Are key comics good investments?

[delekkerste]

Yes, but that median's actually stayed fairly constant over the last 15 years. What's significant is the additional increase at the top.

 

May 2015

 

Top book: 528k

Books above 100k: 10

Median book: 38k

 

May 2010

 

Top book: 164k

Books above 100k: 5

Median book: 38k

 

May 2005

 

Top book: 168k

Books above 100k: 4

Median book: 38k

 

May 2001 (since ICv2 doesn't go back to 2000):

 

Top book: 136k

Books above 100k: 2

Median book: 28k

Wow, that's a pretty big jump...what are total sales/circulation figures?

 

The recent data has been skewed by all the Secret Wars, Convergence and Star Wars-related launches. You sometimes get these outliers for mega-hyped books (like Walking Dead #100 which sold nearly 400K copies with 13 variant covers, 5-6x the average monthly circulation). Clearly the industry has gotten hip to re-using every gimmick in the book to boost sales and speculation has found new life over the past few years as well.

 

Most of the $ rebound in the new comic market is due to the increase in cover prices ($3.99 for most titles these days, with prices averaging an all-time high $3.77 in 2014). If you look at unit sales, we've rebounded from the 2009-11 dip (so much for the old wives' tale about comics doing better in recessions - maybe that was true when they were cheap entertainment, but $3.99 per floppy is terrible value in 2015), but that just brings the market back to where it was in 2006-08 or the late '90s. Seems to me that, in the big picture, comic sales have risen from the troughs hit in 2000 and 2010, but we're still nowhere near the historical levels of readership.

 

For all the popularity of superhero films over the past decade, the median sales of the top 100 books has remained dead flat at around 38K issues.

 

In terms of units sold of the Diamond Top 300:

 

1997 100.32 million copies

1998 84.45 million copies

1999 78.08 million copies

2000 69.26 million copies

2001 66.92 million copies

2002 70.27 million copies

2003 73.02 million copies

2004 74.14 million copies

2005 76.13 million copies

2006 81.85 million copies

2007 85.27 million copies

2008 81.34 million copies

2009 74.88 million copies

2010 69.20 million copies

2011 72.13 million copies

2012 80.55 million copies

2013 84.51 million copies

2014 82.65 million copies

[NewWorldOrder]

The top 13 books,and 19 of the top 20, have single-digit issue numbers, mostly #1!

 

Not to mention containing Secret Wars 1 at 500,000 AND Secret Wars 2... at 200,000!

 

Yah. Just look at the median sales for the top 100 - about 38K copies.

 

Yes but more and more people are buying TPB's which is the trend that should and makes sense to happen in the future. The mixing of online comics purchases is a trend I used to fear, but now I welcome it with open arms. Gets these people hooked by any means necessary and your old vintage comics will be around for a very long time.

 

Buying new comics is too expensive and since they mostly will have little or no value after you buy them TPBs are the way to go.

 

But the numbers don't support this. TPB sales have flat lined several years back and are not increasing. Digital sales have also flat lined.

 

Not from the LCS owners I talk to in regards to TPB sales.

 

I will take your word for it online sales, but that market is till in it's infancy.

[joe_collector]

Annual sales is a far better metric than artificially using May figures just because Secret Wars 1 blew off the barn doors in terms of sales this May.

 

Lots of other previous comic books sold tons, but that was in other months like April, July, September or November, so I guess those don't count.

 

In terms of units sold of the Diamond Top 300:

 

1997 100.32 million copies

1998 84.45 million copies

1999 78.08 million copies

2000 69.26 million copies

2001 66.92 million copies

2002 70.27 million copies

2003 73.02 million copies

2004 74.14 million copies

2005 76.13 million copies

2006 81.85 million copies

2007 85.27 million copies

2008 81.34 million copies

2009 74.88 million copies

2010 69.20 million copies

2011 72.13 million copies

2012 80.55 million copies

2013 84.51 million copies

2014 82.65 million copies

[joe_collector]

Like in April 2014, Amazing Spider-Man 1 sold a whopping 559,217 copies. But they should have waited until May, right? lol

[RockMyAmadeus]

We can respectfully disagree on what to call it, but we do agree that prices went from point A (higher) to point B (lower), which was the point I was trying to make.

