Walking Dead - Second Governor page sell for $2,300?

[Phill the Governor]

It may not be worthy as an investment, but I'm sure there will be a time it's actually worth that, and when are you ever going to get the chance to own it? Something like that, I think, would end up in a collection for decades.

[mister_not_so_nice]

It may not be worthy as an investment, but I'm sure there will be a time it's actually worth that, and when are you ever going to get the chance to own it? Something like that, I think, would end up in a collection for decades.

You would think that, wouldn't you. But here it is for sale

[Claudio]

Less than a year after it was for sale last time (if memory serves me).

[Claudio]

So, I'm not sure she's worthy of that price tag as an investment. I think the cover is worth more like $10k (maybe up to $15k), figuring most Walking Dead covers are worth about $2-3k, any especially nice covers are worth $5-8k, and this is a 1st apperance.

The Walking Dead #19 cover is now on ComicLink. The asking price? $50,000.

 

I think any Tony Moore cover is worth much more than 2-3k. Most interior pages are 2-3k.

 

 

 

The Rick in the hospital bed page just sold for $8k...so, umm yeah, the starting point seems off a bit.

 

I'm gonna agree with Rick on this one. He said ". . .most Walking Dead covers are worth about $2-3k" not distinguishing between Moore or Adlard. And since Adlard has the lion's share of the covers and most fall within that range, Rick is on the money, as it were.

 

I am going to disagree with Rick. This one can't be compared to "most" covers since it is a Moore cover.

[comix4fun]

So, I'm not sure she's worthy of that price tag as an investment. I think the cover is worth more like $10k (maybe up to $15k), figuring most Walking Dead covers are worth about $2-3k, any especially nice covers are worth $5-8k, and this is a 1st apperance.

The Walking Dead #19 cover is now on ComicLink. The asking price? $50,000.

 

I think any Tony Moore cover is worth much more than 2-3k. Most interior pages are 2-3k.

 

 

 

The Rick in the hospital bed page just sold for $8k...so, umm yeah, the starting point seems off a bit.

 

I'm gonna agree with Rick on this one. He said ". . .most Walking Dead covers are worth about $2-3k" not distinguishing between Moore or Adlard. And since Adlard has the lion's share of the covers and most fall within that range, Rick is on the money, as it were.

 

 

I have to disagree with your agreement, at least in as far as comparing apples to oranges is relevant in any discussion

 

I think the disagreement with Rick is because you can't take work from different artists and, simply because they worked on the same title, compare their art sales figures to divine what something should sell for. That doesn't make sense from an art valuation and sale perspective.

 

We are talking about Moore Walking Dead covers.

 

I could get a Judge Dredd cover from Bill Maher for $1,000 (like the one I bid on in Heritage last time out). If I want one from Bolland it's going to cost me 10 to 40 times as much. Comparing Maher to Bolland gets me exactly nowhere.

 

24 Moore covers, 80+ (with previews, hard covers, collected editions, etc.) and counting Adlard covers. Two different guys, different styles, and one has already produced in excess of triple the output of the other.

 

Talking about what Adlard covers sell for (and we should probably look at the Petit Papers sales if you want to see what his covers are moving for recently) has no bearing on what Moore covers will command.

 

 

To put it another way...I have an X-men cover to sell.

 

All buyers will want to know if it's Kirby, or Roth, or Liefeld, or Lee, or Silvestri, or Romita Jr., or Smith. Each with his own market, and I'd look like an insufficiently_thoughtful_person in negotiation trying to talk about what Paul Smith sells for, if I am selling a Romita Jr.

[Claudio]

 

I have to disagree with your agreement, at least in as far as comparing apples to oranges is relevant in any discussion

 

I think the disagreement with Rick is because you can't take work from different artists and simply because they worked on the same title compare their art sales figures to divine what something should sell for. That doesn't make sense from an art valuation and sale perspective though.

 

We are talking about Moore Walking Dead covers.

