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

[paqart]

On 10/5/2022 at 12:09 PM, theCapraAegagrus said:

Bouncing off of your sentiment: About 5 years ago, I told all of my friends/family that I am no longer participating in gift exchanges. Birthdays, X-Mas, etc. Why spend $50 on something that I think someone might want, and vice-versa, when both parties can simply buy exactly what they want and end the charade?

I only feel like gifts are truly gifts when they're random, unplanned. Otherwise, I feel compelled to reciprocate, and I truly despise it. I enjoy the gift exchange here because there is so much content that I cannot track, people have genuinely given me new areas to collect. Most of my collection - of collected editions - in fact started because of the gifts I've received from other CGC members. (The gift recipient being the random aspect of the exchange makes it fun.)

Truly appropriate gifts are rare. I've been married for 35 years and have a 30 year old daughter. I've bought a number of gifts for them over that time span but the number of really appropriate gifts is small. For whatever reason, I seem to be better at picking them out for my daughter. My favorites:

1) I took my daughter to London to see Les Miserables at Christmas while my wife had to look after her elderly mother

2) After learning that she liked Steven Universe, I bought my daughter a collection of minerals that matched her favorite characters

3) My daughter gave me a CGC 9.5 Pokemon Celebi card (I was very impressed with that)

4) A medium format camera from my wife

None of these are random. Random gifts purchased for the sake of buying something don't have much of an impact. For that reason, I try to avoid buying them unless I feel the choice is right on target, and in those cases, I don't wait for a holiday.

 

[Microchip]

On 10/8/2022 at 6:26 PM, THE_BEYONDER said:

But on a more serious note, the last sale of a 300 9.8 newsie

Now given the choice between the 9.8 ASM & the 8.0 DD 1 I used to own....

It’s horn head all day....every day 

We've been questioning the sanity of ASM 300 buyers the last few pages, but the book it seems is bigger than most of us realise.

The support, and noise attached to the book is really impressive.  Todd, is pumping it for signatures at conventions, and business is good!  At $200 a squiggle, thats some very easy money, with a very long que attached to it.

How many books have their own poster to go with it?

 

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 10/11/2022 at 1:24 AM, Microchip said:

We've been questioning the sanity of ASM 300 buyers the last few pages, but the book it seems is bigger than most of us realise.

The support, and noise attached to the book is really impressive.  Todd, is pumping it for signatures at conventions, and business is good!  At $200 a squiggle, thats some very easy money, with a very long que attached to it.

How many books have their own poster to go with it?

 

It’s a big book. King of the copper age.  Obviously a must have for every Copper collection.  The question is how many copper collections are there?  There’s a lot of ASM 300s.   If I’m buying a 300 right now, it’s gotta be a newsie.  Or a double-cover.  Or both....@october

Edited October 11, 2022 by THE_BEYONDER

[Microchip]

On 10/11/2022 at 4:59 PM, THE_BEYONDER said:

It’s a big book. King of the copper age.  Obviously a must have for every Copper collection.  The question is how many copper collections are there?  There’s a lot of ASM 300s.   If I’m buying a 300 right now, it’s gotta be a newsie.  Or a double-cover.  Or both....@october

Here's the ultimate ASM300 crazy result.

With a bazillion copies out there, this happens...

[jjonahjameson11]

While I haven’t read all of the posts in this thread (and let’s face reality…who has the time to go through nearly 150 pages worth), I will say that I’ve been collecting long enough to ignore almost all postings.

the facts on comic collecting for Gold/silver and Bronze is that during times of inflation or during recession, comics have held their own and in many cases, have come ahead. I don’t see this changing anytime soon.

[VintageComics]

On 10/9/2022 at 10:10 PM, paqart said:

Truly appropriate gifts are rare. I've been married for 35 years and have a 30 year old daughter. I've bought a number of gifts for them over that time span but the number of really appropriate gifts is small. For whatever reason, I seem to be better at picking them out for my daughter. My favorites:

1) I took my daughter to London to see Les Miserables at Christmas while my wife had to look after her elderly mother

2) After learning that she liked Steven Universe, I bought my daughter a collection of minerals that matched her favorite characters

3) My daughter gave me a CGC 9.5 Pokemon Celebi card (I was very impressed with that)

4) A medium format camera from my wife

None of these are random. Random gifts purchased for the sake of buying something don't have much of an impact. For that reason, I try to avoid buying them unless I feel the choice is right on target, and in those cases, I don't wait for a holiday.

 

I'm exactly the same. I get meaningful gifts for the people around me, year round when it hits me, not when the Holidays hit. 

I actually hate Christmas. 

And I insist my kids don't spend any money at Christmas and make a gift or just buy me something I'll wear that makes me think of them whenever I use it.

[lou_fine]

On 10/10/2022 at 10:24 PM, Microchip said:

The support, and noise attached to the book is really impressive.  Todd, is pumping it for signatures at conventions, and business is good!  At $200 a squiggle, thats some very easy money, with a very long que attached to it.

