Investment boom, collector bust. 0

[Jesse-Lee]

As a night owl (family is in bed by 10, I'm usually up until at least midnight, if not 1 a.m.), I scan eBay a lot while I watch movies or shows. There are deals to be found, but it takes a ton of digging/searching. Maybe not worth the amount of digging to most, but to me it's fun, just like digging in physical long boxes at shows and shops. I agree that most people who "know" comics on there are now driving prices way up because they know people will blindly pay it, and some of the people who don't know comics are even worse, because they think "old comic" equals $100 starting price regardless. But every now and then you find a diamond in the rough, and that's enough to keep me digging for now...

[the blob]

28 minutes ago, oldmilwaukee6er said:

Agreed. When I bought my raw 3.0-3.5 X-Men #1 for $1700 in 2013ish... I thought I'd sell it for $5k. Now it's pushing $20k+ for a slabbed example and I'm thinking (likely wrongly) it'll be $100k by the time I sell. 

I've also begun to become really bullish (in my mind) on Spawn despite some crazy money for back issues. Emboldened by the book, and the potential of Spawn Universe and another 20yrs of Spawn ...  embiggened! Now I believe I will see a $100k Spawn collection sold one day. Maybe it'll even be mine!? And I used to hope that SOMEday maybe someone would pay me $10/issue. 

It's really amazing to think that my comics, this hobby that I've enjoyed for so many decades, these journeys that I've taken with creators ... Can actually help my future financial independence. I still have hope it does! 

It is a common book in that condition. Unless you're talking about in 40 years when inflation could do whatever, for that book to be $100K means that everyone who collected silver age comics who was serious about it who did not sell off their books is a going to be a multi millionaire. Where is the money going to come from to buy the books at these prices? Some hedge fund manager won't want a 3.0.

I'm saying this from the perspective of $20K for such a book seeming insane, so what do I know?

[Pat Thomas]

13 minutes ago, Jesse-Lee said:

As a night owl (family is in bed by 10, I'm usually up until at least midnight, if not 1 a.m.), I scan eBay a lot while I watch movies or shows. There are deals to be found, but it takes a ton of digging/searching. Maybe not worth the amount of digging to most, but to me it's fun, just like digging in physical long boxes at shows and shops. I agree that most people who "know" comics on there are now driving prices way up because they know people will blindly pay it, and some of the people who don't know comics are even worse, because they think "old comic" equals $100 starting price regardless. But every now and then you find a diamond in the rough, and that's enough to keep me digging for now...

I like doing stuff like that most of the time. I have to go in with a calm frame of mind, though. If my mind starts racing while I'm searching through a bunch of data, I start getting nervous and antsy, and then my concentration is shot. I would think that's probably a pretty common thing for others around here.

[Jesse-Lee]

11 minutes ago, Pat Thomas said:

I like doing stuff like that most of the time. I have to go in with a calm frame of mind, though. If my mind starts racing while I'm searching through a bunch of data, I start getting nervous and antsy, and then my concentration is shot. I would think that's probably a pretty common thing for others around here.

Yeah, I've had to talk myself off of some buying ledges - FOMO is real, and it can make you want to pull the trigger on a buy even when your gut is telling you no. There have been times where I'll think, "am I really going to let an extra $20 or whatever keep me from buying this book?" but the reality is that adds up and turns a deal into a dumb buy that doesn't fit your collection and you just start chasing. So I try to take the feeling out of it as much as possible.

[Pat Thomas]

2 minutes ago, Jesse-Lee said:

Yeah, I've had to talk myself off of some buying ledges - FOMO is real, and it can make you want to pull the trigger on a buy even when your gut is telling you no. There have been times where I'll think, "am I really going to let an extra $20 or whatever keep me from buying this book?" but the reality is that adds up and turns a deal into a dumb buy that doesn't fit your collection and you just start chasing. So I try to take the feeling out of it as much as possible.

It just pisses me off thinking I've got one wrapped up, and somebody comes along in the last few minutes and outbids me. If I pass them and they pass me again, it's gotten personal fast.

