Magic the Gathering vs. Comics?

[handyjack]

Took my 13 yr. old to a Place called Game Table. There were over 50 people there, young and old, and they play this MTG card game all night. They trade cards, check card price guides, buy and sell cards, it is a 6 hr. frenzy over this card game and collecting cards that are valuable. They have them in folders, they have them graded, they wow each other with their personal collections, blah, blah, blah. I am sitting there watching the frenzy and next to me are 4 long boxes of SA/BA Marvels for sale. Absolutely no interest from anyone. Got me to thinking maybe I am collecting the wrong thing as I see in 20 years where alot of the focus and dollars are going to be going.

As far as the books, I went through the boxes and found a few interesting books, no keys, only in fair to gd cond. and the guy had Overstreet NM prices labeled on them, no negotiation, no sale.

[handyjack]

It was an amazing sight.

Another example of To each their own

[Hibou]

"...a few interesting books, no keys, only in fair to gd cond. and the guy had Overstreet NM prices labeled on them, no negotiation, no sale."

 

I think that right there speaks volumes as to why there wasn't any interest... even if he had keys.

[MojoComics]

The place is called 'The Game Table', not 'The Comic Cabinet'.

[handyjack]

The place is called 'The Game Table', not 'The Comic Cabinet'.

I know, you're right, but it was interesting to see the complete lack of interest in them.

[handyjack]

"...a few interesting books, no keys, only in fair to gd cond. and the guy had Overstreet NM prices labeled on them, no negotiation, no sale."

 

I think that right there speaks volumes as to why there wasn't any interest... even if he had keys.

 

Probably, but I'm sure none of the others even knew what was there.

[MojoComics]

"...a few interesting books, no keys, only in fair to gd cond. and the guy had Overstreet NM prices labeled on them, no negotiation, no sale."

 

I think that right there speaks volumes as to why there wasn't any interest... even if he had keys.

 

Probably, but I'm sure none of the others even knew what was there.

 

Maybe that's why the lack of interest. Sounds like he needed some way to get himself and his product noticed (although from the sound of it, likely wouldn't have helped).

[Artboy99]

Magic the gathering has been around since 1993. It's longevity has surpassed what I expected, and many cards are extremely valuable. Thousands of dollars and going up.

[mintcollector]

This is a very speculative market at best. Be careful if you are spending a lot of money in this 'realm' (no pun intended). I have been talking to a lot of collectors, dealers, and even 'speculators' of Magic cards. Personally, I will not 'touch' this area, but I started to learn a little about it because I often find collections for sale in the 'wild.'

 

Most 'flip' cards rather quickly, and only a lot of the first edition stuff is where the big money is; to my knowledge. I am sure someone here knows the terminology; 'Alpha' or 'Beta' comes to mind...

 

That being said, this market has all the classic signs of a very speculative market. Buyer beware!

 

Respectfully,

 

'mint'

 

 

 

 

 

[brendanb438]

This is a very speculative market at best. Be careful if you are spending a lot of money in this 'realm' (no pun intended). I have been talking to a lot of collectors, dealers, and even 'speculators' of Magic cards. Personally, I will not 'touch' this area, but I started to learn a little about it because I often find collections for sale in the 'wild.'

 

Most 'flip' cards rather quickly, and only a lot of the first edition stuff is where the big money is; to my knowledge. I am sure someone here knows the terminology; 'Alpha' or 'Beta' comes to mind...

 

That being said, this market has all the classic signs of a very speculative market. Buyer beware!

 

Respectfully,

 

'mint

 

 

 

 

You are right to mention if you don't know anything about Magic The Gathering to stay out of the market, but you are very wrong in saying buyer beware and that this is a speculative market. I mean that in a nice way.

 

The MTG market over the last 8 years has been very strong and not just in Alpha/Beta/Unlimited cards. The market for other sets has been steadily going up over the past 8 years and there are a couple hundred cards that have been solid investments. Everything from Dual lands, Power 9, Force of Wills, Wastelands, etc. the list goes on and on and you could have made a ton buying and reselling these cards. I sold over $40K worth of them on eBay last year so I know a little about the markets, and I have been playing since Beta. I may have even played in some Pro Tours and Grand Prixs before.