Yeah, don't you miss the days when he was signing copies of this book for free, as I still remember him always showing up at the local con to do this with his classic signature using his silver sprinkly pen back in the day.   

Edited October 11, 2022 by lou_fine

[Poekaymon]

I sold my ASM 9.8 last year for $3000 or so and felt like an actual thief in the night.  I believe it went up to like $6000 shortly thereafter.  Now I just have a cracked 9.6 and don't really have any skin in the game as I have no intention of selling what I have left, nor will I be buying an uprade.

I will just throw out there that people always like to talk about how some books have thousands of 9.8s so how can they be worth anything.  But that's some before-times thinking.  10 years ago when there were only a hundred people worldwide, all of whom were on this forum, who wanted an ASM 300 9.8, maybe that meant something, but those days are gone.  It's an iconic book and there are now more than 1700 people (or however many 9.8 copies we're up to at this point) who want one.

That having been said, Spawn #1 is a bit of a headscratcher even for me, but I digress.

[D2]

[Poekaymon]

On 10/11/2022 at 12:02 PM, D2 said:

Some day someone will have to explain this whole signing thing to me.  I truly do not get it.  Funniest for me is when someone signs something that they had little or nothing to do with.  Next funniest is when the cover already has a large printed signature (for example, for J. Scott Campbell) and then he signs an identical wet signature right next to it.  

If you want a memento of being somewhere and meeting someone, I think I can get behind a scrapbook.  Where each page you have a picture of where you were and the date, and have someone's signature as a reminder that you met them, that seems kind of cool.  But something like getting Stan Lee to scribble on an H181?  I really will never understand.

[D2]

On 10/11/2022 at 12:15 PM, Poekaymon said:

Some day someone will have to explain this whole signing thing to me.  I truly do not get it.  Funniest for me is when someone signs something that they had little or nothing to do with.  Next funniest is when the cover already has a large printed signature (for example, for J. Scott Campbell) and then he signs an identical wet signature right next to it.  

If you want a memento of being somewhere and meeting someone, I think I can get behind a scrapbook.  Where each page you have a picture of where you were and the date, and have someone's signature as a reminder that you met them, that seems kind of cool.  But something like getting Stan Lee to scribble on an H181?  I really will never understand.

I am a signature collector, but I do understand the disinterest from other people.

Much like other signature collectors, I also have a vicious criteria on what I will and will not get/buy/keep in my collection when it comes to signatures.

 

In a Hulk 181 specific topic, I would love a Stan Lee signed book, for a few reasons.

Now it is true that he did not create/write/draw Wolverine in any fashion, but Stan Lee is, arguably, the Godfather of Marvel, and Wolverine is 1 of a very few Golden Boys of Marvel. Wolverine is probably the only Golden Boy Stan didn't co-create.

So his signature, to me at least, is like a holy blessing on a book. Stan Lee also signed everything, from laptops to body parts, but I will always have a soft spot for the old guy, regardless of how brutal he may have actually have been to work with.

[Pantodude]

On 10/11/2022 at 12:15 PM, Poekaymon said:

Some day someone will have to explain this whole signing thing to me.  I truly do not get it.

Hi.  You need look no further than the many collectible genres in which autographs are consistently desired:  books (!); sports memorabilia (e.g., helmets, jerseys, sneakers, gloves, ballls, bats, etc); photos; album covers; posters of all kinds; etc.  And this is an addition to signatures on ANYTHING just to have the autograph, including restaurant napkins or even the shirt one was wearing during the encounter with the celebrity.  In other words, it doesn't really need an explanation.  It more or less comes with the collecting territory!  

While I don't collect autographs per se, I really appreciate the few I have, which are by Stan the Man, the Romitas, and Adams.    

Edited October 11, 2022 by Pantodude

[Poekaymon]

On 10/11/2022 at 5:15 PM, Pantodude said:

Hi.  You need look no further than the many collectible genres in which autographs are consistently desired:  books (!); sports memorabilia (e.g., helmets, jerseys, sneakers, gloves, ballls, bats, etc); photos; album covers; posters of all kinds; etc.  And this is an addition to signatures on ANYTHING just to have the autograph, including restaurant napkins or even the shirt one was wearing during the encounter with the celebrity.  In other words, it doesn't really need an explanation.  It more or less comes with the collecting territory!  

While I don't collect autographs per se, I really appreciate the few I have, which are by Stan the Man, the Romitas, and Adams.    

What you're describing is what I was referring to with the "scrapbook."  You're making a memory of something you did--I'm fine with that.  Where it starts to make less sense to me is stuff like the aforementioned H181 and people who buy the stuff even though they had nothing to do with the signing, ie the memory.  So, yeah, you met Pee Wee Herman and he signed your napkin = sure; buying an H181 that someone else had Stan Lee sign = ???. 

