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

[Westy Steve]

On 2/22/2023 at 2:27 PM, VintageComics said:

You have a Porsche 356?

Gulp. 

No, unfortunately.  I’m sure someone here does. But not me. 

[Westy Steve]

On 2/22/2023 at 3:21 PM, VintageComics said:

I misunderstood. He should have written "It could have been like the Porsche 356 I wanted".

My bad. 

Yes, sorry. I meant in the context of my white whale. 

[PopKulture]

On 2/22/2023 at 3:22 PM, L'Angelo Misterioso said:

Even without the movies, I don't think comic book values will tank just because people are aging out of the hobby and the medium is losing mainstream favorability. Maybe a lot of these bronze age speculator keys will crash, but a lot of Golden and Silver age comics will hold their value. Some have said "Well, besides Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and Cap, everything else (like PCH, GGA, and obscure heroes) will crash." But, really old comics will always have value due to 1) cultural and historical significance 2) they're cool antiquities that aren't artificially scarce 3) there will always be people who are into vintage art, ephemera, and propaganda, and comics appeal to enthusiasts in those avenues. Most people today have no nostalgic connection to a bulk of Golden Age series, yet they're still in extremely high demand. Comics will do just fine, with or without the comic movie craze.

Well said! 

[VintageComics]

On 2/22/2023 at 4:46 PM, Westy Steve said:

No, unfortunately.  I’m sure someone here does. But not me. 

Great taste. I'm a lifelong Porsche fan.

Porsche. There is no substitute. 

[GrasshopperFF]

On 2/22/2023 at 2:11 PM, KCOComics said:

It's a good point. 

But I also think not everyone who read comics collects comics.  My uncle read every comic the day it came out.  He is in his 70s now and during marvels most prominent years (61 -65) he was buying every FF, ASM and Avengers comic from the local drug store.  It's frustrating because I'll show him pictures of ASM 1 and FF48 and he's like "oh yeah, I owned that" and can even remember the stories. 

He turned 16, got interested in girls, met my aunt and never read, thought about or looked at a comic again until his annoying nephew started asking questions.   Over the years my grandmother threw them all out.  Point being, there will be millions and millions of movie fans, just as there were millions of comic readers.   Only a small fraction will turn into collectors. 

But I think it will keep the hobby going just as it has for the last 50 years. 

My interest into the comic book hobby, as longer term hold investments, was recent. I’ve plunged in deeply. There is a real attraction to intrinsic things that are rare, older and in good condition. The movies were a draw for me.  And I admit to getting caught up in the YouTube trend/bytes. But so far I seem to have avoided purchasing the wrong keys. I hope!

I tend to agree with most folks in this thread: The origin storylines of villains and capes will always be of value. The 30 somethings will only gain more disposable income once they reach their 40s and 50s. Prices will go down, like all markets do. They will also fly back upward. At least I sure hope so.  I’ve invested too much for this to be wrong!

The old art work and stories, as foundations to the big screen hits, will keep these books as sought-after and highly valuable. 

[lou_fine]

On 2/22/2023 at 12:32 PM, WolverineX said:

 

 

 

 

What a laugh............this guy is saying that buyers should 100% do their homework when buying these books, and yet clearly he hinself has NOT done his homework.  

He goes on and on about how low these population counts are on these non-key books in CGC 9.8 without realizing that they are actually relatively high and could even be much higher if collectors bothered to send their copies in for grading.  Just not worthwhile considering all of the cost and hassle for such a low dollar return.  I certainly don't see the same potential for these books to "level up" the way that he sees them shooting for the stars with triple digit copies already slabbed in CGC 9.8.  

[KCOComics]

On 2/22/2023 at 10:22 PM, GrasshopperFF said:

My interest into the comic book hobby, as longer term hold investments, was recent. I’ve plunged in deeply. There is a real attraction to intrinsic things that are rare, older and in good condition. The movies were a draw for me.  And I admit to getting caught up in the YouTube trend/bytes. But so far I seem to have avoided purchasing the wrong keys. I hope!