 

Yes, the prices went down, but that isn't the point I am making. The issue is why those prices went down.

 

You may believe the distinction trivial, but I assure you it's not.

 

"Market crash" has a very specific sense and connotation, but that is not what happened at all with the market (ultra high grade 1970-up, and many 1964-up books, too) we are discussing. It is an idea that is incorrect at its foundation, and is oft-repeated on these boards, to the detriment of any who absorb, and pass on, such misinformation.

 

As someone as involved in accurate market analysis, surely you understand the importance of describing a market phenomenon correctly, not just by using correct terminology, but far beyond that: having a correct understanding and conception of what it is that actually happened.

 

Calling it a "crash" is not just incorrect terminology, not just an irrelevant quibble over word usage...it's a lack of understanding, which leads to bad decisions by anyone who takes such lack of understanding and makes decisions based on it.

 

It is vital to those involved in the slabbed comics market to understand the forces that control and direct that market, so that they don't make poor decisions that hurt them financially. A large part of that comes from understanding the census and how it works (and doesn't work.) Knowing how the market unrealities of the mid 2000's functioned, and subsequently unraveled, is a powerful tool to understanding and predicting future trends in this market.

[RockMyAmadeus]

That's not a crash, per se; it's a correction, in the most proper sense of that word.

 

We can respectfully disagree on what to call it, but we do agree that prices went from point A (higher) to point B (lower), which was the point I was trying to make.

 

Gene I can't believe you are making side with RMA on this topic.

 

Careful, you wouldn't want your street cred to be diminished.

 

 

 

[Gatsby77]

Or how about January 2015, where we had Star Wars 1 do 900k+ vs. February where Orphan Black (a non-superhero book by IDW) did 497k?

 

Sure -- discount Secret Wars 1 as an outlier. But then:

 

Compared to Apr. 2008, when Secret Invasion # 1 (a solid comp to last month's Secret Wars # 1) did only 250k?

 

Or May 2006 when Civil War # 1 (another comp) did 261k?

 

Or Oct. 2005 when Infinite Crisis # 1 (hey -- a DC!) did 249k?

 

Note the overall numbers for Q1 2015 as well:

 

"The market for comics and graphic novels in comic stores grew 9.63% over the previous year in Q1 2015, with March up 2.99%. The periodical format is humming, with comics up 13.85% in the quarter, vs. only .65% growth for graphic novels in the channel."

 

Source: http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/31320/comic-market-up-nearly-10-q1

[Lazyboy]

 

Yah. Just look at the median sales for the top 100 - about 38K copies.

 

Yes, but that median's actually stayed fairly constant over the last 15 years. What's significant is the additional increase at the top.

 

May 2015

 

Top book: 528k

Books above 100k: 10

Median book: 38k

 

May 2010

 

Top book: 164k

Books above 100k: 5

Median book: 38k

 

May 2005

 

Top book: 168k

Books above 100k: 4

Median book: 38k

 

May 2001 (since ICv2 doesn't go back to 2000):

 

Top book: 136k

Books above 100k: 2

Median book: 28k

 

The increase at the top isn't significant, it's simply the result of a flood of "new" (ie. reboots/relaunches/limited "event" series) titles.

 

Here are the top issues with even a little bit of longevity (basically anything that didn't start last month ) compared to their beginnings:

 

Star Wars 1 985,976

Star Wars 2 162,042

4 Star Wars 5 146,850

Darth Vader 1 264,399

Darth Vader 2 100,010

8 Darth Vader 5 113,025

Amazing Spider-Man 1 532,586

Amazing Spider-Man 2 123,945

14 Amazing Spider-Man 18 88,338

Spider-Gwen 1 254,074

Spider-Gwen 2 107,070

15 Spider-Gwen 4 86,586

Thor 1 150,862

Thor 2 89,131

16 Thor 8 86,222

Ant-Man 1 73,370

Ant-Man 2 40,192

17 Ant-Man 5 83,095

Walking Dead 1 7,266

Walking Dead 2 6,067

21 Walking Dead 141 68,931

Saga 1 37,641

Saga 2 36,885

28 Saga 28 55,239

Guardians of the Galaxy 1 211,312

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 88,184

31 Guardians of the Galaxy 27 49,308

Uncanny X-Men 1 177,463

Uncanny X-Men 2 94,615

38 Uncanny X-Men 34 45,267

Ms. Marvel 1 50,286

Ms. Marvel 2 38,357

64 Ms. Marvel 15 32,185

 

[Gem_Mint]

Key comics are a great investment, if you bought them at cover price the day they came out.

