• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

What’s your opinion on long term pricing trends?

Started by passion4comics,

94 posts in this topic

passion4comics

passion4comics

Posted
Posted

Back in the 70’s and 80’s is where I believe comics were the most popular. Maybe I’m bias because in the 80s is when I was walking a mile (no joke) in each direction once or twice a week to pick up whatever came in from a store names Pinocchios on McDonald Avenue in Brooklyn.

 

In 1982 I was 13 years old. Comics, even the older ones were affordable. Maybe not for me at 13, but someone with a job could get most books without mortgaging the house. We’ll exclude stratosphere titles like Action 1 and Detective etc.

 

The readers of the 70 and 80 are now in their mid 40’s, 50’s and early 60s. A point where those out of reach comics are now affordable with a bit of effort and financial pain. During my 20’s and 30’s comics were only a thought here and there. When I hit my 40s I realized I missed them. Was the mass of readers and collectors from the 70s and 80s and if that’s true could today be a point where comics will be in most demand? As these older readers phase out do the readers and collectors of the 90’s and 2000’s have the ability to sustain pricing and their 5-10% (example) Overstreet pricing increases?

 

I’m still hung over. I hope this makes sense. I was thinking about this last night.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
fantastic_four

fantastic_four

Posted
Posted

Once Marvel and/or DC stop producing monthly comics and focus more on trade paperbacks, non-key back issues will begin to decline. Key issues should maintain and increase until approximately 2040-2060 when kids from the 1990s begin to die. After that, it's tough to see. The keys should still be valuable 100 years from now, but whether or not they continue to increase at a rate that beats inflation as they do today depends upon how well their characters continue to do in the new media of film, video games, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ComicConnoisseur

ComicConnoisseur

Posted
Posted
As these older readers phase out do the readers and collectors of the 90’s and 2000’s have the ability to sustain pricing and their 5-10% (example) Overstreet pricing increases?

I’m still hung over. I hope this makes sense. I was thinking about this last night.

For Marvel Silver Age keys long term then yes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mac Man

Mac Man

Posted
Posted
Once Marvel and/or DC stop producing monthly comics and focus more on trade paperbacks, non-key back issues will begin to decline. Key issues should maintain and increase until approximately 2040-2060 when kids from the 1990s begin to die. After that, it's tough to see. The keys should still be valuable 100 years from now, but whether or not they continue to increase at a rate that beats inflation as they do today depends upon how well their characters continue to do in the new media of film, video games, etc.

 

Thanks for reminding me of my mortality this early in the morning. Looks like it's time to move from coffee to beer.

 

:sumo:

:tonofbricks:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
fantastic_four

fantastic_four

Posted
Posted
Sorry about the long term death thread. I was just thinking that 2000-2020 may be the peak of supply vs demand putting 2010 at the peak. Like anything else who really knows.

 

Nobody knows, but everyone has always wondered if whatever the current decade is would be the last one with upward increases. I strongly believe to get the best estimate you have to look at trends from the very beginning of the back-issue market, project them all the way out to the most likely end of the market, and then trace backwards again to get your answer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Comicopolis

Comicopolis

Posted
Posted
I suspect that comics will be the pulps of the future. I believe most pulp collectors have died off, few new ones are entering the hobby and prices are dropping.

 

Not on the books I want :cry:

 

Yep - same for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
fantastic_four

fantastic_four

Posted
Posted
I suspect that comics will be the pulps of the future. I believe most pulp collectors have died off, few new ones are entering the hobby and prices are dropping.

 

I can't think of any pulp heroes that have achieved anything close to the fanbase of a Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man...Zorro and Buck Rogers don't even come close.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cimm

Cimm

Posted
Posted
I suspect that comics will be the pulps of the future. I believe most pulp collectors have died off, few new ones are entering the hobby and prices are dropping.

 

I can't think of any pulp heroes that have achieved anything close to the fanbase of a Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man...Zorro and Buck Rogers don't even come close.

 

You forget Tarzan... worldwide, he is quite well known.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
fantastic_four

fantastic_four

Posted
Posted
I suspect that comics will be the pulps of the future. I believe most pulp collectors have died off, few new ones are entering the hobby and prices are dropping.

 

I can't think of any pulp heroes that have achieved anything close to the fanbase of a Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man...Zorro and Buck Rogers don't even come close.

 

You forget Tarzan... worldwide, he is quite well known.

 

Nowhere near the superheroes though right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
thehumantorch

thehumantorch

Posted
Posted
I suspect that comics will be the pulps of the future. I believe most pulp collectors have died off, few new ones are entering the hobby and prices are dropping.

 

I can't think of any pulp heroes that have achieved anything close to the fanbase of a Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man...Zorro and Buck Rogers don't even come close.

 

actually, in his time, The Shadow was absolutely huge. One of the most popular OTR shows. I'll bet he was easily as popular and known as the big guys (supes, batman, etc). of course, once the 50's hit that all died down

 

I would imagine that Zorro, Buck Rogers, Tarzan, the Shadow and other classic pulp characters were huge during the pulp boom but faded as comics became more popular.

 

I think there is a relationship between when publishers quit publishing pulps and pulp values began to drop. It may take 20 or 30 years but I believe that back issue comic prices will begin to drop as new comic sales die. I do wonder if the popularity of comic based movies will help to keep the back issue comic market vibrant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HouseofComics.Com

HouseofComics.Com

Posted
Posted
I suspect that comics will be the pulps of the future. I believe most pulp collectors have died off, few new ones are entering the hobby and prices are dropping.

 

I don't know about that. Never really thought about it until your post but this is what occurs to me:

 

1) Pulps died off, comics seem to be in no danger of this, thus at least keeping some freshness and some new readers coming in

 

2) Comics always had some sense of collectibility, even if just from having the sequential numbering and continuing characters. Some pulps had some of those characteristics, but not to even close the same extent. I mean, after 15 years of pulps did any of them have 100th issue celebrations with covers of previous classic issues, ala Superman 100 and Batman 100?

 

3) Did the pulps create any lasting characters that remained extremely popular AND are mostly associated with the pulps? I mean, Conan may have started in the pulps but it's the 60s paperbacks that propelled him to worldwide fame, no?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HouseofComics.Com

HouseofComics.Com

Posted
Posted
I suspect that comics will be the pulps of the future. I believe most pulp collectors have died off, few new ones are entering the hobby and prices are dropping.

 

I can't think of any pulp heroes that have achieved anything close to the fanbase of a Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man...Zorro and Buck Rogers don't even come close.

 

You forget Tarzan... worldwide, he is quite well known.

 

Did that come from the pulps or the paperbacks or the movies? Was the Shadow even more of a radio thing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing