolton....

[NewWorldOrder]

If any of you guys do feel that vintage books will become obsolete then please by all means PM me with all your GA/SA/BA books and I will be happy to take them off your hands at the PREDICTED FUTURE going out of business prices.

[HarrisonJohn]

As long as the characters stay popular (and I think the major Marvel and DC characters will stay that way for our lifetime) their comic books will remain collectable. I think Disney is going to give an even bigger push to the Marvel characters over the next couple of decades.

[DiceX]

Sounds like a good time to start buying Hummels (for keepsake purposes only)

 

I could use a Hummel, myself.

 

 

[Buck Biggins]

Manufactured Collectibles like Hummels and Department 56 villages?

True antique collectibles like vintage comic books?

I used to collect D56 houses. I mainly focused on the Halloween houses and North Pole series. However, after they started getting into license properties, limited editions and cranking tons of new stuff I lost a lot of interest. I love the ones I have but don't plan on adding any new ones.

 

Dunno why, but my parents went kinda nuts over them about 10 years ago. My dad bought a small train set and put together a 4' x 8' "Christmas Scene" with all these D56 houses and such, probably had to do with the introduction of "Grandchildren" in his house at Christmas!

 

They ended up with so many that the collection has trickled down to us kids, so I have a small collection myself...now I need to buy small train set and 4' x 8' sheet of plywood, go to Michaels week after week, and create my own little empire.

 

 

HA HA HA. I do enjoy them. Definitely the best of all the lighted house brands.

[hockey&comicsguy]

When sports players retire they are forgotten and their value goes down.

 

 

 

 

Just to address this point. I think that's debatable.

 

 

Mickey Mantle

Sandy Koufax

Gordie Howe

etc....

 

The value of the cards printed from their playing days certainly have not gone down in value. If you know where I can find a box of 1950's/60's baseball cards, especially Mantles, for cheap, please let me know. I'll even pay you a finder's fee.

 

I would beg to differ that they are forgotten as well.

 

The only name IMO that will stand the test of time is Mickey Mantle, the other two not so much.

 

Sorry but maybe in Canada Howe is a better sell.

 

I am diehard Philadelphia Flyers fan and I know you are a RW fan, but hockey is dying sport in the USA.

 

Either way those players cards should usually be worth money just like Action #1, AF #15 will be as well. I am talking about players like Nolan Ryan, Mike Schmidt, Tony Gwynn and other Hall of Fame players.

 

How will they fare? I doubt very well.

 

I hope I am wrong, but you are also talking to someone who shake his head as I why I ever spent .25c on sports cards to begin with.

 

 

Fair enough.

 

Although I think you're wrong about the bolded part. You might say the NHL is dying but I'm not sure that's even true. I'd have to dig up the numbers to be certain but I believe that since the institution of the salary cap, which is based in part on league wide revenue, has gone up every year since it's inception. I do believe they are anticipating a decline going into next year though. But to say it's dying? I don't know.

 

NHL aside, absolutely youth hockey has exploded in the US. More programs throughout the country. More teams, more players, better players. The US developmental programs are doing fantastically well.

 

Recent draft history shows it's still largely Canada heavy up top but the US has made huge strides

 

2005 #1 Crosby (Can), #2 Ryan (USA), #3 Jack Johnson (USA)

2006 #1 E. Johnson (USA) Also, of the top 10 first round picks 4 were from the US and 3 from Canada

2007 #1 Patrick Kane (USA) back to back Americans picked #1. #2 your very own VanReimsdyk (USA)

2008 #3 Bogosian (USA). Very heavy Canada draft. Also heavily leaned towards defenseman. Odd draft with not a lot of flair. A pretty weak draft if you ask me.

2009 no Americans in the top 10 but 5 picks in the 1st round which was basically dominated by Canada and the Swedes.

 

I would say that youth hockey has never been more alive in the US than it is now.

[MrBedrock]

Steve Carolton....

Who in the world is Steve Carolton?

[Mr. Zipper]

Sounds like a good time to start buying Hummels (for keepsake purposes only)

 

I could use a Hummel, myself.

 

 

There's a L at the end of that word. Not an R.

 

[joe_collector]

If any of you guys do feel that vintage books will become obsolete then please by all means PM me with all your GA/SA/BA books and I will be happy to take them off your hands at the PREDICTED FUTURE going out of business prices.

 

I hope you're as flippant when the sheit actually hits the fan, as that's the only time it counts.

[Mr. Zipper]

If any of you guys do feel that vintage books will become obsolete then please by all means PM me with all your GA/SA/BA books and I will be happy to take them off your hands at the PREDICTED FUTURE going out of business prices.

 

I hope you're as flippant when the sheit actually hits the fan, as that's the only time it counts.

 

This is the same Board where a LOT of people were talking about dumping stock at a loss in October 2008 to get out while the getting was good.

 

If the pattern follows and comics do crash, no worries, there will be a lot of people in a blind panic to dump as quickly as possible.