OSPG Official Thread 2012!

[musicmeta]

Support your local comic shop. Buy it through them.

 

(thumbs u

 

Great suggestion! (thumbs u I'll call around tomorrow and see if I can find one to buy.

 

 

[Wally's Comics]

I know it's covered in fabric...

(But in b/w is sure looks a little nipply in here.)

 

In spoiler tags for the kiddies:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[c-mack]

picked up mine yesterday really enjoyed the war report...

[paperheart]

easy to update the spreadsheet this year; probably 70% of the prices didn't change. 3.3% increase in total. only notable % increases: Tec #359 +43% and Bats #227 +40%. now time to dive into the market reports.

[Mr. Lodge]

Yikes, that's a lot of screen shots to print!

I've looked online, but can't find out if it's printable. I called Heritage, and they're not sure (at least the person I spoke to wasn't).

I'm hoping someone here knows the answer.

 

The program does support normal (no gymnastics required) printing.

 

I have used it the last two years. I would like to be able to access the guide on my iPad but don't think it is possible. Instead I have made PDFs of a few key printed pages and then emailed to myself and easily access through a PDF app.

[Postal]

Just printed a page on my printer. It looks good and printed full sheet size.

[Tsp99]

Interesting how FF 1in VG is now listed at $1,000 less than in was in last years Overstreet. Was 5k, now down to 4k. Not quite in line with GPA.

[mytastebud]

I picked up the guide today at MLCS. It seemed to me a few prices, on books I own, went down even from #40. I think it would be very helpful if Overstreet showed price changes in the guide. I remember Wizard showing that in their monthly PG.

[revat]

they want you to go out and buy back issues too. helps them keep up their value in the secondary market which also increases their primary market value. MONOPOLY!

[lou_fine]

I picked up the guide today at MLCS. It seemed to me a few prices, on books I own, went down even from #40. I think it would be very helpful if Overstreet showed price changes in the guide. I remember Wizard showing that in their monthly PG.

 

Strongly doubt that this would be possible with the OS guide as it has 6 different columns for their prices already. This means that you would then have to add in another 6 columns to indicate the price changes. It's possible with Wizard as they have only 1 price for each of their listings.

 

With OS, it's quite common for prices to be going up on the higher grades and yet go down at the same time for the lower and mid-grades. This is a more accurate reflection of the real marketplace which cannot be reflected from just the one price column which shows up in Wizard.

[VintageComics]

Support your local comic shop. Buy it through them.

 

(thumbs u

 

Great suggestion! (thumbs u I'll call around tomorrow and see if I can find one to buy.

 

 

To me, it's only a difference of a few bucks but it supports them and plus I get to discuss it with a real person. Not internet people.

 

[lou_fine]

*Spoilers*?

 

 

In a different 2012 OSPG thread, we were speculating which of the Top 100 books would be the big % gainers. One poster was wondering if Pep/Archie would continue, or if the early Actions would make the move. Turns out both did well, with an Honorable Mention to 'Tec 35.

 

Since the Overstreet's about to come out pretty soon, why don't we we all try to play a little guessing game.

 

Which books in this year's Top 100 do you guess will go up the most from a percentage point of view? Last year it was very clearly the Archie's as both Pep 22 and Archie 1 jumped up by 40%. The year before, it was clearly the big 2 as they went up by 60% and 83% respectively, which was no doubt driven by their million dollar sales.

 

My guess for this year is that it'll be the early Actions or it could possibly be a repeat peformance for Archie.

 

For the life of me, I just can't figure out who you are talking about, but it certainly looks like whoever it was turned out to be some kind of fortune teller!

 

Yes, it looks like all of the early key Actions had strong percentage increases well into the double digits with Action 13 topping out at 50% for the year. The highest percentage gainer on the OS Top 100 chart though turned out to be Pep 22, with Overstreet finally clearly separating the once inseparable Pep 22 and Archie 1 after keeping them together for the past decade. (thumbs u

[lou_fine]

Are there pics of the HC cover options?

 

Avengers or Catwoman.

Normally I prefer the Avengers but after looking at them the Art on the Catwoman cover blows the other one away.

 

 

 

 

Well, I would most definitely have to agree with Aces's opinion here from another thread on the 2012 OS price guide. (thumbs u

 

Went to the LCS with my mind already made up to pick up the copy of the OS guide with the Avengers cover. When I got to the shop, however, and took a closer look at the 2 covers, I simply couldn't believe how bad the artwork was with respect to the facial expressions on the Avengers cover.