 

I could get a Judge Dredd cover from Bill Maher for $1,000 (like the one I bid on in Heritage last time out). If I want one from Bolland it's going to cost me 10 to 40 times as much. Comparing Maher to Bolland gets me exactly nowhere.

 

24 Moore covers, 80+ (with previews, hard covers, collected editions, etc.) and counting Adlard covers. Two different guys, different styles, and one has already produced in excess of triple the output of the other.

 

Talking about what Adlard covers sell for (and we should probably look at the Petit Papers sales if you want to see what his covers are moving for recently) has no bearing on what Moore covers will command.

 

 

To put it another way...I have an X-men cover to sell.

 

All buyers will want to know if it's Kirby, or Roth, or Liefeld, or Lee, or Silvestri, or Romita Jr., or Smith. Each with his own market, and I'd look like an insufficiently_thoughtful_person in negotiation trying to talk about what Paul Smith sells for, if I am selling a Romita Jr.

 

This is what i meant to write... But this was all I managed to type.

 

I am going to disagree with Rick. This one can't be compared to "most" covers since it is a Moore cover.

[dem1138]

Talking about what Adlard covers sell for (and we should probably look at the Petit Papers sales if you want to see what his covers are moving for recently) has no bearing on what Moore covers will command.

 

Petits Papiers hasn't had a cover for a few weeks. And the covers are now all sold into the 100s. It'll be interesting to see what new covers are sold when/if they become available again.

 

What's interesting to me is that these Walking Dead OA collectors are a totally different animal that what we're used to in the hobby. We always wonder about new blood and where they are going to come from. Well, here they are. And from those that I've communicated with, they are young, single, have disposable income, and would rather buy original art with their spare cash than get 1% in a savings account. I'm sure delekkerste will throw up his hands in disgust, but that's what they tell me. And they don't care about Kirby or Ditko or the other 60s/70s Marvel and DC artists either. They like Nick Bradshaw, Lenil Yu, and a bunch of other artists I've never heard about.

[delekkerste]

What's interesting to me is that these Walking Dead OA collectors are a totally different animal that what we're used to in the hobby. We always wonder about new blood and where they are going to come from. Well, here they are. And from those that I've communicated with, they are young, single, have disposable income, and would rather buy original art with their spare cash than get 1% in a savings account. I'm sure delekkerste will throw up his hands in disgust, but that's what they tell me. And they don't care about Kirby or Ditko or the other 60s/70s Marvel and DC artists either. They like Nick Bradshaw, Lenil Yu, and a bunch of other artists I've never heard about.

 

You're presuming that TWD is a gateway drug to OA collecting when it is, most likely, just the latest hot thing that people have been able to glom onto because there's been a perfect combination of a hot comic, a breakout TV series and widespread availability of the OA at relatively low prices. Some people also lucked out getting in early, like the owner of the #19 cover who bought it for around $5K. Now, as we've discussed, TWD may still be in the early or middle innings of being the latest hot thing, but eventually it will cool down when the series gets cancelled or starts to suck (just like our former darling "Lost" - did Profiles in History time that auction of show costumes/props perfectly or what?) and prices will fall from whatever ultimate levels they reach.

 

When this "new blood" realizes that TWD was a one-off phenomenon, and that the opportunity to buy low and sell high in a hot market with ample liquidity has passed, I suspect they will lose interest in OA. It may happen even sooner when they find out there is virtually no resale market for the Bradshaws and Yus and other Modern artists they like - the TWD OA market is truly a unique situation, as opportunities to flip (or even recoup your initial outlay!) are practically non-existent in other Modern OA. Even if these buyers stick around to any extent, few will care or pay any attention to a small group of fringe collectors that buys low-priced Modern artists, as that certainly doesn't answer the question people pose of who will be the new blood that develops into the next generation of blue chip OA collectors.