[mintcollector]

This is a very speculative market at best. Be careful if you are spending a lot of money in this 'realm' (no pun intended). I have been talking to a lot of collectors, dealers, and even 'speculators' of Magic cards. Personally, I will not 'touch' this area, but I started to learn a little about it because I often find collections for sale in the 'wild.'

 

Most 'flip' cards rather quickly, and only a lot of the first edition stuff is where the big money is; to my knowledge. I am sure someone here knows the terminology; 'Alpha' or 'Beta' comes to mind...

 

That being said, this market has all the classic signs of a very speculative market. Buyer beware!

 

Respectfully,

 

'mint

 

 

 

 

You are right to mention if you don't know anything about Magic The Gathering to stay out of the market, but you are very wrong in saying buyer beware and that this is a speculative market. I mean that in a nice way.

 

The MTG market over the last 8 years has been very strong and not just in Alpha/Beta/Unlimited cards. The market for other sets has been steadily going up over the past 8 years and there are a couple hundred cards that have been solid investments. Everything from Dual lands, Power 9, Force of Wills, Wastelands, etc. the list goes on and on and you could have made a ton buying and reselling these cards. I sold over $40K worth of them on eBay last year so I know a little about the markets, and I have been playing since Beta. I may have even played in some Pro Tours and Grand Prixs before.

 

 

In 22 years, if this stuff has value, I may agree. Until then, see my post on the 'thirty year rule' in the 'bronze age' forum. I have seen too many items that supposedly have 'value' crash and disappear to give validity to any item mass produced, in this day and age. This is especially true when the cost of manufacture is so low. Add in the concept of 'economies of scale' and it is all speculative. I remember arguing with Beanie Babie(sic) collectors until they were 'blue in the face.' it did no good. Therefore,if you are making money as a dealer I salute you. It is the buyers and 'investors' that I worry about.

 

Kind Regard,

 

'mint'

[brendanb438]

This is a very speculative market at best. Be careful if you are spending a lot of money in this 'realm' (no pun intended). I have been talking to a lot of collectors, dealers, and even 'speculators' of Magic cards. Personally, I will not 'touch' this area, but I started to learn a little about it because I often find collections for sale in the 'wild.'

 

Most 'flip' cards rather quickly, and only a lot of the first edition stuff is where the big money is; to my knowledge. I am sure someone here knows the terminology; 'Alpha' or 'Beta' comes to mind...

 

That being said, this market has all the classic signs of a very speculative market. Buyer beware!

 

Respectfully,

 

'mint

 

 

 

 

You are right to mention if you don't know anything about Magic The Gathering to stay out of the market, but you are very wrong in saying buyer beware and that this is a speculative market. I mean that in a nice way.

 

The MTG market over the last 8 years has been very strong and not just in Alpha/Beta/Unlimited cards. The market for other sets has been steadily going up over the past 8 years and there are a couple hundred cards that have been solid investments. Everything from Dual lands, Power 9, Force of Wills, Wastelands, etc. the list goes on and on and you could have made a ton buying and reselling these cards. I sold over $40K worth of them on eBay last year so I know a little about the markets, and I have been playing since Beta. I may have even played in some Pro Tours and Grand Prixs before.

 

 

In 22 years, if this stuff has value, I may agree. Until then, see my post on the 'thirty year rule' in the 'bronze age' forum. I have seen too many items that supposedly have 'value' crash and disappear to give validity to any item mass produced, in this day and age. This is especially true when the cost of manufacture is so low. Add in the concept of 'economies of scale' and it is all speculative. I remember arguing with Beanie Babie(sic) collectors until they were 'blue in the face.' it did no good. Therefore,if you are making money as a dealer I salute you. It is the buyers and 'investors' that I worry about.

