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valiant making a comeback?

Started by cassidy lover-migration,

32 posts in this topic

cassidy lover-migration

cassidy lover-migration

Posted
Posted

i've been out of the comic world for about 6 years now and lots of things have changed thru the years. image is without their fathers and valiant seems dead. but i was looking thru ebay at some valiant comics and it seems like their prices are thru the roof. can someone tell me why there is a big demand for valiant rite now.

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grider67

grider67

Posted
Posted

The recent "increase" in high grade for pre-"Unity" is because there are not alot of copies running around.

 

Like in in particular, RAI #1 - 3 and Harbinger #1 - 10 because of low distribution.

 

Just my 2 - cents worth on the subject.

 

sign-rantpost.gif

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jduran1

jduran1

Posted
Posted

Look at the artwork, covers, stories etc. Great run of comics that will stand the test of time. In the long run they will hold there own as investments ( I know ouch) if that is what you do. In real estate their is an old saying "Location Location Location"

In comics "low print runs" coupled with great stories and artwork is a no miss proposition. I have trouble in Denver finding key valiant issues because the collectors who own them are not letting them out of their collection I think they plan to give them to their kids in the will.

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Darthdiesel

Darthdiesel

Posted
Posted
can someone tell me why there is a big demand for valiant rite now.

 

Welcome to the boards and the modern forum. If you can do a search on this topic, pay close attention to Joe_collector's posts on Valiant comics and you'll find some of the most relevant information on this topic ever put forth on these forums wink.gif What can I say, the man knows his Valiants inside out! thumbsup2.gif If there is anyone who can answer your question above, I'd wager my Origin 1 CGC 10.0, that he is the man for the job. 893applaud-thumb.gif

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Foolkiller

Foolkiller

Posted
Posted

i think that primarily valiants had much better stories than art. the art was probably average at best... but it did have good storytelling.

 

I remember the pre unity valiants with fondness as those were the books I remember pursuing actively as a collector in the early 90s. I also enjoyed the stories, and i think that there are a number of collectors out there who remember them fondly as well... hence the resurgence.

 

Also, once people started actually trying to track the pre unity valiants down, they began to realize that perhaps they weren't so easy to come by. Especially in high grade and given the low print runs.

 

The difference between Image and Valiant to me is that Image books had these HUGE print runs, so years from now as some kid is remembering Youngblood fondly (for some reason) he'll still be able to pick up a NM copy out of the quarter box. That doesn't seem to have come true for Valiants.

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Brother J

Brother J

Posted
Posted

Other than the quality of the books themselves, I think a big reason for the resurgence of the harder to find Valiant books is from collectors who used to be into Valiant coming back to those books and buying some of the books they couldn't afford in the heyday of Valiant. Harbinger #0 Pink, Harbinger #1, Unity #0 Red, all these books went for over $100 in Valiant's prime and were out of the price range of the younger collectors. Now, ten years laters, these same collectors remembered those books and what they went for, so now that they are a little more affordable they are snapping them up. I've been back into collecting Valiants for close to two years now, but even before that, if I saw key Valiants in a dealer's bargain box, I would always pick them up, just because I remembered what they used to sell for.

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mitol

mitol

Posted
Posted

The difference between Image and Valiant to me is that Image books had these HUGE print runs, so years from now as some kid is remembering Youngblood fondly (for some reason) he'll still be able to pick up a NM copy out of the quarter box. That doesn't seem to have come true for Valiants.

 

Actually, the print runs for the pre-Unity books were not that low (45 - 70G). In the 90's those numbers were considered low, but nowadays, I guess that's average. That being said, the 21st century modern books with similar print runs are widely available, be it at your LCS, eBay, etc. What I suspect is that many of us fell in love with these great Valiant stories and have retained these books in our collection (except Joe C.) thereby taking them off the market, making those that are available appear rare.

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joe_collector

joe_collector

Posted
Posted
Actually, the print runs for the pre-Unity books were not that low (45 - 70G). In the 90's those numbers were considered low, but nowadays, I guess that's average.

 

Not to mention Valiant printed a ton of extra issues and sent them out the "back door". 893whatthe.gif

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rabidwolf

rabidwolf

Posted
Posted

Actually, the real high prices are for the incentive and promo Valiants which had runs like 3000-5000 and 5000-10000. Valiantman is the authority on these books and his site is incredibly thorough on these books in terms of market, print run and prices.

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valiantman

valiantman

Posted
Posted
Paging ValiantMan

 

There are several "categories" in the mind of a Valiant collector.

90% of all Valiant books in print belong in the

"overprinted, easy to get for SUPER-CHEAP" category.

 

Joe_Collector is QUICK to point out (and rightfully so) that NO ONE should be

paying even close to cover price for Valiant books in that category.

For that point... I whole-heartedly agree. grin.gif

 

When people say, "Valiant seems to be coming back"...

they're not talking about 90% of Valiant books.

 

However, the "former bargain bin books" from the first year of Valiant (mid-1991 to mid-1992),

also known as "pre-Unity" issues, characterized by tight story continuity...

plus any of the gold/platinum variants (1992-1994), usually limited to 5,000 copies...

and a few of the absolute final issues for a given title (1995 or 1996)...

are quickly disappearing from any box where prices are $3 or less.

 

A few books consistently sell above $10 on Ebay in "raw NM condition".

(usually VF in reality)

 

CGC graded Valiants aren't as plentiful at this point, simply because Valiants

haven't been submitted as heavily as Marvel or DC, for obvious reasons...

so the CGC 9.8 prices have been on the "high side" lately, in my opinion.

 

Time will tell whether 9.8 is truly "tough" for these books, or whether the market

can sustain those types of prices. I'm betting a number of the CGC prices

will fall as more copies are graded...

 

I think "Brother J" hit the nail on the head, though, the key word is... NOSTALGIA.

 

If you were "educated" to believe that certain books were $100+ when you were young,

and therefore, far beyond your price range when you were "just a kid"...

then it might be a nostalgic event to pick up that same book 10 years later for $10.

(Or $20... or $25... etc.)

 

If you notice WHICH of the Valiant books have moved into the $10, $20, and $25+ range,

it just-so-happens that a lot of these books used to be $50+.

Someone is remembering, and enjoying a chance to buy at a "turn-back-the-clock discount".

grin.gif

 

Valiant books AREN'T "low print" compared to a lot of today's titles.

But neither are Bronze Age books. Or Silver Age. Or Golden Age.

The question is whether there are "plenty" to satisfy demand in the market.

As we know, demand pushed Action Comics #1 to $100,000+,

Amazing Spider-man #1 to $10,000+,

Incredible Hulk #181 to $1,000+,

and a small number of Valiant books are $10+.

 

Since Valiant doesn't exist anymore... we can "look back" and spend wisely.

For some, that means completing a collection from start-to-finish.

For others, it means only buying those books that appeal to them "now" or "then".

For most, it means not buying Valiant at all.

 

Someone said, "buy what you like and don't worry about the "value" or "investment"."

That's an excellent idea.

 

I like Valiant. flowerred.gif

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