Best time to sell -- before or after movie release? 2 2

[artistlost]

I believe there was an uptick in Preacher art once the show was announced...

[ESeffinga]

Walking Dead art sales picked up prior to the show, and went through the roof after the show took off. Saw a lot of bandwagon jumpers that first year for sure. Not clear how many new people it pulled into collecting, but it sure caught some existing collectors' attentions.

[Flambit]

8 hours ago, Bill C said:

Just my opinion-

I don't think any uptick/increased interest is really due to movie/TV viewers who then come over to OA collecting.

I think it's people in the hobby that are speculating and trying to flip. So, kind of a false increased demand.

I'm sure some smaller percentage of new interest is due to current comic/OA fans who may have thought about picking something up, then got motivated to once a movie/TV show was announced (but once again, some of this is likely due to their fear of not being able to get something at a reasonable price once speculators charge in).

I agree that it does seem like there is probably no real new blood entering the hobby though seeing a movie or television show based on certain characters, making them hot.  As someone pointed out somewhere, why would a person introduced to these characters though film or tv buy OA, of all things, which is such a niche hobby?  Especially since it's so nostalgia driven for a lot of us.

But is it possible there's this huge fresh to market aspect that is creating, maybe, a false positive uptick?  I mean prices are getting driven up because new pieces are being pulled out of collections though the promise of higher sales from movie/tv visibility that have been unseen by the general collecting public.

(I count myself among the general public: that is, I'm not part of any inner OA circles, and the only OA I see for sale is at the quarterly auctions and SDCC, maybe caf now and then, maybe the list now and then.  And I'm really only ever aware of new, big pieces emerging into our public collecting consciousness though the Most Comment page on caf, which I check almost daily.)

But prior to the Infinity War rumors, I never remember seeing so many Starlin pages for sale!  Now, maybe they were and I just wasn't aware.  Nor do I remember seeing so many IM 55 pages show up.  It seems like there's one or more every quarter now.  And now that they are so visible, is it driving people into a frenzy to be a must-own page?  

I'd never seen that Drax IM 55 splash before, for example, although I'm sure some of you probably have, so perhaps other general collectors who have deep pockets are going to impulse buy?  Golden age of Marvel Studios + certain unseen pieces + $?

And then add to that fresh to market pieces from black holes that most everyone hasn't seen?  $$$?

 

[vodou]

1 hour ago, Flambit said:

...But prior to the Infinity War rumors, I never remember seeing so many Starlin pages for sale!  Now, maybe they were and I just wasn't aware.

These things traded back and forth behind the scenes all along. Not my market, to my mind previously a very specialists market with rather high prices (except to specialists!) but I do remember occasional whiffs of Starlin bubbling up public as either art days or 'need really quick money to fix the car or pay off something even bigger' scenarios. This over the last twenty years, though thinking about it now...may have been ten or more years since I last saw posted publicly like that. It may just be that sellers are now asking so much privately (based on movie stuff or ??) that the quiet buyers are backing off (in shock?) and so the art goes public auction instead?

[Flambit]

12 hours ago, vodou said:

These things traded back and forth behind the scenes all along. Not my market, to my mind previously a very specialists market with rather high prices (except to specialists!) but I do remember occasional whiffs of Starlin bubbling up public as either art days or 'need really quick money to fix the car or pay off something even bigger' scenarios. This over the last twenty years, though thinking about it now...may have been ten or more years since I last saw posted publicly like that. It may just be that sellers are now asking so much privately (based on movie stuff or ??) that the quiet buyers are backing off (in shock?) and so the art goes public auction instead?

Exactly.  Then they trickle out to that secondary general collector market though broader channels.  I admit, there was a split second when I saw that Drax splash, that I really considered bidding on it (I didn't, because ultimately I'm not passionate about cosmic Marvel).  So if not someone like me - and I'm certainly nothing special - then there are a bunch of people who will, I'm sure.

But I can't help but think it might not be a bad deal in the long run: characters like Groot, Gamora, Drax, they aren't going away for a long time.  They are now embedded into the public consciousness as A list Marvel heroes of this generation.  I grew up in the 80's so if you had told me Groot or Drax was going to be an A list character, I would have laughed.  Groot?  

It's amazing how things change.  In the 1960's, the FF was Marvel's flagship book.  Today, it is a B or C-list property with no ongoing title, its brand damaged by a succession of terrible films.  And since films are generally the main source of exposure to Marvel products for a lot of kids, it likely won't hold any real nostalgic value to the adults of tomorrow.  Heartbreaking.  What universe am I living in when Ant Man and Starlord has a successful film franchise and the FF doesn't? 

