Moderns that are heating up on ebay! 71 71

[Michael Browning]

On 11/9/2022 at 1:29 AM, World Devourer said:

Agreed. We are in the middle of a very bearish period. If people can afford to hold on to those rare variants etc, they will make their money back. However, it is a long game.

I don’t think “rare” variants are a good investment at all. After the heat is gone from the variants, I’ve never seen it come back to the level of when they’re hot. I mean, if you get a rare Adam Hughes variant like Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes 23, which was really tough to get. A very memorable cover and by an artist whose popularity never wanes, then it might, but the rest of these variants aren’t all that rare and once they’re forgotten, they’re dollar bin books in most cases.

[darkstar]

On 11/11/2022 at 10:45 AM, Michael Browning said:

I don’t think “rare” variants are a good investment at all. After the heat is gone from the variants, I’ve never seen it come back to the level of when they’re hot. I mean, if you get a rare Adam Hughes variant like Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes 23, which was really tough to get. A very memorable cover and by an artist whose popularity never wanes, then it might, but the rest of these variants aren’t all that rare and once they’re forgotten, they’re dollar bin books in most cases.

The Hughes variant to Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes 23 wasn't hard to get, it sat in back issue bins and dollar boxes for over half a decade. There was no secondary market for Hughes covers until the early 2010s. 

[World Devourer]

On 11/12/2022 at 3:45 AM, Michael Browning said:

I don’t think “rare” variants are a good investment at all. After the heat is gone from the variants, I’ve never seen it come back to the level of when they’re hot. I mean, if you get a rare Adam Hughes variant like Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes 23, which was really tough to get. A very memorable cover and by an artist whose popularity never wanes, then it might, but the rest of these variants aren’t all that rare and once they’re forgotten, they’re dollar bin books in most cases.

I'm talking about the top shelf items with the most popular characters, a la Amazing Spider-Man #678 and Wolverine #145 (Nabisco) in 9.8. 

Always a market for these.

[Michael Browning]

On 11/11/2022 at 5:44 PM, darkstar said:

The Hughes variant to Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes 23 wasn't hard to get, it sat in back issue bins and dollar boxes for over half a decade. There was no secondary market for Hughes covers until the early 2010s. 

That’s absolutely not true. I have never seen a single copy of that book in the wild at all, except for the copy that my local shop manager got for himself on the day of its release. That book was hot from the very minute it hit the comic shops and if it was ever in any dollar boxes, it was because the shop owner wasn’t very smart.

There was a solid market for Hughes covers dating back to 2006-2007. I know because the Catwoman covers were selling high and #51 was a hot comic immediately and has maintained its heat for 16 years.

[darkstar]

On 11/11/2022 at 8:21 PM, Michael Browning said:

That’s absolutely not true. I have never seen a single copy of that book in the wild at all, except for the copy that my local shop manager got for himself on the day of its release. That book was hot from the very minute it hit the comic shops and if it was ever in any dollar boxes, it was because the shop owner wasn’t very smart.

There was a solid market for Hughes covers dating back to 2006-2007. I know because the Catwoman covers were selling high and #51 was a hot comic immediately and has maintained its heat for 16 years.

It absolutely is true. You can search this forum and map exactly when various artists and variants became a thing. 

Catwoman 51 wasn't a hot thing on the secondary market until the early 2010s. And the other Hughes Catwoman covers weren't a thing until several years after that. Incentive variants selling for significant money wasn't a thing pre-2010 despite the fact that they had been around awhile. 

[darkstar]

[MAR1979]

On 11/10/2022 at 2:31 PM, Lpgk said:

the thing that frightens me is, correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time comics was hot was in the early 90s. I believe the comic market started to heat up again in 2013 or so. I can't want 30 years for this to come around. 

My guess is the next time new buyers enter the hobby en masse will be a decade MINIMUM. In order for prices to jump and jump if not down right sublimate the way they did in the pandemic bubble a large infusion of new blood is required. That occurred in the early 90's and then again from 2020-very early 2022. To think it will happen again in the short or mid term is simply not realistic.

Those with true business acumen don't need bubbles to do well.  Cash flow is king, sitting on merch desperately waiting and wanting to get full bubble prices again is sub optimal strategy. Of course real business folks know all this already. 

Edited November 12, 2022 by MAR1979

[Broke as a Joke]

I would be nervous if I had these expensive variants because as time goes by people lose interest in the artists and the cool "shiny toy" gets replaced by something else.  30 years from now are people going to be impressed that you own a Del'Otto or a JSC cover??  I have my doubts...

[fastballspecial]

On 11/11/2022 at 8:41 PM, darkstar said:

Nothing like good empirical data to back up an argument. I love this board. 

