Are Bronze CGC 9.2-9.6 Prices Tanking?

[RockMyAmadeus]

. Everyone thought Batman: DKR's was going to be worth the GNP of Brazil, but you can still find 1st prints in great shape for an extremely reasonable price. .

 

It's really relative. High grade 1st prints of #1 are worth several hundred dollars.

 

At the same time that DK #1 came out, you could have bought two copies of Samurai Penguin #1...which is worth about a quarter.

 

As well, you can buy Amazing Spidermans from the 60's in great shape for an extremely reasonable price, too. You can buy VF copies of issues as low as the 40s for $50 or less. Sure, that's not the $5 or less of the 1980's, but when people are paying literally thousands of dollars for variants that are 5-10 years old, it really puts it in perspective.

 

Quality and scarcity, combined, wins.

[Randall Ries]

Seems like there isn't anything scarce about DKR 1. I do agree with quality and scarcity, combined, wins. But in a case like DKR, it's nostalgia plus the movie that's about to be sprung on us. Younger folks who weren't born yet or too little to care will drive the prices up further, but they aren't scarce. Maybe they are scarce in that a lot of collectors are holding them to make a profit. I look at the prices some are asking for Adams covers and Frank Robbins or Irv Novick interiors. Ridiculous. Maybe that's why some books are tanking. They simply aren't worth the money and collectors are refusing to pay.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Batman-241-CGC-9-6-W-Bernie-Wrightson-NEAL-ADAMS-Robin-/391285411773?hash=item5b1a6d8fbd:g:T1sAAOSwhkRWewkc

 

Really?

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BATMAN-238-CGC-9-4-White-pages-highest-graded-CANADA-SELLER-/281895281606?hash=item41a244a3c6:g:5hoAAOSwp5JWURYg

 

For a book of reprints?

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Batman-253-DC-1973-NEAR-MINT-CGC-9-6-NM-A-Shadow-App-2nd-HIGHEST-GRADE-/231454446049?hash=item35e3c291e1:g:RLoAAOSwYGFUuHTX

 

Someone is "joshing".

[Aweandlorder]

You guys do realize that I bumped a thread that was originally posted 10 years ago

[Randall Ries]

Yes and we are having a blast! Great thread.

[Aweandlorder]

[Jeffro.]

 

They are going to have a helluva time hoeing out my condo when I go to Valhalla.

 

I take it they don't want the stuff? If that's the case, get rid of it before then. Don't put that kind of burden on your kids.

[Randall Ries]

Oh no nothing like that. To them, it will be a treasure hunt. It's a mash mash of a huge music collection (tape, cd's, hard drives, electronics), comics, signed books and posters, tons of dvd's etc.

 

Their burden will be who gets what and determining what's worth keeping. I wish I could be me after I croak and get to go through all that stuff. It's just a lot of stuff that's interesting but will be tedious to go through. Lots of surprises.

 

Plus, if it's a burden to them, good. The little wankers kept me up night after night wanting to be fed and greeting me with poop filled diapers while yelling their heads off. Oh yes! Then let's stay up and want to play! Too bad I have to die to exact my final revenge! !

[the blob]

As well, you can buy Amazing Spidermans from the 60's in great shape for an extremely reasonable price, too. You can buy VF copies of issues as low as the 40s for $50 or less. Sure, that's not the $5 or less of the 1980's, but when people are paying literally thousands of dollars for variants that are 5-10 years old, it really puts it in perspective

 

------------------------

 

And with patience, good scans, and a good selling reputation, you can sell those issues for a chunk more than $50.

 

 

[AmazingSaul]

I think It depends on the BA key?

 

Most of the major keys do not drop as much. Some have doubled like Bats 251? Usually I buy my BA raw and CGC them later. I've had decent luck finding 9.2 keys raw and then getting them graded. This is more affordable than actually buying the book graded already (also risky I've also failed).

 

Some keys have dropped somewhat because there's too many to go around in the market. Which is okay.... I still buy them when I need them.

 

 

[rodan57]

 

As well, you can buy Amazing Spidermans from the 60's in great shape for an extremely reasonable price, too. You can buy VF copies of issues as low as the 40s for $50 or less. Sure, that's not the $5 or less of the 1980's, but when people are paying literally thousands of dollars for variants that are 5-10 years old, it really puts it in perspective.

 

Makes you realize that the hobby is not as quite out of reach for the general reader/collector as one may have thought.