[JadeGiant]

On May 31, 2017 at 5:40 PM, Flambit said:

Exactly.  Then they trickle out to that secondary general collector market though broader channels.  I admit, there was a split second when I saw that Drax splash, that I really considered bidding on it (I didn't, because ultimately I'm not passionate about cosmic Marvel).  So if not someone like me - and I'm certainly nothing special - then there are a bunch of people who will, I'm sure.

But I can't help but think it might not be a bad deal in the long run: characters like Groot, Gamora, Drax, they aren't going away for a long time.  They are now embedded into the public consciousness as A list Marvel heroes of this generation.  I grew up in the 80's so if you had told me Groot or Drax was going to be an A list character, I would have laughed.  Groot?  

It's amazing how things change.  In the 1960's, the FF was Marvel's flagship book.  Today, it is a B or C-list property with no ongoing title, its brand damaged by a succession of terrible films.  And since films are generally the main source of exposure to Marvel products for a lot of kids, it likely won't hold any real nostalgic value to the adults of tomorrow.  Heartbreaking.  What universe am I living in when Ant Man and Starlord has a successful film franchise and the FF doesn't? 

I have to see this changing. As bad as FF is floundering, it is a huge property for Marvel if they can get it back. Once they do, the MCU will be FF-centric for a few years and back in at the top. IMHO.

[Panelfan1]

Cant say for sure - but had a wonder woman piece in recent clink and it way way exceeded my expectaions. (And helped to offset losses on other pieces I consigned.)

[artistlost]

4 hours ago, Panelfan1 said:

Cant say for sure - but had a wonder woman piece in recent clink and it way way exceeded my expectaions. (And helped to offset losses on other pieces I consigned.)

There have been a ton of Wonder Woman pieces hitting the market just before the movie and continuing now (a lot on ebay). Glad you did well!

[Nexus]

On 5/30/2017 at 1:43 PM, ESeffinga said:

Walking Dead art sales picked up prior to the show, and went through the roof after the show took off. Saw a lot of bandwagon jumpers that first year for sure. Not clear how many new people it pulled into collecting, but it sure caught some existing collectors' attentions.

WD brought in a LOT of new fans/collectors to OA. I saw it. Mostly bled over from the comics/slab side. This was circa 2012-13.

The mania has definitely subsided on the art side since then. Values haven't dropped much, though, as the smaller fish get swallowed up by the bigger ones. But I understand one major WD art collector is thinking of liquidating his collection. He paid top dollar for everything and I think he's gonna take a decent hit on resale. The question is how much of an impact will there be on the overall WD market. We shall see.

[Doc67]

On 5/26/2017 at 3:55 PM, malvin said:

Other than Guardians of the Galaxy, or other more obscure characters that suddenly gets thrust into the public consciousness, do movies really affect OA prices?

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman are so iconic and well known that I would be surprised if there was a material actual increase (actual sales, not people asking higher prices)

Malvin

+1

movies effect the price of comic art where the supply is limited and the demand increases...  i.e. Drax, X-23, Squirrel Girl, etc

if the Cloak and Dagger tv show is any good, same thing could happen.

Silver Sable is another example of a character whose comics and art have recently jumped up in price due to a movie announcement.

Wonder Woman just has too much art out there.  I would only expect Key issue prices to rise.  And we won't ever see these available most likely.

And for the vast majority of cases, sell the sizzle, not the steak.  So, sell before the movie actually comes out.  Most often, we are disappointed by the final product.  No matter how good it is...

[Claudio]

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 8:40 PM, Nexus said:

WD brought in a LOT of new fans/collectors to OA. I saw it. Mostly bled over from the comics/slab side. This was circa 2012-13.

The mania has definitely subsided on the art side since then. Values haven't dropped much, though, as the smaller fish get swallowed up by the bigger ones. But I understand one major WD art collector is thinking of liquidating his collection. He paid top dollar for everything and I think he's gonna take a decent hit on resale. The question is how much of an impact will there be on the overall WD market. We shall see.

While the mania has subsided, I think quality pieces will still be very strong.  I would be very interested to see if this played out.  There have been a few quality TWD pieces come up for auction recently and they have all done pretty well

[BCarter27]

I think the general consensus to sell during the pre-movie hype is probably the correct approach. But this Barreto WW cover has to be benefiting from the fact that the movie wasn't a critical bomb-

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wonder-Woman-320-Cover-Original-Art-A-75-cent-cover-from-1984-Barreto/162549022848

I will say it is one of the few A-level WW pieces I've seen offered before or after the movie release. So did it relieve this mini-drought? Is it an outlier? Or is it fairly priced being a late Bronze - early Copper cover?

[Nexus]

9 hours ago, BCarter27 said:

I think the general consensus to sell during the pre-movie hype is probably the correct approach. But this Barreto WW cover has to be benefiting from the fact that the movie wasn't a critical bomb-

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wonder-Woman-320-Cover-Original-Art-A-75-cent-cover-from-1984-Barreto/162549022848

I will say it is one of the few A-level WW pieces I've seen offered before or after the movie release. So did it relieve this mini-drought? Is it an outlier? Or is it fairly priced being a late Bronze - early Copper cover?

