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

[PopKulture]

On 9/10/2023 at 6:36 PM, VintageComics said:

You and I will agree on far more than you realize. 

We just never get the chance to have a real conversation. It's always heated with people around us raising the temperature and preventing a real discussion. 

Very salient point.  Sensible people would tend to agree on much, but there are a number of systemic barriers and wedges built into modern discourse that tend to herd people back to their camps. 

p.s. I don’t think those “wedges” evolved organically… 

 

Edited September 10, 2023 by PopKulture

[VintageComics]

On 9/10/2023 at 7:47 PM, PopKulture said:

On 9/10/2023 at 7:36 PM, VintageComics said:

You and I will agree on far more than you realize. 

We just never get the chance to have a real conversation. It's always heated with people around us raising the temperature and preventing a real discussion. 

Very salient point.  Sensible people would tend to agree on much, but there are a number of systemic barriers and wedges built into modern discourse that tends to herd people back to their camps. 

p.s. I don’t think those “wedges” evolved organically… 

Thank you for being sensible. 

The good news is that eventually the unsensible people are left exposed. There's just a lot of collateral damage that happens along the way to bystanders, unfortunately. 

[namisgr]

Markets don't last indefinitely.

Diamond prices are way down from their 2022 peak.  Antique furniture prices have collapsed.  American art pottery prices are down.

-  other collectible prices that have come down include: fine china, modern toys in less than mint condition, lithographs, bakelite jewelry, figurines, most sports cards

They're another reminder that tastes and interests change over generations, as well as the time-worn warning that past performance of an asset does not guarantee its future price trajectory.

As for the comics in the one niche I still collect, their prices in the highest grades continue to be strong, and there hasn't been much of a discernible drop over the past couple years.  But there's no telling what the market will be like by the end of this decade and beyond.

Edited September 10, 2023 by namisgr

[VintageComics]

On 9/10/2023 at 7:52 PM, namisgr said:

Markets don't last indefinitely.

Diamond prices are way down from their 2022 peak.  Antique furniture prices have collapsed.  American art pottery prices are down.

-  other collectible prices that have come down include: fine china, modern toys in less than mint condition, lithographs, bakelite jewelry, figurines, most sports cards

They're another reminder that tastes and interests change over generations, as well as the time-worn warning that past performance of an asset does not guarantee its future price trajectory.

This is not the context you're looking for.

How are prices compared to 2019 for those things? 

[thehumantorch]

On 9/9/2023 at 4:33 AM, 1Cool said:

In terms of speculation books it’s back to 2013.  In terms of copper and modern books we are maybe back before that.  Bronze books we maybe are back to 2018 -2019.  Higher grade Silver and most Golden Age seem to be doing quite well but still probably back to 2020.

Timelys, LB Cole, some assorted GA seem to be going up.  There's not much data but a few sales this year have surprised me.

[Robot Man]

On 9/10/2023 at 4:35 PM, VintageComics said:

I own a Gretch Country Gentleman! What a gorgeous guitar. 

Have you watched prices of guitars and observed at all what they've been doing over the last 3 years?

Did they boom in 2021 like comics and have they started to drop down?

Incidentally, a friend of mine had a '59 Gibson Les Paul walk into his shop literally from a little old lady a few years ago. 

It's the find of a lifetime and the equivalent to an Action #1 walking into a comic store. 

Wow! That’s a beauty! Mine has a lot of “road wear” but I actually like it that way. Shows it’s history. I’ve got large gauge round wound strings on it. Really gives it that Scotty Moore “punch” to it.

Yeah, a ‘59 Less Paul is a holy grail. I had a late ‘70’s model but traded it for a ‘62 SG and cash. The Les Paul was too heavy and the SG sounded just as good without breaking my back. Besides, I needed the cash.

I haven’t followed the prices on vintage guitars for a while. I do know prior to Covid, many were trending down a bit. Might have gone up during covid because a lot of folks had more time on their hands to play. 

[PopKulture]

On 9/10/2023 at 6:52 PM, namisgr said:

Markets don't last indefinitely.

Diamond prices are way down from their 2022 peak.  Antique furniture prices have collapsed.  American art pottery prices are down.

-  other collectible prices that have come down include: fine china, modern toys in less than mint condition, lithographs, bakelite jewelry, figurines, most sports cards

They're another reminder that tastes and interests change over generations, as well as the time-worn warning that past performance of an asset does not guarantee its future price trajectory.

As for the comics in the one niche I still collect, their prices in the highest grades continue to be strong, and there hasn't been much of a discernible drop over the past couple years.  But there's no telling what the market will be like by the end of this decade and beyond.

Did you collect in those fields once upon a time? In areas like antique cigar boxes, paperbacks and of course pulps, all things I’ve collected for some time, there seems no end in sight to the escalation of prices.

I will add that in the case of pre-1950 cigar boxes, the Bay is littered with high-priced examples of boxes with truly suspect buy-it-now prices. It’s almost epidemic to ask unfounded and unrealistic sums. Boxes that used to be listed at $9.99 and maybe sell for that to say $25 are now listed at a BIN of say $59.99 or $249.99. I sometimes think I’m being pranked.  

