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

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 2/24/2023 at 6:55 PM, Robot Man said:

I have actually very few graded and slabbed books. They just seem so two dimensional to me. My enjoyment level of them is just so quick. I crack out many because I want to enjoy the contents. The ones I keep slabbed are nice copies of ones I really only want for the covers anyway. Sometimes, if I really must, I buy a reader if not cost prohibitive. There are lots of ways to enjoy comics. 

I really just upgrade my childhood books, so I automatically have readers of everything I collect.  I really enjoy finding nice newsstand fresh copies of these books & displaying them alongside each other. Thankfully, only a handful of my OO books are pricey in high grade.   

[lou_fine]

On 2/24/2023 at 1:28 PM, the blob said:

Play the long game and don't stress it. ASM 129 went from being a $250-300 book in the early 90s to $25-50 in 99/2000 and then back up again. 

For those who are interested in an uber HG copy of Spidey 129, just noticed the following copy available in this Sunday's Heritage Auction:  

https://comics.ha.com/itm/bronze-age-1970-1979-/superhero/the-amazing-spider-man-129-marvel-1974-cgc-nm-mt-98-white-pages/a/122309-17115.s?ctrack=473536&type=herolot-a-comic-close-122309-tem022423

Only problem is that it's running a bit higher than $250 to $300, as it's already sitting at a bid of $19,200 including the Heritage BP juice.  

[seanlinc]

On 2/24/2023 at 4:30 PM, the blob said:

3/4 of the folks on this board were born between 1970 and 1974 though.... or so it seems

Nailed me on the low end

[GrasshopperFF]

Some great books in this ComicLink auction!

I’m watching one of these items closely because I am winning one of them. I refresh, from time to time, to see if my bid is still winning. And if I’m outbid, do I take an even more aggressive run? I risked posting this because one of you might also be in the game?
I’ll be taking some laps on my Green Machine for a few more days to see how this one lands!
 

[wormboy]

On 2/24/2023 at 5:13 PM, GrasshopperFF said:

Some great books in this ComicLink auction!

I’m watching one of these items closely because I am winning one of them. I refresh, from time to time, to see if my bid is still winning. And if I’m outbid, do I take an even more aggressive run? I risked posting this because one of you might also be in the game?
I’ll be taking some laps on my Green Machine for a few more days to see how this one lands!
 

Borock is over there now. Appears he is getting some good material lined up.

[KCOComics]

On 2/24/2023 at 8:13 PM, GrasshopperFF said:

Some great books in this ComicLink auction!

I’m watching one of these items closely because I am winning one of them. I refresh, from time to time, to see if my bid is still winning. And if I’m outbid, do I take an even more aggressive run? I risked posting this because one of you might also be in the game?
I’ll be taking some laps on my Green Machine for a few more days to see how this one lands!
 

Wow, that's some incredible original art!!! A Vault of Horror cover and The splash page for incredible Hulk 2!  

Seeing where prices are on all of those with a few days to go, it doesn't feel like they've eased a bit. 

[Motor City Rob]

On 2/25/2023 at 5:54 AM, KCOComics said:

Wow, that's some incredible original art!!! A Vault of Horror cover and The splash page for incredible Hulk 2!  

Seeing where prices are on all of those with a few days to go, it doesn't feel like they've eased a bit. 

OA prices are definitely strong, but hard to determine if they've eased up since they don't sell often. That being said, prices have absolutely dropped significantly on almost all keys in most grades...albeit still significantly higher than pre-covid.

Edited February 25, 2023 by Motor City Rob

[KCOComics]

On 2/25/2023 at 9:27 AM, Motor City Rob said:

OA prices are definitely strong, but hard to determine if they've eased up since they don't sell often. That being said, prices have absolutely dropped significantly on almost all keys in most grades...albeit still significantly higher than pre-covid.

Yes. I agree. The Hulk 1 and FF1 pictured above seem to have pretty strong prices compared to recent sales, especially with a few days to go. 

