Good or Bad time to buy silver age 1 1

[1Cool]

12 hours ago, ComicConnoisseur said:

100 percent agree! From my experience most of the millenials seem enthused and excited about the hobby,while most of the boomers usually bring up the doom n gloom part.  

 

A lot of the millennial buyers and sellers I know are on Facebook and have you ever read any of the stuff batted around on Facebook?  I think most millennial "collectors" are grabbing keys and for some reason SS books for the cash and not the books.  I don't mind this in the least but I'd not call them the next generation of comic collectors but more comic investors.  Older collectors may be a bit surly since 95% of their collection has decreased in value (especially if they are Silver-Age / Bronze Age collectors).  The huge spike in key prices may make up for it but I can understand a bit of doom and gloom when a book they bought for $10 20 years ago is now a $3 because it's not a key. 

[ComicConnoisseur]

26 minutes ago, 1Cool said:

A lot of the millennial buyers and sellers I know are on Facebook and have you ever read any of the stuff batted around on Facebook?  I think most millennial "collectors" are grabbing keys and for some reason SS books for the cash and not the books.  I don't mind this in the least but I'd not call them the next generation of comic collectors but more comic investors.  Older collectors may be a bit surly since 95% of their collection has decreased in value (especially if they are Silver-Age / Bronze Age collectors).  The huge spike in key prices may make up for it but I can understand a bit of doom and gloom when a book they bought for $10 20 years ago is now a $3 because it's not a key. 

That's it. Keys and variants. All the rest are just good reading material.

Same thing happened in Sportcards with rookie cards and refractors being valuable and the rest not so much.

Most people don't want common runs anymore.

The millennial doesn't want them. 

Hence, why the keys will continue to be more desirable and sought after causing the prices to go up.

Edited January 11, 2018 by ComicConnoisseur

[Callaway29]

1 hour ago, ComicConnoisseur said:

I am pretty strict with that about keys.

Just about every Marvel silver age key has gone up in price these last 5 years with some even doubling in price in any grades. In the next 5 years I expect the Marvel silver keys to continue the path of upward mobility as the Marvel heroes continue to grow in popularity. I also like bronze, copper, and modern Marvel keys.

The Marvel heroes are like Star Wars now. They are more popular now then they ever where. 

I really don't ever see the Marvel Silver Keys going back to 2008 prices. If you think about it the economy crashed in 2008 and the keys have doubled in price since then.

I notice you keep calling out marvel keys specifically...please expand. Is it just because of Disney & historical performance/popularity?

[ComicConnoisseur]

6 minutes ago, Callaway29 said:

I notice you keep calling out marvel keys specifically...please expand. Is it just because of Disney & historical performance/popularity?

Just the major ones.Any first appearances by heroes that made it to the movies.

AF#15

Hulk #1

JIM #83

TOS #39

X-MEN #1

Daredevil #1

STRANGE TALES #110

Might be a good time to revisit

FF#1

FF#5

FF#48

Also 

Hulk #181

NM# 98

ASM #300

Those are the blue chips that should be in demand these next 5 years.

I can't see anybody losing money off those. They should at the very least maintain value that they have now.

 

 

 

[Dick Pontoon]

You guys are always batting around the terms “millenials” “gen-xers” and “baby-boomers” but different people have different takes on what those terms mean, just like some people disagree over Bronze/Cooper/Modern.

What would the age in years for these groups be? Boomers are guys who are 40+ years old? Gen-Xers 30+? Millenials 20+?

[darkstar]

2 hours ago, ComicConnoisseur said:

Just the major ones.Any first appearances by heroes that made it to the movies.

 

Like the FF 52 in 9.8 that saw a drop in sales price by 40,000 dollars?

[1Cool]

37 minutes ago, Pontoon said:

You guys are always batting around the terms “millenials” “gen-xers” and “baby-boomers” but different people have different takes on what those terms mean, just like some people disagree over Bronze/Cooper/Modern.

