OT - slabbing music CDs...

[mintcollector]

Interesting topic.

 

I think certification of albums would be a much more closer reality. Given the size, it may be tricky. That being said, they started to 'grade' movie posters; but they do NOT encapsulate them. If they would 'slab' them; I would buy many more posters than I do now. Grading these kind of items CAN be tricky...

 

I do not see 'slabbing' CDs becoming a reality any time soon; on the music side of things.. Aside from a few albums that are worth a lot of money; most music and movies are not that collectible. Note how many 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, VHS tapes, or even BetaMax tapes are worth. Then look at DVDs. I know of very few that are worth anything. Even with video games, it is 'hit or miss.' I can tell you on common stuff (video game wise) prices have been flat for years. For the past five years I get $7.95 for Zelda (gold) cart only. Last year a fundamental change occurred; as more and more people were selling their video game collections telling me they can always download the game for $5-$8 at a later time. This is something that a lot of dealers and analysts have been warning about. What happens when my nephew grows up and starts to collect? He LOVES vintage comic books (he is nineteen); but he has no understanding as to why anyone wants a sealed and entombed game from a system he was not even alive for (i.e. the Nintendo NES system; etc.). Others feel the same way. It was my generation who made the Nintendo system what it was. His generation defined Playstation and he has no desire to own anyting 'sealed' and he collects complete games...to play.

 

As for 'slabbed' video games; this is a speculators market right now. The video game collecting hobby is split and not mainstream. I make good money selling 'slabbed' games, but I am not greedy. None of us dealers want the census to fill up too quickly; as that would kill our profits. Warehouse finds are not uncommon in this area. That being said, some (I would say about half or more) video game collectors don't want their games sealed and 'slabbed' and are against it. This is causing a 'split' in the industry much worse than what has been seen in both the toy and comic collecting fields. Certain video game forums hate when you mention 'slabbed' video games; and others have been created solely devoted to collecting factory sealed video games. I know of an electronic video game museum that will NOT allow any slabbed video games to be presented in it. This is how split the collecting hobby is. It will be interesting to see what develops. That being said, I am a seller in this market (and loving it); NOT a buyer. The mark ups are huge on some of the sealed stuff.

 

Personally, I see a greater 'bubble' developing in the Lego arena. In a few years, people may start to send in their factory sealed Lego Star Wars sets to AFA to get graded. These sets are already heating up on the secondary market and I make money in this area as well. The only problem is Lego themselves; as they tend to keep releasing older sets with upgrades. This can hurt the secondary market. They also just renewed the licesnse with George Lucas; meaning Lego Star Wars sets may become oversaturated. Who knows? I do see a lot of people hoarding these sets; as I have friends who buy cases of them. This is sad to say the least...

 

Anyone else want to take a guess at what will be 'slabbed' next? I know of several individuals who want to 'slab' PEZ dispensers! Is 'slabbing' getting out of control? After all, certfication can create a speculator's market and cause massive price increases before an average price 'floor' is set. Just look at what has happened with coins, sports cards, and comic books.

 

Kind Regards,

 

'mint'

 

 

[Whizzer]

Vinyl records, particularly as limited edition collectables are concerned are making a BIG comeback.

 

I attended Record Store Day in London last Saturday and people were lining up overnight to snag the ltd editions put out specially for the day.

 

There were vinyl rarities available from literally hundreds of artists with ltd editions as small as 1000 copies worldwide.

 

I got there three hours early and joined a line several hundred strong.

 

Artists such as Jack White are releasing all kinds of stuff exclusively on vinyl nowadays.

 

I got the ltd edition Simple Minds single which the band were signing instore. I paid £10 retail and they are going for upwards of £30 unsigned and £100 signed on ebay right now.

 

I can see this market really taking off.

[comicparadox]

I actually have a large vintage video game comic book collection, but never felt compelled to grade any of them I like to play read my old games comics

 

Fixed that for ya.