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

[KCOComics]

It looks like a lot of the big GA books (Bat 1, Cap 1) struggled a little. Which is interesting,  because they've been holding value much better than the SA keys. 

Mask 2 saw a pretty crazy price! That book is reaching unobtainable levels. Same with Mask1. Which is unfortunate. In a prefect world I would have loved to own them.  

[MatterEaterLad]

I think you're missing a zero on the 2022 average for the AF15 - 7.5 

As always, thank you for putting this together. 

[Robot Man]

On 3/17/2024 at 9:05 PM, lou_fine said:

Was following some of the results for the first day of the CC Event Auction earlier today, and all I can say is that prices on GA books are still rocketing upwards as I was blown out of the water on anything that I was thinking of bidding on.    

Definitely a sign that the market is strong when so many restored books are going for multiples of unrestored condition guide value, with a perfect case in point being this trimmed and Moderately Restored PLOD that was still able to fetch well over 16X Universal unrestored condition value at a rather whopping, but probably not so surprising $9,685.30, especially considering its apparent rarity:    

https://www.comicconnect.com/item/732986

Not surprising to me. That is a super rarity. The kind of book that I chase with futility. I have only seen just a few of those for sale ever. The extreme scarcity of available copies of this and many other similar books keep prices strong on this as well as many other GA books. 

[Robot Man]

On 4/6/2024 at 3:29 AM, KCOComics said:

It looks like a lot of the big GA books (Bat 1, Cap 1) struggled a little. Which is interesting,  because they've been holding value much better than the SA keys. 

Mask 2 saw a pretty crazy price! That book is reaching unobtainable levels. Same with Mask1. Which is unfortunate. In a prefect world I would have loved to own them.  

The only reason I have copies of both is because I discovered them before the Gerber books. But, as iconic as they both are, high prices seem to keep drawing them out into the market. I really wouldn’t call either “rare” just very desirable. 

[DC#]

On 4/6/2024 at 7:06 AM, MatterEaterLad said:

I think you're missing a zero on the 2022 average for the AF15 - 7.5 

As always, thank you for putting this together. 

Oops.   Thanks.  Will fix it later 

[Robot Man]

I don’t know about comic prices but Pulp prices are exploding…

[FanBoyOfMarve'nDC]

On 4/7/2024 at 11:36 AM, Robot Man said:

I don’t know about comic prices but Pulp prices are exploding…

Now/s the time to sell pulps, before the bubble on them pops like the graded video game market bubble popped.

I actually can appreciate pulps but the hype being pushed on them is just like what was done with graded video games and the novelty with hype is driving prices thru the roof.

For a guy who's only been dealing comics for under 5 years, Ryan's analysis on comic market trends and pricing is as good as my own, and IMHO, virtually any other dealer on the forums.
 

 

[blazingbob]

Basically you will see a lot of guys who bought this over the years cashing out.  Why wouldn't you?  

It was the same thing that happened before comics started getting graded,  buyers were buying up raw anticipating the uptick in graded books.

The census will be low on this stuff adding to the "scarcity" until record $$$ numbers start being seen and then magically more copies will come up for sale. 

The auction houses now have a new brand of crack to sell - Previously Unappreciated Lipstick Product Sale 

Edited April 8 by blazingbob

[1Cool]

High grade pulps have to be as rare as hens teeth so I can see why money is flowing there.  Anything that is readily available is not faring nearly as well.

[blazingbob]

On 4/8/2024 at 9:24 AM, 1Cool said:

High grade pulps have to be as rare as hens teeth so I can see why money is flowing there.  Anything that is readily available is not faring nearly as well.

Money flows where the "perception" is that money can be made.  Auction houses create "markets",  they have a vested interest in seeing strong pulp prices to fuel more auction sales going forward. 

Have you met anybody who has said they read a pulp?  Its all about the cover,  perfect to be graded.     

Edited April 8 by blazingbob

[Darwination]

I've read hundreds.

[Robot Man]

On 4/8/2024 at 6:28 AM, blazingbob said:

Money flows where the "perception" is that money can be made.  Auction houses create "markets",  they have a vested interest in seeing strong pulp prices to fuel more auction sales going forward. 

Have you met anybody who has said they read a pulp?  Its all about the cover,  perfect to be graded.     

True and why I have graded very few comics but sending in a lot of pulps. Although I can still enjoy them in a Mylar. I just figure before prices go through the roof, I can still afford the grading costs.

Yes, I am primarily a cover collector. But, I too have read many pulps. Spider and the horror ones have some real wild stories. I also like Bradbury and a few other writers.