I tend to agree with most folks in this thread: The origin storylines of villains and capes will always be of value. The 30 somethings will only gain more disposable income once they reach their 40s and 50s. Prices will go down, like all markets do. They will also fly back upward. At least I sure hope so.  I’ve invested too much for this to be wrong!

The old art work and stories, as foundations to the big screen hits, will keep these books as sought-after and highly valuable. 

From what I know of your collection, you've picked the right books to invest in. 

Your right, they may go down tomorrow or even for the next year as the economy continues to sort through headwinds. But eventually, they will find their stride once again. 

[The lips]

On 2/21/2023 at 5:13 PM, Westy Steve said:

I thought I’d share this.  I was explaining to a coworker how prices on collectibles went up across the board due to Covid and they have since dropped back… But not to pre-Covid levels. Then it occurred to me that during Covid it’s reasonable that new collectors joined our ranks.  It likely was not just the Covid money, but Covid likely rekindled peoples interest in collecting comic books and other things. Here’s the interesting part. If you agree with that, then it’s reasonable to assume that many of these new collectors are still with us post Covid. This is why prices will not drop back to pre-Covid levels. There are more collectors now than there used to be. Demand is higher due to a larger collector base.

Yeah that’s a good point. 
In my case, covid rekindled my love of comic books as opposed to simply being new. 
i collected a lot mid 80’s to mid 90’s then got sidetracked with life and adulthood. The comics got stored away in parents loft and whilst I never forgot about them, I never thought to re-engage. 
covid give me enough spare time to hunt them down and instantly the love affair reignited and that’s me now back in for the long haul as I no longer have as much other things to focus on.
i imagine there’ll be a lot of others like me in that regard.  

[Bookery]

On 2/22/2023 at 4:22 PM, L'Angelo Misterioso said:

Even without the movies, I don't think comic book values will tank just because people are aging out of the hobby and the medium is losing mainstream favorability. Maybe a lot of these bronze age speculator keys will crash, but a lot of Golden and Silver age comics will hold their value. Some have said "Well, besides Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and Cap, everything else (like PCH, GGA, and obscure heroes) will crash." But, really old comics will always have value due to 1) cultural and historical significance 2) they're cool antiquities that aren't artificially scarce 3) there will always be people who are into vintage art, ephemera, and propaganda, and comics appeal to enthusiasts in those avenues. Most people today have no nostalgic connection to a bulk of Golden Age series, yet they're still in extremely high demand. Comics will do just fine, with or without the comic movie craze.

I would only make a couple of tweaks to what you've written above.  I would add the word "Some" before "old comics", and caveat that golden-age is in "extremely high demand" only due to scarcity of supply.  If your average golden-age issue was available in the same quantity as, say, New Mutants, they would be worth about the same (or even less, as there are fewer readers for them).  All culture-related collectibles diminish in demand as the culture moves past them.  But certain rarities or icons will always have a market.  There are collectors for 19th-century literature.  And the first editions of Dickens, Melville, Twain, etc., continue to go up over time.  But there are also tens of thousands of novels from that century that are now all but worthless.  Most Big Little Books are worth less than the cost of making a facsimile... but there are some key volumes still worth money. 

Whenever these discussions come up the default position is that "Superman #1" will always be in demand.  Well, sure.  But will "Superman #67"  with the Perry Como cover always be expensive (relative to inflation)?  Matt Baker and Alex Schomburg are the epitome of classic comic book art... but will today's generations growing up on photo-realistic CGC art ever see these older artworks as anything but crude line-drawings compared to what they enjoy?  Cowboy heroes once held the position in books, comics, movies and TV that super-heroes now hold.  But time has mostly passed them by.  Super-heroes actually did die out once... in the late 40s and early 50s.  Audiences simply lost interest.  They had a resurgence in the '60s, and so far continue unabated.  But everything changes in time.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Bookery
typos

[the blob]

On 2/23/2023 at 9:02 AM, Bookery said:

I would only make a couple of tweaks to what you've written above.  I would add the word "Some" before "old comics", and caveat that golden-age is in "extremely high demand" only due to scarcity of supply.  If your average golden-age issue was available in the same quantity as, say, New Mutants, they would be worth about the same (or even less, as there are fewer readers for them).  All culture-related collectibles diminish in demand as the culture moves past them.  But certain rarities or icons will always have a market.  There are collectors for 19th-century literature.  And the first editions of Dickens, Melville, Twain, etc., continue to go up over time.  But there are also tens of thousands of novels from that century that are now all but worthless.  Most Big Little Books are worth less than the cost of making a facsimile... but there are some key volumes still worth money. 