[joe_collector]

"The market for comics and graphic novels in comic stores grew 9.63% over the previous year in Q1 2015, with March up 2.99%.

 

Be very careful of these quotes, as they usually refer to $$$ sales, and not units sold, which is more an indication of ever-higher cover prices than anything else.

[Mmehdy]

We can respectfully disagree on what to call it, but we do agree that prices went from point A (higher) to point B (lower), which was the point I was trying to make.

 

Yes, the prices went down, but that isn't the point I am making. The issue is why those prices went down.

 

You may believe the distinction trivial, but I assure you it's not.

 

"Market crash" has a very specific sense and connotation, but that is not what happened at all with the market (ultra high grade 1970-up, and many 1964-up books, too) we are discussing. It is an idea that is incorrect at its foundation, and is oft-repeated on these boards, to the detriment of any who absorb, and pass on, such misinformation.

 

As someone as involved in accurate market analysis, surely you understand the importance of describing a market phenomenon correctly, not just by using correct terminology, but far beyond that: having a correct understanding and conception of what it is that actually happened.

 

Calling it a "crash" is not just incorrect terminology, not just an irrelevant quibble over word usage...it's a lack of understanding, which leads to bad decisions by anyone who takes such lack of understanding and makes decisions based on it.

 

It is vital to those involved in the slabbed comics market to understand the forces that control and direct that market, so that they don't make poor decisions that hurt them financially. A large part of that comes from understanding the census and how it works (and doesn't work.) Knowing how the market unrealities of the mid 2000's functioned, and subsequently unraveled, is a powerful tool to understanding and predicting future trends in this market.

 

When you lose 50% of the cash investment in comics overnight...I don't care what you call it.....

 

People are moving faster, and with so many entertainment options and much more in the future...well we know the trend is getting away from reading any paper products. But who can read the book anyway in a CGC holder, let alone touch it. We have in our haste to detect restro, created a monster. The ads first came out..CGC Hulk #181 in holder $400 no holder $56. A myth was created that CGC can make a comic book worth 10 times the market value. The census was created, but if go over to the gold section you can see a large number of collectors who have not put them in a CGC holder. The census created a artificial value without full information. Combine that with the 3 big auction houses and there hype ( and some people would say bidding)...we have created a monster not a bubble. Folks...this is not gonna last forever.

 

There still are a few keys with some growth left in them, Cap 1 for sure....but when the correction hits this commodity like it has on every other one, then ..EVERYTHING is gonna take a hit.

[RockMyAmadeus]

We can respectfully disagree on what to call it, but we do agree that prices went from point A (higher) to point B (lower), which was the point I was trying to make.

 

Yes, the prices went down, but that isn't the point I am making. The issue is why those prices went down.

 

You may believe the distinction trivial, but I assure you it's not.

 

"Market crash" has a very specific sense and connotation, but that is not what happened at all with the market (ultra high grade 1970-up, and many 1964-up books, too) we are discussing. It is an idea that is incorrect at its foundation, and is oft-repeated on these boards, to the detriment of any who absorb, and pass on, such misinformation.

 

As someone as involved in accurate market analysis, surely you understand the importance of describing a market phenomenon correctly, not just by using correct terminology, but far beyond that: having a correct understanding and conception of what it is that actually happened.

 

Calling it a "crash" is not just incorrect terminology, not just an irrelevant quibble over word usage...it's a lack of understanding, which leads to bad decisions by anyone who takes such lack of understanding and makes decisions based on it.

 

It is vital to those involved in the slabbed comics market to understand the forces that control and direct that market, so that they don't make poor decisions that hurt them financially. A large part of that comes from understanding the census and how it works (and doesn't work.) Knowing how the market unrealities of the mid 2000's functioned, and subsequently unraveled, is a powerful tool to understanding and predicting future trends in this market.

