ASM #2 cgc 9.2...not a good flip!

[fantastic_four]

What makes anyone think that a Comic Book worth over $5K, is going to sell for more during MOVIE HYPE than at other times? It's not like someone who doesn't have a clue about comics, but just saw the movie is going to plunk down $10K for this book.

 

Perhaps the good doctor formerly known as ebay user "italian-treasure" who plunked down a few hundred K after the first Spidey film might make someone think this? He fit the profile you're describing as being fictional to a T.

[sfilosa]

Perhaps the good doctor formerly known as ebay user "italian-treasure" who plunked down a few hundred K after the first Spidey film might make someone think this? He fit the profile you're describing as being fictional to a T.

 

 

A valid point. But didn't he buy the Spidey books off of Heritage? Sounds like someone gave him advice (bad advice).

 

So I'll somewhat agree that it's possible that a well capitalized person could get the URGE to Speculate from the movie hype, but most likely would go to a well known source (i.e. Major dealer or Auction House) to get advice and purchase the books, not just start looking on eBay with no prior knowledge.

[joe_collector]

Why does WHERE the speculator buys from important, as it pertains to your original statement?

 

$100K is $100K, no matter if it's Heritage, ComicLink, EBay, a major convention, or a store.

[sfilosa]

The original agrument was that "Maybe the seller was hoping to flip the book during the Movie Hype".

 

My comments imply that I don't believe that (in general), the MOVIE HYPE would cause a NON-COLLECTOR to rush out and purchase $1,000 or more books. Could I see some NON-COLLECTORS walking into a local shop and dropping a $100 on some books, Sure (saw that with the Death of Superman issue).

 

Then the italian-treasures buyer was used as a contradiction to my comments. This was a legit contradiction, but I STILL don't believe that a NON-COLLECTOR would spend $1,000's of dollars UNLESS they were getting ADVICE from PROFESSIONALS. Therefore, they would be inclined (or urged) to buy the books from PROFESSIONALS, not just randomly search eBay.

 

Very similar to Metropolis showing how good an investment comic books have been. A NON-COLLECTOR purchased the FF #12 after METROPOLIS gave their opinion on what they believe would be GOOD INVESTMENTS.

[blazingbob]

First off Italian Treasure basically was using ComicLink as a buying agent. If a collector picks a "dealer" and tells them I want a 9.6 run of Spidey's the "agent" will go out into the market and attempt to buy them. Josh used Ebay as well as other avenues to put together the run for his client. I'm sure it was communicated that these books would not come cheaply and quite frankly I would have had to have the same type of conversation if someone asked me to buy the same type of run. You want the book, you have to pay this price. As some of you know "Patience" is not a word commonly used by high grade collectors with money. I want it now and instant gratification comes to my mind. I doubt the AS #2 "flipper" was following the same type of plan in putting together a run of high grade spideys.

[tth2]

Perhaps the good doctor formerly known as ebay user "italian-treasure" who plunked down a few hundred K after the first Spidey film might make someone think this? He fit the profile you're describing as being fictional to a T.

 

 

A valid point. But didn't he buy the Spidey books off of Heritage? Sounds like someone gave him advice (bad advice).

 

No, he bought through Josh Nathanson, and then unloaded on Heritage, where he took a bath of epic proportions. You could probably buy a 9.4 X-Men 1 with the amount of money that was lost.

[blazingbob]

Anybody who is buying the "best copy" basically causes their own problems. If not patient they basically drive the cost higher in getting those books. Add another buyer into the mix and it gets ugly. And please don't forget there were a couple of other buyers chasing the same books that "treasure" was. And comics are exactly the quick sell as everybody thinks. It took me over 1 year to sell my collection. I did this to avoid the "need for the money" which puts you the seller in a very bad position. Paying close to the top and then suddenly needing the money doesn't actually work to your advantage. I don't think that Josh was giving this buyer the "short term investment" speech.

[Aman619]

Anybody who is buying the "best copy" basically causes their own problems. If not patient they basically drive the cost higher in getting those books. Add another buyer into the mix and it gets ugly. And please don't forget there were a couple of other buyers chasing the same books that "treasure" was. And comics are exactly the quick sell as everybody thinks. It took me over 1 year to sell my collection. I did this to avoid the "need for the money" which puts you the seller in a very bad position. Paying close to the top and then suddenly needing the money doesn't actually work to your advantage. I don't think that Josh was giving this buyer the "short term investment" speech.

 

or, feeling the frenzy, he just refused to hear it....

[fantastic_four]

First off Italian Treasure basically was using ComicLink as a buying agent. If a collector picks a "dealer" and tells them I want a 9.6 run of Spidey's the "agent" will go out into the market and attempt to buy them.

 

I'm glad you're the one who let this out publicly! Tons of people knew it, but this is the first time I've seen it in print and not just in

 

Do you think he would've made his money back selling now--or perhaps a month ago--around the Spidey 2 flick as was rumored to have been originally planned? I don't. Particularly on that 150K Spidey 1 that still hasn't cracked $100K after two subsequent "sales"...150K was QUITE a price for a book with very light tanning, even in mid-2002 when CGC prices were cresting.