 

Kind Regard,

 

'mint'

 

Again goes to show you have no idea what you are talking about, in 22 years? The game has been going strong since 1993. Has been one of the most played online games with MTG Online for around 5 years. Has a professional circuit with $250,000 tournys multiple times of the year.

 

You don't know the market so don't act like you do. I have been selling these cards since 1993 and it has grown as a game year over year. Sales are stronger than ever for WOTC and the stores that sell the game. Don't compare it to Beanie Babies seeing that it has been around since before them and is still going strong, but again since you don't know the history of the MTG game you shouldn't speak on it. Been around more than 8 years..

 

The last 8 years have been the strongest and if you had collected the top 5 cards from each set over the last 8 years in sets of four you have made money without trying because all of the cards have skyrocketed in value. Because of the nature of the game a lot of players do this on accident and their collections are going up in value without trying.

[mintcollector]

This is a very speculative market at best. Be careful if you are spending a lot of money in this 'realm' (no pun intended). I have been talking to a lot of collectors, dealers, and even 'speculators' of Magic cards. Personally, I will not 'touch' this area, but I started to learn a little about it because I often find collections for sale in the 'wild.'

 

Most 'flip' cards rather quickly, and only a lot of the first edition stuff is where the big money is; to my knowledge. I am sure someone here knows the terminology; 'Alpha' or 'Beta' comes to mind...

 

That being said, this market has all the classic signs of a very speculative market. Buyer beware!

 

Respectfully,

 

'mint

 

 

 

 

You are right to mention if you don't know anything about Magic The Gathering to stay out of the market, but you are very wrong in saying buyer beware and that this is a speculative market. I mean that in a nice way.

 

The MTG market over the last 8 years has been very strong and not just in Alpha/Beta/Unlimited cards. The market for other sets has been steadily going up over the past 8 years and there are a couple hundred cards that have been solid investments. Everything from Dual lands, Power 9, Force of Wills, Wastelands, etc. the list goes on and on and you could have made a ton buying and reselling these cards. I sold over $40K worth of them on eBay last year so I know a little about the markets, and I have been playing since Beta. I may have even played in some Pro Tours and Grand Prixs before.

 

 

In 22 years, if this stuff has value, I may agree. Until then, see my post on the 'thirty year rule' in the 'bronze age' forum. I have seen too many items that supposedly have 'value' crash and disappear to give validity to any item mass produced, in this day and age. This is especially true when the cost of manufacture is so low. Add in the concept of 'economies of scale' and it is all speculative. I remember arguing with Beanie Babie(sic) collectors until they were 'blue in the face.' it did no good. Therefore,if you are making money as a dealer I salute you. It is the buyers and 'investors' that I worry about.

 

Kind Regard,

 

'mint'

 

Again goes to show you have no idea what you are talking about, in 22 years? The game has been going strong since 1993. Has been one of the most played online games with MTG Online for around 5 years. Has a professional circuit with $250,000 tournys multiple times of the year.

 

You don't know the market so don't act like you do. I have been selling these cards since 1993 and it has grown as a game year over year. Sales are stronger than ever for WOTC and the stores that sell the game. Beanie Babies game in went before anyone knew it, but again since you don't know the history of the MTG game you shouldn't speak on it. Been around more than 8 years..

 

Once again, I am glad you feel so strongly about this market. I am also glad that are ready to defend it and state that because it has been around for a whole 8 years it must be a valid collectible category. Unfortunately, this is not a long time frame in the world of both antiques and collectibles. I deal in video games and related collectibles as well. I think these markets are extremely speculative as well. Just because tournaments exist, which I already knew about, and a hobby game has been around for 8 years, does not mean it is in the same category of coins, currency, or even comic books. It is a speculative market at best. I am sorry, but I disagree with you on this. You are welcome to your opinion, should I not be welcome to mine?

 

Respectfully,

 

'mint'

[Mephisto]

I am really confused why you keep saying 8 years. It has been around for almost 2 decades now. When I first started buying a cards in 1995 and 1996 many of the earlier cards were several hundred dollars so even the market has been strong for much more than 8 years. In 1995 those cards were 2 years old and have mainted strength for almost 20 years now.