 

When you lose 50% of the cash investment in comics overnight...I don't care what you call it.....

 

People are moving faster, and with so many entertainment options and much more in the future...well we know the trend is getting away from reading any paper products. But who can read the book anyway in a CGC holder, let alone touch it. We have in our haste to detect restro, created a monster. The ads first came out..CGC Hulk #181 in holder $400 no holder $56. A myth was created that CGC can make a comic book worth 10 times the market value. The census was created, but if go over to the gold section you can see a large number of collectors who have not put them in a CGC holder. The census created a artificial value without full information. Combine that with the 3 big auction houses and there hype ( and some people would say bidding)...we have created a monster not a bubble. Folks...this is not gonna last forever.

 

There still are a few keys with some growth left in them, Cap 1 for sure....but when the correction hits this commodity like it has on every other one, then ..EVERYTHING is gonna take a hit.

 

Read this:

 

http://www.nationalsilverdollarroundtable.org/?p=920

 

PS. Anyone "investing" in ultra high grade 1970-up comics in 2005-2009 was playing a fool's game, with plenty of examples to explain why. It was absolutely foolish to pay $600+ for a 9.8 Batman #427, or $2,500 for a Harbinger #1, but that is what happened.

 

If that's what made them happy...they won. But if they were thinking they were going to see any sort of return on their investment...they failed to do their homework, and deserved what they got.

 

If 9.8s of just about any Bronze and later book was desired, the best way to obtain them was to slab them yourself.

[Mmehdy]

interesting read on the coin market collapse. Buy the coin not the holder rings true here also.

[ciorac]

The current comic book commodity market cannot be "shorted" either like oil.... we all know, like any widget ( slabbed book) that are treated like"cattle" the investor loses respect for the item it self. That what makes me so mad...that these speculators don't appreciate comic book collecting as a true "art" but for 10% per year.

 

I know that that the new and current GA reprints have cut some demand for the GA books, that is the good thing to come out of this, that the art will not be lost and can someday be brought up on a I-pad.

 

But the price manipulation cannot last forever...with veteran collectors like me saying enough is enough, Gene using the charts....we are headed for a serious correction which is gonna effect a lot people, a number of collectors losing faith and some turning their back on the comic book market forever.

 

I would restrict my Key buying to unrestored books as well, with the big big loses coming on restored books where demand is going to decrease the most, if you have nonessential books or dupes..put them up on the Big 3 while the wave is cresting.

 

and you are quite practiced at talking out both sides of your mouth, or keister, as it were. In the GA thread every few months you have the lip lock on HA.com's keister espousing your prediction for a new record high in sales. And over in in CG, you are on the doom bandwagon.

 

It's clear that you, JC and Gene, while probably very successful in your business endeavors, are completely clueless about the comics market. Had we taken Gene's advice 10 years ago we would have not enjoyed the decade of prosperity that has occurred.

 

I might hire Gene as my stockbroker, but clearly none of you would be worth a plug nickel as an investment counselor for this hobby/business

[Junkdrawer]

The current comic book commodity market cannot be "shorted" either like oil.... we all know, like any widget ( slabbed book) that are treated like"cattle" the investor loses respect for the item it self. That what makes me so mad...that these speculators don't appreciate comic book collecting as a true "art" but for 10% per year.

 

I know that that the new and current GA reprints have cut some demand for the GA books, that is the good thing to come out of this, that the art will not be lost and can someday be brought up on a I-pad.

 

But the price manipulation cannot last forever...with veteran collectors like me saying enough is enough, Gene using the charts....we are headed for a serious correction which is gonna effect a lot people, a number of collectors losing faith and some turning their back on the comic book market forever.

 

I would restrict my Key buying to unrestored books as well, with the big big loses coming on restored books where demand is going to decrease the most, if you have nonessential books or dupes..put them up on the Big 3 while the wave is cresting.

 

and you are quite practiced at talking out both sides of your mouth, or keister, as it were. In the GA thread every few months you have the lip lock on HA.com's keister espousing your prediction for a new record high in sales. And over in in CG, you are on the doom bandwagon.