 

When I asked the employee how the 2 covers were doing so far, he told me to look at the piles as it was clearly evident that he had already sold 4 of the Catwoman hardcovers and only 1 of the Avengers hardcover so far. Needless to say, I took his advice and quickly made it 5 to 1 as I just couldn't see myself looking at that cover on a regular basis with the terrible Avengers artwork.

[Bookery]

Interesting how FF 1in VG is now listed at $1,000 less than in was in last years Overstreet. Was 5k, now down to 4k. Not quite in line with GPA.

 

This appears to be a typo (and a significant one!). As far as I can tell, OPG never varies from it's 1:3 ratio between 2.0 and 6.0. You'll notice the 6.0 stayed the same as 2011 ($7500). The 2.0 and 4.0 should have remained unchanged as well at $2500 and $5000. Seeing as other low-# FFs either remained the same or went up slightly further proves the unlikelihood of the OPG intending to lower the FF #1 values.

 

 

[Bookery]

As always, the OPG summarizes pricing increases for the major books in several categories (gold, silver, platinum, etc.). This is highly misleading, though, as it only uses its top grade (9.2) to indicate price movement. Over the years, most 9.2s have indeed trended upward, but many lower grades have remained flat or even gone down. Since about 99.99% of the vintage comics being collected out there grade below 9.2, these numbers aren't very meaningful for those of us who don't climb the financial nosebleed peaks of collecting our favorites.

 

Moreover, though many may argue OPG's accuracy in many areas, it is still a bellwether publication for overall trends, particularly if you've come to understand Ovestreet's "code" so to speak. OSP is overall a conservative publication when it comes to year-to-year reporting. However, cumulatively over time, it can show agressive price climbs that don't necessarily exist.

 

It has changed a good bit in recent years, with much more attention to individual issues and in regards to big differences between grades. But for many years it followed a policy of showing slow across-the-board growth... often in the 2%-5% annual range, and often based more on formula rather than real observable data. Likeways, the Guide has always been very reluctant to lower prices, preferring a more optimistic outlook on price trands. This has led to some pretty sizeable cumulative inaccuracies over the years, with many books (like Disneys) actually selling at 50% of those slowly-accelerated Guide prices. Again, however, to its credit the OPG is gradually fixing that.

 

Still... if a "hot" book shows a 20% one-year guide increase, OPG has likely taken a conservative approach (not necessarily a bad thing), when in fact, the book may have spiked 50% or more. Of course, often such rapid spikes do prove temporal, which also may account for the OPG's taking a more careful position, especially given that the Guide is only an annual publication. Conversely, a price that stays the same, is generally bad news, as, again, the OPG does not favor lowering prices readily. Flat prices generally means selling below Guide in most areas. An actual price decline can be pretty devastating, indicating that the OPG is likely adjusting a book downward slowly over time to catch up with prices that are well below current listings.

 

I didn't have time to do as much analyzing this year as usual, but here's some quick observations. I used the 6.0 price to calculate the kind of books most people have in their collections (we're talking GA/SA/BA here)... but the same percentage holds true for anything between 2.0 and 6.0.

 

Keys as usual fared well, though well below the 9.2 levels. AF#15 +20% in 9.2, +7% in 6.0. FF#1 up 13% in 9.2, up 0% in 6.0. JIM#83 up 33% in 9.2, up 1% in 6.0.

 

The overall trend on non-key non high-grade books was mostly flat, for both GA and SA books. I generally used generic runs from various time periods to get an idea of overall movement. Action Comics 71-79 up 4%, but later ranges 200 and up were flat. Batman 28-30, 151-154, 214-217, all were flat, with 102-104 for some reason up 9%.

 

Flash 118-120 down 3%, 197-199 flat.

Green Lantern (golden-age) flat.

Green Lantern (silver-age) flat.

JLA 11-15 down 4%.

 

Amazing Spider-Man 32-38 down 4%.

Amazing Spider-Man 103-118 flat.

Amazing Spider-Man 129 (!) down 3%.

 

FF 7-10 up 1%.

FF 31-40 down 5%.

FF 105-109 flat.

 

X-Men 21-27 down 7%.

X-Men 102-104 flat.

 

Amazing-Man 17-20 Up 3%

Archie 11-15 Up 22%

 

Middle range runs of sample titles like Mystery In Space, Captain Marvel (1940s), Marvel Mystery, etc.... all flat.

 

Westerns were either flat or down (second year in a row).

 

Platinum-age got clobbered in high-grade (some down 50%!), but remained flatter in lower grades.