[dem1138]

What's interesting to me is that these Walking Dead OA collectors are a totally different animal that what we're used to in the hobby. We always wonder about new blood and where they are going to come from. Well, here they are. And from those that I've communicated with, they are young, single, have disposable income, and would rather buy original art with their spare cash than get 1% in a savings account. I'm sure delekkerste will throw up his hands in disgust, but that's what they tell me. And they don't care about Kirby or Ditko or the other 60s/70s Marvel and DC artists either. They like Nick Bradshaw, Lenil Yu, and a bunch of other artists I've never heard about.

 

You're presuming that TWD is a gateway drug to OA collecting when it is, most likely, just the latest hot thing that people have been able to glom onto because there's been a perfect combination of a hot comic, a breakout TV series and widespread availability of the OA at relatively low prices. Some people also lucked out getting in early, like the owner of the #19 cover who bought it for $5K about a year ago. Now, as we've discussed, TWD may still be in the early or middle innings of being the latest hot thing, but eventually it will cool down when the series gets cancelled or starts to suck (just like our former darling "Lost" - did Profiles in History time that auction of show costumes/props perfectly or what?) and prices will fall from whatever ultimate levels they reach.

 

When this "new blood" realizes that TWD was a one-off phenomenon, and that the opportunity to buy low and sell high in a hot market with ample liquidity has passed, I suspect they will lose interest in OA. It may even happen sooner when they find out there is virtually no resale market for the Bradshaws and Yus and other Modern artists they like - the TWD OA market is truly a unique situation, as opportunities to flip (or even recoup your initial outlay!) are practically non-existent in other Modern OA. Even if these buyers stick around to any extent, few will care or pay any attention to small group of fringe collectors that buys low-priced Modern artists, as that certainly doesn't answer the question people pose of who will be the new blood that develops into the next generation of blue chip OA collectors.

 

Gene, I could have written this myself and signed your name to it. How can you have such a myopic view? While you make your typical salient points, you miss a lot of the forest for the trees. Yes, many of these collectors will fall by the wayside, but certainly not all of them. Today's Walking Dead collectors are tomorrows Kirby Avengers collectors.

 

Just like you and I started out buying TMNT, The Adventurers, Eagle, etc., so are these new collectors buying Walking Dead, He*ll Yeah!, Morning Glories, etc. And maybe they won't directly transition to Kirby and Ditko or any other OA for that matter, they may take some time away if they get burned and come back later when this time is nostalgic for them.

 

Also, Lost - cmon! That was purely a show that existed singularly as a TV show that basically developed an S&M relationship with its fans by abusing them each year with the promise of an ultimate payoff that barely ever came. Yes, the PiH auction was brilliantly timed, but that doesn't mean the property is dead and those collectibles are worthless. Uh, I think the Dark Shadows movie premieres this week. Regardless, the analogy doesn't work with Walking Dead because WD had a very well established fan base in the comics well before the TV ever premiered. All the TV show did was increase the fan base, it didn't create it.

 

In addition, Walking Dead is the Golden Calf for Image. They have already expanded the property to TV and novels - do you honestly think they are going to let the ultimate cancellation of the TV show kill the property? It would not surprise me if spin-offs, a cartoon, etc. are on the horizon. Image has built themself up into a reputable publishing company that is churning out some very decent books these days and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

 

With regards to the OA, I think you have a rabid fan base that identifies with Adlard's imagery, which is now well established on the series. Sure, some are in it for the quick buck, but many other fans I've spoken with love the art and paid so little for it that they have no interest in moving it, even for above market offers. That tells me that there will be continued limited supply of the early issues and covers, and that the prices will need to continue to rise to continue to get quality material on the market.

 

That being said, the show could get cancelled and fans of the comic could feel that it has jumped the shark, and prices could become depressed across the board. But that might be a great time to buy, as I think that the Walking Dead market is arable and will have legs for years to come.

 

And while we're at it, didn't you just buy another Walking Dead page along with your recent Kirby Avengers acquisition? Clearly you've been caught up in this as well for many of the same reasons others have.

 

Regardless, you, me, and Caira seem to be the only old fogeys arguing this stuff. If you and I get bored and call it a day, or take it offline like 98% of the other old fogeys have, no one will be left to argue with any perspective anymore.

