Comic Book Investing

[Prince Namor]

Wow. Here's something that will add a flavor to this discussion of which cultural artifacts will survive going forward. Watching the British Open. They just aired a short clip where they asked the golfers to name all four Beatles. the friggin Beatles! And many of them couldn't do it..

 

If the Beatles are getting forgotten after 50 years even given their still ubiquity and musicians today, can anyone argue that anything is immune from cultural obsolescence??

 

Ugh... That makes me feel really old.

[HighStakesComics]

Speaking of Turok 1, I lost money on that one too!

 

No - not the 1.7 million-printed-but-otherwise-awesome Bart Sears Valiant issue - his first appearance. Case study:

 

Four Color # 596, CGC 7.0.

 

Bought via eBay, Jan. 2010 for $424, free shipping.

Sold this week in C'link's auction for $384 (but subtract their cut + taxes).

Holding period: 4.5 years.

 

I'm fairly certain I bought the book before the Jim Shooter Dark Horse revival was announced (his Turok 1 came out ~8 months later), so I don't think speculative hype was a factor then; and I'm fairly certain that nobody cares about the currently-published Turok series (including me, as it's an abomination, although not quite as bad as the later teenage Acclaim version).

 

Still, I would have guessed that a decent copy of a 3rd-tier 1950s superhero key would have gained modestly over the four-year period, particularly with not one but _two_ comic revivals in between.

 

I was wrong...

 

And if a boardie bought it this week, congrats. I would have outbid you if C-link allowed it.

 

That book is pretty htf. Did you try a fixed price listing first?

[Logan510]

Wow. Here's something that will add a flavor to this discussion of which cultural artifacts will survive going forward. Watching the British Open. They just aired a short clip where they asked the golfers to name all four Beatles. the friggin Beatles! And many of them couldn't do it..

 

If the Beatles are getting forgotten after 50 years even given their still ubiquity and musicians today, can anyone argue that anything is immune from cultural obsolescence??

 

Ugh... That makes me feel really old.

 

 

Don't. It just shows how culturally unaware they are. I would be willing to bet hard money that if you had asked my entire first grade class who Laurel & Hardy were that only 1 person would know. I had parents who raised me on old timey mess and I became interested in it as a result.

[HouseofComics.Com]

Wow. Here's something that will add a flavor to this discussion of which cultural artifacts will survive going forward. Watching the British Open. They just aired a short clip where they asked the golfers to name all four Beatles. the friggin Beatles! And many of them couldn't do it..

 

If the Beatles are getting forgotten after 50 years even given their still ubiquity and musicians today, can anyone argue that anything is immune from cultural obsolescence??

 

But they could all tell you that Bruce Wayne is Batman and ScarJo is the Black Widow.

[HouseofComics.Com]

So - buy more copies of Rocket Raccoon #1?

I thought Howard the Duck was the new character to go nuts over?

 

My 401k

 

25% Kamandi

25% Rip Hunter

25% Millie the Model

25% X-Force

 

Since we've been talking about how hard it is to scale investments in comic books, I have great news for you! I have about sixty copies of Millie the Model 135 you can buy. As a kicker, it's the first appearance of The Gears, Cooler than the Beatles, Kookier than the Kinks!

 

I think some other people could help you scale your X-Force investment too.

[HouseofComics.Com]

Thanks for providing this example...and if you look at Magnus and Solar #1 from gold key, both can be had for very affordable amounts. You would think there would be more interest in these considering their age and how many series have spawned from them.

 

Well, there is interest, Turok #1 goes for over guide all the time and did in this example as well. I can sell every Magnus 1 I get too.

 

 

[kav]

Anyway, remember, folks-the key to successful investing is simple-buy a book before it becomes hot, then sell right when it reaches its peak!!!!!

[thirdgreenham]

Anyway, remember, folks-the key to successful investing is simple-buy a book before it becomes hot, then sell right when it reaches its peak!!!!!

 

[Gatsby77]

Thanks for providing this example...and if you look at Magnus and Solar #1 from gold key, both can be had for very affordable amounts. You would think there would be more interest in these considering their age and how many series have spawned from them.

 

I'm happy with my Magnus # 1 purchases, but Dr. Solar # 1's been a bust. While I broke even with the CGC 7.0 Dr. Solar # 1 I sold in this week's C-link auction, I would lose money on the 9.4 copy I've held for three years if I were to sell it today.

 

The reason? The number of census copies in 9.4 has doubled in the past four years and there were three public sales in quick succession, which has effectively dropped the value of the book by 12%.