 

It's clear that you, JC and Gene, while probably very successful in your business endeavors, are completely clueless about the comics market. Had we taken Gene's advice 10 years ago we would have not enjoyed the decade of prosperity that has occurred.

 

I might hire Gene as my stockbroker, but clearly none of you would be worth a plug nickel as an investment counselor for this hobby/business

[thedude]

The current comic book commodity market cannot be "shorted" either like oil.... we all know, like any widget ( slabbed book) that are treated like"cattle" the investor loses respect for the item it self. That what makes me so mad...that these speculators don't appreciate comic book collecting as a true "art" but for 10% per year.

 

I know that that the new and current GA reprints have cut some demand for the GA books, that is the good thing to come out of this, that the art will not be lost and can someday be brought up on a I-pad.

 

But the price manipulation cannot last forever...with veteran collectors like me saying enough is enough, Gene using the charts....we are headed for a serious correction which is gonna effect a lot people, a number of collectors losing faith and some turning their back on the comic book market forever.

 

I would restrict my Key buying to unrestored books as well, with the big big loses coming on restored books where demand is going to decrease the most, if you have nonessential books or dupes..put them up on the Big 3 while the wave is cresting.

 

and you are quite practiced at talking out both sides of your mouth, or keister, as it were. In the GA thread every few months you have the lip lock on HA.com's keister espousing your prediction for a new record high in sales. And over in in CG, you are on the doom bandwagon.

 

It's clear that you, JC and Gene, while probably very successful in your business endeavors, are completely clueless about the comics market. Had we taken Gene's advice 10 years ago we would have not enjoyed the decade of prosperity that has occurred.

 

I might hire Gene as my stockbroker, but clearly none of you would be worth a plug nickel as an investment counselor for this hobby/business

 

you da man Bill! and your right, Mitch is always the head cheerleader with every HA comics auction. I don't want to kick Mitch like most do around here, I think he is very knowledgeable and has seen, bought, sold alot of comic related items. but the fact is he does seem very schizophrenic.

[Mmehdy]

The current comic book commodity market cannot be "shorted" either like oil.... we all know, like any widget ( slabbed book) that are treated like"cattle" the investor loses respect for the item it self. That what makes me so mad...that these speculators don't appreciate comic book collecting as a true "art" but for 10% per year.

 

I know that that the new and current GA reprints have cut some demand for the GA books, that is the good thing to come out of this, that the art will not be lost and can someday be brought up on a I-pad.

 

But the price manipulation cannot last forever...with veteran collectors like me saying enough is enough, Gene using the charts....we are headed for a serious correction which is gonna effect a lot people, a number of collectors losing faith and some turning their back on the comic book market forever.

 

I would restrict my Key buying to unrestored books as well, with the big big loses coming on restored books where demand is going to decrease the most, if you have nonessential books or dupes..put them up on the Big 3 while the wave is cresting.

 

and you are quite practiced at talking out both sides of your mouth, or keister, as it were. In the GA thread every few months you have the lip lock on HA.com's keister espousing your prediction for a new record high in sales. And over in in CG, you are on the doom bandwagon.

 

It's clear that you, JC and Gene, while probably very successful in your business endeavors, are completely clueless about the comics market. Had we taken Gene's advice 10 years ago we would have not enjoyed the decade of prosperity that has occurred.

 

I might hire Gene as my stockbroker, but clearly none of you would be worth a plug nickel as an investment counselor for this hobby/business

 

First of all, you 100% wrong about me and deep down inside you know it.. Denial or attacking ones credibility , or the "head in the sand approach" is not going to work here. If you bother to read my posts correctly you see that I recommend that books be purchased at below guide and not 10X guide. The auction total are what are...hyped up super...and remember when you win you are paying the highest market price on the planet at time...real time.

 

I hate to be the first one to tell this....but this Bubble is not gonna last forever...Gene predictions are based on rational market conditions..we have been in a irrational market for the last tens years.

 

Rock...go out and spend every penny you have on comcs...buy them at the auction houses..GO ahead....