Still well off their all time highs of 2021 / 2022, but look like they'll hammer higher than recent comps. (For the FF1, I'm looking at a November sale of an 8.0 for $120k. The most recent 8.5 was from August, which was $228k. I don't think it will catch that number)

[Joshua33]

On 2/24/2023 at 1:50 PM, kimik said:

And I have been one of the people posting that there are a ton of young collectors, and they are spending big $$$ on books but not GA or SA. Most of the 20 and 30 yos that I see paying top dollar for books are chasing BA and CA, with less interest in SA or GA. And, some of these buyers are the ones that paid peak/record prices for CA and BA books the past two years just because they wanted 9.8s or 9.9s. Money is not the issue for them due to their business successes, they just want 9.8s. And I am not including the young crypto buyers here as they are not spending like they used to.

Guilty of this. Funny thing is I pretty much collect GA, Pulps and original art. I think just the fact they were available, and I love the OC collection, I paid dumb money for them. Still happy, too.

Edited February 28, 2023 by Joshua33
Spell

[Robot Man]

On 2/25/2023 at 2:54 AM, KCOComics said:

Wow, that's some incredible original art!!! A Vault of Horror cover and The splash page for incredible Hulk 2!  

Seeing where prices are on all of those with a few days to go, it doesn't feel like they've eased a bit. 

Not just a Vault of Horror cover but THAT Vault of Horror cover!   

Somebody must need a kidney pretty bad to part with that one…

[EastEnd1]

On 2/24/2023 at 4:50 PM, kimik said:

And I have been one of the people posting that there are a ton of young collectors, and they are spending big $$$ on books but not GA or SA. Most of the 20 and 30 yos that I see paying top dollar for books are chasing BA and CA, with less interest in SA or GA. And, some of these buyers are the ones that paid peak/record prices for CA and BA books the past two years just because they wanted 9.8s or 9.9s. Money is not the issue for them due to their business successes, they just want 9.8s. And I am not including the young crypto buyers here as they are not spending like they used to.

That's what I'm thinking... I've been going through a long box of early 2000s books that I had stored away and am stunned to see how many go for three figures in 9.8 condition.  The appetite for them is shockingly large, even with the recent declines.  As a 59 year old collector that's been doing this hobby since the early 1970s, I think I can safely say that it's not us old-timers that are chasing 9.8 moderns.  These are the comics the younger folks are closest too and can generally afford in their early earning careers.  I'd expect that as their earnings rise and their collecting interests expand, many will migrate back to the bronze, silver and yes, golden age material.  It was mostly bronze and copper stuff for me when I was in my twenties... my thirties and forties was when I grew into my serious buying... and it was almost exclusively gold and silver.  I still remember when I bought my first four figure book... was in my mid-thirties and having some success in my career, and my finger was shaking every time I hit the bid button.  And when I finally won it, I remember feeling very anxious that I'd done something stupid.  That feeling went away though after I received the book.  I'd never owned anything like it and I was beaming.  It became much easier to buy four figure books thereafter...

Here it is btw, still have it... bought it raw and unpressed and later sent it in to this "new grading company called CGC" after meeting Steve Borock at a NY convention in the basement of a church...

 

 

[Stefan_W]

On 2/25/2023 at 12:07 PM, EastEnd1 said:

That's what I'm thinking... I've been going through a long box of early 2000s books that I had stored away and am stunned to see how many go for three figures in 9.8 condition.  The appetite for them is shockingly large, even with the recent declines.  As a 59 year old collector that's been doing this hobby since the early 1970s, I think I can safely say that it's not us old-timers that are chasing 9.8 moderns.  These are the comics the younger folks are closest too and can generally afford in their early earning careers.  I'd expect that as their earnings rise and their collecting interests expand, many will migrate back to the bronze, silver and yes, golden age material.  It was mostly bronze and copper stuff for me when I was in my twenties... my thirties and forties was when I grew into my serious buying... and it was almost exclusively gold and silver.  I still remember when I bought my first four figure book... was in my mid-thirties and having some success in my career, and my finger was shaking every time I hit the bid button.  And when I finally won it, I remember feeling very anxious that I'd done something stupid.  That feeling went away though after I received the book.  I'd never owned anything like it and I was beaming.  It became much easier to buy four figure books thereafter...

Here it is btw, still have it... bought it raw and unpressed and later sent it in to this "new grading company called CGC" after meeting Steve Borock at a NY convention in the basement of a church...