 

I'm still bullish on the book long-term, but the reality is even 9.4/1962/2nd-highest-graded copies are not immune to census dilution.

[The-Collector]

So - buy more copies of Rocket Raccoon #1?

I thought Howard the Duck was the new character to go nuts over?

 

My 401k

 

25% Kamandi

25% Rip Hunter

25% Millie the Model

25% X-Force

You forgot to add Youngblood to the list.

 

Diversification is for suckers! I'm 300% long Turok 1 (margin account).

 

[Bookery]

Of course, we keep talking about investing in "comic books", when what we really mean is investing in pop culture icons. Comics are simply one means of expressing those icons... it's sort of like saying are books a good investment for the next 5/10/20 years. Some will be, certainly... but most will just be used books.

 

That said, I put together a casual longevity list of certain popular fictional characters, with the years that I would say they maintained mass-popular status. That doesn't mean nobody knows who these characters are anymore... but that there is a point they ceased being heavily marketed or sought after in a variety of mediums. Some characters have always gotten a boost from movies or TV at a point they may have lost popularity... 1880s Pinocchio certainly got a rebound in the '40s with Disney's movie. It's interesting how many icons dopped out of mass-favor after just a generation or two, despite being as huge in their time as any popular characters are today in ours. I don't know if it proves anything or not-- but I just thought it was kind of interesting. Some of course, are still continuing today, so the length of their popularity is unknown.

 

Harry Potter (2000s-on) (15+ years)

Popeye (1930s-1950s) (30 years)

Buck Rogers (1930s-1950s) (30 years)

Green Hornet (1940s-1960s) (30 years)

Luke Skywalker (1980s-on) (35+ years)

The Brownies (1890s-1920s) (40 years)

Mickey Mouse (1930s-1960s) (40 years)

Lone Ranger (1930s-1960s) (40 years)

Flash Gordon (1930s-1960s) (40 years)

Wolverine (1970s-on) (40+ years)

Spider-Man (1960s-on) (50+ years)

Tarzan (1920s-1970s) (60 years)

Superman (1940s-on) (70+ years)

Pinocchio (1880s-1960s) (90 years)

Hercule Poirot (1920s-on) (90+ years)

Sherlock Holmes (1890s-on) (110+ years)

 

What about American Interventionism and World War 2 Propaganda comics from the golden age?

These "classic cover" books from the years 39-46 seem to command x2-x5+ guide values due to supply and demand.

How many years?

 

You raise a good point... there is one aspect that trumps individual characters when it comes to paper/art collectibles... and that's the art itself. Certain comics... as pieces of art... may be more durable than any specific comic character.

 

There is still interest in WW-1 and WW-2 recruitment posters, old advertising (as mintcollector has pointed out). CGC by its very nature emphasizes cover art over content.

 

Few people collect pulps for their authors anymore... even on these boards probably not many are familiar with Johnston McCulley, Carroll John Daly, Day Keene, Albert Payson Terhune, Talbot Mundy, Eric Frank Russell, William MacLeod Raine, Giles Lutz, ad infinitum.

 

But pulps with dynamic cover art are still rising fairly rapidly in value. Yesterday the best-looking variant of the original Chaney "Phantom of the Opera" movie poster just sold for $203,000.

 

Last week a late-'50s movie poster titled "Hot Car Girl" (a movie nobody ever heard of and with a no-name cast) topped $600 beacuse of its over-the-top exploitative artwork.

 

When the generation comes along that views Wolverine as some fuddy-duddy character your dad or grandpa likes, big-wallet collectors may still be seeking out Suspese Comics #3.

 

 

[spreads]

Thanks for providing this example...and if you look at Magnus and Solar #1 from gold key, both can be had for very affordable amounts. You would think there would be more interest in these considering their age and how many series have spawned from them.

 

Well, there is interest, Turok #1 goes for over guide all the time and did in this example as well. I can sell every Magnus 1 I get too.

 

 

Ya they sell, but not for a lot. I had a beater copy of Magnus 1 that took me about a month to sell. I was only asking $20 for it, sure it was low grade but $20, c'mon! I can't even buy a bottle of booze for that...

[spreads]

Thanks for providing this example...and if you look at Magnus and Solar #1 from gold key, both can be had for very affordable amounts. You would think there would be more interest in these considering their age and how many series have spawned from them.