 

Overall, an odd practice of lowering books $1 in 2.0 (and consequently $2 in 4.0 and $3 in 6.0) was evident on numerous books that began their pricing, say, in the $20 - $50 range. This accounts for varied price declines based on the percentage it makes up, generally from 1% to 5%. Often this carried over into price drops even at 8.0, but not always, as there appears to be either a more complex formula, or individual attention given to the higher end levels.

 

[chrisco37]

As always, the OPG summarizes pricing increases for the major books in several categories (gold, silver, platinum, etc.). This is highly misleading, though, as it only uses its top grade (9.2) to indicate price movement. Over the years, most 9.2s have indeed trended upward, but many lower grades have remained flat or even gone down. Since about 99.99% of the vintage comics being collected out there grade below 9.2, these numbers aren't very meaningful for those of us who don't climb the financial nosebleed peaks of collecting our favorites.

 

Moreover, though many may argue OPG's accuracy in many areas, it is still a bellwether publication for overall trends, particularly if you've come to understand Ovestreet's "code" so to speak. OSP is overall a conservative publication when it comes to year-to-year reporting. However, cumulatively over time, it can show agressive price climbs that don't necessarily exist.

 

It has changed a good bit in recent years, with much more attention to individual issues and in regards to big differences between grades. But for many years it followed a policy of showing slow across-the-board growth... often in the 2%-5% annual range, and often based more on formula rather than real observable data. Likeways, the Guide has always been very reluctant to lower prices, preferring a more optimistic outlook on price trands. This has led to some pretty sizeable cumulative inaccuracies over the years, with many books (like Disneys) actually selling at 50% of those slowly-accelerated Guide prices. Again, however, to its credit the OPG is gradually fixing that.

 

Still... if a "hot" book shows a 20% one-year guide increase, OPG has likely taken a conservative approach (not necessarily a bad thing), when in fact, the book may have spiked 50% or more. Of course, often such rapid spikes do prove temporal, which also may account for the OPG's taking a more careful position, especially given that the Guide is only an annual publication. Conversely, a price that stays the same, is generally bad news, as, again, the OPG does not favor lowering prices readily. Flat prices generally means selling below Guide in most areas. An actual price decline can be pretty devastating, indicating that the OPG is likely adjusting a book downward slowly over time to catch up with prices that are well below current listings.

 

I didn't have time to do as much analyzing this year as usual, but here's some quick observations. I used the 6.0 price to calculate the kind of books most people have in their collections (we're talking GA/SA/BA here)... but the same percentage holds true for anything between 2.0 and 6.0.

 

Keys as usual fared well, though well below the 9.2 levels. AF#15 +20% in 9.2, +7% in 6.0. FF#1 up 13% in 9.2, up 0% in 6.0. JIM#83 up 33% in 9.2, up 1% in 6.0.

 

The overall trend on non-key non high-grade books was mostly flat, for both GA and SA books. I generally used generic runs from various time periods to get an idea of overall movement. Action Comics 71-79 up 4%, but later ranges 200 and up were flat. Batman 28-30, 151-154, 214-217, all were flat, with 102-104 for some reason up 9%.

 

Flash 118-120 down 3%, 197-199 flat.

Green Lantern (golden-age) flat.

Green Lantern (silver-age) flat.

JLA 11-15 down 4%.

 

Amazing Spider-Man 32-38 down 4%.

Amazing Spider-Man 103-118 flat.

Amazing Spider-Man 129 (!) down 3%.

 

FF 7-10 up 1%.

FF 31-40 down 5%.

FF 105-109 flat.

 

X-Men 21-27 down 7%.

X-Men 102-104 flat.

 

Amazing-Man 17-20 Up 3%

Archie 11-15 Up 22%

 

Middle range runs of sample titles like Mystery In Space, Captain Marvel (1940s), Marvel Mystery, etc.... all flat.

 

Westerns were either flat or down (second year in a row).

 

Platinum-age got clobbered in high-grade (some down 50%!), but remained flatter in lower grades.

 

Overall, an odd practice of lowering books $1 in 2.0 (and consequently $2 in 4.0 and $3 in 6.0) was evident on numerous books that began their pricing, say, in the $20 - $50 range. This accounts for varied price declines based on the percentage it makes up, generally from 1% to 5%. Often this carried over into price drops even at 8.0, but not always, as there appears to be either a more complex formula, or individual attention given to the higher end levels.

 

Nice analysis. I haven't picked up an OS in a few years. Need to get one this year.

 

Anybody read the Market reports yet? Anything interesting or just the standard:

 

-Marvel continues to rule the roost

-Adams books are on fire

-Keys in all grades sell above guide

 

and, my favorite...