[delekkerste]

Gene, I could have written this myself and signed your name to it. How can you have such a myopic view? While you make your typical salient points, you miss a lot of the forest for the trees. Yes, many of these collectors will fall by the wayside, but certainly not all of them. Today's Walking Dead collectors are tomorrows Kirby Avengers collectors.

 

Just like you and I started out buying TMNT, The Adventurers, Eagle, etc., so are these new collectors buying Walking Dead, He*ll Yeah!, Morning Glories, etc. And maybe they won't directly transition to Kirby and Ditko or any other OA for that matter, they may take some time away if they get burned and come back later when this time is nostalgic for them.

 

Also, Lost - cmon! That was purely a show that existed singularly as a TV show that basically developed an S&M relationship with its fans by abusing them each year with the promise of an ultimate payoff that barely ever came. Yes, the PiH auction was brilliantly timed, but that doesn't mean the property is dead and those collectibles are worthless. Uh, I think the Dark Shadows movie premieres this week. Regardless, the analogy doesn't work with Walking Dead because WD had a very well established fan base in the comics well before the TV ever premiered. All the TV show did was increase the fan base, it didn't create it.

 

In addition, Walking Dead is the Golden Calf for Image. They have already expanded the property to TV and novels - do you honestly think they are going to let the ultimate cancellation of the TV show kill the property? It would not surprise me if spin-offs, a cartoon, etc. are on the horizon. Image has built themself up into a reputable publishing company that is churning out some very decent books these days and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

 

With regards to the OA, I think you have a rabid fan base that identifies with Adlard's imagery, which is now well established on the series. Sure, some are in it for the quick buck, but many other fans I've spoken with love the art and paid so little for it that they have no interest in moving it, even for above market offers. That tells me that there will be continued limited supply of the early issues and covers, and that the prices will need to continue to rise to continue to get quality material on the market.

 

That being said, the show could get cancelled and fans of the comic could feel that it has jumped the shark, and prices could become depressed across the board. But that might be a great time to buy, as I think that the Walking Dead market is arable and will have legs for years to come.

 

And while we're at it, didn't you just buy another Walking Dead page along with your recent Kirby Avengers acquisition? Clearly you've been caught up in this as well for many of the same reasons others have.

 

Regardless, you, me, and Caira seem to be the only old fogeys arguing this stuff. If you and I get bored and call it a day, or take it offline like 98% of the other old fogeys have, no one will be left to argue with any perspective anymore.

 

I didn't say that TWD was a fad, or that there aren't truly passionate fans, or that it will fade into obscurity when the TV series gets cancelled. What I am saying is that it's a one-off, unique phenomenon that is white-hot right now, but won't always be, so making these extrapolative leaps you are making right now is way premature. You have told me that there is a "paradigm shift" in OA going on, and that it's time to shed any curmudgeonly views rooted in the pre-2012 market. It sounds a lot to me like the calls for a "permanently high plateau of prosperity " (1929) or the New Economy (late 1990s) whereby cyclicality had been presumed to be abolished. I think that, after the last decade we've had in the OA market, many like yourself believe that this is indeed the case for OA, while the current TWD mania resolves any longer-term doubts about new blood coming into the hobby. I respectfully disagree, but only time will tell.

 

Your other analogies don't really prove your point. A Dark Shadows movie doesn't really have much to do with anything. Maybe they will make a TWD movie 30 years from now, but that doesn't mean the franchise will be even remotely close to as popular as it is at this moment. Even TMNT is nowhere close to the peak popularity it once achieved. I'm sure TWD will outlive the TV series, but whether people will have the brass balls then to ask $50K (adjusted for inflation) for a cover at that time is another story. I might also mention that, as a student of socionomics (social trends & economics), the popularity of horror films and zombies tends to peak during tough economic times (it's no coincidence that all the classic Universal properties came out during the Great Depression, while George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" came out 2 years following what would prove to be the inflation-adjusted peak for the stock market that would last for well over a decade). It's no wonder TWD is so popular in the current climate, but eventually people will move on to other things. We're all old enough to have seen it time and time again - this time is no different.

