Will the bubble hurst on Hulk 181?

[Chillax23]

The pricing on Incredible Hulk 181 has increased quickly in the last 5 years yet it has 5,184 copies on the census. Can it continue to rise as it has, with more and more copies being graded daily or will we eventually see a collapse in the pricing of IH181 due to market saturation?

 

Don't get me wrong - it is an awesome book (which I am looking to purchase) and the undisputed king of the Bronze Age. But scarcity usually makes the book more desirable and valuable (i.e., the silver age marvel first appearances - TOS 39, JIM 83, X-Men 1 etc)

 

 

[Vikingreed]

I still think demand outweighs supply.

Look at ASM #300 or NM #98.

 

My opinion, anyways.

[jbud73]

Hulk 181 is the perfect storm book IMO. True there are a lot of copies around in HG but there is also a lot of demand AND the book is attainable for many ppl still.

 

Even a 6.0 copy of JIM 83 is going to cost you 5K range but you can pick up a great copy of Hulk 181 for 2K and change. That is in the wheel house for a lot of people, they can save up for it and justify it as a not too painful expense for the 1st app. of arguably the most recognizable Marvel Character ever - Spider-Man aside.

 

Will it continue to spike in terms of cost, probably not spike but ebb and flow. Another 1000 copies could hit the market this year and I doubt it would impact the cost, or the year after that or. .....

[divad]

No.

[bronze johnny]

Agreed, no.

[Underground44]

Can't see it hursting anytime in the future.

[Broke as a Joke]

The pricing on Incredible Hulk 181 has increased quickly in the last 5 years yet it has 5,184 copies on the census. Can it continue to rise as it has, with more and more copies being graded daily or will we eventually see a collapse in the pricing of IH181 due to market saturation?

 

Don't get me wrong - it is an awesome book (which I am looking to purchase) and the undisputed king of the Bronze Age. But scarcity usually makes the book more desirable and valuable (i.e., the silver age marvel first appearances - TOS 39, JIM 83, X-Men 1 etc)

 

5,000 some copies for as popular a character as Wolverine doesn't seem like a lot to me. Also, it is still affordable to the majority of collectors, especially to somebody that can't justify dropping more than a grand on a book--which explains how midgrade copies of this book keep rising in price and holding steady.

[Cyclops]

I prey every night for a burst on 181. A sure sign that it's not going to happen.

[HeroX]

I don't think so.

[jreezy]

Demand easily exceeds the supply for this book. I don't see it dropping to insanely low prices.

[joe_collector]

There is no way Hulk 181 will ever "burst" and if I was looking for viable candidates, it would be something like Iron Fist 14, Daredevil 168, etc. where you have second-tier characters at (IMO) overpriced levels with lots and lots of HG supply.

[towards2112]

Demand definitely outstrips supply. Some people never sell, just keep

buying more.

[The-Collector]

The pricing on Incredible Hulk 181 has increased quickly in the last 5 years yet it has 5,184 copies on the census. Can it continue to rise as it has, with more and more copies being graded daily or will we eventually see a collapse in the pricing of IH181 due to market saturation?

 

Don't get me wrong - it is an awesome book (which I am looking to purchase) and the undisputed king of the Bronze Age. But scarcity usually makes the book more desirable and valuable (i.e., the silver age marvel first appearances - TOS 39, JIM 83, X-Men 1 etc)

 

 

The last two years have seen a steady uptick in prices of the book in every grade below 9.8. I think in these tiers prices will remain steady. As demand will remain strong, that is, I can see no reason that the legion of fans would suddenly reject Wolverine or that some other book would claim the mantle as the king of the bronze age.

 

The steady price deflation we have seen in 9.8 beginning about 4 years ago is the result of systemic factors in the high grade bronze market not anything specific to IH 181. I think we will continue to see moderate price deflation in 9.8 mega bronze keys (GL 76, IH 181, ASM 129, etc) until they reach a multiple of 2-2.5x the 9.6 price. Which some already have.

[chrisco37]

Undisputed King of the Bronze Age.

 

As others have said, 9.8 and up is the risky range. All other grades are safe bets for the long term. Huge supply, but even bigger demand.

 

Every dealer loves to have multiple copies of this book. We've heard over the years (in the Con Reports) that it's always one of, if not the, most requested books at shows.

[kidcolt]

Bubble have been going for 25 years now I think its safe to assume it isn't a bubble at all but a legit book that will continue to hold value and popularity. Seems to be even more ASM 300 available and that one continues to rise every year as well.

[Chillax23]

Fair enough - I assumed this would be the answer.

 

I am just deciding on whether to purchase a copy of IH181 in 8.0 or a copy of X-Men 1 in 2.0 as my next book. I am having a hard time deciding between the two and was hoping I could be convinced that pricing on IH181 will not continue to increase (thus allowing me to hold off on the IH181 purchase).

 

 

[MrWeen]

Why spend all this money for a comic when you can get Wolverine's actual first appearance ( Daredevil 115 ) for next to nothing?

[piper]

Fair enough - I assumed this would be the answer.

 

I am just deciding on whether to purchase a copy of IH181 in 8.0 or a copy of X-Men 1 in 2.0 as my next book. I am having a hard time deciding between the two and was hoping I could be convinced that pricing on IH181 will not continue to increase (thus allowing me to hold off on the IH181 purchase).

 

 

I haven't looked at X-men 1 pricing lately, but think it's been relatively stable (i.e. no huge spikes up or down). Both are solid choices, but if it were me, I would buy the Hulk 181 or at minimum look for a higher grade copy of X-Men 1 instead (4.0. or higher). As far as it comparing to other SA keys, there's a lot of supply out there. Sure there are lots of copies of Hulk 181 available, but as mentioned by others in this thread, the demand is also there.

 

Bottom line, you should buy the book that excites you more as a collector.

 

Best of luck with your decision!

 

[joe_collector]

I am just deciding on whether to purchase a copy of IH181 in 8.0 or a copy of X-Men 1 in 2.0 as my next book.

 

Isn't the best deal for a Hulk 181 a CGC 8,5?

 

If it still holds true, I'd recommend one of those, well-centered and with white pages. Wait for the right one to pop up, as supply is high enough to be picky.

[jreezy]

Fair enough - I assumed this would be the answer.

 

I am just deciding on whether to purchase a copy of IH181 in 8.0 or a copy of X-Men 1 in 2.0 as my next book. I am having a hard time deciding between the two and was hoping I could be convinced that pricing on IH181 will not continue to increase (thus allowing me to hold off on the IH181 purchase).

 

 

I haven't looked at X-men 1 pricing lately, but think it's been relatively stable (i.e. no huge spikes up or down). Both are solid choices, but if it were me, I would buy the Hulk 181 or at minimum look for a higher grade copy of X-Men 1 instead (4.0. or higher). As far as it comparing to other SA keys, there's a lot of supply out there. Sure there are lots of copies of Hulk 181 available, but as mentioned by others in this thread, the demand is also there.

 

Bottom line, you should buy the book that excites you more as a collector.

 

Best of luck with your decision!

 

 

Curious to see why he should invest in a 4.0 xmen? Is it because mid grades have a better roi than low grade copies?