[the blob]

Deals to be had on stuff that is not on the speculation radaar this moment:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Anime-and-Manga-Comics-Mangazine-12-Antarctic-Press-/164736409052?hash=item265b0e1ddc%3Ag%3AxvwAAOSwTNBgNBHs&nma=true&si=BZbpsjZvXBDBh7scMVfgI%2BAabNw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

2d Golddigger (I found a 1st appearance in a dollar box!). Yes, obscure, but a series that has gone about 350 issues since its introduction in these anthology books. The guy animated his own movie of it, which was not bad, I'd like to think something gets done with this property at some point.

Some of the Barks Disney stuff is selling for what it did 30 years ago.

I know, it is all anecdotal, and does not help if you are looking for that hot book.

 

[the blob]

13 minutes ago, Pat Thomas said:

It just pisses me off thinking I've got one wrapped up, and somebody comes along in the last few minutes and outbids me. If I pass them and they pass me again, it's gotten personal fast.

Why? You're bidding on comic books. Their goal, like your's, is to get the item, preferably for as little as possible. The only time you might get ticked off is if you think they're putting in punishment bids to get to your max bid and make you pay more than necessary, but if they win it they didn't punish you.

[the blob]

I actually have no sniping capabilities. I am content winning about 1% of the auctions i bid on.

[Pat Thomas]

Just now, the blob said:

Why? You're bidding on comic books. Their goal, like your's, is to get the item, preferably for as little as possible. The only time you might get ticked off is if you think they're putting in punishment bids to get to your max bid and make you pay more than necessary, but if they win it they didn't punish you.

Because I'm a passionate person.

[William-James88]

23 hours ago, BabaLament said:

How about ya'll? Any impact, good or bad?

Pretty bad. I thought I would have a few years of cheap GA books left to get the ones I wanted. But that's dead in the water right now. I do have major regrets of not buying moderns that I had full access to 10 years ago which are now selling for 100 times cover price, and I guess that impacts my collecting somewhat since I could sell those and leverage the increase in prices on the books I do want. But we could play this hindsight 20 20 game all day.

Really curious to see where this goes later. Many of these modern books just need a small dip in demand to drop like crazy, like we saw with Man of Steel 18 a few years back.

[lordbyroncomics]

19 minutes ago, Pat Thomas said:

It just pisses me off thinking I've got one wrapped up, and somebody comes along in the last few minutes and outbids me. If I pass them and they pass me again, it's gotten personal fast.

Nothing wrong with being passionate and intense, but it's not as if they outbid you to personally try to annoy you. It's just frustration, my friend- understandable frustration, people are always going to try to outbid other people. Very rarely is there any soap opera-esque personal agenda behind it. So you just try to move on and win the next auction.

[William-James88]

Oh yeah and my dreams of owning Turtles 1 is dead, I won't be spending the money it's going for now.

[William-James88]

21 minutes ago, Pat Thomas said:

It just pisses me off thinking I've got one wrapped up, and somebody comes along in the last few minutes and outbids me. If I pass them and they pass me again, it's gotten personal fast.

So why don't you just put a price that you don't mind losing out to. That's what I do. If there is a comic I really like, I just put the highest price I would conceivably pay for. If I get outbid later, then so be it. And don't wuss out, put the real big price. The price you are sure no one would outbid you on. If you are not willing to do that, then you don't want the book as much as the other guy.

[Pat Thomas]

Just now, wisbyron said:

Nothing wrong with being passionate and intense, but it's not as if they outbid you to personally try to annoy you. It's just frustration, my friend- understandable frustration, people are always going to try to outbid other people. Very rarely is there any soap opera-esque personal agenda behind it. So you just try to move on and win the next auction.

Oh yeah. I get that. But I'll get in a bidding war if I'm not careful. Depends on how bad I want something.

[the blob]

10 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

Pretty bad. I thought I would have a few years of cheap GA books left to get the ones I wanted. But that's dead in the water right now. I do have major regrets of not buying moderns that I had full access to 10 years ago which are now selling for 100 times cover price, and I guess that impacts my collecting somewhat since I could sell those and leverage the increase in prices on the books I do want. But we could play this hindsight 20 20 game all day.

Really curious to see where this goes later. Many of these modern books just need a small dip in demand to drop like crazy, like we saw with Man of Steel 18 a few years back.