[rube11]

Man this is getting good.

 

[blazingbob]

I don't think this was particularly hush hush. Josh does have a "network" in place so I could see why the buyer would use him. And Josh also was very aggressive in getting this material so that he could keep his client happy. And if you have a "big buyer" you want to keep him happy.

 

I'm sure if he had the time the seller would have realized higher prices for some his books. He clearly would have done better on the AF #15 9.4 which comes to mind. But then again you never know. Sometimes not having books in the market can keep a damper on prices. Case in point - the Eides Journey Into Mysteries, record prices, first one to list the whole run on Ebay in high grade, BSD who wants them and a couple of bidders giving him a run for his money. People see the numbers, shake the heads, say "I would sell at that price" and the result is you see more JIM's on the market.

 

Having books in the market setting records or not selling pushes up or can push down the prices.

[blazingbob]

Business is that slow there? I would still only pay $7500 for the AS #2 9.2

[rube11]

Not slow at all. Best 6 months had in a lonnnnng time. Though its nice to see your jovial self.

[1962]

Instant gratification is a good way to put it. I listed several Pacific Coast Spidey's

on ebay at "buy it now" prices I did not think would be touched. I then went to work, came home and lo and behold "Italian Treasure" bought all of them. I guess at that point in time the Chiropractic business was really good!

[fantastic_four]

I'm sure if he had the time the seller would have realized higher prices for some his books. He clearly would have done better on the AF #15 9.4 which comes to mind. But then again you never know. Sometimes not having books in the market can keep a damper on prices. Case in point - the Eides Journey Into Mysteries, record prices, first one to list the whole run on Ebay in high grade, BSD who wants them and a couple of bidders giving him a run for his money. People see the numbers, shake the heads, say "I would sell at that price" and the result is you see more JIM's on the market.

 

Having books in the market setting records or not selling pushes up or can push down the prices.

 

There's no doubt treasure sold his books in about the worst way he possibly could have and would've gotten more if he could've waited (which wasn't Josh's fault), but still, some of those prices paid were just insane. Didn't a bunch of your personal Spideys go to italian-treasure? Unless my memory is failing me, you got more for some of your early 9.4s and 9.6s in 2002 than the going market rate is today, even with Spidey 2 doing as well as it is.

[blazingbob]

I sold my Spidey's into that "mindset", basically I saw what other issues were selling for and put them on ebay or sold them privately. I've never looked back nor regret selling ANY of them. Now my FF's are a different story but because of their sale I will be moving into my house, you know the "made up one I sold my collection for"..

[blazingbob]

But then again I probably sold one high priced asset for another according to some on the boards.

[fantastic_four]

ow my FF's are a different story but because of their sale I will be moving into my house, you know the "made up one I sold my collection for"..

 

Hey, you're a grizzled New Yorker, right? That should mean that you don't give a [!@#%^&^] what the rest of us think about you or what you do.

 

I never directly said you made up the notion that you were selling your FFs to buy a house, I just implied it by pointing out that you must have had a really long closing timeframe since you sold your Spideys over a year earlier for the same purported reason. You explained you sold the Spideys to pay off some debt before applying for the loan, and that the FFs were for the down-payment. Makes sense to me and sounds very believable...congratulations on the house!!! I wouldn't have that sweet CGC 9.4 copy of FF 16 if not for your good fortune to buy the house.

 

You've been collecting/dealing WAY longer than me, so I know you must be familiar with the type of seller who likes to point out that they're "begrudgingly parting with books from their personal collection" purely as a sales pitch because they know some buyers don't like the idea of a seller flipping for as much as they can purely from a profit motive because many collectors see comics more as a hobby than a business. I don't think you're that way at all, though...everything I've seen out of you tells me you tell the raw truth most of the time, no matter who it pisses off.

[greaterfool]

when's the housewarming party??

[greaterfool]

I'm sure if he had the time the seller would have realized higher prices for some his books. He clearly would have done better on the AF #15 9.4 which comes to mind. But then again you never know. Sometimes not having books in the market can keep a damper on prices. Case in point - the Eides Journey Into Mysteries, record prices, first one to list the whole run on Ebay in high grade, BSD who wants them and a couple of bidders giving him a run for his money. People see the numbers, shake the heads, say "I would sell at that price" and the result is you see more JIM's on the market.

 

Having books in the market setting records or not selling pushes up or can push down the prices.

 

There's no doubt treasure sold his books in about the worst way he possibly could have and would've gotten more if he could've waited (which wasn't Josh's fault), but still, some of those prices paid were just insane. Didn't a bunch of your personal Spideys go to italian-treasure? Unless my memory is failing me, you got more for some of your early 9.4s and 9.6s in 2002 than the going market rate is today, even with Spidey 2 doing as well as it is.

 

Why did italian treasure dump all his books so quickly??