[dupont2005]

I'm having a yard sale right now. Typing this from the front yard. I didn't even bother to lug out the comics. I've never sold a single one at a yard sale

 

[mintcollector]

I understand that. I based that number off of what the original poster stated was happening in the past eight years. My nephew has been collecting these cards since inception and as soon as prices rose, I advised him to sell. I can honestly state that I have no vested interest in these. It takes many, many decades for collectibles to be considered somewhat 'stable' and 'accepted' on a secondary market. Look at how many people collect coins or comic books. Now compare that number to how many collectors of Magic Cards there are. While you may try to argue there are just as many collectors in this market, the number is much smaller than mainstream collectibles.

 

If you would like, I can gladly recommend some resources for reading that will help anyone ascertain and understand the different collectible markets and cycles they operate in. It used to be that collectible markets operated in predictable cycles. Unfortunately, today they are much more linear. This is causing beginning markets to be very speculative and some more forgotten categories to 'die' off.

 

Respectfully,

 

'mint'

[mintcollector]

Sorry to double post, but another category that is very speculative right now is Lego. I recently met a guy who needed cash fast and had 20 sealed Lego Death Star sets. He then proceeds to tell me that he was upset with Lego Corp. because they have yet to discontinue this set; thus preventing secondary prices to rise. What 'sane' person buys 20 Lego Death Stars, thus tying up obviously needed cash, and then gets 'mad' at Lego for not discontinuing the item in question?

 

'mint'

[Force Majeure]

I play MTG and I collect comics.

 

MTG is actually the leading TCG in the world and I don't see it going to the dumps anytime soon since..well..it's the leading and most recognized TCG in the world with well over millions of active players both young and old. There's good cash in these cards. You buy, trade, and sell for profit or you simply join tourneys and events and you get easy cash if you're a good player with a good deck.

 

I've been playing, buying, and selling these since I was a kid back in the 90s up until today. I play the game and I collect and sell these cards. Honestly though, without it, I would pretty much not even have a good silver age key right now. It's where I get cash for my comics.

 

Fact:

I have good comics right now because of MTG. A 1 year's pay here in my country for my course wouldn't even be enough to buy an Amazing Fantasy 15 at 2.0 grade. MTG is honestly a good source of cash here in my country.

[mintcollector]

I play MTG and I collect comics.

 

MTG is actually the leading TCG in the world and I don't see it going to the dumps anytime soon since..well..it's the leading and most recognized TCG in the world with well over millions of active players both young and old. There's good cash in these cards. You buy, trade, and sell for profit or you simply join tourneys and events and you get easy cash if you're a good player with a good deck.

 

I've been playing, buying, and selling these since I was a kid back in the 90s up until today. I play the game and I collect and sell these cards. Honestly though, without it, I would pretty much not even have a good silver age key right now. It's where I get cash for my comics.

 

Fact:

I have good comics right now because of MTG. A 1 year's pay here in my country for my course wouldn't even be enough to buy an Amazing Fantasy 15 at 2.0 grade. MTG is honestly a good source of cash here in my country.

 

I am NOT disputing this fact! In fact I would agree. I am stating that the market is very speculative and the collectors who choose to buy and HOLD are taking a very big risk over the long term. Who knows what will happen to the values in five, ten, or twenty years from now. This is a speculative market. You are welcome to disagree.

 

Respectfully,

 

'mint'

[Force Majeure]

Yes indeed. I don't hold these cards in hopes of them going up. I just move them as fast as I can with good profit on top out of good trade deals, etc. and I play the game to earn extra cash. Based on experience, holding on to them is not really a good move as most of the time, new cards are priced high upon release, then when they rotate out and become old, more often than not their value plummets. Only a select few or the really good cards from a set have good chances of going up. And they're not even that high when they go up (they would only go up by a few dollars). Even the top 9 best cards of MTG don't go up at a good rate compared to how comics go up in time.