Signature Series preferences - More or fewer signatures?

[JakeM]

Hi there,

I'm in the process of coordinating a big SS project for an ASM #1 variant with my LCS which would involve Stan, Neal Adams, and possibly even Ramos and Slott. Things are up in the air at the moment, and we're figuring out facilitator/witness issues out right now - but that aside...

 

I was curious what people prefer when it comes to SS slabs. More signatures the better so that it's technically a "complete" set of signatures? Or just one or two? For example - just the cover artist and creator? Or forget Stan because the market is saturated with his SS's and just go with the main people involved with the issue?

 

We're gonna have the chance to hopefully get all those sigs on our books, and from what I've seen on ebay auctions for ASM variants, the more the better. But I'd like a second opinion. Any suggestions?

[seanfingh]

The way the rules are now - get as many people who worked on the book at one time.

[Niro]

The way the rules are now - get as many people who worked on the book at one time.

 

yup

[N/A]

It really depends what your goal is. If you are hoping to attract people to your signing then the more the better. If you are planning to get a bunch of variants signed to grade and sell then you would want to do a little more research. Not all names will add to your sale price but they will add to your costs.

 

[JakeM]

It really depends what your goal is. If you are hoping to attract people to your signing then the more the better. If you are planning to get a bunch of variants signed to grade and sell then you would want to do a little more research. Not all names will add to your sale price but they will add to your costs.

 

Absolutely. This is what I was saying last night to my father. I'm not the biggest fan of Slott, and meehhhh about Ramos, but then again, it makes it "complete" if signed by all of them. The cost on Stan's signature has been worked out, so that's not a concern to us, and Neal is fine. If Ramos and Slott are charging - which we haven't found out yet - we may be at a loss. Not to mention the new $5 fee for every sig after 3.

 

And this would be a private signing ordeal. So the latter part of your comment is what matters.

 

All really solid suggestions so far. Keep it coming

[N/A]

The idea of being "complete" is the pitfall you wish to avoid. There is rarely a significant boost in sale price due to the perception of being complete. The definition of complete also varies among collectors.

 

Your best bet is to check out www.gpanalysis.com and compare sales prices. You could use ASM 700 as your benchmark. There are also other issues that would give you an idea.

[JakeM]

The idea of being "complete" is the pitfall you wish to avoid. There is rarely a significant boost in sale price due to the perception of being complete. The definition of complete also varies among collectors.

 

Your best bet is to check out www.gpanalysis.com and compare sales prices. You could use ASM 700 as your benchmark. There are also other issues that would give you an idea.

 

Yep. Makes sense. Something that would be complete to me wouldn't be complete to others. Was definitely going to put my gpanalysis member to use anyways. Might as well get researching...

[JasonDaTwit]

I prefer getting books signed by people who actually worked on it.

 

The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 700 cover by Marcos Martin was a great concept that some people just took way overboard. Many of these books have so many signatures on them that they looked like a baby took a pen and drew on the cover. They look like a complete mess. I can't stand it and have no interest in stuffing 20+ signatures on it for the sake of it, potentially but not likely, going up in price. I prefer quality over quantity. My book has only 6 sigs at the moment and I am trying to consider a few more before I stop as I find that the white spacing given is enough space to get who you really want, not just any writer or artist who worked on Spidey once.

 

It's a case of selecting the right book (Cameo or 1st App, Direct Edition or Newsstand Edition, First Printing or Thrid Printing, Original Cover or rare variant from a comic shop, etc) You then have to get the best copy possible.

 

I think that Sig Series books should have at least 2 sigs to be justified. One seems sad looking, especially if a creator's sig is small to begin with (Francesco Francavilla comes to mind). But sometimes that can't be helped due to rising costs of signatures and facilitator fees. Ideally get as many people who worked on that book as possible without cluttering the cover.

 

Stan Lee on an important issue of Amazing Spider-man is always a good thing. Not so much if his sig is on the 1st App of Spidey Armor (that god awful armor from the 90s with the metallic green cover. I think it was a WEB OF issue). Also important is the artist and writer. If you can get the inker and colorist, that's a good bonus in my book. A) most people ignore them and B) they also do their own heavy lifting to make the book great. Extra, extra bonus would be getting the editor and the E-I-C of the comic. Why? Refer to my A & B reasons I listed before.

 

It's a fun hobby but it costs money to enjoy. Be sure the sigs you want are on the right book. Also, cluttered sigs on covers are the enemy. Good Luck!

[NYComics]

haha

 

I gotta debate this last post here

 

ASM 700 had ALL OF THE NAMES on the cover. Getting 20+ signatures definitely drove up the price. These sold for high amounts on ebay, I ended up getting over 20 done. And to me, they look beautiful, this is one of my fav. books I own.

 

 

I do agree a sig book looks good w/ 2 sigs rather than one.

