Tough Signature Series and the New Collector

[seanfingh]

 

First of all, I think the program is really growing by leaps and bounds right now, and it seems to be a lot of younger collectors are fueling the charge, which is fantastic.

 

I have seen several times in WTB threads and in other sections of the Boards, "Well, this is the type of book that you can find in a dollar bin, so I don't really want to pay more than X for it," with no thought to the difficulty of obtaining the signature, or the fact that the book is already slabbed at 9.8. Both of those factors are a far, far cry from a book pulled from a dollar bin.

 

There are also a lot of non-SS folks who will throw their in the mix, muddying the water with their negative, and often hateful condemnation of the program.

 

To all those who are recently afflicted with the Yellow fever, study the market. Get some books done on your own. Stand in some lines. Make some friends. Follow Ebay. Look at sales on here. Educate yourself about the program and the players.

 

If Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, Mark Millar, Warren Ellis, John Cassaday, Jae Lee, Stephen Platt etc. were easy to get, I would have a lot more of them, and so would everyone else.

 

Welcome to the Insanity.

 

--Sean.

 

 

[comix4fun]

True,

 

Too many Verucas and not enough Charlies.

[Get2TheChoppa]

In fairness, Veruca is a much cooler name than Charlie.

[Harley Troy]

As one of those "Somewhat Newer" collectors out there, I say newer because I wasn't active during the golden days of SS (2002-2006) there is definitely a learning curve exactly was Sean is talking about. At first it was just buying off Ebay, then sending books away to get signed, but it wasn't until I A) Went to a convention and acted as a witness, B) Did a sign and sketch opp, that I really understood what goes on behind the scenes of the Signature Series. To that end, the fact that any SS book ever goes for less than $35 or so is amazing given what goes into them.

 

However I do love the hunt, every day I hope that "Today's the Day!" I find that elusive SS book, Marshall Rogers, Jim Aparo, Eisner, etc.

 

I love SS and think it's the best thing CGC has going right now, and anytime new collectors get into the fray, it's a good thing, but there is a learning curve to be sure!!

[wardevil0]

I have seen several times in WTB threads and in other sections of the Boards, "Well, this is the type of book that you can find in a dollar bin, so I don't really want to pay more than X for it," with no thought to the difficulty of obtaining the signature, or the fact that the book is already slabbed at 9.8. Both of those factors are a far, far cry from a book pulled from a dollar bin.

 

To all those who are recently afflicted with the Yellow fever, study the market. Get some books done on your own. Stand in some lines. Make some friends. Follow Ebay. Look at sales on here. Educate yourself about the program and the players.

 

If Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, Mark Millar, Warren Ellis, John Cassaday, Jae Lee, Stephen Platt etc. were easy to get, I would have a lot more of them, and so would everyone else.

 

Well said. I was thinking similar thoughts yesterday while reading this thread go off the rails, mainly because someone initially wasn't aware just how difficult a Sam Keith Sig Series can be to find.

 

My Sig Series collection may be small, but it's growing through both purchases and my own submissions. To me there's not much better than a book with signatures from all the main creators that I got myself at a con, especially if it's Copper Age or earlier...

 

My favorite new addition is a Swamp Thing 64 SS 9.6 signed by Bissette, Totleben, Veitch, and Yeates.

Unfortunately, this was a purchase and I have not yet been able to meet all these gentlemen.

 

terrible photo of my Swamp Thing 64

[thatdudebooks]

 

Very well stated OP.

[freshcollect]

I'm one of the new folks to the fold, and I'm certainly taking it slow. I haven't got to the point of determining who's hard to find etc. I've picked up a few that appealed to me, and I'm looking forward to getting some done at my first CGC attended Con this year at ECCC.

 

Starting to consider what will be on my "goal list", but initially really focussing on creators/books that were key to my collecting/love of comics vs. key books, or more major historical creators. For now one of my larger challenges is getting a high grade copy of some of these "$1" books to get that sig on - postage costs make that an expensive endeavour to Canada. That leads to a definite preference to just buying the books already complete - in general it's always cost me less to just get a book already done than it would to buy raw, ship to me, prep, ship to a facilitator, etc.

