Where do you see the hobby in 25 years 4 4

[William-James88]

4 minutes ago, theCapraAegagrus said:

I'll make it simple for you, since you just want to play word games, and then throw out alleged fallacies when the intent is reiterated:

When I said, "a comic book is not more valuable than a residence", I meant it as 'a rule of thumb'. Argue, if you'd like, but it's true. Clarifying that you're conveying a rule of thumb does not mean you're moving goal posts.

You can cherry pick the monetary value of comic books and houses to make different points. This is all tangential to the discussion of minimalism. Minimalism is about necessities (which homes are). I will simply leave it at that.

It's still all nonsense though since that totally disregards the whole concept of renting, which is what lots of people do. You could choose to rent a small place and use the rest of your disposable income on comics if you think that will go up higher than owning a home. You don't own the place you live in, so it's worth monetary wise is inconsequential and you are comparing something you don,t own to something you own which makes no sense. 

[theCapraAegagrus]

Just now, G G ® said:

I don't think anyone here has yet developed mind-reading as their superpower.

You should say what you mean then.

I did. If I say, "the sky is blue", are you going to disagree just because color-blind people are exceptions to the rule?

Just because a statement is made does not mean it's unilaterally absolute. I like chips. Doesn't mean I like salt and vinegar chips.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Just now, William-James88 said:

It's still all nonsense though since that totally disregards the whole concept of renting, which is what lots of people do. You could choose to rent a small place and use the rest of your disposable income on comics if you think that will go up higher than owning a home. You don't own the place you live in, so it's worth monetary wise is inconsequential and you are comparing something you don,t own to something you own which makes no sense. 

It's neither nonsense nor disregards renting. You don't fully own a home until the mortgage payoff is complete, either.

In a minimalist mindset, what's valuable? The necessity of a living place, or a hobby? If you wanna talk about excess monetary investment, of course you can pick and choose what to buy. You need to pay for living space, first, though. What value is a comic without a home?

[theCapraAegagrus]

We know without a doubt that homes will have value in 25 years. People always need a place to live. Comics? Up in the air.

[david20009]

On 6/11/2020 at 11:44 PM, 1Cool said:

I'd think it will look similar to the record market of today.  There will be some key books that will hold their value but most (98%) books will decrease in value to the point they are just garage sale fodder.  There will be a small niche group that buy new comics and maintain a large collection of books but the days of old will probably never happen again in terms of books sold.  The younger resellers (flippers) will take a beating at some point and not look back when they move on to other means of making quick cash.  I'm sure there will be spotty increases in demand (like records do every now and then) but comics should become an obsolete medium (paper reading material) that will only be enjoyed by a few people.

This is my view too.  I am fairly pessimistic about the value of books outside of keys in the next 25-40 year time frame.  
 

That likely means that the books I am heavily collecting like VEI incentive covers and Rosa ducks and the like are probably poor investments.  I have always viewed my interest in comics as a hobby and not a money making venture so I buy what I like, not what I think will appreciate the most.

[littledoom]

a lot more variants

[Hollywood1892]

3 hours ago, G G ® said:

Chris, in answer to your question, and it can only be an opinion because nobody can know what the future will bring.....

25 years will fly by. It sounds a long time away but it's not. 25 years ago it was 1995, that seems like yesterday to me.

I believe that not much will change regarding comic books. Maybe new books will move into full on digital production, who knows?

But as regards hard copy books from the 1930s to now, they will still be circulating from collector to collector to speculator. There will always be a market for them. There are literally billions of them in existence. That will not disappear. People love nostalgia and the past, and certain folks will always want to collect.

This hobby is solid as a rock.

Well I've spoken to you about the AF 15 I would like to save up for and buy in 3 years and I don't want to unload 30-40k on something that wouldn't be worth that much in 25 years (but I imagine it will be worth more

[Hollywood1892]

1 hour ago, theCapraAegagrus said:

We know without a doubt that homes will have value in 25 years. People always need a place to live. Comics? Up in the air.

The thread wasn't really about real estate

[valiantman]

I'd be far more concerned about the fine arts market in the next 25 years.  What causes an oil painting to be worth $20,000,000+?  Sure, it's one of a kind, it's great art, etc., but $20,000,000+?

Compare that to a key comic worth $5,000 with only 4,000 copies known.  That's also $20,000,000.

If tens of millions of people remember the movie for that key (first appearance) comic, that's nostalgia that 4,000 copies will never satisfy.  

Between the two, I'd say the 4,000 copies of a comic worth $5,000 today ($20,000,000) has a much better chance of becoming a $100,000,000+ total in 25 years... compared to a $20,000,000+ oil painting of some flowers or a landscape.

[Deadpoolica]

[theCapraAegagrus]

41 minutes ago, Hollywood1892 said:

The thread wasn't really about real estate

I wonder why it ended up going down that road...