What would the age in years for these groups be? Boomers are guys who are 40+ years old? Gen-Xers 30+? Millenials 20+?

Based on what I've been reading (and agree with) a Baby Boomer is in their 50s to 70 and Gen-X are 35 - 49 and Millennial are 20s to early 30s..  Heard they may coin the term Xenials to define people who are 30 - 37 now who don't really fit into the other categories.   I usually consider millenials as people in their 20s to late teens who grew up always having computers who don't know how to live without all the modern technology.

Edited January 11, 2018 by 1Cool

[ADAMANTIUM]

I heard there was generation Y- 1981 to 1995, which they just changed to include with millennials..... I don't see a "for-sure" trustworthy explanation in a google search, there are 4 different explanations  

[adampasz]

21 hours ago, ComicConnoisseur said:

I agree. It woul not surprise me that millennials actually probably buy more modern comics than baby boomers/Gen X do. The millennials age runs from 1982 to 2004. I think they get a bad rap. Maybe it is them that actually still read most of the new comics that keeps the LCS going? Plus they buy all those Magic cards. lol.

I think the hobby will be fine and actually going forward is only one of the few that will remain standing.

A so much better outlook than stamp or lionel train hobbies.

My completely unscientific survey of local LCSs shows about an equal distribution of Millennial and Gen Xers buying comics off the rack. (Very few younger kids, though.)

Here are some reasons I think Millennials will continue to buy comics:

• Exposure to cool content in the 90's including: awesome DC cartoons and anime, and the TPB/Manga boom
• The Disney/Marvel effect
• Semi-affordable, disposable, collectible, non-virtual goods are an from a ubiquitous digital world

Honest Question: can a similar case be made for other hobbies? (Coins, Stamps, Sports Memorabilia...)

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

26 minutes ago, darkstar said:

Like the FF 52 in 9.8 that saw a drop in sales price by 40,000 dollars?

No and that's why I didn't mention it on my list, similar to FF#45.

Reason?

You got to be careful with 9.8s like that as they have high volatility.

Safer bet would been better to load up on as many Hulk 181s one could have gotten for $40,000 in low and mid-grades.

Low and mid grade #181s have doubled in value these last 5 years.

It is turning into the next AF#15.

[ComicConnoisseur]

6 hours ago, adampasz said:

My completely unscientific survey of local LCSs shows about an equal distribution of Millennial and Gen Xers buying comics off the rack. (Very few younger kids, though.)

Here are some reasons I think Millennials will continue to buy comics:

• Exposure to cool content in the 90's including: awesome DC cartoons and anime, and the TPB/Manga boom
• The Disney/Marvel effect
• Semi-affordable, disposable, collectible, non-virtual goods are an from a ubiquitous digital world

Honest Question: can a similar case be made for other hobbies? (Coins, Stamps, Sports Memorabilia...)

 

I think sports will be alright because there are new stars every year to keep it fresh.

An example was Aaron Judge. His rookie cards have literally have made people thousands last year.

I say stamps are dead, and see coins following suit. In the last 50 years there has been more key comics and cards than coin keys produced.

Most coins either have to be error coins or really old to have value. Frankly for modern coins they just make too many of them. 300 million circulation compared to under 100,000 comics. How could a coin with 300 million circulation ever be rare enough to have demand?

 

 

Edited January 11, 2018 by ComicConnoisseur

[FN-2199]

15 minutes ago, ComicConnoisseur said:

Safer bet would been better to load up on as many Hulk 181s one could have gotten for $40,000 in low and mid-grades.

Low and mid grade #181s have doubled in value these last 5 years.

It is turning into the next AF#15.

If you're buying something hot, it's already too late. I agree that AF 15 and IH 181 are blue chips, but the rate of return may no longer be there. Gotta find the next blue chip to get the return we've seen with AF 15 and IH 181. Of course just a 10% increase in either of those two will be just fine with many collectors. 