[chrisco37]

 

Plus, if it's a burden to them, good. The little wankers kept me up night after night wanting to be fed and greeting me with poop filled diapers while yelling their heads off. Oh yes! Then let's stay up and want to play! Too bad I have to die to exact my final revenge! !

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

Reading a bit through this thread, it really, REALLY amazes me how there really wasn't a clear understanding of the phenomenon of the census as the driver of artificial demand and prices for these books.

 

I guess I shouldn't be, but...if you were a coin collector at all aware of the slabbed market of the late 80's/early 90's, this was just second verse, same as the first.

 

Sure, there were some posts that brush against the idea ("there are lots of high grade copies out there"), but no one really nailed it on the head: there was no "crash", the prices for these books was entirely artificial, and driven almost entirely the faulty perception of the early census that these books in these grades were rarer than they really were and are.

 

Instead of bemoaning the "tanking prices", they should have been thrilled that they got what they could get, when the getting was good. I know I'm still thrilled that I managed to sell some high grade books for much, much more than they sell for now.

 

Very interesting. I wish I'd been into slabbed books in those days, but my focus was elsewhere.

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

Well this was a fun read for this slow lazy afternoon

 

The best part:

 

 

Today's garbage bin is tomorrow's goldmine!

 

 

Not to burst yer bubble, but those days, at least when it comes to comics, are over. And they're never coming back. The notion that "if I buy this book off the stands this week, and put it in a plastic baggie for 50 yrs, it will be worth a ton" is a sucker's game that many less scrupulous LCS owners foister upon their unwitting customers. That's never going to happen, because, quite simply, everybody's doing it. Modern books will NEVER be scarce in high grade. Not now, not 50 years from now, not 100 years from now.

 

If you're going to go root around in the garbage bins, it better not be for modern comics. Better to pick a new kind of collectible that is currently considered disposable...if you're going to gamble, at least give yourself a fighting chance!

 

of course, the response is both right and wrong. mere age isn't going to make a book worth something nowadays..just looks at all those 1950s westerns and funny animal books. but today's garbage might be gold if some forgotten character gets revived, put in a movie or some successful second series comes out... like when fish police gets a show on adult spin or something.

The more and more I think about it I realize demand plays a much greater role than scarcity.

You could have generic comics with print runs under 10,000 copies and they will never approach the prices of Spawn #1,NM #98,ASM #300 or Hulk #181 because they don`t have the demand.

Demand is underrated.

[ComicConnoisseur]

I think the cat's outta the bag as collectibles go. We've become a nation of hoarders, afraid to toss anything remotely pop culture. I recall being up to my knees in those McDonald's Happy Meal toys my kids would save. Finally got a snow shovel and gave them the ol' heave ho. Or is it heave to?

 

It depends. Some stuff gets thrown away because people think at the time it`s junk or it never will be worth money. An interesting phenomenon now is VHS horror tapes and Nintendo 64 video games.

People thought they were just junk a few years ago,but slowly they are becoming more and more valuable. People got nostalgic for those video stores they use to rent the VHS horror and N64 games at causing an unexpected demand.

 

 

 

 

[kimik]

I look at the prices some are asking for Adams covers and Frank Robbins or Irv Novick interiors. Ridiculous. Maybe that's why some books are tanking. They simply aren't worth the money and collectors are refusing to pay.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Batman-241-CGC-9-6-W-Bernie-Wrightson-NEAL-ADAMS-Robin-/391285411773?hash=item5b1a6d8fbd:g:T1sAAOSwhkRWewkc

 

Really?

 

The price is not that unreasonable for a more difficult to find in 9.6 or better Bronze Age Batman with an Adams and Wrightson cover. It is not a top line cover like #227 or #251, but it is a better than average Adams Batman cover. The annual high prices for the past few years are in line with the asking price.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BATMAN-238-CGC-9-4-White-pages-highest-graded-CANADA-SELLER-/281895281606?hash=item41a244a3c6:g:5hoAAOSwp5JWURYg

 

For a book of reprints?

 

 

That price is actually ~$600 less than the last 9.4 sale on GPA from way back in 2007. It is a super tough book in 9.4.

 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Batman-253-DC-1973-NEAR-MINT-CGC-9-6-NM-A-Shadow-App-2nd-HIGHEST-GRADE-/231454446049?hash=item35e3c291e1:g:RLoAAOSwYGFUuHTX

 

Someone is "joshing".