 

I'm happy with my Magnus # 1 purchases, but Dr. Solar # 1's been a bust. While I broke even with the CGC 7.0 Dr. Solar # 1 I sold in this week's C-link auction, I would lose money on the 9.4 copy I've held for three years if I were to sell it today.

 

The reason? The number of census copies in 9.4 has doubled in the past four years and there were three public sales in quick succession, which has effectively dropped the value of the book by 12%.

 

I'm still bullish on the book long-term, but the reality is even 9.4/1962/2nd-highest-graded copies are not immune to census dilution.

 

Those gold keys really do seem to have the value in grades 9.0 and less. I think Valiantman grabbed Dr. Solar #1 in 9.0 for $100 2-3 years ago. I see the mid grades go real cheap sometimes...

[lou_fine]

Speaking of Turok 1, I lost money on that one too!

 

No - not the 1.7 million-printed-but-otherwise-awesome Bart Sears Valiant issue - his first appearance. Case study:

 

Four Color # 596, CGC 7.0.

 

Bought via eBay, Jan. 2010 for $424, free shipping.

Sold this week in C'link's auction for $384 (but subtract their cut + taxes).

Holding period: 4.5 years.

 

Still, I would have guessed that a decent copy of a 3rd-tier 1950s superhero key would have gained modestly over the four-year period, particularly with not one but _two_ comic revivals in between.

 

I was wrong...

 

Where you went wrong is a classic and the most common mistake made when buyers purchase a book with the intention of making some money on the eventual sale of the book..........namely the initial purchase price was way too high!

 

You basically paid $424 for a non-HG copy of a book that guided for only $287.50 in that particular condition back at the beginning of 2010. This represented a premium paid of 47.5% over guide which makes it pretty tough to come out ahead when you had over paid for the book in the first place.

 

Bottom-line: Paying that kind of premium over guide (i.e. 47.5%) for a 3rd tier non-hot book (i.e. Turok #1) in non-HG condition (i.e. CGC 7.0) will normally require an extended holding period (i.e. more than 4 or 5 years) for you to make money as there were already several years of growth built into the initial purchase price.

[FormerReader]

Speaking of Turok 1, I lost money on that one too!

 

No - not the 1.7 million-printed-but-otherwise-awesome Bart Sears Valiant issue - his first appearance. Case study:

 

Four Color # 596, CGC 7.0.

 

Bought via eBay, Jan. 2010 for $424, free shipping.

Sold this week in C'link's auction for $384 (but subtract their cut + taxes).

Holding period: 4.5 years.

 

I'm fairly certain I bought the book before the Jim Shooter Dark Horse revival was announced (his Turok 1 came out ~8 months later), so I don't think speculative hype was a factor then; and I'm fairly certain that nobody cares about the currently-published Turok series (including me, as it's an abomination, although not quite as bad as the later teenage Acclaim version).

 

Still, I would have guessed that a decent copy of a 3rd-tier 1950s superhero key would have gained modestly over the four-year period, particularly with not one but _two_ comic revivals in between.

 

I was wrong...

 

And if a boardie bought it this week, congrats. I would have outbid you if C-link allowed it.

 

Thanks for providing this example...and if you look at Magnus and Solar #1 from gold key, both can be had for very affordable amounts. You would think there would be more interest in these considering their age and how many series have spawned from them.

 

Good information on Four Color #596. The weird thing I've noticed on all three books (at least graded copies) is sellers have not been willing to negotiate. I have offered GPA for each book multiple times and been denied multiple times. Look at the Magnus #1 that Mycomicshop has listed for a seller currently. $620 for a 7.5?!?! There is also a Four Color #596 7.0 listed for $1200 OBO?!?! Crazy.

[FormerReader]

Speaking of Turok 1, I lost money on that one too!

 

No - not the 1.7 million-printed-but-otherwise-awesome Bart Sears Valiant issue - his first appearance. Case study:

 

Four Color # 596, CGC 7.0.

 

Bought via eBay, Jan. 2010 for $424, free shipping.

Sold this week in C'link's auction for $384 (but subtract their cut + taxes).

Holding period: 4.5 years.

 

I'm fairly certain I bought the book before the Jim Shooter Dark Horse revival was announced (his Turok 1 came out ~8 months later), so I don't think speculative hype was a factor then; and I'm fairly certain that nobody cares about the currently-published Turok series (including me, as it's an abomination, although not quite as bad as the later teenage Acclaim version).

 

Still, I would have guessed that a decent copy of a 3rd-tier 1950s superhero key would have gained modestly over the four-year period, particularly with not one but _two_ comic revivals in between.