Whenever these discussions come up the default position is that "Superman #1" will always be in demand.  Well, sure.  But will "Superman #67"  with the Perry Como cover always be expensive (relative to inflation)?  Matt Baker and Alex Schomburg are the epitome of classic comic book art... but will today's generations growing up on photo-realistic CGC art ever see these older artworks as anything but crude line-drawings compared to what they enjoy?  Cowboy heroes once held the position in books, comics, movies and TV that super-heroes now hold.  But time has mostly passed them by.  Super-heroes actually did die out once... in the late 40s and early 50s.  Audiences simply lost interest.  They had a resurgence in the '60s, and so far continue unabated.  But everything changes in time.

Baker and Schomburg might not be great examples as they probably have a double layer of value as African American and Latino (am I allowed to use that term, I forget) pioneers in the industry (throw in gay for Baker too)

 

[Robot Man]

On 2/22/2023 at 1:22 PM, L'Angelo Misterioso said:

Even without the movies, I don't think comic book values will tank just because people are aging out of the hobby and the medium is losing mainstream favorability. Maybe a lot of these bronze age speculator keys will crash, but a lot of Golden and Silver age comics will hold their value. Some have said "Well, besides Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and Cap, everything else (like PCH, GGA, and obscure heroes) will crash." But, really old comics will always have value due to 1) cultural and historical significance 2) they're cool antiquities that aren't artificially scarce 3) there will always be people who are into vintage art, ephemera, and propaganda, and comics appeal to enthusiasts in those avenues. Most people today have no nostalgic connection to a bulk of Golden Age series, yet they're still in extremely high demand. Comics will do just fine, with or without the comic movie craze.

I was a child of the SA. Bought, traded and read tons of them. They were very available. I discovered GA due to garage sales, used book stores and just having “10 centers” just given to me. I realized they were special and not easy to find. My interest in them shifted pretty early.

I have seen a lot of younger collectors realized the same. They start out on Moderns and work back when they realize the challenge of collecting GA. You just can’t go on eBay and find most of them easily. A LOT easier than when I started but still not easy.

I see very little if any disinterest in GA books. Prices have stabilized a little over the past couple of years but interest is still and will probably stay strong.

Comic shows, especially smaller comic centric shows are packed with willing buyers. Many of my buyers are those in their 20’s and 30’s. All genres if priced right.

CalCon show in Costa Mesa a few weeks ago. Some from my booth shots and a stack bought by a young collector with next to no discount.

 

[1Cool]

On 2/23/2023 at 11:14 AM, Robot Man said:

I was a child of the SA. Bought, traded and read tons of them. They were very available. I discovered GA due to garage sales, used book stores and just having “10 centers” just given to me. I realized they were special and not easy to find. My interest in them shifted pretty early.

I have seen a lot of younger collectors realized the same. They start out on Moderns and work back when they realize the challenge of collecting GA. You just can’t go on eBay and find most of them easily. A LOT easier than when I started but still not easy.

I see very little if any disinterest in GA books. Prices have stabilized a little over the past couple of years but interest is still and will probably stay strong.

Comic shows, especially smaller comic centric shows are packed with willing buyers. Many of my buyers are those in their 20’s and 30’s. All genres if priced right.

CalCon show in Costa Mesa a few weeks ago. Some from my booth shots and a stack bought by a young collector with next to no discount.

 

Define young.  I don't see anyone in that crowd that is under 35 with most over 50.  I was going to ask if they prevented women from buying a ticket but I think I see one in the back of a couple pictures.