You and I have totally different definitions of "A-level":P

Definitely a beneficiary of perfect timing. Congrats to the seller!

 

Edited June 21, 2017 by Nexus

[BCarter27]

2 hours ago, Nexus said:

You and I have totally different definitions of "A-level":P

Definitely a beneficiary of perfect timing. Congrats to the seller!

 

Probably a topic for another thread, but I would consider most covers with a nice hero shot to be A-level. A+ is a whole 'nother story.

But more to the point, this was probably the only eye-raising WW piece I've seen popup around the movie. The rest has been fairly C- and D-level. So did it fill a void?

Edited June 21, 2017 by BCarter27

[Michael Browning]

10 hours ago, Nexus said:

You and I have totally different definitions of "A-level":P

Definitely a beneficiary of perfect timing. Congrats to the seller!

 

I just said earlier that I was surprised a Barreto WW cover -- and not an image I think is very dynamic -- sold so high. Aside from the DC Comics Presents cover featuring the first Superboy Prime, I wonder if any other Barreto covers have hit this mark.

[PhilipB2k17]

On 5/26/2017 at 6:07 PM, comix4fun said:

Agreed. The Nyx thing. It's not just the character, it's the first appearance of the character. Those types of pieces have their own momentum.

With Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, WW, etc. If their first appearance cover art came to market you'd see enormous prices, obviously, that have little to do with movies other than the fact that they are giant globally licensed franchises front and center in the collective pop culture consciousness. 

The movie/tv bump is far more prevalent in comics than artwork. 

I disagree with that, somewhat. See, Walking Dead as a classic example. The prices paid for WD art are nowhere near what they would be if there was no hit TV show. The same is true for Preacher. I also think Perez (in particular) Wonder Woman pieces saw a decent uptick.  

 

[PhilipB2k17]

15 hours ago, Michael Browning said:

I just said earlier that I was surprised a Barreto WW cover -- and not an image I think is very dynamic -- sold so high. Aside from the DC Comics Presents cover featuring the first Superboy Prime, I wonder if any other Barreto covers have hit this mark.

Baretto is an underrated artists from an era (80's) that is getting more scrutiny and interest for OA. It's the tale end of the Bronze age, and interim period before the 90's collapse when art was still ink on pencils, and word balloons were not added digitally. I have a nice New Teen Titans title spalsh by him. Plus, he's deceased, so there is not as much output.

[PhilipB2k17]

On 5/26/2017 at 5:11 PM, thethedew said:

Roll on MICRONAUTS movies!

If you have any 80's Micronauts (Golden or Guice) pages you are interested in parting with, let me know.

[comix4fun]

Just now, PhilipB2k17 said:

I disagree with that, somewhat. See, Walking Dead as a classic example. The prices paid for WD art are nowhere near what they would be if there was no hit TV show. The same is true for Preacher. I also think Perez (in particular) Wonder Woman pieces saw a decent uptick.  

 

I didn't say there was NO impact, though. I said it was far more prevalent in comics than artwork. In comics a book can go from dollar bin fodder to hundreds in the span of days (like my old copy of Marvel Premiere 47 that no one wanted for a buck and sold for $650 slabbed when Ant Man was in theaters). 

Walking Dead art and Preacher art had well established art markets of their own, and commanded serious money for key pieces, for quite a while before any TV episodes hit the air.

And for WW artwork, I think we're going to want to get some distance (maybe get the film out of theaters) before we declare the WW art market forever changed. 

More visibility and slight increases in demand and sales in artwork just can't approach what happens in comics...several thousand % increases almost overnight. Which is what I was referring to. 

[PhilipB2k17]

On 5/26/2017 at 8:30 PM, comicwiz said:

Nothing moves as fast as comics, in terms of instantaneous price increases the second a ----script, character or movie announcement occurs. It's really like nothing I've seen in any other collecting category, with the rare exception of sports cards in the early 90's, and more recently, Star Wars merchandise from the time Disney acquired the franchise leading up to the release of The Force Awakens. And neither of these examples were anywhere close in comparison to comics when speaking about rapid increase in demand and asking prices that actually sell at those insane asking prices.

It's a long winded way of saying using comics as a comparison is setting the bar high.

With that out of the way, I think demand around comic art can be influenced by movies. I've definitely seen it with Star Wars comic art.

I've also seen art being marketed around upcoming movie releases, but whether the seller is getting that opportunistic asking price hike is another story.

Also, OA value is somewhat influenced by the desirability of the book its for. If the comic it's from goes up in value, the OA probably will to. Not sure if it's a 1:1 ratio, but there is definitely going to be a relationship between the value of the book, and the value of the original art from that book.