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What happens to GA collecting when the Boomers die out?

Started by The Black Hand ®,

68 posts in this topic

tth2

tth2

Posted
Posted
it didnt die out even though his generation did...it grew bigger and bigger generation after generation, as in baseball collectibles.though admittedly i am talking about the best stuff.

Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, DiMaggio, Ted Williams... those guys are icons that transcend mere generational collecting habits. So it`s not surprising that their value continued to appreciate. They would be the equivalent of the GA keys. There will always be demand for the iconic books.

 

I`m more curious about regular baseball players from those eras, or even "run-of-the-mill" Hall of Famers from those eras that are less than household names today. Take a Rabbit Maranville or Sam Crawford, for instance. How have the values of their cards held up? This would be a better barometer for how the vast majority of GAs will perform when their core base of fans has passed on.

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nearmint

nearmint

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I buy Nedors, which is a risky proposition, as those characters are known to about .00001% of the non-comic buying world. I balance this out in two ways...I only buy Schomburg covers, because I think he'll always be popular in the comics world. Secondly, the vast majority of Nedors I buy are WW2 covers, and I believe that WW2 covers will increase in popularity, and may even gain more interest from the general public.

 

I also buy Supes and Actions, and I really don't fear for their future.

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bobpfef

bobpfef

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I now spend the vast majority of my comic buying budget on GA stuff. I don't do it because I think I am going to get rich off the stuff and make a huge profit, I do it because I like the history of comics and these things are cool artifacts, plus I enjoy much of the charm of GA comics. I tend to collect the work of people I really like, like John Stanley, Walt Kelly, CC Beck, etc. or books that I think are really fun like FC Porky Pigs, Gleason comics, Captain Marvel, Airboys, etc. I mix in some "classic" stuff that is a little more pricey like an Action or Batman, but just because I think they are cool. I couldn't afford to get too many of those type of comics, but it is neat to have a couple.

 

I'm 36 now and wish I had this same approach when I was buying all the modern junk in my teens and 20s frustrated.gif

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Norrin_Radd

Norrin_Radd

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I'm wondering if the hobby dies when my generations dies out.What do you guys think?

 

I've thought about this myself many times. I don't think the hobby as a whole will die out, but I think it obviously remains to be seen how exactly the GA sector of the hobby will be effected. Too early to call. I'm one of those "young" guys ( 34 ), and have been collecting GA for 12 years, so I think some demand will be there for GA.

 

SUPPLY is where I have my questions. If there turn out to be lots of "old" guys sitting on decent collections of GA, either waiting to cash them in for retirement or just lovingly holding onto them until they croak, then I guess we will be looking at an increase of available supply. An increase in GA supply ought to be good for us younger guys who are completionists or readers, because logically it should effectively lower prices. Increased supply + lowered demand = lower prices, right? confused-smiley-013.gif

 

However, if it turns out that there really aren't a whole heck of a lot of "old" GA collectors sitting on books, I don't see prices dropping much or at all. 893scratchchin-thumb.gif

 

Is this making sense to anyone, or am I just babbling..... insane.gif

 

The more supply, the cheaper the prices. Fine by me. Maybe then I can afford some of the GA comics on my want list. I think most of the GA collectors on this board are GenXers and have alot of their purchases in front of them. You're preachin' to the choir, Gene. Lower prices on GA would make reader copies that much more accessible.

 

However, I don't think people will be dumping GA by the wheelbarrow.

 

The main point brought up by tth2 and sfilosa the last time this issue was raised is that...... there will probably be an ever-widening gulf between key issues (classic covers) and non-keys. Same as every other comic age. confused-smiley-013.gif

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skybolt

skybolt

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The more supply, the cheaper the prices. Fine by me. Maybe then I can afford some of the GA comics on my want list. I think most of the GA collectors on this board are GenXers and have alot of their purchases in front of them. You're preachin' to the choir, Gene. Lower prices on GA would make reader copies that much more accessible.

 

However, I don't think people will be dumping GA by the wheelbarrow.

 

The main point brought up by tth2 and sfilosa the last time this issue was raised is that...... there will probably be an ever-widening gulf between key issues (classic covers) and non-keys. Same as every other comic age. confused-smiley-013.gif

 

Good points Norinn, let's just hope Overstreet recognizes these gaps between classic and non-classic covers and adjusts the guide accordingly. It really doesn't make sense keeping the current GA prices if some books are constantly selling at 2 to 3 times guide in mid grade.

 

I also agree with you that most of us are just beginning our GA exploits and are likely to purchase many more books in the future. I wish there were only 6 or 7 GA collectors, but judging by the number of serious bidders on some of the GA auctions on Ebay, the numbers are fairly large. Somehow I doubt most of these other bidders are in their mid 80's.

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Apotheosis

Apotheosis

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I'm 36 now and wish I had this same approach when I was buying all the modern junk in my teens and 20s frustrated.gif

 

Keep in mind though... if it wasn't for the modern drek that you collected you would have never moved into BA... then SA... and ultimately into GA. This is why I think that GA will last. Everyone starts with modern stuff. As they get more into comics they start moving backwards in comic ages. I'm almost 30 and just bought my first GA early last year. Now I'm addicted to the stuff. I think this happens to alot of collectors.

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The Black Hand ®

The Black Hand ®

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I'm 36 now and wish I had this same approach when I was buying all the modern junk in my teens and 20s frustrated.gif

 

Keep in mind though... if it wasn't for the modern drek that you collected you would have never moved into BA... then SA... and ultimately into GA. This is why I think that GA will last. Everyone starts with modern stuff. As they get more into comics they start moving backwards in comic ages. I'm almost 30 and just bought my first GA early last year. Now I'm addicted to the stuff. I think this happens to alot of collectors.