 

But don't you forget one thing, Probably before you were born I was buying FF1 off the newsstands...I have seen the 18% interest rates of the 1980's, the price of silver hit $50 bucks an ounce by the Hunt brothers trying to control the market....The sky has not fallen yet...but when it does it is not gonna be pretty.

[ciorac]

The current comic book commodity market cannot be "shorted" either like oil.... we all know, like any widget ( slabbed book) that are treated like"cattle" the investor loses respect for the item it self. That what makes me so mad...that these speculators don't appreciate comic book collecting as a true "art" but for 10% per year.

 

I know that that the new and current GA reprints have cut some demand for the GA books, that is the good thing to come out of this, that the art will not be lost and can someday be brought up on a I-pad.

 

But the price manipulation cannot last forever...with veteran collectors like me saying enough is enough, Gene using the charts....we are headed for a serious correction which is gonna effect a lot people, a number of collectors losing faith and some turning their back on the comic book market forever.

 

I would restrict my Key buying to unrestored books as well, with the big big loses coming on restored books where demand is going to decrease the most, if you have nonessential books or dupes..put them up on the Big 3 while the wave is cresting.

 

and you are quite practiced at talking out both sides of your mouth, or keister, as it were. In the GA thread every few months you have the lip lock on HA.com's keister espousing your prediction for a new record high in sales. And over in in CG, you are on the doom bandwagon.

 

It's clear that you, JC and Gene, while probably very successful in your business endeavors, are completely clueless about the comics market. Had we taken Gene's advice 10 years ago we would have not enjoyed the decade of prosperity that has occurred.

 

I might hire Gene as my stockbroker, but clearly none of you would be worth a plug nickel as an investment counselor for this hobby/business

 

First of all, you 100% wrong about me and deep down inside you know it.. Denial or attacking ones credibility , or the "head in the sand approach" is not going to work here. If you bother to read my posts correctly you see that I recommend that books be purchased at below guide and not 10X guide. The auction total are what are...hyped up super...and remember when you win you are paying the highest market price on the planet at time...real time.

 

I hate to be the first one to tell this....but this Bubble is not gonna last forever...Gene predictions are based on rational market conditions..we have been in a irrational market for the last tens years.

 

Rock...go out and spend every penny you have on comcs...buy them at the auction houses..GO ahead....

 

But don't you forget one thing, Probably before you were born I was buying FF1 off the newsstands...I have seen the 18% interest rates of the 1980's, the price of silver hit $50 bucks an ounce by the Hunt brothers trying to control the market....The sky has not fallen yet...but when it does it is not gonna be pretty.

 

Mannup Mitch, like you told the rest of us to do a year or two ago. You can't have it both ways.

 

And trust me, I'm quite confident I've bought and sold more comics in my 50+ years than you have in your 60+ years.

[Mmehdy]

The current comic book commodity market cannot be "shorted" either like oil.... we all know, like any widget ( slabbed book) that are treated like"cattle" the investor loses respect for the item it self. That what makes me so mad...that these speculators don't appreciate comic book collecting as a true "art" but for 10% per year.

 

I know that that the new and current GA reprints have cut some demand for the GA books, that is the good thing to come out of this, that the art will not be lost and can someday be brought up on a I-pad.

 

But the price manipulation cannot last forever...with veteran collectors like me saying enough is enough, Gene using the charts....we are headed for a serious correction which is gonna effect a lot people, a number of collectors losing faith and some turning their back on the comic book market forever.

 

I would restrict my Key buying to unrestored books as well, with the big big loses coming on restored books where demand is going to decrease the most, if you have nonessential books or dupes..put them up on the Big 3 while the wave is cresting.

 

and you are quite practiced at talking out both sides of your mouth, or keister, as it were. In the GA thread every few months you have the lip lock on HA.com's keister espousing your prediction for a new record high in sales. And over in in CG, you are on the doom bandwagon.

 

It's clear that you, JC and Gene, while probably very successful in your business endeavors, are completely clueless about the comics market. Had we taken Gene's advice 10 years ago we would have not enjoyed the decade of prosperity that has occurred.

