Are prices still climbing or have they eased up a bit??? 43 43

[southern cross]

Did someone mentioned that people collected multiple copies in the 70s?

Not mine unfortunately, I couldn't resist taking a picture though.

[Tec-Tac-Toe]

On 8/5/2023 at 4:40 AM, southern cross said:

Did someone mentioned that people collected multiple copies in the 70s?

Not mine unfortunately, I couldn't resist taking a picture though.

If those were my copies I would have them in Mylar with acid-free backing in acid-free boxes as these appear to be regular bags and boards (I may be mistaken). If they are regular bags and boards it may still work perfectly as the comic books pictured look good and I have seen many and purchased a few collections stored as such, including in south and central FL, and the comic books and pages were, as they say, "just off the printer" (Edit: correction, "just off the printing press; publishers printing comic books on, for example, a Canon printer and hand stapling them ) with vibrant colors, cover gloss, and pristine white pages. Some of the comic books were stored 10, even 20, copies in large plastic bags with one backing board for about two comic books and the books were still gorgeous.

Edited August 5, 2023 by Tec-Tac-Toe

[southern cross]

Originally I think these were not stored in a bag and board. I cherry picked a Demon 1

[bluehorseshoe]

ASM McFarlane newsstands have entered the chat. Wow.

[crassus]

On 8/3/2023 at 1:37 PM, DC# said:

While we all await the restoration of ComicLink....here are results from Session 1 and 2 (?).   I can't see the various sessions now but this covers everything before the Golden Age session.   

 

First let me say thank you for compiling these figures, it's extremely valuable, and please don't take what I'm going to ask as in any way criticism, and if this has already been discussed let me know, but could you going forward include a column for 2019 averages? A lot of significance is being given to the impact of Covid on helping to produce a bubble, as far as I can recollect, the Covid crisis, lockdowns, and more importantly government stimulus, began the spring of 2020. For me here in Canada it began almost exactly with school "spring break" in 2020 when we went home thinking we would be back to school, and then we never went back and everyone was at home with (our) government going into emergency mode to provide stimulus for households and businesses...so the starkest contrast imo would be with 2019 averages....

[The humble Watcher lurking]

One thing I noticed is the low grade silver age keys are getting hit hard like CGC 1. 0 to CGC 2.0 range. People just trying to get  some money for them on eBay. I guess they were right to always try to buy one high grade key then a bunch of low grade keys. Quality over quantity as they say seems to be good advice they gave. 

Edited August 5, 2023 by The humble Watcher lurking

[DC#]

On 8/5/2023 at 4:25 PM, crassus said:

First let me say thank you for compiling these figures, it's extremely valuable, and please don't take what I'm going to ask as in any way criticism, and if this has already been discussed let me know, but could you going forward include a column for 2019 averages? A lot of significance is being given to the impact of Covid on helping to produce a bubble, as far as I can recollect, the Covid crisis, lockdowns, and more importantly government stimulus, began the spring of 2020. For me here in Canada it began almost exactly with school "spring break" in 2020 when we went home thinking we would be back to school, and then we never went back and everyone was at home with (our) government going into emergency mode to provide stimulus for households and businesses...so the starkest contrast imo would be with 2019 averages....

I would if I could.   The 2019 data no longer exists in GPA in their topline summary - to do it would require manually calculating the avg for all sales in all grades I happen to look at from CL.    Anything older than 2021 only shows high and low at this point.   Starting Jan 2024 we will lose the 2021 avg as well 

Here is a screen cap of UF #4.   Where you can see available data.  
 

[Tec-Tac-Toe]

On 8/5/2023 at 9:57 AM, southern cross said:

Originally I think these were not stored in a bag and board. I cherry picked a Demon 1

Looks gorgeous (brilliant white pages).