[fastballspecial]

On 11/11/2022 at 10:44 PM, Broke as a Joke said:

I would be nervous if I had these expensive variants because as time goes by people lose interest in the artists and the cool "shiny toy" gets replaced by something else.  30 years from now are people going to be impressed that you own a Del'Otto or a JSC cover??  I have my doubts...

You just describe one of the reasons for the crash in the 90s. Card dealers lost their  on books back in the 90s. I remember Malibu Silver Holograms priced at $50 to $100 at shows it was nuts. 

 

Edited November 12, 2022 by fastballspecial

[fastballspecial]

On 11/11/2022 at 9:55 PM, MAR1979 said:

My guess is the next time new buyers enter the hobby en masse will be a decade MINIMUM. In order for prices to jump and jump if not down right sublimate the way they did in the pandemic bubble a large infusion of new blood is required. That occurred in the early 90's and then again from 2020-very early 2022. To think it will happen again in the short or mid term is simply not realistic.

Those with true business acumen don't need bubbles to do well.  Cash flow is king, sitting on merch desperately waiting and wanting to get full bubble prices again is sub optimal strategy. Of course real business folks know all this already. 

All go a step farther. Sellers will never see the market they saw last year for probably a decade or more. So now we are seeing the glut lie out in its glory. Board members will disappear along with 100s of people on Whatnot, ebay and other selling platforms. They will simply find out they way overpaid and resale is next to non-existent without a steep price drop. This is where the rubber meets the road this year.

Oh and that 1099 is coming for everyone this year..... muhahahaha

 

Edited November 12, 2022 by fastballspecial

[Michael Browning]

On 11/11/2022 at 9:41 PM, darkstar said:

Your own “proof” shows that the books have been consistently high-dollar comics since their release — and have never been dollar bin books.

[darkstar]

On 11/12/2022 at 7:38 AM, Michael Browning said:

Your own “proof” shows that the books have been consistently high-dollar comics since their release — and have never been dollar bin books.

Those are for 9.8 graded copies. The pre-2010 sales data shows exactly what I said - that the secondary market didn't care about those books at the time. If your book is selling for two figures in 9.8 it's a book that is a back issue bin book, a dollar book. 

For more proof go look at the Hughes thread on this forum - there is 62 pages of it.

The thread started in 2008 and yet before the end of page 3 we're already up to 2016. 8 years pass and the thread sees less than 3 pages of posts, on someone you claim was hot on the secondary market since the mid 2000s? 

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 11/12/2022 at 7:38 AM, Michael Browning said:

Your own “proof” shows that the books have been consistently high-dollar comics since their release — and have never been dollar bin books.

One "may" argue that gpaanalysis keeps track of "CGC slabs", therefore if it is selling for anything "under $35" in 2006 released is basically just the "cost to grade." 

That said, while it may have traded hands a bunch, saying 'high' value isn't the common pov, imo

Edited November 12, 2022 by ADAMANTIUM

[darkstar]

On 11/11/2022 at 10:44 PM, Broke as a Joke said:

I would be nervous if I had these expensive variants because as time goes by people lose interest in the artists and the cool "shiny toy" gets replaced by something else.  30 years from now are people going to be impressed that you own a Del'Otto or a JSC cover??  I have my doubts...

The desirable, original incentive variants will be fine, because those books were printed in a volume that wasn't the result of speculation. The vast majority of retailer variants or JSC web store exclusives aren't going to fare well though. 

[fastballspecial]

What he is saying is they were printed before all the speculators and online stores entered the market.

[World Devourer]

On 11/12/2022 at 3:44 PM, Broke as a Joke said:

I would be nervous if I had these expensive variants because as time goes by people lose interest in the artists and the cool "shiny toy" gets replaced by something else.  30 years from now are people going to be impressed that you own a Del'Otto or a JSC cover??  I have my doubts...

As I said earlier, if you have something truly desirable, you have a chance. However, it must be Batman, Spider-Man or Wolverine.

Other characters (eg. Catwoman, Supergirl) simply don't have the staying power.

[littledoom]

On 11/12/2022 at 6:16 PM, World Devourer said:

As I said earlier, if you have something truly desirable, you have a chance. However, it must be Batman, Spider-Man or Wolverine.

Other characters (eg. Catwoman, Supergirl) simply don't have the staying power.

All key issues dip but then come back again higher in the future

[Lazyboy]

On 11/12/2022 at 9:34 PM, littledoom said:

All key issues dip but then come back again higher in the future

"Rare" () variants and popular covers do not make keys. Though they could be part of keys.

[Beastfeast]

On 11/12/2022 at 10:45 PM, Lazyboy said:

"Rare" () variants and popular covers do not make keys. Though they could be part of keys.

When does a popular cover become a classic cover?  When CGC designates it?  Not being snarky...I'm curious what ya'll think?  

 

Edit: And when does a classic cover become a key?

Edited November 13, 2022 by Beastfeast