 

Stan Lee on any ASM issue = Great just like a Walt Disney signature on anything involving Mickey Mouse. my

 

[JakeM]

haha

 

I gotta debate this last post here

 

ASM 700 had ALL OF THE NAMES on the cover. Getting 20+ signatures definitely drove up the price. These sold for high amounts on ebay, I ended up getting over 20 done. And to me, they look beautiful, this is one of my fav. books I own.

 

 

I do agree a sig book looks good w/ 2 sigs rather than one.

 

Stan Lee on any ASM issue = Great just like a Walt Disney signature on anything involving Mickey Mouse. my

 

 

On a book like that with the space for sigs? I agree. On the cover we're working with?

Bit of a different story - less space to work with. I hate when sigs are drawn over the character. Takes away from the book. I've seen so many SS Walking Dead's I'd love to own, but the sig placement is awful (Kirkman's sig is awful to begin with anyways).

Our sigs with Stan are a done deal - that's not even a question.

[JasonDaTwit]

haha

 

I gotta debate this last post here

 

ASM 700 had ALL OF THE NAMES on the cover. Getting 20+ signatures definitely drove up the price. These sold for high amounts on ebay, I ended up getting over 20 done. And to me, they look beautiful, this is one of my fav. books I own.

 

 

I do agree a sig book looks good w/ 2 sigs rather than one.

 

Stan Lee on any ASM issue = Great just like a Walt Disney signature on anything involving Mickey Mouse. my

 

 

I get where you're coming from. At the same time, there's so much white space left on that particular cover that there's no need for creators to sign (in different ink) on the city landscape. I certainly understand that sometimes that can't be helped -- especially with Stan Lee being the human conveyor belt of signature creation.

 

If you're in it to sell ASAP, that's fine. I'm not necessarily about that though. I prefer being picky with who I have my sigs from along with placement. I saw one guy who had all the sigs in the white space only AND in blue ink and it looked amazing.

 

What can I say, I'm an aesthetic hog! I love uniformity and order. (thumbs u

 

The beauty of this cover is that you can always get another one and start again. Get sigs of big creators you missed the 1st time out.

 

In the end, it's about what makes you happy -- whether your in it for resale, just collecting or both. It's all good.

[N/A]

I'm a big fan of the single signed Andrew Lincoln Walking Dead #1's. In the case of celebrities I see quite a few single signed books. The sigs tend to be larger.

 

The ASM 700, although I like it, is a really good example of the SS trap from a purely business perspective. You could eliminate a majority of those names, reduce the effort required and actually increase your profit margin. If it were a personal book then I would tend to want to have it like NYComics.

[N/A]

And when you get a book with that many sigs there isn't much room left for anyone else to sign. I'm sure some collectors would prefer to see McFarlane or Zeck on the book.

[miraclemet]

The way the rules are now - get as many people who worked on the book at one time.

 

multi-sigs (when appropriate for the book) would be a premium since multi-sigs get very costly when it requires multiple signing ops.

 

 

[eXpertComics-migration]

JakeM...so, what happens when you run into Neal Adams, Dan Slott, Humberto Ramos, Stan Lee, Victor Olazaba and Edgar Delgado all within the span of 24hrs? Looks like we need a bigger cover! And on top of it these all of these guys are super cool in person!!!!

[NYComics]

 

 

[rtecbot]

At a certain point though it may be best to get all the signatures on a blank sketch cover. Then there will be plenty of space. You won't need to worry about signatures on top of other signatures. Also need to consider the yellow label will start to get crowded.

[Jeffro.]

I was curious what people prefer when it comes to SS slabs. More signatures the better so that it's technically a "complete" set of signatures? Or just one or two? For example - just the cover artist and creator? Or forget Stan because the market is saturated with his SS's and just go with the main people involved with the issue?

 

I've gone back and forth on the whole SS thing in general. If I were to dive into it, I'd go the multiple sig route because I think that makes the item being signed more special. There are exceptions though. I'd like to get books single signed by guys like Wrightson, Steranko, and Russ Heath.

[seanfingh]

I was curious what people prefer when it comes to SS slabs. More signatures the better so that it's technically a "complete" set of signatures? Or just one or two? For example - just the cover artist and creator? Or forget Stan because the market is saturated with his SS's and just go with the main people involved with the issue?

 

I've gone back and forth on the whole SS thing in general. If I were to dive into it, I'd go the multiple sig route because I think that makes the item being signed more special. There are exceptions though. I'd like to get books single signed by guys like Wrightson, Steranko, and Russ Heath.

 

I like both. I look at it much similar to single signed baseballs or team signed baseballs. Both have their place and both are awesome. For the true legends, I like having single signed issues. Once I have secured those, I like to have some multi signed books as well.

[Pirate]

I have a heroes for hope and Heroes against Hunger. I have no need for any other bronze/copper age SS books.