 

As for my own TWD purchases, I bought my wraparound cover in 2010, so it's not like I just jumped on the bandwagon when Season Two of the TV series started heating up. I just bought a page from Albert because I'm a fan, it was well-priced and I had another page coming to me anyway (if I didn't, I certainly would not have gone out of my way to buy it). I'm not actively looking for any TWD art and I'm certainly not looking to speculate on it; I think my track record in that regard speaks for itself.

 

Like I said before - you may be right and we could still be in the early to middle innings of the TWD phenomenon. But, in time, the heat will die down, we will reach some kind of equilibrium in the market and then we'll see more of a two-sided market. I bet that a lot of current owners of TWD OA will not be owners 10 years from now; I'm sure a lot of people (who may not even have been OA collectors) who got in early (and now may still be early) will want to cash out at some point, just as the owner of the #19 cover is trying to do already. That's just being realistic, not myopic.

[dem1138]

Like I said before - you may be right and we could still be in the early to middle innings of the TWD phenomenon. But, in time, the heat will die down, we will reach some kind of equilibrium in the market and then we'll see more of a two-sided market. I bet that a lot of current owners of TWD OA will not be owners 10 years from now; I'm sure a lot of people (who may not even have been OA collectors) who got in early (and now may still be early) will want to cash out at some point, just as the owner of the #19 cover is trying to do already. That's just being realistic, not myopic.

 

Oh, I would wholeheartedly agree that the majority of current WD OA owners will not be owners 10 years from now. I think there has already been a first generation (or even 2nd generation) turning of the market already. The vol. 1 wraparound and the cover to #27 have already been flipped, and those are iconic covers. Tony Moore still has the cover to #1 and Moore still has a fair amount of pages as well, though that well is drying up. Point is, that there is still some early OA to be consumed by collectors from the artist. I understand that Kirkman bought the wraparound cover to #100 from Adlard as well. But I also think that there will be plenty of future collectors to sell these pages to as the current collectors move on to something else or begin to buy/sell/trade it for other OA that they've developed an interest in.

 

You are going to start to see more of this art in future Comiclink and Heritage auctions, I guarantee it. And to me, that's a sign of a developing market to come (especially with Heritage, which normally wouldn't bother with this OA unless it was worth it to them).

 

I think the 8K sale of the #1 splash was a watermark of the emerging market to come.

 

Even look on eBay, there are very few decent pages for sale or sold, and very few ever pop up from the earlier issues. People have a sense of the market and they are holding on for the future.

 

Again, they all could be wrong and they could wind up putting the OA in their basement next to the other worthless artifacts like the Plasm trading cards and post-Unity Valiants.

[jonjesper]

Someday I should reply to this thread in full and lack of factual information about the price it sold for last year and the knowledge of the seller's motives.

 

 

[delekkerste]

Someday I should reply to this thread in full and lack of factual information about the price it sold for last year and the knowledge of the seller's motives.

 

I heard $5K, but, in any case, it was certainly closer to $5K than $50K (and most likely $10K or lower). As for why you're selling it, judging from the price and the tone of your post, I can only presume that you're a huge fan and don't really want or need to sell the cover, but if you can get a life-changing windfall for it, you would do it (and now is certainly the best time to try). Am I close?

 

Anyway, congrats on snagging the cover and I certainly don't fault you for trying to get a huge amount for it. Good luck with the sale. (thumbs u

[DomUga]

As one of the new OA collectors who recently bought a cover ill sit and watch

[Nexus]

Someday I should reply to this thread in full and lack of factual information about the price it sold for last year and the knowledge of the seller's motives.

 

I heard $5K, but, in any case, it was certainly closer to $5K than $50K (and most likely $10K or lower). As for why you're selling it, judging from the price and the tone of your post, I can only presume that you're a huge fan and don't really want or need to sell the cover, but if you can get a life-changing windfall for it, you would do it (and now is certainly the best time to try). Am I close?