 

Anyway, the other balance I'm seeking is getting the books and meeting the creators myself vs. just getting them. On some I don't seem to care, but on others it's more personal for some reason.

 

Regardless after I feel things out a bit more this year, I see myself building a long list of wants, and similar to me comic key wantlist just targeting a small group at the top of that list every year while adding to the bottom as new things come up or priorities change.

[SoylentBlue]

[Trapezetony]

I guess that compared to most on these boards I'm still very much a noob at comic collecting.

However as soon as the bug bit, I seemed to be drawn to the ss series..... Especially ss first appearances.

I love the signature series!

My image line says a lot... But I have more!

 

Although I have to be honest and say that all my books have either been purchased off ebay already signed, or the signatures have been obtained courtesy of Rich Henn or Paradise Comics.

Being in the UK you just do not get the opportunities to get them signed yourself.

I went to the London con in 2012 and queued for a while to give DWC a book for Stan's sig....

Not only did I not get to meet Stan, but this was one of the only books I submitted to drop a grade... Never going DWC again.

 

So while I love the series I'm gonna stick with Rich and Paradise....

[Rich_Henn]

Sean,

Well put, my friend. Well said and executed.

 

I've been wanting to post something similar in the WTB threads for weeks now that pretty much reflects what you said, but you worded it much better.

 

There seems to be a lot of WTB threads lately but too many people seem to feel that they shouldn't be paying more then the cover price of the book + grading. If that.

Or a fraction of GPA. And free shipping.

 

I too, get very weary of hearing "That's only a dollar book!" or getting GPA quoted chapter and verse.

 

There is not much consideration for the time, effort and money that goes into making your "9.8 only" requests a dream come true.

 

I finally started charging a small deposit to clients for these treasure hunts.

If you can put your money where your mouth is, I'm happy to do the work.

Nine times out of ten, you'll get what you're looking/paying for.

 

Two threads that come to mind are the Jonny Quest search and the Armour red logo search. Also Hado and his Spider-Woman quest. Or the 9.8 ROM collector.

 

If you can give me a six to eight weeks (sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less), I can typically get your yellow or blue label 9.8 books that you've been bumping indefinitely in the WTB threads, but only if you can come to terms on the costs involved.

 

I watch the WTB threads from certain boardies who are habitual in starting threads, bumping threads, but either don't close deals or languish in virtual silence because (and this is my best guess) either most boardies just don't have the books, or don't want to give their books away, or worse, what really happens is (you've) started a trend where most people know (you're) not a serious buyer and tend to just stay away.

 

The time and effort involved in finding books, grading books, scanning books, showing the product and then the lack of response from the OP more or less reveals who the tire kickers are who (to the point) is just wasting time.

[A-DONIS]

Amen!

[Jonesin4Comics]

I have so much respect for the SS program. I had no idea what CGC was a few years ago and, as someone that went to cons and sought out sigs from creators, finding this place was Shangri-La. I've met/interacted with some great boardie and have some really nice yellow labels to show for it.

 

As with any hobby, respect it and it will respect you. My

[Green]

Sean and Rich both make great posts. Its nice to know im not the only one feeling these frustrations. The omg its a dollar book routine is getting real old, real fast.

[Triston Pence]

I always say, Signature Series books have gold labels of a reason. They are special and quite frankly not that easy to get done. So many factors and people are involved in getting one book done, and believe me there is no perfect science to it.

 

I think some times I show off my rarest SS books, collectors new to the hobby think that it can't be that difficult to obtain. Often one SS book (especially sketch covers and cast signed books) take months and sometimes years of planning. They can also become a real money pit too!

 

Also consider the time, effort and risks involved in arranging signature opps with creators who do not attend conventions. Folks like Rich Henn, GA Collectibles, Joel Elad, NYComics, and DWC do a tremendous job putting together opportunities for us collectors to get books signed that otherwise would never happen without thier efforts. It's very stressful and they don't make much money doing it either.

