Wait -- OA prices can actually go DOWN?!? 1 1

[Rick2you2]

On 12/8/2021 at 8:50 PM, Race said:

The issue is the obscene price for a poorly page by an artist a) no one will care about or recognize in ten years and b) whose work will have made no discernable contribution to the art. This page has one thing going for it: hype. When superhero movies die their natural death, so will this page's value.

I suppose we should shed no tears over the wealthy fool left holding the bag here, but OA collecting as a whole is poorer for it when trash like this is sold for more money than work by good artists.

Personally, I wouldn’t pay 29k or 32k for the page, but that’s not because the page lacks artistic merit. It just doesn’t fit into my collecting interests and I don’t spend that kind of money for play (yet). OA is very personal, tied to nostalgia, the artist, and the character more than the “quality” of the piece. As to any “contribution” to art, that is pretty rare. Do you really think all those Byrne X-Men pages made any sort of contribution, at least after the initial bunch? I, and many other boardies, have commented on lovely pieces that are cheap because they lack those personal ties. It is all about popularity, not “quality”. SS is likely to remain popular, as is Thanos.

Is Lim bad? No. Is the piece bad? No, and I do like the SS image in the upper right corner. Will this piece go up in the future? For at least the next 5-10 years, it will hold its own, maybe for 20. If you want to feel sorry for people, look at all those owners of 19th century landscapes which used to be in high demand and now languish, or high end Persian Rugs which have taken a beating. That’s the way it goes.

If I felt like buying something on a whim, I would pay $500 for it. But, if you put the Phantom Stranger on a surf board, then I might crack open the wallet.

[MAR1979]

No Thanos Copter, No Sale.

 

[jsylvester]

On 12/4/2021 at 7:18 AM, Race said:

Sold to who? Glen Brunswick? Or ”sold” (removed from sale) to make the embarrassment of such a ridiculous ask go away?

There is no one on this board who would dare place Lim in the top 20 comics artists of all time. High priced, poorly drawn OA tied to trendy storylines -- just like this page -- will be the first to crash when the collectibles market gets whacked. I would hate to be the 29k (or 40k, or 55k) bag holder on this in 2 years...

Nostalgia is a powerful thing and these trendy stories were read by millions of collectors. I personally don’t collect this story but can understand why pages are high.

[jsylvester]

On 12/8/2021 at 8:50 PM, Race said:

The issue is the obscene price for a poorly page by an artist a) no one will care about or recognize in ten years and b) whose work will have made no discernable contribution to the art. This page has one thing going for it: hype. When superhero movies die their natural death, so will this page's value.

I suppose we should shed no tears over the wealthy fool left holding the bag here, but OA collecting as a whole is poorer for it when trash like this is sold for more money than work by good artists.

Why are you so upset? It’s a large 90s event and people buy what they love. Also everyone has different tastes. I own a lot of 90s art from large events  that I love. I’ve never understood why collectors diss art. Is it because the seller did well and you think your art should be worth more? I’m happy for anyone that does well even if I don’t like the art. So many collectors dissed my 90s art when I started collecting it 12 years ago. I even took from a couple on this site. Everyone kept promoting silver age and Kirby but that’s not what I grew up on. Now my collection is worth a lot of money which I could never foresee. I was expecting minor appreciation but nowhere close to where prices are today. Did I mention how much I love my expensive 90s art? It’s worth so much money🤣

Edited December 24, 2021 by jsylvester

[Rick2you2]

On 12/23/2021 at 2:19 AM, jsylvester said:

Why are you so upset? It’s a large 90s event and people buy what they love. Also everyone has different tastes. I own a lot of 90s art from large events  that I love. I’ve never understood why collectors diss art. Is it because the seller did well and you think your art should be worth more? I’m happy for anyone that does well even if I don’t like the art. So many collectors dissed my 90s art when I started collecting it 12 years ago. I even took from a couple on this site. Everyone kept promoting silver age and Kirby but that’s not what I grew up on. Now my collection is worth a lot of money which I could never foresee. I was expecting minor appreciation but nowhere close to where prices are today. Did I mention how much I love my expensive 90s art? It’s worth so much money🤣

Not everyone promotes Kirby, although, he was apparently a really nice guy who Marvel took advantage of. If you have ever seen some of his less rushed pieces, his raw skill was very high, but Kirby made his mark before Adams changed the landscape on page layout and design, as well as his own raw drafting skill. Modern layout and design, including your stuff, began to really get moving in the Bronze Age. The money part doesn’t interest me; price and quality diverge with OA into things like nostalgia. 