 

Anyway, congrats on snagging the cover and I certainly don't fault you for trying to get a huge amount for it. Good luck with the sale. (thumbs u

 

I have a feeling JJ is getting a pass on the price because he's a well-liked member here. But let's be honest...if this cover was being sold for $50K by a dealer, said dealer would be getting roasted. Everyone would be up in arms about dealer greed, the end of the hobby, etc.

 

As it is...JJ has forfeited the right to ever complain about high prices again!

 

(Great cover, though.)

[comix4fun]

Someday I should reply to this thread in full and lack of factual information about the price it sold for last year and the knowledge of the seller's motives.

 

I heard $5K, but, in any case, it was certainly closer to $5K than $50K (and most likely $10K or lower). As for why you're selling it, judging from the price and the tone of your post, I can only presume that you're a huge fan and don't really want or need to sell the cover, but if you can get a life-changing windfall for it, you would do it (and now is certainly the best time to try). Am I close?

 

Anyway, congrats on snagging the cover and I certainly don't fault you for trying to get a huge amount for it. Good luck with the sale. (thumbs u

 

I have a feeling JJ is getting a pass on the price because he's a well-liked member here. But let's be honest...if this cover was being sold for $50K by a dealer, said dealer would be getting roasted. Everyone would be up in arms about dealer greed, the end of the hobby, etc.

 

As it is...JJ has forfeited the right to ever complain about high prices again!

 

(Great cover, though.)

 

 

Maybe, but it's easy for us, who don't own the cover to opine on the "proper" selling price for it.

 

Given what we've seen in Walking Dead book sales and art sales rise to over the last year I don't know what kind of rush I would be in to sell things at a discount price or ever at a full retail price.

 

Do you have a firm grip on what the max price is or books or artwork right now? I don't. I haven't seen anything quite this fluid or heated. I heard that one boardie just sold a bunch of common issues without giving detailed grade for each issue and still got crazy price for them.

 

In his shoes I am making sure I get a "no regrets" price or I am keeping the piece. Making everyone love you because you priced a piece nice and cheap doesn't pay the cable bill and it doesn't wash away regret.

[pkveronese]

Anybody know where the cover to Walking Dead 69 is?

[dem1138]

Someday I should reply to this thread in full and lack of factual information about the price it sold for last year and the knowledge of the seller's motives.

 

I heard $5K, but, in any case, it was certainly closer to $5K than $50K (and most likely $10K or lower). As for why you're selling it, judging from the price and the tone of your post, I can only presume that you're a huge fan and don't really want or need to sell the cover, but if you can get a life-changing windfall for it, you would do it (and now is certainly the best time to try). Am I close?

 

Anyway, congrats on snagging the cover and I certainly don't fault you for trying to get a huge amount for it. Good luck with the sale. (thumbs u

 

I have a feeling JJ is getting a pass on the price because he's a well-liked member here. But let's be honest...if this cover was being sold for $50K by a dealer, said dealer would be getting roasted. Everyone would be up in arms about dealer greed, the end of the hobby, etc.

 

As it is...JJ has forfeited the right to ever complain about high prices again!

 

(Great cover, though.)

 

I think this actually raises two salient points. One is that dealers do not have this art. I think one of the great things about the Walking Dead art is that while dealers trade the same Silver and Bronze pieces amongst themselves at ever increasing prices, there is a groundswell of emerging OA collectors who are focused elsewhere. For once, this market is controlled by private collectors (though remarkably there are international galleries that are selling these pieces as well). So it will be very interesting to see where this goes.

 

The second point is that many of the WD OA collectors are modern comics collectors first and foremost. And they are completely comfortable buying, selling, flipping, etc. so doing the same with OA is a natural extension for them. So while more seasoned collectors get irritated by this flipping, these modern collectors don't see anything wrong with it.