-westerns and classics illustrated still selling briskly

[lou_fine]

Interesting how FF 1in VG is now listed at $1,000 less than in was in last years Overstreet. Was 5k, now down to 4k. Not quite in line with GPA.

 

This appears to be a typo (and a significant one!). As far as I can tell, OPG never varies from it's 1:3 ratio between 2.0 and 6.0. You'll notice the 6.0 stayed the same as 2011 ($7500). The 2.0 and 4.0 should have remained unchanged as well at $2500 and $5000. Seeing as other low-# FFs either remained the same or went up slightly further proves the unlikelihood of the OPG intending to lower the FF #1 values.

 

 

Not necessarily true all the time as Overstreet seems to tweak the numbers and ratios on the key books sometimes. I assume he spends more time on these books and feel s that they deserve the special attention which he seems to give them.

 

For example, the ratio between Good and Fine on Avengers #1 is 1:4 and the ratio on AMF #15 is over 1:4.25, with FF #1 now coming in at a ratio of 1:3.75. Of course, these are exceptions to the standard ratio of 1: 3 as Overstreet is probably seeing different relative prices for these key books.

 

Interesting to note that the ratio for FF #1 from bottom of guide to top of guide is now at 1:45. A definite contrast to the 1:1.5 ratio that Overstreet started with way back in 1970 and one where we have seen a steady increase being applied to all books across the board. It looks like Snyder's prediction back in the late 80's that we will one day see ratios of 1:100 is eventually going to come true and definitely supports his advice to always go for the highest grade which one can afford when it comes to buying a particular book. (thumbs u

[Bookery]

Interesting how FF 1in VG is now listed at $1,000 less than in was in last years Overstreet. Was 5k, now down to 4k. Not quite in line with GPA.

 

This appears to be a typo (and a significant one!). As far as I can tell, OPG never varies from it's 1:3 ratio between 2.0 and 6.0. You'll notice the 6.0 stayed the same as 2011 ($7500). The 2.0 and 4.0 should have remained unchanged as well at $2500 and $5000. Seeing as other low-# FFs either remained the same or went up slightly further proves the unlikelihood of the OPG intending to lower the FF #1 values.

 

 

Not necessarily true all the time as Overstreet seems to tweak the numbers and ratios on the key books sometimes. I assume he spends more time on these books and feel s that they deserve the special attention which he seems to give them.

 

For example, the ratio between Good and Fine on Avengers #1 is 1:4 and the ratio on AMF #15 is over 1:4.25, with FF #1 now coming in at a ratio of 1:3.75. Of course, these are exceptions to the standard ratio of 1: 3 as Overstreet is probably seeing different relative prices for these key books.

 

Interesting to note that the ratio for FF #1 from bottom of guide to top of guide is now at 1:45. A definite contrast to the 1:1.5 ratio that Overstreet started with way back in 1970 and one where we have seen a steady increase being applied to all books across the board. It looks like Snyder's prediction back in the late 80's that we will one day see ratios of 1:100 is eventually going to come true and definitely supports his advice to always go for the highest grade which one can afford when it comes to buying a particular book. (thumbs u

 

I stand corrected! You are right... but this appears to be a new phenomena... apparently just beginning on a few books last year (which I hadn't caught before) and expanding this year. This would be a more accurate take on some books than the old 1:3 ratio for everything. I think 1:3 doesn't hold up well especially on many of the pre-code horror and early Atlas books... books which may not be uncommon in 2.0 or 3.0, but are often difficult to find even in 6.0.

[lou_fine]

As always, the OPG summarizes pricing increases for the major books in several categories (gold, silver, platinum, etc.). This is highly misleading, though, as it only uses its top grade (9.2) to indicate price movement. Over the years, most 9.2s have indeed trended upward, but many lower grades have remained flat or even gone down. Since about 99.99% of the vintage comics being collected out there grade below 9.2, these numbers aren't very meaningful for those of us who don't climb the financial nosebleed peaks of collecting our favorites.

 

Moreover, though many may argue OPG's accuracy in many areas, it is still a bellwether publication for overall trends, particularly if you've come to understand Ovestreet's "code" so to speak. OSP is overall a conservative publication when it comes to year-to-year reporting. However, cumulatively over time, it can show agressive price climbs that don't necessarily exist.