[ComicConnoisseur]

Just now, FN-2199 said:

If you're buying something hot, it's already too late. I agree that AF 15 and IH 181 are blue chips, but the rate of return may no longer be there. Gotta find the next blue chip to get the return we've seen with AF 15 and IH 181. Of course just a 10% increase in either of those two will be just fine with many collectors. 

It will be very hard to find safe bets like those two for long-term growth.

Maybe X-Men #1 now that Disney got them back?

[Callaway29]

3 hours ago, ComicConnoisseur said:

Just the major ones.Any first appearances by heroes that made it to the movies.

AF#15

Hulk #1

JIM #83

TOS #39

X-MEN #1

Daredevil #1

STRANGE TALES #110

Might be a good time to revisit

FF#1

FF#5

FF#48

Also 

Hulk #181

NM# 98

ASM #300

Those are the blue chips that should be in demand these next 5 years.

I can't see anybody losing money off those. They should at the very least maintain value that they have now.

 

 

 

I shoulda have been more direct...why not DC? A lot of folks seem to think those are more undervalued...

[lizards2]

15 minutes ago, Callaway29 said:

I shoulda have been more direct...why not DC? A lot of folks seem to think those are more undervalued...

Because DC is poopy, and only for the suspect, ultra-nerds. 

If people do buy them, they usually do so in private, and have the packages shipped in unmarked brown paper bags.

[the blob]

5 hours ago, 1Cool said:

Based on what I've been reading (and agree with) a Baby Boomer is in their 50s to 70 and Gen-X are 35 - 49 and Millennial are 20s to early 30s..  Heard they may coin the term Xenials to define people who are 30 - 37 now who don't really fit into the other categories.   I usually consider millenials as people in their 20s to late teens who grew up always having computers who don't know how to live without all the modern technology.

Gen X has generally been defined as people born starting in 1965 to some point in the mid/late 70s, maybe early 80s  The thinking being that if boomers are children of WW II aged folks coming back from war, most of those people would have been born by 1965 (you know, because guys stop having kids after 40...th census bureau defines boomers as 1945-1964). I'm Gen X (early 70s) born to a WW II era dad (and mother born late in the Depression), but I understand that's the exception, because all my cousins from my uncle and aunt (who were about my dad's age) are all hitting retirement age (or are already retired)  and are a solid 15-20+ years older than me.

There used to be a generation y, which was supposed to be late 70s - mid 80s, but they don't seem to talk about this anymore, and instead just talk about millenials, pretty much defining them as anyone who might have had a cell phone in high school

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/03/here-is-when-each-generation-begins-and-ends-according-to-facts/359589/

Edited January 11, 2018 by the blob

[kidcolt]

I think it's a better time to sell than buy, older comics are still climbing and selling for ridiculous prices. There are comics that are selling for crazy prices that have lots available to buy. The movies brought in some collectors but it also got some of the old collectors to hold on to theirs and to start buying up every first appearance and key out there. It isn't a good time to be buying keys. I think in the next 5 or so years all these minor keys and first appearances that skyrocket will drop and become ready available as they were for many years. The real keys and scarce issues will hold their value but the minor junk that jumped will drop. Hobby collecting is all about cycles, remember the 90's and all the valiant stuff, speculation of low print runs drove prices sky high, now they are available for pennies on the dollar compared to the early 90's. The true Valiant keys are still somewhat popular and sell if the price is right.

[ComicConnoisseur]

5 hours ago, Callaway29 said:

I shoulda have been more direct...why not DC? A lot of folks seem to think those are more undervalued...

I don't think the DC CW shows will last. How many of them will be around in 5 years? I think the DC keys are the ones that hit their peak.

by 2023 Arrow,Flash and Supegirl most likely will be off the air, and the DC Universe movies that come out always do worst box office than the ones before. 

Other than Batman keys none of the DC heroes are safe bets.