 

 

I would not assume this at all. I am a 56 year old geezer and I absolutely chase a lot of the modern books for a few reasons. First off, I have bought and sold most of the silver stuff that people want and it gets kind of samey after doing it for years. Second, a lot of the good modern art appeals to me more (although there are exceptions to every rule). Third, and most importantly, you can still find some pretty big modern books in the wild when hunt long enough. There is a thrill to finding a key buried in boxes from a collection that you buy. At this point in time, especially with the Internet around, it is almost impossible to find cheap deals on big silver keys so the game is spending 8k (for example) and hoping to get 9 or 10k out of it later. I much prefer spending 1k on a collection, finding a few books that could be worth hundreds, and pressing and submitting those to see what I get. But that is me and to each their own. 

Edited February 25, 2023 by Stefan_W

[EastEnd1]

On 2/25/2023 at 12:18 PM, Stefan_W said:

I would not assume this at all. I am a 56 year old geezer and I absolutely chase a lot of the modern books for a few reasons. First off, I have bought and sold most of the silver stuff that people want and it gets kind of samey after doing it for years. Second, a lot of the good modern art appeals to me more (although there are exceptions to every rule). Third, and most importantly, you can still find some pretty big modern books in the wild when hunt long enough. There is a thrill to finding a key buried in boxes from a collection that you buy. At this point in time, especially with the Internet around, it is almost impossible to find cheap deals on big silver keys so the game is spending 8k (for example) and hoping to get 9 or 10k out of it later. I much prefer spending 1k on a collection, finding a few books that could be worth hundreds, and pressing and submitting those to see what I get. But that is me and to each their own. 

Totally understand... didn't mean to imply that there weren't any older collectors chasing moderns... but that generally speaking its going to be mostly the younger folks. 

[PopKulture]

On 2/25/2023 at 11:07 AM, EastEnd1 said:

Wow… just wow.
If that was a Promise book, it likely would’ve been a 9.8. 

[GrasshopperFF]

On 2/25/2023 at 10:08 AM, KCOComics said:

Yes. I agree. The Hulk 1 and FF1 pictured above seem to have pretty strong prices compared to recent sales, especially with a few days to go. 

Still well off their all time highs of 2021 / 2022, but look like they'll hammer higher than recent comps. (For the FF1, I'm looking at a November sale of an 8.0 for $120k. The most recent 8.5 was from August, which was $228k. I don't think it will catch that number)

That Hulk 1! 

[Poekaymon]

On 2/25/2023 at 12:07 PM, EastEnd1 said:

As a 59 year old collector that's been doing this hobby since the early 1970s, I think I can safely say that it's not us old-timers that are chasing 9.8 moderns.  These are the comics the younger folks are closest too and can generally afford in their early earning careers.  I'd expect that as their earnings rise and their collecting interests expand, many will migrate back to the bronze, silver and yes, golden age material. 

Not sure about this.  I would guess the people buying moderns are doing so because it is it is "their era," much in the same way I primarily collect Coppers.  Assuming they have more money in the next 20 years to spend on comics (definitely not a guarantee when priorities like house and family, kids tuition, etc. often kick in around that time), then I would expect that person to just get the even bigger moderns rather than switch to golds/silvers instead of other investments like stocks and real estate.  

[Sweet Lou 14]

Not sure how we're defining "moderns" as the term now spans several decades.  Speaking only for myself, I had to stop buying new comics in 2012 because I was struggling to keep up with the reading.  I quit cold turkey when Doctor Octopus took over Peter Parker's body in ASM #700 and they rebooted the title again.  I had had enough of years of overcomplicated title and numbering schemes, and it seemed like the right time for me to step off the train.

Since then whenever I see mention of "hot" books from the last 10-15 years, the emphasis seems to be on the endless array of variants.  Taking Spider-Man in particular, I am amazed how many of what I'll call the "ultra-modern" covers don't even feature Spidey at all -- instead we get five different slight variations of the same sexy pose of Mary Jane or Felicia Hardy or whoever.  I've got nothing against pin-up girl art -- whatever floats your boat -- but that is not why I got into comics and those books hold no appeal for me.