[Robot Man]

On 2/23/2023 at 8:34 AM, 1Cool said:

Define young.  I don't see anyone in that crowd that is under 35 with most over 50.  I was going to ask if they prevented women from buying a ticket but I think I see one in the back of a couple pictures.

Most everybody is younger than me. And yes, I had several female customers and teenagers as well. 

[Bookery]

On 2/23/2023 at 11:34 AM, 1Cool said:

Define young.  I don't see anyone in that crowd that is under 35 with most over 50.  I was going to ask if they prevented women from buying a ticket but I think I see one in the back of a couple pictures.

I hadn't thought about it... but yeah, those could also be photos from a pulp convention.  But some things are making a comeback.  There was all-time record attendance at last month's Dime Novel panel discussion, as seen here... 

 

[Tec-Tac-Toe]

On 2/23/2023 at 11:48 AM, Bookery said:

I hadn't thought about it... but yeah, those could also be photos from a pulp convention.  But some things are making a comeback.  There was all-time record attendance at last month's Dime Novel panel discussion, as seen here... 

 

Larger than the crowds I get for my poetry readings.

[djpinkpanther67]

On 2/23/2023 at 11:34 AM, 1Cool said:

Define young.  I don't see anyone in that crowd that is under 35 with most over 50.  I was going to ask if they prevented women from buying a ticket but I think I see one in the back of a couple pictures.

I was there. Both in the main dealers’ room and the swap meet room, there were more than a few twenty-somethings, and there were quite a few women as well. 

[lou_fine]

On 2/23/2023 at 8:34 AM, 1Cool said:

Define young.  I don't see anyone in that crowd that is under 35 with most over 50.

Sadly, that was also the first thing that crossed my mind when I looked at those pictures there.  

The only possible exception might be that green jacketed guy in the third picture flipping through a box of books.  

[DC#]

On 2/23/2023 at 9:19 AM, djpinkpanther67 said:

I was there. Both in the main dealers’ room and the swap meet room, there were more than a few twenty-somethings, and there were quite a few women as well. 

I hit 3-4 shows in the past two months of varying size  - I too will say I have been surprised by the number of younger women.   And not with a with a male companion - but digging through boxes and negotiating deals on books for themselves.    Not a lot of college age people of either gender - but a nice representation of mid-20's and up.   Pre-teens mostly seem to be there with a parent but a lot of them seem to be actively looking as well.  

All anecdotally I know........

But no denying that a lot of people who can get an AARP card are there..........

[1Cool]

On 2/23/2023 at 12:19 PM, djpinkpanther67 said:

I was there. Both in the main dealers’ room and the swap meet room, there were more than a few twenty-somethings, and there were quite a few women as well. 

Glad to hear. I was just going off the dozen or so pictures I saw of the event that were posted here or there.  I was a little pissed that the crowds in CA looked eerily similar to the crowds we see here in the mid-west with almost everyone being overweight and middle aged.  California people should look better - step it up West Siders!

[Robot Man]

On 2/23/2023 at 10:14 AM, DC# said:

I hit 3-4 shows in the past two months of varying size  - I too will say I have been surprised by the number of younger women.   And not with a with a male companion - but digging through boxes and negotiating deals on books for themselves.    Not a lot of college age people of either gender - but a nice representation of mid-20's and up.   Pre-teens mostly seem to be there with a parent but a lot of them seem to be actively looking as well.  

All anecdotally I know........

But no denying that a lot of people who can get an AARP card are there..........

Those AARP folks are my bread and butter. They show up with their paper want lists and scoop up large stacks especially the cheaper 1/2 price books. The stuff I’ve stored too long. They also buy western, humor and other “out of favor” books. I have a number of regulars at this show. Some say they search me out first. 

The younger guys typically look at the wall books hoping to get keys they can quickly flip for a profit. They don’t usually “box dive” much even when I tell them the wall books mostly come from the better boxes…

And I always give kids with their parents free books if I have what they like. Often get their parents to pick up some books too.