 

It has changed a good bit in recent years, with much more attention to individual issues and in regards to big differences between grades. But for many years it followed a policy of showing slow across-the-board growth... often in the 2%-5% annual range, and often based more on formula rather than real observable data. Likeways, the Guide has always been very reluctant to lower prices, preferring a more optimistic outlook on price trands. This has led to some pretty sizeable cumulative inaccuracies over the years, with many books (like Disneys) actually selling at 50% of those slowly-accelerated Guide prices. Again, however, to its credit the OPG is gradually fixing that.

 

Still... if a "hot" book shows a 20% one-year guide increase, OPG has likely taken a conservative approach (not necessarily a bad thing), when in fact, the book may have spiked 50% or more. Of course, often such rapid spikes do prove temporal, which also may account for the OPG's taking a more careful position, especially given that the Guide is only an annual publication. Conversely, a price that stays the same, is generally bad news, as, again, the OPG does not favor lowering prices readily. Flat prices generally means selling below Guide in most areas. An actual price decline can be pretty devastating, indicating that the OPG is likely adjusting a book downward slowly over time to catch up with prices that are well below current listings.

 

I didn't have time to do as much analyzing this year as usual, but here's some quick observations. I used the 6.0 price to calculate the kind of books most people have in their collections (we're talking GA/SA/BA here)... but the same percentage holds true for anything between 2.0 and 6.0.

 

Keys as usual fared well, though well below the 9.2 levels. AF#15 +20% in 9.2, +7% in 6.0. FF#1 up 13% in 9.2, up 0% in 6.0. JIM#83 up 33% in 9.2, up 1% in 6.0.

 

The overall trend on non-key non high-grade books was mostly flat, for both GA and SA books. I generally used generic runs from various time periods to get an idea of overall movement. Action Comics 71-79 up 4%, but later ranges 200 and up were flat. Batman 28-30, 151-154, 214-217, all were flat, with 102-104 for some reason up 9%.

 

Flash 118-120 down 3%, 197-199 flat.

Green Lantern (golden-age) flat.

Green Lantern (silver-age) flat.

JLA 11-15 down 4%.

 

Amazing Spider-Man 32-38 down 4%.

Amazing Spider-Man 103-118 flat.

Amazing Spider-Man 129 (!) down 3%.

 

FF 7-10 up 1%.

FF 31-40 down 5%.

FF 105-109 flat.

 

X-Men 21-27 down 7%.

X-Men 102-104 flat.

 

Amazing-Man 17-20 Up 3%

Archie 11-15 Up 22%

 

Middle range runs of sample titles like Mystery In Space, Captain Marvel (1940s), Marvel Mystery, etc.... all flat.

 

Westerns were either flat or down (second year in a row).

 

Platinum-age got clobbered in high-grade (some down 50%!), but remained flatter in lower grades.

 

Overall, an odd practice of lowering books $1 in 2.0 (and consequently $2 in 4.0 and $3 in 6.0) was evident on numerous books that began their pricing, say, in the $20 - $50 range. This accounts for varied price declines based on the percentage it makes up, generally from 1% to 5%. Often this carried over into price drops even at 8.0, but not always, as there appears to be either a more complex formula, or individual attention given to the higher end levels.

 

Excellent analysis and very nicely done given the fact that the guide was just released yesterday. (thumbs u

 

Everybody always focuses on the top of guide prices because this is part of the "feel good" story and is by far the best pricing column that supports our rationale (to our spouses especially )to keep on collecting. It's all part of the same spin machine that we see from the auction houses and even here on the boards that prices are always increasing and records are being set on an almost daily basis.

 

Of course, truth be told is that the real news is that 99% of the books in most people's collections are either not increasing in value at all or possibly even going down in value.

 

BTW: Your analysis above indicates that the early Archies must really be increasing in value relative to all of the other titles.

[lou_fine]

Are there pics of the HC cover options?

 

Avengers or Catwoman.

Normally I prefer the Avengers but after looking at them the Art on the Catwoman cover blows the other one away.

 

 

 

 

 

Why does no one seem to care about the Hero Inititative Overstreet guide?

Well I don't because I've never heard of it or have no idea what it is.

Should I care?

 

The Hero Initiative, which raises money for comic creators in need, has there own cover limited to 500 copies.

Its almost the exact same price as the normal version but all the profits go to creators in need. There is a sponsered link on the bottom of this and every other CGC Forum page that links you to there site!

 

Well, the simple answer to you initial question is that most collectors would indeed pick up the Hero Initiative copy of the price guide if it was readily available for them to buy. This Batman cover is definitely hundreds of times better than the standard Avengers cover and being available at the same price is a no-brainer for which version the collectors would be picking up.

 

By limiting them to only 500 copies and making them only available from their booth at the SDCC provides the simple and obvious answer to your question.