The hobby has become too “cover centric”. Thus prices on the classic ones have risen so high. Same with “wall gazers” at cons. Folks are to lazy to dig boxes and discover books for their actual content…

[Darwination]

I mean, I get it with a lot of pulps.  They're fragile but gorgeous.  If you have a weird menace pulp starting to fall apart, putting it in a safe box seems like a good idea.  But common lower grade books, especially from the later years are great for reading.  You can still grab a stack of 2 dollar pulp westerns and find hours of enjoyment. (or wander over to the Internet Archive and search about any title and do the same minus the pulp flakes and aroma).  I love the smell - my wife, not so much 

Edited April 8 by Darwination

[The humble Watcher lurking]

The movie thing is over. See all these YouTubers pumping movie rumors. It's bad for them as  they were getting 100,000 plus views now they  get 1000 at most. They be begging. Lol crazy. 

[1Cool]

On 4/8/2024 at 12:46 PM, The humble Watcher lurking said:

The movie thing is over. See all these YouTubers pumping movie rumors. It's bad for them as  they were getting 100,000 plus views now they  get 1000 at most. They be begging. Lol crazy. 

It's pretty crazy how fast things corrected especially if you consider the movie hype era lasted for well over a decade.  It's completely collapsed in a year.

[thehumantorch]

On 4/8/2024 at 10:46 AM, The humble Watcher lurking said:

The movie thing is over. See all these YouTubers pumping movie rumors. It's bad for them as  they were getting 100,000 plus views now they  get 1000 at most. They be begging. Lol crazy. 

That puts a smile on my face.

[Hepcat]

On 4/8/2024 at 9:28 AM, blazingbob said:

Money flows where the "perception" is that money can be made.  Auction houses create "markets",  they have a vested interest in seeing strong pulp prices to fuel more auction sales going forward. 

Truth! That's another sleazy element in the hobby that needs to be spotlighted. The auction houses deliberately "talk up" prices.

On 4/8/2024 at 9:28 AM, blazingbob said:

Have you met anybody who has said they read a pulp?  Its all about the cover,  perfect to be graded.     

I've never read a pulp but the mens' sweat magazines from the 1950's to the 1970's are excellent reading!

Edited April 8 by Hepcat

[darkstar]

On 4/7/2024 at 10:55 PM, FanBoyOfMarve'nDC said:

Now/s the time to sell pulps, before the bubble on them pops like the graded video game market bubble popped.

I actually can appreciate pulps but the hype being pushed on them is just like what was done with graded video games and the novelty with hype is driving prices thru the roof.

For a guy who's only been dealing comics for under 5 years, Ryan's analysis on comic market trends and pricing is as good as my own, and IMHO, virtually any other dealer on the forums.
 

 

Just an all around terrible take and atrocious comparison to the videogame market. This is reactionary nonsense due to price spikes and overall instability in a virgin market. Evidence of an actual pump is nowhere to be found. Where is the hype? Where is the young, outside money moving into the market? There is little evidence of either of those things. Pulp content here on the boards? Nearly non-existent. Same thing to be said about Youtube and your social media platform of choice.  

Windy City Pulp was this past weekend, fewer than 5 dealers had graded pulps, and I would estimate 90% of the people in the room were in their late 40s or older. It was the same show that it has always been. 

Graded videogames were around for years, being bought and sold for understandable prices by collectors, before any sort of manipulation set in, the market depth and interest simply was not there. That market wasn't seen as an investment opportunity until Heritage made the false press release about the Super Mario Brothers sale and then conveniently announced they would start selling graded games.  

[blazingbob]

On 4/8/2024 at 3:28 PM, darkstar said:

Just an all around terrible take and atrocious comparison to the videogame market. This is reactionary nonsense due to price spikes and overall instability in a virgin market. Evidence of an actual pump is nowhere to be found. Where is the hype? Where is the young, outside money moving into the market? There is little evidence of either of those things. Pulp content here on the boards? Nearly non-existent. Same thing to be said about Youtube and your social media platform of choice.  

Windy City Pulp was this past weekend, fewer than 5 dealers had graded pulps, and I would estimate 90% of the people in the room were in their late 40s or older. It was the same show that it has always been. 

Graded videogames were around for years, being bought and sold for understandable prices by collectors, before any sort of manipulation set in, the market depth and interest simply was not there. That market wasn't seen as an investment opportunity until Heritage made the false press release about the Super Mario Brothers sale and then conveniently announced they would start selling graded games.  

I believe the gaming market was a blend of auction houses spiking up prices,  grading company "investors" spinning scarcity since no census existed,  a hype machine gone wild,  "supposed sales" that seems to defy reality and a general lack of transparency into who was really buying this stuff.  

With the pulp market it is a niche market,  there is a good collector base but lets not forget that once grading starts and $$$ numbers get thrown around reality goes out the window.  Like any other asset if the price hits a number that makes you go "hmmmm" maybe sell some of those treasured pulps into the strength.  

[october]

On 4/8/2024 at 2:28 PM, darkstar said:

Windy City Pulp was this past weekend, fewer than 5 dealers had graded pulps, and I would estimate 90% of the people in the room were in their late 40s or older. It was the same show that it has always been. 

There were a handful of younger guys buying up a ton of stuff and prices at the auction were insane...at least on Friday night. But yeah, it was pretty much the same show as always. I expected more of a frenzy and more new "collectors".