Which GA books are spiking outside of some pre-code horror and the usual timely stuff? I didn't get the sense that the current madness was pulling that stuff up so much. Of course, not much was "cheap"... depends on what you're looking for, but these fawcett prices don't seem so wild: https://www.ebay.com/sch/68/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=captain+marvel&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1   A collector who wants to get a decent looking book for $100 or under each month seems to have options. frankly, I'm not sure some of these prices are that much higher than what my shop had in the 90s (yes, he was negotiable and some of these prices were for the uneducated)

[the blob]

18 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

Oh yeah and my dreams of owning Turtles 1 is dead, I won't be spending the money it's going for now.

4th print!

[William-James88]

6 minutes ago, the blob said:

Which GA books are spiking outside of some pre-code horror and the usual timely stuff?

Fawcetts. They all doubled or more. Even random lots.

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/the-marvel-family-group-of-4-fawcett-publications-1946-total-4-comic-books-/a/122107-15423.s?ic2=mybidspage-lotlinks-12202013&tab=MyBids-101116

The Marvel Family Group of 4 (Fawcett Publications, 1946). Includes #3 (FN), 7 (Wizard Shazam appearance - FN-), 9 (GD/VG), and 10 (VG-). Approximate Overstreet value for group = $400.

 

That's just one example. All lots from that date on have gone double or more the GPA (which has been around guide price for the past 15 years)

[the blob]

1 minute ago, William-James88 said:

Fawcetts. They all doubled or more. Even random lots.

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/the-marvel-family-group-of-4-fawcett-publications-1946-total-4-comic-books-/a/122107-15423.s?ic2=mybidspage-lotlinks-12202013&tab=MyBids-101116

The Marvel Family Group of 4 (Fawcett Publications, 1946). Includes #3 (FN), 7 (Wizard Shazam appearance - FN-), 9 (GD/VG), and 10 (VG-). Approximate Overstreet value for group = $400.

 

That's just one example. All lots from that date on have gone double or more the GPA (which has been around guide price for the past 15 years)

you are citing to a few early issues from a heritage auction. i am shocked those books are that low in OPG. I am looking at a broad group of ebay sales. with that said, i used to sell low grade fawcetts for over guide on ebay in the 2000s, oddly enough, the better stuff was harder to get guide for. folks had a $25-30 mental cap and would buy a junky book for that rather than a nicer one for $75. here's a slabbed 4.0 marvel family 3 for $153: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Marvel-Family-3-SHAZAM-CGC-Captain-Marvel-Mary-Marvel-Captain-Marvel-Jr/202755719732?hash=item2f352ec234:g:pAAAAOSw1NNdUjxc  How does that compare to GPA/guide? 

are you telling me this was $50 before?: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Captain-Marvel-Adventures-49-Cgc-4-0-Fawcett-Radio-Cover/265123031591?hash=item3dba906a27:g:ulEAAOSwNqBgbNOA

or this was $43: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Whiz-comics-64-1945-Captain-Marvel-Fawcett-WWII-Great-Condition-/265122896708?hash=item3dba8e5b44%3Ag%3ALbEAAOSwbOZgdegL&nma=true&si=BZbpsjZvXBDBh7scMVfgI%2BAabNw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

or this was $19: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Golden-Age-Captain-Marvel-Adventures-82-Low-Grade-Combine-Shipping-/114764490106?hash=item1ab87f257a%3Ag%3Ab~YAAOSwTKVgdYrs&nma=true&si=BZbpsjZvXBDBh7scMVfgI%2BAabNw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

or this was $17.50: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fawcett-Magazine-Golden-Age-Captain-Marvel-Adventures-52-1946-/184759642067?hash=item2b048867d3%3Ag%3A6kIAAOSwXXpganau&nma=true&si=BZbpsjZvXBDBh7scMVfgI%2BAabNw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

$18?: https://www.ebay.com/itm/MARVEL-FAMILY-29-Fawcett-Publications-Nov-1948-/363355267593?hash=item5499a96209%3Ag%3AHyUAAOSwUL9gby0Y&nma=true&si=BZbpsjZvXBDBh7scMVfgI%2BAabNw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

$4?: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Captain-Marvel-Jr-77-September-1949-The-Irresistible-Sword-Fawcett-Pub-/294124362159?hash=item447b2d99af%3Ag%3ALWIAAOSw-GZgeOEv&nma=true&si=BZbpsjZvXBDBh7scMVfgI%2BAabNw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I'm no expert in this market, true, I throw out some bids and usually lose, but that's because i am trying to pay the same prices I saw in the 90s, but prices on many of these books don't seem much different than when i sold off most of my fawcetts 10-15 years ago.