[Robot Man]

On 9/10/2023 at 4:36 PM, VintageComics said:

You and I will agree on far more than you realize. 

We just never get the chance to have a real conversation. It's always heated with people around us raising the temperature and preventing a real discussion. 

I agree. We both want to reach the same place at the end of road. We just choose different roads to get there. Nothing wrong with that. As people, we just have to give as well as take in life. 

[Robot Man]

On 9/10/2023 at 5:04 PM, PopKulture said:

Did you collect in those fields once upon a time? In areas like antique cigar boxes, paperbacks and of course pulps, all things I’ve collected for some time, there seems no end in sight to the escalation of prices.

I will add that in the case of pre-1950 cigar boxes, the Bay is littered with high-priced examples of boxes with truly suspect buy-it-now prices. It’s almost epidemic to ask unfounded and unrealistic sums. Boxes that used to be listed at $9.99 and maybe sell for that to say $25 are now listed at a BIN of say $59.99 or $249.99. I sometimes think I’m being pranked.  

Other than comics, I have seen prices tighten up a bit on other collectibles like old toys and advertising. A lot of things have dropped just due to the demographics of the buyers. Buyers in these markets are starting to be a lot more selective in their purchases. Collectors are like junkies though. Gotta have that next cool item. Quality items can still bring strong prices. 

[ThothAmon]

On 9/10/2023 at 6:06 PM, namisgr said:

Here's a bronze age key that has a grand total of one copy in the CGC census in 9.8 grade.  The lone top census copy has been posted in the Bronze Age forum in the Picture Frame Marvels thread, as it was found and slabbed by a board member well known for his spectacular Silver and Bronze collections.

So while I no longer swim in the deep end of the bronze age collecting pool, there's a sense that scarce and desirable books are still doing exceptionally well in the marketplace.

Is that the 9.8 copy?  Looks like a pretty good size nick out of it and some other issues. My copy isn’t quite there  

 

 

[namisgr]

On 9/10/2023 at 8:39 PM, ThothAmon said:

Is that the 9.8 copy?  Looks like a pretty good size nick out of it and some other issues. 

No, that's a VF raw copy of mine.  My post mentioned that another boardie found and had slabbed the one and only 9.8 copy of this ish.

[Buzzetta]

On 9/10/2023 at 7:52 PM, namisgr said:

Markets don't last indefinitely.

Diamond prices are way down from their 2022 peak.  Antique furniture prices have collapsed.  American art pottery prices are down.

-  other collectible prices that have come down include: fine china, modern toys in less than mint condition, lithographs, bakelite jewelry, figurines, most sports cards

They're another reminder that tastes and interests change over generations, as well as the time-worn warning that past performance of an asset does not guarantee its future price trajectory.

As for the comics in the one niche I still collect, their prices in the highest grades continue to be strong, and there hasn't been much of a discernible drop over the past couple years.  But there's no telling what the market will be like by the end of this decade and beyond.

Depends what modern toys you are talking about.  

For example, most GI Joe modern era FSS figures sold for an average of $33.  The aftermarket on those figures are still higher than the initial buy in price with MANY of them commanding 3x that even if loose.   Cover Girl is still a $150-185 figure as is FSS Footloose, FSS Jinx and what not.

Once Hasbro put the kibosh on the 3.75" line to focus on Classified, the spike in price for the 3.75" modern era figures continues to hold steady with loose figures still actively selling for more than the original retail for MOC samples. 

The same is also true for most of the Star Wars Modern Era Vintage Collection and Transformers.  As Hasbro introduces more product, the shelf life is slimmer and there is a decrease of these figures finding their ways back into circulation with newer assortments.  Basically, if you miss it, after retail dries up, you are paying a premium on MOST of them compared to the original MSRP after a year of it being out of circulation.   Try finding a loose Siege of Cybertron Omega Supreme for less than the original boxed retail cost.  You can't.  Even incomplete loose samples missing the Countdown figure are selling for more than retail.   

So again, what modern toys were you talking about?  The "Big 3" are still showing strength both loose and sealed. 

Now please do not come back and tell me you are talking about modern toys like generic dolls or kid toys that are meant to be disposable.  The modern toys that are mostly collected toward the collector markets are comparable to SW, Joe, and Transformers as well as the Wrestling Figures. 

If you want to discuss Lego, that is a different story as it is a different collecting market to begin with and an outlier in the toy collecting world due to the way collectors 'collect.' 

@namisgr I like ya, but lately, where are you pulling this half informed information from?

[Telegan]

On 9/10/2023 at 7:04 PM, PopKulture said:

Did you collect in those fields once upon a time? In areas like antique cigar boxes, paperbacks and of course pulps, all things I’ve collected for some time, there seems no end in sight to the escalation of prices.

I will add that in the case of pre-1950 cigar boxes, the Bay is littered with high-priced examples of boxes with truly suspect buy-it-now prices. It’s almost epidemic to ask unfounded and unrealistic sums. Boxes that used to be listed at $9.99 and maybe sell for that to say $25 are now listed at a BIN of say $59.99 or $249.99. I sometimes think I’m being pranked.  