 

I was wrong...

 

And if a boardie bought it this week, congrats. I would have outbid you if C-link allowed it.

 

That book is pretty htf. Did you try a fixed price listing first?

 

This book is not at all hard to find. At anytime you can find a midgrade copy on ebay. For a 1950's book this is common as dirt.

[Gatsby77]

Quick rebuttal on my paying "over guide" on the Four Color 596:

 

I haven't bought an OSPG since 2003, as it doesn't really apply to FMV for slabbed books.

 

At the time I paid $424 for my 7.0, there hadn't been a publicly-recorded sale in three years, and that last sale (three years earlier) was for $568.

 

Further, a 7.5 had sold just months earlier for $800.

 

Regardless of "guide," I bought the book at a GPA low that was at least 20% under market -- and was ecstatic to get it.

 

That it has continued to fall slightly and held stagnant at a current GPA value of $390-$400 for the last 4 years, despite just 35 copies slabbed in 7.0 or better surprises me.

 

And if anyone has any copies for sale, I will gladly pay an "over guide" $425 shipped for up to three copies of Four Color 596 in CGC 7.0. PM me.

[HighStakesComics]

Speaking of Turok 1, I lost money on that one too!

 

No - not the 1.7 million-printed-but-otherwise-awesome Bart Sears Valiant issue - his first appearance. Case study:

 

Four Color # 596, CGC 7.0.

 

Bought via eBay, Jan. 2010 for $424, free shipping.

Sold this week in C'link's auction for $384 (but subtract their cut + taxes).

Holding period: 4.5 years.

 

I'm fairly certain I bought the book before the Jim Shooter Dark Horse revival was announced (his Turok 1 came out ~8 months later), so I don't think speculative hype was a factor then; and I'm fairly certain that nobody cares about the currently-published Turok series (including me, as it's an abomination, although not quite as bad as the later teenage Acclaim version).

 

Still, I would have guessed that a decent copy of a 3rd-tier 1950s superhero key would have gained modestly over the four-year period, particularly with not one but _two_ comic revivals in between.

 

I was wrong...

 

And if a boardie bought it this week, congrats. I would have outbid you if C-link allowed it.

 

That book is pretty htf. Did you try a fixed price listing first?

 

This book is not at all hard to find. At anytime you can find a midgrade copy on ebay. For a 1950's book this is common as dirt.

 

So are you saying a higher mid-grade copy is easy to come across on the cheap? I see 4 copies on ebay, the two aforementioned graded books with the ask over $1000 each, and 2 rags for a couple of hundred bucks. Comiclink has 0 copies for sale. Metropolis has the same rag they have listed on ebay listed on their comicconnect site but that's the only one. I guess I'm a little confused since dirt is readily available backyard in our garden. Would you perhaps care to elaborate?

[Gatsby77]

p.s. agreed on the "common as dirt" theme, but I believe that applies to mostly 4.0-5.0 copies.

 

Uncle Scrooge # 1 is the same way -- each of these books is so common they should be treated like early 1960s Marvels in terms of availability relative to demand rather than the 1950s books they are.

 

That said, while Magnus # 1 and Turok # 1 can be bought raw all day long up to about 6.0, I've found both surprisingly difficult to find at strict 7.0 or above (raw or slabbed) without paying a premium.

 

Doctor Solar 1's a different story, with the HTF part only kicking in at about strict 8.0-8.5.

[FormerReader]

This book is not at all hard to find. At anytime you can find a midgrade copy on ebay. For a 1950's book this is common as dirt.

 

So are you saying a higher mid-grade copy is easy to come across on the cheap? I see 4 copies on ebay, the two aforementioned graded books with the ask over $1000 each, and 2 rags for a couple of hundred bucks. Comiclink has 0 copies for sale. Metropolis has the same rag they have listed on ebay listed on their comicconnect site but that's the only one. I guess I'm a little confused since dirt is readily available backyard in our garden. Would you perhaps care to elaborate?

 

I have been following this book for the last few years on ebay and within the last year I have seen multiple 4.0 to 5.0's and a 7.0 or 8.0 (I'm not sure without looking) that sold for reasonable prices (close to GPA). There was also a 9.0 that sold for around $1200 I believe.

 

As you mention above the two books listed they are asking for over $1000. The one is OBO and being that it is priced at nearly 3 times GPA. The price is not due to "rarity".

 

I stand by what I said before. For a 1950's book this is common as dirt. If I can go on ebay and find a mid to high grade copy at any time it is not rare.