I have picked up a small handful of post-2012 books in 9.8 WP if they were MCU-related keys, like the first appearance(s) of Ms. Marvel, but I decided not to do the same for America Chavez or Ironheart or other characters that, let's face it, will have their brief moment and then be forgotten by everyone.  I don't see the long-term value in those books (no offense to anyone who does).

So while I want to make 100% clear that I'm not judging anyone else's taste in comics, at least for me there is a bit of a generation gap.  Maybe the trend toward variant covers for individual comics goes hand-in-hand with, and was an attempt to counteract, the trend toward comics readers choosing to wait for collected stories or to read the stories online?  That would certainly make sense, but whatever the reason I see it as a fundamental shift in what the comics experience is all about.

Edited February 27, 2023 by Sweet Lou 14

[lou_fine]

On 2/26/2023 at 7:27 PM, Sweet Lou 14 said:

Since then whenever I see mention of "hot" books from the last 10-15 years, the emphasis seems to be on the endless array of variants.  Taking Spider-Man in particular, I am amazed how many of what I'll call the "ultra-modern" covers don't even feature Spidey at all -- instead we get five different slight variations of the same sexy pose of Mary Jane or Felicia Hardy or whoever.  I've got nothing against pin-up girl art -- whatever floats your boat -- but that is not why I got into comics and those books hold no appeal for me.

Sweet Lou;

Sir, from tonight's Heritage Auction.....................I completely fail to see what you mean by the hero not being in the covers at all, as I am sure John Carter is in there somewhere doing his thing in this classic variant cover if you look real real hard:    

https://comics.ha.com/itm/modern-age-1980-present-/dejah-thoris-v2-1-che-virgin-edition-dynamite-entertainment-2018-cgc-nm-mt-98-white-pages/a/122309-17259.s?ic16=ViewItem-BrowseTabs-Auction-Archive-SearchResults-120115&lotPosition=257|0

 

 

 

 

[comicnoir]

On 2/26/2023 at 11:12 PM, lou_fine said:

Sweet Lou;

Sir, from tonight's Heritage Auction.....................I completely fail to see what you mean by the hero not being in the covers at all, as I am sure John Carter is in there somewhere doing his thing in this classic variant cover if you look real real hard:    

https://comics.ha.com/itm/modern-age-1980-present-/dejah-thoris-v2-1-che-virgin-edition-dynamite-entertainment-2018-cgc-nm-mt-98-white-pages/a/122309-17259.s?ic16=ViewItem-BrowseTabs-Auction-Archive-SearchResults-120115&lotPosition=257|0

 

 

 

 

That girl's going to catch her death of cold.

[lou_fine]

On 2/24/2023 at 9:21 AM, THE_BEYONDER said:

I don’t think that the comics themselves will lose favour over the next few years, but I do think that the encapsulation of said comics will.   Applying the 25-year-rule to this....raw comics should be all the rage again in about 2 years. 

 

On 2/24/2023 at 10:37 AM, lou_fine said:

Maybe it will arrive sooner than you think as we are certainly seeing more and more raw books, even with the big auction houses like Heritage. 

And the strange thing, is that the relative pricing on some of the raw HTF rare GA books are actually just as high, if not slightly higher than what we are seeing with some of the slabbed counterparts from the same time period.  

Well, as I was watching some of the results for the Heritage Sunday auction this evening, looks like both of us might actually be under estimating the speed and the strength in the rise of the raw comic books relative to their graded counterparts:  

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/batman-25-dc-1944-condition-vg/a/122309-17176.s?ic16=ViewItem-BrowseTabs-Auction-Archive-ThisAuction-120115

Sold for $1,920 in VG raw graded condition this evening, as compared to this CGC 4.0 graded VG copy that sold for only $1,020 or barely half of the equivalent graded raw copy back in September of 2022 when the comic book market was supposedly a bit hotter than it is now:  

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/batman-25-dc-1944-cgc-vg-40-cream-to-off-white-pages/a/122239-17201.s?ic16=ViewItem-Auction-Archive-PreviousPricesHeritage-081514

I guess that's why we are starting to see a lot more raw GA books in the Heritage Sunday/Monday auctions and also why Heritage is putting out a big hiring blitz for their own GA & SA comic book graders, because who really wants to pay all that money for certified books when they sell better raw.