 

Right now, SS books are still a relatively new addition to the hobby. As time goes by, more collectors will come to appreciate these books and they will become more valuable. Just imagine how much collectors will covet Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Robert Crumb, and other iconic creators SS books 50 years from now. How cool is it to think 100 years from now that there will be cast signed books from films like STAR WARS, JAWS, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, and other classics. I wouldn't be surprised if certain SS books ended up in museums.

 

Collectors decades from now will have the opportunity to own these pieces of comic book and pop culture history thanks to folks at CGC and today's ambitious collectors. The greatest thing is that they are authenticated and preserved like no other collectible.

 

I get contacted often to sell some of my rarer SS books. Always the folks that contact me are very respectful and I love to hear from these fellow collectors. I make it clear that most aren't for sale and if I were to sell them the prices are very high. It's not to take advantage or profit, it's because these rare books can't be replaced. A collector is very lucky when the opportunity to buy a "rare" SS book presents itself ( it usually only happens a few times a year ). In many cases for these "rare" SS books I literally have a list of folks willing to buy them at any time.

 

GREAT thread Sean, and good points by Troy and Rich Henn. I don't believe anyone is necessarily complaining about folks that are new to the hobby & their buying habits. I just think it's just a reminder just how special SS books really are and how lucky we are to have to opportunity to collect them.

[GACollectibles]

I'm down with op(p), great post.

 

Happy SS Hunting & Collecting for 2014 and beyond!

[Rich_Henn]

I'm down with op(p)!

 

 

"Yeah, you know me!"

 

 

[MetalPSI]

Sean,

Well put, my friend. Well said and executed.

 

I've been wanting to post something similar in the WTB threads for weeks now that pretty much reflects what you said, but you worded it much better.

 

There seems to be a lot of WTB threads lately but too many people seem to feel that they shouldn't be paying more then the cover price of the book + grading. If that.

Or a fraction of GPA. And free shipping.

 

I too, get very weary of hearing "That's only a dollar book!" or getting GPA quoted chapter and verse.

 

There is not much consideration for the time, effort and money that goes into making your "9.8 only" requests a dream come true.

 

I finally started charging a small deposit to clients for these treasure hunts.

If you can put your money where your mouth is, I'm happy to do the work.

Nine times out of ten, you'll get what you're looking/paying for.

 

Two threads that come to mind are the Jonny Quest search and the Armour red logo search. Also Hado and his Spider-Woman quest. Or the 9.8 ROM collector.

 

If you can give me a six to eight weeks (sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less), I can typically get your yellow or blue label 9.8 books that you've been bumping indefinitely in the WTB threads, but only if you can come to terms on the costs involved.

 

I watch the WTB threads from certain boardies who are habitual in starting threads, bumping threads, but either don't close deals or languish in virtual silence because (and this is my best guess) either most boardies just don't have the books, or don't want to give their books away, or worse, what really happens is (you've) started a trend where most people know (you're) not a serious buyer and tend to just stay away.

 

The time and effort involved in finding books, grading books, scanning books, showing the product and then the lack of response from the OP more or less reveals who the tire kickers are who (to the point) is just wasting time.

 

+1 to Rich and OP

 

I have only been collecting again for a few months and already I have a huge appreciation for this program. There is just no way I could ever get the signatures I want on the books I want any other way.

[troydivision1]

Great post.

[mamatsch]

Great thread and excellent posts - thanks!

[jonjesper]

More yellow label submitters + poor business sense = reduced prices to move product and people wanting books for cost based on poor selling practices (as in lose money just to move product).

It is an epidemic in the modern market with people buying moderns for cover price and reselling for $2 over cover and thinking they are making money...which they truly aren't with product cost and time involved among other factors.

 

In other words, the smart person is not doing 10 of the same creator/book hoping to make money, cause the difference between yellow and blue resale is closing with yellow costing a person 1/3 to twice as much as blue label with no prescreen (which needs to added to the SS program post haste)

 

It is a long game more then ever and most sellers are not in it for anything more then a short sell.

 

By the way, I'm hoped up on NyQuil right now so hoping some of this made sense. I'm sure I will revise it in the morning...

Off to dreamland...

JJ loves you all