 

I might hire Gene as my stockbroker, but clearly none of you would be worth a plug nickel as an investment counselor for this hobby/business

 

you da man Bill! and your right, Mitch is always the head cheerleader with every HA comics auction. I don't want to kick Mitch like most do around here, I think he is very knowledgeable and has seen, bought, sold alot of comic related items. but the fact is he does seem very schizophrenic.

 

I like ha.com auction house, I KNOW they are honest...unlike E-bay and whole host of others. I think in an 1700 item auction there gonna be some nice rare and sane priced books. That does not mean I am gonna put my head in the sand say this is gonna go on forever, every year forward there are going to be less and less books that I consider "safe" and that is what we are taking about here...something good=SAFE. I find the changing comic book market and the use of it as a commodity distasteful...you might not...but in the good old days real collectors who got to touch and feel and smell and discover were there for the art. I suggest you read the article about the coin market.

 

In no way am I anti-cgc...they have provided a wonderful service...I am against the way they advertised it and the way it affect the market by creating artificial value...as well as the census.

 

When this thing crashes and burns, what will remain will be a handful of true collectors trying to piece it back together.....if we remain sane, be VIGILANT we can make this adjustment back to price realty and still save this comic book market for the future.

[Mmehdy]

The current comic book commodity market cannot be "shorted" either like oil.... we all know, like any widget ( slabbed book) that are treated like"cattle" the investor loses respect for the item it self. That what makes me so mad...that these speculators don't appreciate comic book collecting as a true "art" but for 10% per year.

 

I know that that the new and current GA reprints have cut some demand for the GA books, that is the good thing to come out of this, that the art will not be lost and can someday be brought up on a I-pad.

 

But the price manipulation cannot last forever...with veteran collectors like me saying enough is enough, Gene using the charts....we are headed for a serious correction which is gonna effect a lot people, a number of collectors losing faith and some turning their back on the comic book market forever.

 

I would restrict my Key buying to unrestored books as well, with the big big loses coming on restored books where demand is going to decrease the most, if you have nonessential books or dupes..put them up on the Big 3 while the wave is cresting.

 

and you are quite practiced at talking out both sides of your mouth, or keister, as it were. In the GA thread every few months you have the lip lock on HA.com's keister espousing your prediction for a new record high in sales. And over in in CG, you are on the doom bandwagon.

 

It's clear that you, JC and Gene, while probably very successful in your business endeavors, are completely clueless about the comics market. Had we taken Gene's advice 10 years ago we would have not enjoyed the decade of prosperity that has occurred.

 

I might hire Gene as my stockbroker, but clearly none of you would be worth a plug nickel as an investment counselor for this hobby/business

 

First of all, you 100% wrong about me and deep down inside you know it.. Denial or attacking ones credibility , or the "head in the sand approach" is not going to work here. If you bother to read my posts correctly you see that I recommend that books be purchased at below guide and not 10X guide. The auction total are what are...hyped up super...and remember when you win you are paying the highest market price on the planet at time...real time.

 

I hate to be the first one to tell this....but this Bubble is not gonna last forever...Gene predictions are based on rational market conditions..we have been in a irrational market for the last tens years.

 

Rock...go out and spend every penny you have on comcs...buy them at the auction houses..GO ahead....

 

But don't you forget one thing, Probably before you were born I was buying FF1 off the newsstands...I have seen the 18% interest rates of the 1980's, the price of silver hit $50 bucks an ounce by the Hunt brothers trying to control the market....The sky has not fallen yet...but when it does it is not gonna be pretty.

 

Mannup Mitch, like you told the rest of us to do a year or two ago. You can't have it both ways.

 

And trust me, I'm quite confident I've bought and sold more comics in my 50+ years than you have in your 60+ years.

 

I am glad you have sold more than me...BUT Gene and others make sense here...there is gonna be a price adjustment coming and its not gonna be pretty...some books might be adjustment proof..Cap 1..Action 1...I see the major downward price trend effecting 98% of the other books.

I am saying don't buy...I am saying buy carefully...more carefully than ever before. The rapid price growth cannot sustain..some of the auction prices are downright crazy. So let me ask you this question are you buying more or selling more these days? I have only been collecting 55 years not 60.... but this in my opinion is a most dangerous time....again buy the book not the label and don't pay stupid prices.....