[vodou]

On 12/23/2021 at 2:19 AM, jsylvester said:

I’ve never understood why collectors diss art.

Speaking only for myself not all "art" is Art.

That's the stumbling block for me with most everything "90s."

But don't take it personally, I have the same problem with many "artists" across many decades not just the 90s.

[Pete Marino]

I've been lurking around these boards for over 10 years now, it feel like this same discussion happens every 3 or 4 years.

IMO, the hobby has "matured" from art collecting to collectibles.  and with that in mind, the context of the page is as if not more important than the quality of the content.

Everyone can still collect what they like, how they like, but times, they have a changed....

[Rick2you2]

On 12/23/2021 at 1:22 PM, Pete Marino said:

I've been lurking around these boards for over 10 years now, it feel like this same discussion happens every 3 or 4 years.

IMO, the hobby has "matured" from art collecting to collectibles.  and with that in mind, the context of the page is as if not more important than the quality of the content.

Everyone can still collect what they like, how they like, but times, they have a changed....

I think it always has been. Look at how many times the same artist’s work is hot on one book, and the art is expensive, but then the artist goes on a different book, and the artwork on the newer book is relatively cheap—like Byrne’s work.The quality didn’t go down (for the most part). Just the fan base. 

[jsylvester]

On 12/23/2021 at 5:58 AM, Rick2you2 said:

Not everyone promotes Kirby, although, he was apparently a really nice guy who Marvel took advantage of. If you have ever seen some of his less rushed pieces, his raw skill was very high, but Kirby made his mark before Adams changed the landscape on page layout and design, as well as his own raw drafting skill. Modern layout and design, including your stuff, began to really get moving in the Bronze Age. The money part doesn’t interest me; price and quality diverge with OA into things like nostalgia. 

I actually own a couple Kirby pieces and acknowledge his huge contributions so not casting shade in any way. The fact I decided to keep my Kirby’s over other 90s art I recently sold just shows my love for them. That said I’ll probably sell them before my nostalgic pages if need be. My point is that collectors should accept that we are all different ages so covet different stories. I purchased OA for nostalgia but also knew the stories I collected were seen by a lot of people so figured they’d possibly hold their value or appreciate a bit but never anticipated todays prices. I was spending thousands of dollars for each page 12 years ago which everyone told me was overpriced but I loved them so much I didn’t listen. I was away for 5 years and just found out this last year how expensive they are. I’ll admit I saw dollar signs and went to the dark side at first but it didn’t matter as I didn’t sell. I’m thinking of selling a few as I now realize I can’t own everything but who knows if I’ll follow thru. Picking pages to sell is the most difficult process and I make excuses for keeping every single one. 

[MAR1979]

I for one am glad I picked up bulk of my 70's art, especially the covers and splashes, 14-20 years ago and held onto approx 95% of it.  I believe most of my stuff beat the S&P 500 which is not easy to do over a long haul.  Some of it will be used to fund an early retirement.  Won't be easy to part with many of the pieces but getting out of the "rat race" early will be priceless.

Edited December 24, 2021 by MAR1979

[vodou]

On 12/23/2021 at 8:27 PM, jsylvester said:

Picking pages to sell is the most difficult process and I make excuses for keeping every single one. 

I am equally and painfully constipated.

[vodou]

On 12/24/2021 at 9:23 AM, MAR1979 said:

Won't be easy to part with many of the pieces but getting out of the "rat race" early will be priceless.

If you can do it, you'll be very happy. I did it a few months shy of my 39th and have been taking the long scenic route to everything in life ever since.

That was eleven years ago, not a moment's regret since. I very much encourage anybody that can to do so!

[Xatari]

On 12/24/2021 at 12:58 PM, vodou said:

If you can do it, you'll be very happy. I did it a few months shy of my 39th and have been taking the long scenic route to everything in life ever since.

That was eleven years ago, not a moment's regret since. I very much encourage anybody that can to do so!

I love this! Congratulations.