In a video interview I posted earlier of a comic dealer, he said that a lot of people that are selling what they own in comics aren't elderly people getting rid of comics as they've gotten older, but rather younger people just trying to get out of their comics.  I don't know if that's generally the case across most dealers, but I found that intriguing.  If that's the case, I doubt any of them were collecting some of the stuff you mentioned like antique cigar boxes or even paperbacks, but who knows.  I bought my first pulp recently just to buy one and check it out since I had never bought a pulp before.  Lord, that was a crunchy book. lol.

[namisgr]

On 9/10/2023 at 8:42 PM, Buzzetta said:

 

@namisgr I like ya, but lately, where are you pulling this half informed information from?

I'm sure it varies depending on the toy category and whether there's a divergence between mint and non-mint price changes.

Terry Kovel says the following about modern toy prices of late.  I have no skin in the game, and am happy to stand corrected if she's not accurate - it doesn't change the point I made that not all collectibles were rising in price, unlike what someone else posted here, but instead several categories had seen marked price declines.  Ask anyone who's sold or tried to sell most cuts of diamonds, vintage wood furniture, fine china, bakelite, or some other types of collectibles I mentioned.

Modern toys in less-than-mint condition. Toys from the 1970s and 1980s were a hot collector category, but they have cooled dramatically and now have significant value only if they are extremely rare and/or are in such great condition that they look like they were never played with (or, better yet, still are in their original boxes).  Example: A typical Hot Wheels car from the 1970s in good but not perfect condition might have sold for $5 a few years ago…but now is worth the 25 cents it might fetch at a garage sale.

Edited September 11, 2023 by namisgr

[Buzzetta]

So let's use a recent listing I was following.

Hasbro does not seem to be making many vehicles anymore so complete modern era vehicles continue to increase in value across the board. 

Here is a modern Y-Wing, slightly retooled for the Modern Era Star Wars Vintage Collection line.

Loose sample with an open box with what might be a slight sag in the rear landing gears went for $190 before tax and shipping on Friday.  LINK

Original retail for this item?  $39.99 released in 2011.   Rebelscum Archive Listing

Market appears pretty strong. 

I can list 100's and 1000's of individual examples.

Edited September 11, 2023 by Buzzetta

[Buzzetta]

On 9/10/2023 at 8:52 PM, namisgr said:

I'm sure it varies depending on the toy category and whether there's a divergence between mint and non-mint price changes.

Terry Kovel says the following about modern toy prices of late.  I have no skin in the game, and am happy to stand corrected if she's not accurate - it doesn't change the point I made that not all collectibles were rising in price, unlike what someone else posted here, but instead several categories had seen marked price declines.

Modern toys in less-than-mint condition. Toys from the 1970s and 1980s were a hot collector category, but they have cooled dramatically and now have significant value only if they are extremely rare and/or are in such great condition that they look like they were never played with (or, better yet, still are in their original boxes).  Example: A typical Hot Wheels car from the 1970s in good but not perfect condition might have sold for $5 a few years ago…but now is worth the 25 cents it might fetch at a garage sale.

I am going to make you feel old.

Toys from the 1970's and 80's are now 40-50 years old... they are now considered "Vintage". 

[namisgr]

The other source I read: https://www.iguide.net/price-guide/toys/#:~:text=Prices for the rarest toys continues to be,sought after and sell quickly at high prices.

Excerpt:

Market Report

Prices for the rarest toys continues to be strong while prices for common or modern pieces continue to fall. The rare 1920s and 1920s wind-up toys by Marx and others in original 'like new' condition are very much sought after and sell quickly at high prices. Beginning in the late 1960s, most toys were usually mass-produced, thus making them quite common. Toys from about 1980 onward are VERY common in most cases. Still, many command good prices on eBay and other sites, while others fail to sell or sell at far below original retail.

Your recent experiences are clearly different, but may reflect differences in the types of toys and their eras between what you specialize in and what writers of these cited pieces have experienced.  

As someone who doesn't collect anything anymore, excepting one small comic book niche, I've got no personal knowledge to add whatsoever.  But my wife and I do have experience with cratering prices in vintage furniture and fine china that are family heirlooms.

Edited September 11, 2023 by namisgr

[namisgr]

On 9/10/2023 at 8:57 PM, Buzzetta said:

I am going to make you feel old.

Toys from the 1970's and 80's are now 40-50 years old... they are now considered "Vintage". 

Heh, that's easy.  I AM old.    I grew up with toys from the 1950s and '60s.  Wonder what our 1959 model Stanley Cup Hockey table game (Montreal versus Toronto) with the battery operated red goal lights and the original box goes for?

Edited September 11, 2023 by namisgr

[ThothAmon]

No ease on what I’d hoped to win in yesterday’s HA. Tapped out on all three before final hammer. Tec is a 3.0 from the other guys. 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by ThothAmon

[ThothAmon]