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 10/11/2022 at 4:44 PM, Poekaymon said:

What you're describing is what I was referring to with the "scrapbook."  You're making a memory of something you did--I'm fine with that.  Where it starts to make less sense to me is stuff like the aforementioned H181 and people who buy the stuff even though they had nothing to do with the signing, ie the memory.  So, yeah, you met Pee Wee Herman and he signed your napkin = sure; buying an H181 that someone else had Stan Lee sign = ???. 

Lol Stan created the hulk!

Haha when I got back into collecting in 2016, I was the noob who had 4 books signed by Stan, only 1 of which he is accredited for.

Still, I had got back in and was fluxed that I was going to miss out on a Wolverine copy cause I was still in college. Anyway I know how you feel, as it's been touted since I came back in 2016 that Stan was a signing machine on anything and everything. I'm still thankful for those 4 today, but I hope not too many feel the way you do, if you do it's fine, but I can't take it with me kind of thing. I'm collecting now, but idk the future! Best intentions. 

which I think checks all your boxes, so everytime you post it, I feel youre talking right at me 

No worries 

[Browns81]

I wonder who signed more in their life: Stan Lee or Pete Rose?  Both would sign a plate of spaghetti for $35.

[ADAMANTIUM]

Ya  it's really the only thing that I heard from everyone when I got back in, cause I was asking at the time.

The "why"in spoiler 

Spoiler

I shared those sentiments as I plucked down my funds, I don't think I need to worry, and nor am I arguing "the point!"

Lol I had been back in for 6 months, and by happenstance Stan was to appear at the next conference I was to attend. It's worth noting that when I got back in, I went to a con that weekend and it's why I got back in, and at that con they handed out flyers for Stan at the next event. I had time to save and prepare, but it was a bit of a rush. This was 2016 and turned out I only had 2 opportunities after that before the final straw, though I didn't know that then.

It's just hard to have it seemingly marred, but while cathartic to type, I know better and that I was happy and excited. Just trying to remind myself as these convos come up frequently for the foreseeable future 

 

Edited October 11, 2022 by ADAMANTIUM

[Humpty-Dumpty]

The numbers are not sustainable.

[MAR1979]

On 10/8/2022 at 9:37 AM, DC# said:

And it is really hard to predict timing or duration even if some is right about the event.   Some real estate markets have taken decades to recover from boom bust cycle (Texas in 80s/90s for example) despite being thought of as solid wealth building assets (and people need housing).   So buy and hold strategy make work out very differently depending personal needs/circumstances.  
 

i also don’t think we have reached full capitulation yet.    BIN prices in many places (short boxed, IG, my slabs, eBay, clink) would seem to indicate that sellers believe or hope the downturn is shallow (relatively) and short and they can wait it out.    But if the efforts to tame inflation through creation of a recession/higher unemployment  are successful - that will more force capitulation.    Especially if sellers, dealers or average Joes, need to prioritize cash flow over mitigating losses.    
 

Would be interesting to hear what others are seeing in terms of pricing and actual sales at NYCC or other cons recently.

Dealers seemed to think it was early to mid 2021 based on slab prices. I'm sure some did reel in a few rubes but I do wonder how many lost money on their tables - BTW even breaking is a loss.  Price at FMV and you can do very well at a show but I guess that does not stoke the ego?

As much as it pains me to say this I give Anthony credit on being a decent, make that good, businessman. While he does not do it with art, for comics he understands cash flow is paramount. Constant steady cash flow is called good business and to do it you need to have money coming in and for Comic Book dealers that means sell sell sell even if at a reduced profit margin.

Was easy to be a dealer from March 2020-Feb 2022, required no intelligence to inflate show prices above even internet highs when those with even less intelligence were buying buying buying. Now we will see who has actually has some business acumen by who manages to remain in business the next 12-24 months.

 

 

Understanding Cash Flow

Cash flow is the amount of cash that comes in and goes out of a company. Businesses take in money from sales as revenues and spend money on expenses. They may also receive income from interest, investments, royalties, and licensing agreements and sell products on credit, expecting to actually receive the cash owed at a late date.

Assessing the amounts, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows, along with where they originate and where they go, is one of the most important objectives of financial reporting. It is essential for assessing a company’s liquidity, flexibility, and overall financial performance.

Positive cash flow indicates that a company's liquid assets are increasing, enabling it to cover obligations, reinvest in its business, return money to shareholders, pay expenses, and provide a buffer against future financial challenges. Companies with strong financial flexibility can take advantage of profitable investments. They also fare better in downturns, by avoiding the costs of financial distress.

Cash flows can be analyzed using the cash flow statement, a standard financial statement that reports on a company's sources and usage of cash over a specified time period. Corporate management, analysts, and investors are able to use it to determine how well a company can earn cash to pay its debts and manage its operating expenses. The cash flow statement is one of the most important financial statements issued by a company, along with the balance sheet and income statement.

- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cashflow.asp

Edited October 14, 2022 by MAR1979

[Sweet Lou 14]

Who is Anthony?

[lizards2]

On 10/11/2022 at 8:11 PM, Sweet Lou 14 said:

Who is Anthony?

A Tony to someone.