Future Value of CGC comics?

[Catalyst Comics]

Not taking about the golden, and silver age comics, but more about todays comics.

 

I see all these sites, offering pre orders on comic graded 9.8 or better. Now you can order a years subscription of any current title at a guaranteed grade of 9.8.

 

I know alot of people (not me) CGCing everything that comes out these days looking to cash in big in 20-30 years.

 

My question is are they right, or do you guys think this CGC trend will do alot of harm the the value of these comics in the long run?

 

The Way i see it, this CGC craze will keep these titles at a lower cost, then a higher one. So instead of making the books more expensive, it may actually make them more affordable 25-30 years down the road.

 

What do you guys think?

[FlyingDonut]

And so begins 500 posts on the upcoming CGC crash.

[nik]

[aardvark88]

Crash & burn. I can't imagine youngsters still buying/collecting saddle-stitched funny books in 20 years.

Kids want more interactive play value for their dollar from PS 2 games, DVD rentals, internet chat rooms or trading /downloading MP3's with their buddies. Even music CDs are now obsolete.

[Norrin_Radd]

Not taking about the golden, and silver age comics, but more about todays comics.

 

I see all these sites, offering pre orders on comic graded 9.8 or better. Now you can order a years subscription of any current title at a guaranteed grade of 9.8.

 

I know alot of people (not me) CGCing everything that comes out these days looking to cash in big in 20-30 years.

 

My question is are they right, or do you guys think this CGC trend will do alot of harm the the value of these comics in the long run?

 

The Way i see it, this CGC craze will keep these titles at a lower cost, then a higher one. So instead of making the books more expensive, it may actually make them more affordable 25-30 years down the road.

 

What do you guys think?

 

To actually answer your question .

 

I would say that prices for 9.8 moderns are already dropping to below grading fees in most cases. CGC was a fad in terms of slabbing new comics because there are just too many in high grade and most new comics depreciate rapidly.

 

As usual, only important high-demand new books will go up in value over the next 10-20 years. With more high grade material, a modern 9.8 is the minimum grade I would collect.

[sfilosa]

I think most of us would say that new comic books being certified as COLLECTIBLES, is probably a long term investment loser.

[BradleyX2]

Welcome to the boards, Dr. Ail Comics!

[Fury's_Revenge]

I would agree. I think only pre 1990's books will attain a higher value, minus keys of course.

[lou_fine]

This is an absolute no-brainer! You just have to look back at the past 15 years to see what will happen here.

 

99.9% of newsstand books start at the top of the market and head straight down from there. Especially with the huge huge number of high grade slabbed Moderns out there.

 

Again, a guaranteed money loser in the long run!

[Murph]

Not to mention the constant undercutting of the issues collectibility by constantly rebooting the titles. Some of the newer books might actually have some value (not a lot) if they'd quit that policy. But it definately has to have a factor on the demand. Definately cuts out the title completionists (who wants a Cap America vol 2 run, nobody).

 

Brian

[Aman619]

yup.

[Ajax]

modern CGC=No Value

[shrunkenhead]

I would agree. I think only pre 1990's books will attain a higher value, minus keys of course.

 

I dunno if I'd even be that generous. Pre-1979, and even then I say that with reservations....a better bet would be pre-1968.

[Red Hook]

I agree with all the above. Moderns may look pretty in slabs, but they will be pretty much good for nothing but use as oversize drink coasters.

[DKB]

I just hope that the backlash again modern slabs doesn't spill over at all into the rest of the hobby.

 

And I do somewhat look forward to the crash. I want to be the guy that gets some other dudes ASM 400-500 run of slabs for $100. They do look purdy in them slabs.

[valiantman]

I agree with all the above. Moderns may look pretty in slabs, but they will be pretty much good for nothing but use as oversize drink coasters.

 

Well, they say "hindsight is 20/20"... so I don't know why more people don't use it.

 

Here's what I mean...

 

Let's forget slabbing for a minute, and get back to the core of the matter.

Buying brand new, hot off the shelf, comic books AS AN INVESTMENT is a bad idea.

99.9% of the books on the shelf will not be worth even cover price in the near future...

(anytime after 6 months but before 20 years)

 

Yes, a few will have staying power... maybe even become the "keys" of their era...

but buying up gobs of everything new as an investment is a losing game.

(If you're truly into reading comics hot-off-the-press, then buy anything you like.)

 

So... if you're seriously considering investing in comic books... use HINDSIGHT.

Pick books that you feel are important enough to stand the test of time because

they've ALREADY stood the test of time. Figure out if you're comfortable looking back

10 years, 30 years, 50 years, whatever, but make sure you're LOOKING BACK.

 

If you can't afford the well-established key books (few can), then see if you can

find books that still have some room to grow and are still affordable to you.