Two sleepers for me though would be New Teen Tians #2(Deathstroke) and Omega Men #3(Lobo).

They seem to be more modern and fit in better than the DC Silver Age heroes.

Edited January 11, 2018 by ComicConnoisseur

[OrangeCrush]

On 1/10/2018 at 9:59 AM, Martin Sinescu said:

This is the bigger question that I keep wondering. As things go increasingly digital, will humanity (at least in the West) lose that connection with something tangible and accumulate-able aside from files in a directory. I'm already getting that way with photos and videos. It seems also that new real estate is getting smaller yet more expensive as you get near the city, so even having enough space to store physical items may increasingly be a burden for millennials and beyond. The other side of the coin is that Asian/Middle Eastern cultures may only recently be discovering (or only recently have access to..) our collectibles thanks to the internet (and healthier economies) whereas before the cultural emphasis was probably more spiritual -- the Asian markets are buying up American pop culture but the more Westernized ME markets are as well and they both have big money players involved!.

To the original question, my representative sample is fairly isolated, but SA DC seems to still be on the rise and sought-after. Overall GA is definitely where it's at right now as it seems any issue in any grade is desirable. SA Marvel may have leveled out or even dropped off as Lizzy stated and there is enough out there to create a glut, but it's cyclical, I'm sure. As I look through a huge SA/BA personal collection I'm cataloging, I'm just amazed how much depth there is across so many titles. Just tons of classic storylines everywhere. I think there's plenty of quality stuff to be appreciated as long as there's something to keep them relevant (movies, TPB's, etc.... even conversations on these boards give me the itch to seek out those old issues). Comics also have the advantage of being in and of themselves a collectible form of entertainment: Movies, TV and Music aren't as immediately "collectible", beyond just buying a physical copy of said movie, show or song (and those don't typically have much value unless something is out of print). Beyond that you're maybe looking at props, posters or other ephemera to get that connection with the form of entertainment, so I think comics are more immediate and gratifying in that sense.

Its a good question and I don't think its one that really has a definitive answer yet. I used to be a big DVD/Blu ray collector and when digital first started appearing on the movie scene, I swore I would never buy digital over purchasing a physical copy. Not just because I liked actually having a physical collection, but also because of the resale factor. You really can't resell digital copies, but you can with physical copies. I made over $2500 just selling off my PS2 game collection alone and I have a HUGE collection of DVD, Blu Ray, original Xbox, Xbox 360, PS3, XBox One and PS4 physical games. Not to mention some older games and consoles. I estimate I could easily make at least $5,000, possibly as much as $7500, if I were to sell off my entire physical game collection, which also includes many PC titles as well. And I could likely get around $1500 -$2000 for my DVD/Blu Ray collection. So having the ability to sell is a legitimate advantage for physical that will really never go away.

Amazingly, I slowly started to appreciate the convenience of digital copies over the last few years. If I want to play a game or watch a movie, its already loaded up on my hard drive and ready to go at the press of a button. I don't have to go and dig out the physical copy. Digital really is faster and much more convenient than physical copies. Not to mention, digital doesnt take up any space and space is always an ongoing issue for me since I have so many different collecting hobbies, many of them which take up a lot of space, like Prime 1's 1:3 statues or Sideshow 1:4 premium format statues. So really both have their advantages and disadvantages. The one thing I am not like that with is photo's. I hate digital photography and still shoot film 99% of the time and physical prints are a must. I will never switch over to digital for photography. 

Personally, I expect the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Some people will no doubt jump on the digital train and buy pretty much everything that can in digital form and some people will always appreciate the physical side of collecting. I expect the two market will eventually find a balance. Some people will go physcial, some will go digital and some will do both depending on just what it is. 

Edited January 12, 2018 by OrangeCrush

[Alf Pogs]

It's always a good time to buy Silver Age if you love it and have the $$$$.  Or if the LCS has a 50% off sale or a guy is dumping his collection at a yard sale.