[Pantodude]

If this whole thread (“Where do you see the HOBBY in 25 years?,” emphasis added) was supposed to be premised on the notion of a “hobby,” readers perhaps should focus on what the “hobby” means to them, not other people.  It seems like some of you identify yourselves as hobbyists but instead come across, particularly in this thread, as investors.  Investing necessarily must account for other people.  That places undue constraints on how one should be thinking about and pursuing their HOBBY, within reason of course.

If the concern is how deeply one should be pursuing the hobby depending on its future prospects, then the question might be, when do you want to start living your life?  Is it going to depend on whether something is a good investment or whether all your debts have been paid off first?  Do most people hold off going on vacations, enjoying nights out with friends or family, or buying the latest technology or clothes or cars just because they still have a mortgage or potential college bills for children?   Of course not.  That’s what keeps this great country of ours going.  

I try not to worry about whether an individual book is a good investment (except for paying fair price at the time I buy it).  One's interest and respect for certain titles/issues might compel one to obtain the highest grade he/she can afford at the time (AF15 anyone?).  And I am okay with that—both now and likely also in retrospect when the time comes.  Because that is how the hobby should be enjoyed.   10, 20, 30 years from now, after having seen a cherished book on my wall all those years, I am not really going to care how it fared price-wise.   Like a custom renovation to a house--you do it to enjoy it during your life, hardly expecting a dollar-for-dollar recoupment upon sale of the house years later, let alone a financial gain.   To be clear, I am talking to the true collector/hobbyist, not someone who approaches comics as an investment.   Appreciation or at least preservation of capital, although nice, should largely be beside the point in a hobby that is pursued within your financial means.   In any event, comics offer (some more than others) at least a possibility of appreciation, unlike the sunk costs of vacations and most fancy cars!   

In short, to the true hobbyist, you’ll be fine now and 25 years from now if you buy what you enjoy.  Just don’t over pay (in the present), which pretty much goes for anything you can put your money to.   So sit back, grab a cold one, and enjoy the hobby or anything else you fancy.
 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Pantodude

[kav]

11 hours ago, Hollywood1892 said:

You're not the title police

Fine.  Call it a 'hobby' eg an 'activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure'.
If thats what you do-buy comics in your leisure time for pleasure (not to read), then I guess it is a hobby for you.
Not for me tho.

[kav]

4 hours ago, theCapraAegagrus said:

We know without a doubt that homes will have value in 25 years. People always need a place to live. Comics? Up in the air.

We do not know that homes will increase in value or even maintain current value tho.  In fact we just went thru a period where homes fell drastically in value.  Comics did not.  Up in the air.  A plague would decimate home prices.  
Based on the past, homes will continue to rise in value, as will comics.  

[kav]

15 minutes ago, kav said:

Fine.  Call it a 'hobby' eg an 'activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure'.
If thats what you do-buy comics in your leisure time for pleasure (not to read), then I guess it is a hobby for you.
Not for me tho.

Thx for changing title.  I hate the word hobby as applied to collecting.  Its a demeaning word.  Hobby = 'not important'.  When I was drawing comics 8 hours a day one time I was drawing a page at coffee shop some twit asked me if that was my hobby.  NO IT IS NOT A HOBBY I AM DEAD SERIOUS ABOUT MAKING COMICS.

[kav]

If you make cute angels out of bottle tops-THATS A HOBBY!!!!

[ADAMANTIUM]

1 hour ago, kav said:

If you make cute angels out of bottle tops-THATS A HOBBY!!!!

I've never heard someone say I'm going to Hobby Lobby to buy comics haha

But I would've sworn it was a hobby but not mainstream, seems I've heard that for years

 

[kav]

1 minute ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

I've never heard someone say I'm going to Hobby Lobby to buy comics haha

But I would've sworn it was a hobby but not mainstream, seems I've heard that for years

 

It's not a hobby.  If collecting and reading comics is a hobby then everything is a hobby.  Watching TV, having conversations, eating-

[ADAMANTIUM]

5 minutes ago, kav said:

It's not a hobby.  If collecting and reading comics is a hobby then everything is a hobby.  Watching TV, having conversations, eating-

I would consider reading a hobby, but when you relate it to TV, I guess times have changed. Not like reading a stop sign or ingredient label, but reading a comic, buying a bag and board, slabbing, keeping up with it etc. I consider those ingredients with bottle caps 

Edited June 12, 2020 by ADAMANTIUM

[kav]

8 minutes ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

I would consider reading a hobby, but when you relate it to TV, I guess times have changed. Not like reading a stop sign or ingredient label, but reading a comic, buying a bag and board, slabbing, keeping up with it etc. I consider those ingredients with bottle caps 

You just better watch yourself!