[Nexus]

Someday I should reply to this thread in full and lack of factual information about the price it sold for last year and the knowledge of the seller's motives.

 

I heard $5K, but, in any case, it was certainly closer to $5K than $50K (and most likely $10K or lower). As for why you're selling it, judging from the price and the tone of your post, I can only presume that you're a huge fan and don't really want or need to sell the cover, but if you can get a life-changing windfall for it, you would do it (and now is certainly the best time to try). Am I close?

 

Anyway, congrats on snagging the cover and I certainly don't fault you for trying to get a huge amount for it. Good luck with the sale. (thumbs u

 

I have a feeling JJ is getting a pass on the price because he's a well-liked member here. But let's be honest...if this cover was being sold for $50K by a dealer, said dealer would be getting roasted. Everyone would be up in arms about dealer greed, the end of the hobby, etc.

 

As it is...JJ has forfeited the right to ever complain about high prices again!

 

(Great cover, though.)

 

 

Maybe, but it's easy for us, who don't own the cover to opine on the "proper" selling price for it.

 

Given what we've seen in Walking Dead book sales and art sales rise to over the last year I don't know what kind of rush I would be in to sell things at a discount price or ever at a full retail price.

 

Do you have a firm grip on what the max price is or books or artwork right now? I don't. I haven't seen anything quite this fluid or heated. I heard that one boardie just sold a bunch of common issues without giving detailed grade for each issue and still got crazy price for them.

 

In his shoes I am making sure I get a "no regrets" price or I am keeping the piece. Making everyone love you because you priced a piece nice and cheap doesn't pay the cable bill and it doesn't wash away regret.

 

The "proper" selling price is whatever it sells for. I was talking about the asking price. And the double-standard that seems to exist with how we respond to a dealer and a "collector". To some degree, everyone in this hobby becomes a dealer. I give JJ credit for at least offering no silly justifications for the price other than a seller can ask whatever he wants to ask.

 

 

 

 

[Nexus]

Someday I should reply to this thread in full and lack of factual information about the price it sold for last year and the knowledge of the seller's motives.

 

I heard $5K, but, in any case, it was certainly closer to $5K than $50K (and most likely $10K or lower). As for why you're selling it, judging from the price and the tone of your post, I can only presume that you're a huge fan and don't really want or need to sell the cover, but if you can get a life-changing windfall for it, you would do it (and now is certainly the best time to try). Am I close?

 

Anyway, congrats on snagging the cover and I certainly don't fault you for trying to get a huge amount for it. Good luck with the sale. (thumbs u

 

I have a feeling JJ is getting a pass on the price because he's a well-liked member here. But let's be honest...if this cover was being sold for $50K by a dealer, said dealer would be getting roasted. Everyone would be up in arms about dealer greed, the end of the hobby, etc.

 

As it is...JJ has forfeited the right to ever complain about high prices again!

 

(Great cover, though.)

 

I think this actually raises two salient points. One is that dealers do not have this art. I think one of the great things about the Walking Dead art is that while dealers trade the same Silver and Bronze pieces amongst themselves at ever increasing prices, there is a groundswell of emerging OA collectors who are focused elsewhere. For once, this market is controlled by private collectors (though remarkably there are international galleries that are selling these pieces as well). So it will be very interesting to see where this goes.

 

The second point is that many of the WD OA collectors are modern comics collectors first and foremost. And they are completely comfortable buying, selling, flipping, etc. so doing the same with OA is a natural extension for them. So while more seasoned collectors get irritated by this flipping, these modern collectors don't see anything wrong with it.

 

It seems to me that a lot of dealers *are* buying the art. Not necessarily the established full-time dealers, but those who are buying the art for the perceived upside.

 

I don't think buying/selling/flipping is unique to modern comics collectors. It spans all eras and hobbies. What appears to be more prevalent amongst modern collectors, though, is outright speculation. That's what seems to be going on here, especially in the last couple of months as values have gone nuts. Maybe it will be different for WD...but those of us who have been around know how this usually ends up.