I would love to purchase that collection and others like it but have not acquired a huge/large Silver and/or Bronze Ages collection since the mid-1990s, around 1995, when at least some folks that had amassed such collections just wanted to "get rid of this cra*" and sold their entire collection for relatively little because they, as did I, thought the comic books would perhaps be worth, at most, a few dollars each if that and, if so, when. In fact, and rightfully so, I and many others thought I (and other folks buying such) was a sucker for spending money on such collections because who wanted these comic books.

I and others simply got, for now, extremely lucky. It may not last. However, I (and likely many) purchased these collections not to make money but because I love purchasing and owning comic books.

I also recall collectors selling their Silver and/or Bronze Age collections to dealers (some long gone, like Sunshine Comics in Miami [originally around 66 or 65 Avenue on SW 40th St,/Bird Road; later stores, for a short while, in Hialeah, just off 826 North/Palmetto Expressway, and another in Perrine on US 1/South Dixie Hwy.) in south Florida for basically 25 cents or less per comic book and dealers placing them for sale cheap, from 50 cents to $1.00 for most with some priced at a whopping, for example, $20. In fact, I believe, if I recall correctly, that Joel, the owner of Sunshine Comics, sold his own Silver Age collection, possibly some Gold and Bronze Ages, in his store for a few dollars each in the 1980s. I believe most were mid-grade but still very nice.

Those days, for now, are gone. Will they return? If they do, will it be worth to purchase such collections if one wants $? I don't know. Will it be worth it to just own the comic books? Always!

[wiparker824]

On 8/5/2023 at 4:58 PM, The humble Watcher lurking said:

One thing I noticed is the low grade silver age keys are getting hit hard like CGC 1. 0 to CGC 2.0 range. People just trying to get  some money for them on eBay. I guess they were right to always try to buy one high grade key then a bunch of low grade keys. Quality over quantity as they say seems to be good advice they gave. 

This is true, and I’m buying in that low grade range now for some books. But I also think that grade range just went bonkers during covid, more than the overall market, so the correction is going to be harder. An AF 15 in a 1.0 for example has come back down to earth, with 2 sales on GPA from 11k and 12.7k for 2023. Pre-pandemic on GPA this book went for 9-11k in 2019. Did someone pay 29k for a 1.0 in 2021, yes, yes they did. Which makes the drop look insane, but you’re doing fine if you bought pre-pandemic, which is the case for most books in any grade. 

My guess as to why it went so crazy during covid was because that’s the entry point for whatever book someone wants to get into. The whole market was nuts and a lot of people just wanted in on whatever book they were chasing and got in at the cheapest price possible, so demand was even higher for the low grade. 
 

 

[rlextherobot]

On 8/6/2023 at 7:15 AM, wiparker824 said:

This is true, and I’m buying in that low grade range now for some books. But I also think that grade range just went bonkers during covid, more than the overall market, so the correction is going to be harder. An AF 15 in a 1.0 for example has come back down to earth, with 2 sales on GPA from 11k and 12.7k for 2023. Pre-pandemic on GPA this book went for 9-11k in 2019. Did someone pay 29k for a 1.0 in 2021, yes, yes they did. Which makes the drop look insane, but you’re doing fine if you bought pre-pandemic, which is the case for most books in any grade. 

My guess as to why it went so crazy during covid was because that’s the entry point for whatever book someone wants to get into. The whole market was nuts and a lot of people just wanted in on whatever book they were chasing and got in at the cheapest price possible, so demand was even higher for the low grade. 
 

 

I was foolish and went in on two books out of FOMO when things were nutso during the pandemic - those particular comics having come back down since the time of my purchase. My consolation is that they're both things I wanted for my personal collection and won't be going anywhere soon, and that with time they're both going to climb back up to the price I bought them at. 

[batmiesta]

9.8s still fetching silly money and probably always will. 