 

That one is a "list it high and wait for a sucker" play just like all of the seller's other auctions appear to be. There are plenty of sellers like that on eBay.

[darkstar]

Seems like there isn't anything scarce about DKR 1. I do agree with quality and scarcity, combined, wins. But in a case like DKR, it's nostalgia plus the movie that's about to be sprung on us. Younger folks who weren't born yet or too little to care will drive the prices up further, but they aren't scarce. Maybe they are scarce in that a lot of collectors are holding them to make a profit. I look at the prices some are asking for Adams covers and Frank Robbins or Irv Novick interiors. Ridiculous. Maybe that's why some books are tanking. They simply aren't worth the money and collectors are refusing to pay.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Batman-241-CGC-9-6-W-Bernie-Wrightson-NEAL-ADAMS-Robin-/391285411773?hash=item5b1a6d8fbd:g:T1sAAOSwhkRWewkc

 

Really?

 

The book sold for 300. Hardly ridiculous when you check the census and see its one of only 25 copies that are unsigned with a grade of 9,6 or higher. Its a Batman Adams cover, pretty sure there is a decent market for that.

[chrisco37]

Reading a bit through this thread, it really, REALLY amazes me how there really wasn't a clear understanding of the phenomenon of the census as the driver of artificial demand and prices for these books.

 

I guess I shouldn't be, but...if you were a coin collector at all aware of the slabbed market of the late 80's/early 90's, this was just second verse, same as the first.

 

Sure, there were some posts that brush against the idea ("there are lots of high grade copies out there"), but no one really nailed it on the head: there was no "crash", the prices for these books was entirely artificial, and driven almost entirely the faulty perception of the early census that these books in these grades were rarer than they really were and are.

 

Instead of bemoaning the "tanking prices", they should have been thrilled that they got what they could get, when the getting was good. I know I'm still thrilled that I managed to sell some high grade books for much, much more than they sell for now.

 

Very interesting. I wish I'd been into slabbed books in those days, but my focus was elsewhere.

 

It would've been nice/interesting if more crossover collectors (coin & comics) had been involved in the boards early on.

 

Bob Storms is the only person I can remember saying things to this effect way back then, ie. (paraphrasing) - look at what has happened with coin grading and apply it to comics. Although, IIRC, he was speaking more to the CPR phenomenon than to census numbers.

[NP_Gresham]

Stock market circling the drain, commodities buyers taking it in the shorts

Collectibles are a way to have some fun with stock market gains.

Looks like the music could be stopping and there are far too few chairs

[oakman29]

Stock market circling the drain, commodities buyers taking it in the shorts

Collectibles are a way to have some fun with stock market gains.

Looks like the music could be stopping and there are far too few chairs

 

I try to look at my comic book hobby as I would a new car. I want them to look nice,give me happiness,and possibly retain it's value when it comes time to sell. If it doesn't retain its value, at least it was fun owning it.

[ComicConnoisseur]

Reading a bit through this thread, it really, REALLY amazes me how there really wasn't a clear understanding of the phenomenon of the census as the driver of artificial demand and prices for these books.

 

I guess I shouldn't be, but...if you were a coin collector at all aware of the slabbed market of the late 80's/early 90's, this was just second verse, same as the first.

 

Sure, there were some posts that brush against the idea ("there are lots of high grade copies out there"), but no one really nailed it on the head: there was no "crash", the prices for these books was entirely artificial, and driven almost entirely the faulty perception of the early census that these books in these grades were rarer than they really were and are.

 

Instead of bemoaning the "tanking prices", they should have been thrilled that they got what they could get, when the getting was good. I know I'm still thrilled that I managed to sell some high grade books for much, much more than they sell for now.

 

Very interesting. I wish I'd been into slabbed books in those days, but my focus was elsewhere.

 

It would've been nice/interesting if more crossover collectors (coin & comics) had been involved in the boards early on.

 

Bob Storms is the only person I can remember saying things to this effect way back then, ie. (paraphrasing) - look at what has happened with coin grading and apply it to comics. Although, IIRC, he was speaking more to the CPR phenomenon than to census numbers.

Also what usually happened in comic books happened in baseball/sportscards as well as coins

.

It goes like this with certification in somewhat order.

Coins

Cards

Comics

and now some newbs getting into the certification game.

Action figures

Video games (I see this hobby overtaking many.)

Magic/Pokemon cards.