Winning books emerge from the past, but they rarely lead right out of the gate.

Even major key books were still affordable when they were 10 or 20 years old.

 

Find books just now emerging from the dreck and drivel of their peers...

maybe it will be books that were once hot for whatever reason,

cooled after the newness wore off, but now they're showing signs of thawing.

(Note, not all formerly "hot" books will thaw... look for the signs first.)

 

Betting on the "thaw factor" of older books is much safer than

betting against the newness to wear off. "New" always wears off.

If there's anything truly worthwhile about a book, it will not be forgotten.

Don't try to pick tomorrow's winners from today's books.

They're too expensive for that gamble. Use hindsight.

(If you're truly into reading comics hot-off-the-press, then buy anything you like.)

 

Now, as far as CGC is concerned...

If you aren't sure you'll ever get your $2.99 cover price back on a hot-off-the-press book,

why would you plop down $29.95 for the same book in CGC 9.8?

Your gamble just multiplied itself by 10... too rich for my blood.

 

Raw books that matter will always matter in CGC slabs. Raw books that don't, won't.

It's very dangerous to bet on CGC when the book inside can't stand on its own merits.

 

(If you're truly into reading comics, then buy anything you like,

but CGC graded reading material seems like it might be a waste of money.)

[sfilosa]

Well said.

 

And as I said before, I don't remember any discussion regarding the need for a third party grading company, so that the collecting community would know if a brand new book was a 9.8,9.9,10.0.

 

Once again, a little to much like QVC to me.

 

[Norrin_Radd]

I would agree. I think only pre 1990's books will attain a higher value, minus keys of course.

 

I dunno if I'd even be that generous. Pre-1979, and even then I say that with reservations....a better bet would be pre-1968.

 

Says the man you only buys GA.

 

Where's KHURST when you need him?!

 

There are important comics in EVERY AGE, including the current one. And some have print runs significantly lower that some BA and even SA books.

 

Collectors who disdain anything not older than they are can eat my azz!

 

 

 

That being said, I pretty much agree with valiantman. Comics that are older that have proven themselves to be important and in demand are a better investment.

 

That's why I have a long box full of choice late-BA, CA stuff that I was able to pick up for around current cover prices (more or less). A much better bet than a Marvel Knights #1.

 

IMO

[Ze-man]

If my own personal experience is any barometer, Moderns seem best suited for reading NOW. And even then it is pricey. You have to pick and choose what you want to buy carefully, as you can drop $40 in a heartbeat.

 

I have not bought a Modern comic in over 7 years. Since I was unfortunate enough to return into collecting comics again during the Image Girls with guns chrome variant cover craze era...I soon realized I was wasting my money buying all the crahp that was coming out each month.. and quicklyamassing a few long boxes of crahp... that I saw had very little potential to do anything. So I made the decision to stop buying moderns .. saved my money each month towards buying BA, and SA back issues. And see how I did with books that were proven to sell/resell at a decent clip.

 

I imagine if CGC was around back in the day.. I would have been tempted to slab a wide variety of books I thought were HOT..( and yes, there were a few that you could argue might have been worth slabbing) only to have those HOT books sitting in my closet today.... not getting any HOTTER.. in the slightest over the years.

 

 

So I guess what I am trying to say... what is old in not new again...as we agree.. Todays Moderns sure look pretty in a slab.. and if you want to have your fav moderns slabbed in 9.8 condition..and pay alot for them, then go for it.. that is why CGC is around. Use them as you see fit. Just do not expect a huge return in years to come if you sell them.

To be sure.. there will be exceptions, but as a rule.. todays Moderns in slabs.. will not hold an inflated value.

 

To expect todays manufactured HOT comics to age gracefully in their slabs and hold their inflated value.... well, then I will go find and sell you some HOT Beanie Babies.

 

I might be dead wrong though, just my opinion.

 

Ze-

 

 

Does anybody have a compilation of Wizard's Hot Comics list over the past 10 years?.. and what % on that list.. survived ..when we compare that list to what we still consider "comics that move" in todays market?

 

And is it fair to compare todays Manufactured books to RAW books from 10-15 years ago?

[Norrin_Radd]

I think most of us have had similar experiences Ze-man as far as buying too much modern thinking it was a good investment.

 

The only modern slabs I've been buying have been less than $15 for Crossgen 9.8s because I wanted a nice trophy copy (Abadazad #1, El Cazador #1). But the point is there are some important newer comics that are worth spending money on for a nice 9.8 copy. But buying slabbed ultra-HG new comics is not a good "investment" in most cases.

 

I've also trimmed the number of new books I read because it is so expensive compared to what you get. I am spending more money buying cheap TPBs of great reads from the past (60s - 90s).