[MAR1979]

On 8/6/2023 at 10:18 AM, rlextherobot said:

I was foolish and went in on two books out of FOMO when things were nutso during the pandemic - those particular comics having come back down since the time of my purchase. My consolation is that they're both things I wanted for my personal collection and won't be going anywhere soon, and that with time they're both going to climb back up to the price I bought them at. 

Even happened to me on 1 book. Spent $200 on it at auction during the near bubble height, 16 months later picked up a second copy at auction for a mere $35.


 

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by MAR1979

[Motor City Rob]

On 8/4/2023 at 8:28 AM, WolverineX said:

agreed.  I've been buying

I started buying silver age keys again about six months ago and then I stopped because the prices kept dropping. Back to waiting and watching.

[WolverineX]

On 8/6/2023 at 6:19 PM, Motor City Rob said:

I started buying silver age keys again about six months ago and then I stopped because the prices kept dropping. Back to waiting and watching.

Can't time bottom.  Buy as it goes down

[Tom789]

On 8/6/2023 at 9:59 AM, batmiesta said:

9.8s still fetching silly money and probably always will. 

Keys, SA and early BA maybe, but not later I think.  I have a lot of late Bronze Age non-key books that might get 9.8s - last year they were worth taking a shot at grading because my estimate was that most were worth over $100.  For me that's enough to grade, I know others here consider that too low.  Anyway, I started cleaning and pressing them, but now it seems that even the 9.8 prices I've been monitoring are tanking and they're not worth sending in to get graded.

[ageofsilver]

On 8/6/2023 at 11:16 AM, MAR1979 said:

Even happened to me on 1 book. Spent $200 on it at auction during the near bubble height, 16 months later picked up a second copy at auction for a mere $35.


 

 

This is a fine idea. You love something enough to pay over your comfort zone, but later can pick up a copy for significantly less. You buy that copy too, which yields a better average. Of course, now you have two copies, so I don’t make a habit of doing this. Both copies of the 12/37 Weird Tales in my collection are vg plus in grade, but with different defects. I love taking them out and viewing them together. 

[batmiesta]

On 8/7/2023 at 1:12 AM, Tom789 said:

Keys, SA and early BA maybe, but not later I think.  I have a lot of late Bronze Age non-key books that might get 9.8s - last year they were worth taking a shot at grading because my estimate was that most were worth over $100.  For me that's enough to grade, I know others here consider that too low.  Anyway, I started cleaning and pressing them, but now it seems that even the 9.8 prices I've been monitoring are tanking and they're not worth sending in to get graded.

Yeah! Should have said "certain books" I don't collect new stuff, so didn't mean them anyway, my copy of MTU # 24 in 9.8 just sold on Clink for $567, usually goes for $425|$450, OK its got Brother Voodoo in it, but I wouldn't consider it a key, 9.8 buyers can push any book up if 2 of them are going after it.

Edited August 7, 2023 by batmiesta

[World Devourer]

On 8/7/2023 at 9:52 AM, WolverineX said:

Can't time bottom.  Buy as it goes down

Agreed. Things will improve eventually, but it can't be forced. For all the hype about the Modern Age, I still believe the Silver Age is where it's at - Marvel keys from this period have the aura of royalty.

There is just no arguing with any of the issues that feature the debut of a future icon and mainstay in popular culture.

[Robot Man]

On 8/6/2023 at 3:19 PM, Motor City Rob said:

I started buying silver age keys again about six months ago and then I stopped because the prices kept dropping. Back to waiting and watching.

According to most major dealers, now is a good time to buy a lot of SA keys. Prices are dipping and leveling off. This will change. Buy and hold. In a few years, today’s prices will seem like a bargain. 

[Motor City Rob]

On 8/8/2023 at 11:17 AM, Robot Man said:

According to most major dealers, now is a good time to buy a lot of SA keys. Prices are dipping and leveling off. This will change. Buy and hold. In a few years, today’s prices will seem like a bargain. 

Even in the past two weeks, numerous silver age keys continue to drop. I'm ok waiting a little bit longer.