[Frost451]

I'm just trying to enjoy some of books I have already.  Do I have every key comic, no.  But, I have been turning my attention to some DC books that are not getting the love from the marvel mania. Look at these books:

Forever people 1,  CGC 9.6 for $1350

Jimmy Olen 134  9.0 for $850

Green Lantern 76  8.5  $1375

Batman 251  cgc 8.0 $1000

Batman 227 CGC 8.0 $1025 

Batman 232 CGC 9.0  $1399

These prices are buy it now so you know you could probably get them for less.  If you collecting because you love the stories and the characters then there are still opportunities to get some good books that you don't have mortgage your house for.   

[William-James88]

23 minutes ago, the blob said:

you are citing to a few early issues from a heritage auction. i am shocked those books are that low in OPG. I am looking at a broad group of ebay sales. with that said, i used to sell low grade fawcetts for over guide on ebay in the 2000s, oddly enough, the better stuff was harder to get guide for. folks had a $25-30 mental cap and would buy a junky book for that rather than a nicer one for $75. here's a slabbed 4.0 marvel family 3 for $153: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Marvel-Family-3-SHAZAM-CGC-Captain-Marvel-Mary-Marvel-Captain-Marvel-Jr/202755719732?hash=item2f352ec234:g:pAAAAOSw1NNdUjxc  How does that compare to GPA/guide? 

are you telling me this was $50 before?: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Captain-Marvel-Adventures-49-Cgc-4-0-Fawcett-Radio-Cover/265123031591?hash=item3dba906a27:g:ulEAAOSwNqBgbNOA

or this was $43: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Whiz-comics-64-1945-Captain-Marvel-Fawcett-WWII-Great-Condition-/265122896708?hash=item3dba8e5b44%3Ag%3ALbEAAOSwbOZgdegL&nma=true&si=BZbpsjZvXBDBh7scMVfgI%2BAabNw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

or this was $19: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Golden-Age-Captain-Marvel-Adventures-82-Low-Grade-Combine-Shipping-/114764490106?hash=item1ab87f257a%3Ag%3Ab~YAAOSwTKVgdYrs&nma=true&si=BZbpsjZvXBDBh7scMVfgI%2BAabNw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

or this was $17.50: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fawcett-Magazine-Golden-Age-Captain-Marvel-Adventures-52-1946-/184759642067?hash=item2b048867d3%3Ag%3A6kIAAOSwXXpganau&nma=true&si=BZbpsjZvXBDBh7scMVfgI%2BAabNw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

$18?: https://www.ebay.com/itm/MARVEL-FAMILY-29-Fawcett-Publications-Nov-1948-/363355267593?hash=item5499a96209%3Ag%3AHyUAAOSwUL9gby0Y&nma=true&si=BZbpsjZvXBDBh7scMVfgI%2BAabNw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

$4?: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Captain-Marvel-Jr-77-September-1949-The-Irresistible-Sword-Fawcett-Pub-/294124362159?hash=item447b2d99af%3Ag%3ALWIAAOSw-GZgeOEv&nma=true&si=BZbpsjZvXBDBh7scMVfgI%2BAabNw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I'm no expert in this market, true, I throw out some bids and usually lose, but that's because i am trying to pay the same prices I saw in the 90s, but prices on many of these books don't seem much different than when i sold off most of my fawcetts 10-15 years ago.

The answer in general is yes, they were. I was able to get books like those last year for similar prices. Dirt cheap, lower than price guide. I even made a thread all about it. I am not giving single isolated examples either. Every single lot from heritage for this past year which contained GA Marvel Family books has gotten more than double GPA/OPG. So it's a trend. Hence why I am selling all my doubles now.

You can do a search on heritage to see how much lots sell for now compared to last year, or 5 years ago, whatever you want. You'll see the same thing I said. Double GPA/OPG right now, compared to last year.

Edited April 21, 2021 by William-James88