 

Well GA is so appealing that it's easy to get hooked, particularly if you enjoy comics in the first place as well as history. Both the history of the comics themselves and then the history of the war and how everyone seemed to pull together. We just don't see that anymore. Also the fact that one can put together a fairly decent lower grade collection of some titles. I've found that in the earlier years the first 10-15 issues of even the more obscure titles has some great energy to the stories and that some titles, like Top Notch Comic remained very consistant quality wise, till the end of their run. In Top Notch's case that would be #27, before it changed to Top Notch Laugh. I still need issue 31 and 35, by the way. Air Fighters, for instance, has some great work thru the first 15 to 20 issues. I'm sure a lot of you collectors out there know what I mean about the initial energy and creativity of the early issues.

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*paull*

*paull*

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Livinglucky, do you teach your grandson about why you enjoy GA books so much? It's nice to be able to have things passed down from a loved one, but even better if that person share's their interest and passion. The interaction that he has with you might be enough to get him started in collecting.

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Bronty

Bronty

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So I don't see the death of readership being the death of vintage comics. Slabbing would seem to prove that very point, would it not?

 

I disagree... on your first point, look at the relative values over time of books from defunct publishers. For the most part, books from defunct publishers have dropped like a rock. gossip.gif Readership has absolutely effected prices in the past, there's no reason to think it won't continue to do so.

 

As to your point re slabbing.. I don't think that proves a thing. The people buying those slabs may not be reading now, but they were reading as kids or young adults... and that's when they got hooked. flamed.gif

 

Naturally interest is never going to die out completely, but you take away the interest in the new, and by and large the interest in the old dies out too. yeahok.gif Look at all the cancelled titles that are no longer collected with much interest.

 

There's no doubt in my mind that interest in the new and interest in the old feed off each other. Think of all the first appearances that went up after a new miniseries or down after the character was no longer 'hot' in modern books. The examples are petty much endless crazy.gif

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shrunkenhead

shrunkenhead

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So I don't see the death of readership being the death of vintage comics. Slabbing would seem to prove that very point, would it not?

 

I disagree... on your first point, look at the relative values over time of books from defunct publishers. For the most part, books from defunct publishers have dropped like a rock. gossip.gif Readership has absolutely effected prices in the past, there's no reason to think it won't continue to do so.

 

Wait, what do you mean by "defunct publishers?" Are we talking about new books like Valiant, Image, etc? Or are you referring to defunct GA publishers? If you're meaning new publishers like Image have now tanked, well, then I think you're comparing apples and oranges. The vintage comic market is a totally different animal, as it's all stuff that was published before most buyers were even born (or at least in swaddling clothes). It has less to do with nostalgia than rediscovery, like a lot of other antiques. And as for defunct GA publishers...I dunno, I don't see the values tanking year after year for Nedors, Gilmores, etc. confused-smiley-013.gif

 

 

Naturally interest is never going to die out completely, but you take away the interest in the new, and by and large the interest in the old dies out too. yeahok.gif Look at all the cancelled titles that are no longer collected with much interest.

 

Ok, again, I think you're referencing modern publishers, in which case there is absolutely no comparison for factors that include scarcity, difficulty in high grade, historical import, etc. It's a different kind of collector, generally, with a different mindset. I pride myself on being involved with comics of all eras, but most of my GA collecting pals don't go near anything modern. It's just not appropriate to their world, thus no comparison.

 

 

There's no doubt in my mind that interest in the new and interest in the old feed off each other.

 

I agree, but nowhere near the level to which I think you're suggesting.

 

 

Think of all the first appearances that went up after a new miniseries or down after the character was no longer 'hot' in modern books. The examples are petty much endless crazy.gif

 

Again, another apples and oranges argument. What do first appearances have to do with GA collecting? Generally speaking, nothing, unless it's something iconic like Batman. On the whole, that's not the kind of stuff that fuels this market. Certain GA genres cycle in and out, but not in the way you're suggesting. What, Weird Mysteries is suddenly going to be "cold?" Crime Does Not Pay suddenly "hot?" That's not how it works. I think you're applying a Wizard mentality to a game that just isn't conducive to those rules. Two totally different playbooks.

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Harvey Dude

Harvey Dude

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As goes the GA books so goes the comic market as a whole - and vice versa.

There are fewer collectors as a whole over time and the market will fall at some point.

Every collectible has its cycles.

 

I heard this same argument circa 1985. The GA market is more resilient than some may suggest.

I am sure some genres may depreciate but, as a whole, I would not write-off the GA market.

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shrunkenhead

shrunkenhead

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Dear Gene,

 

Here's a 9.2 non-key book I listed that found a buyer at guide+slabbing fee in less than 24 hours. Guess the future looks pretty grim. wink.gif

 

Best regards,

--Polly

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...O%3AIT&rd=1

Uh, but shouldn't a 9.2 book command a premium over OS 9.2 price?

 

I was waiting for that. And no, not necessarily. Why should every 9.2 automatically command a premium? Why is commanding a premium the automatic sign of longevity and a healthy market? I think with GA, much more than so than SA, pricing has to be done on a case-by-case basis. There is no rubric, no plug-in forumula in the same way that you could sell off, say, high grade Avengers or Spidey.

 

And at $400, the pricetag is already pretty hefty for a non-key book. Could it have gone for $500? Sure, not impossible, and given that the book sold so quickly, I'd say I probably could've done a little better. But I set the BIN at $400 to ensure a quick sale. I have my reasons. wink.gif

 

Now, if the book in question was a non-key but had artwork by some classic figure, then a premium is more likely. For example, I wouldn't sell any GA book out of my collection in 9.0 or better with Wally Wood art for less than double guide.

 

GA doesn't need to play by SA rules (in terms of premium asked) to find buyers and sell well. That's the only point I was trying to make.

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