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"Never mind Bitcoin, How'd you like to own a piece of Batman?"
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41 posts in this topic

Saw this on the local news this morning. Some grim news. Really wonder how this is going to affect the comic market. Bull or Bear?

In the meantime, there is this. Who in their right mind would "invest" in this? You basically get nothing. Not even a panel. What a weird place this world has gotten to be...

On the bright side, if you ever wanted to own a Larson...

https://ktla.com/news/never-mind-bitcoin-howd-you-like-to-own-a-piece-of-batman/amp/

Edited by Robot Man
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On 2/19/2022 at 10:44 AM, MattTheDuck said:

There are a couple of threads discussing this idea.  Just don't see this as something a collector would be interested in but to each his own.

Yep, been talked about quite a bit on the boards here with most boardies giving a big  :p to this idea. 

I guess it's really geared much more towards the investor side of the comic book marketplace, and as such, I personally don't see much of a problem with it as long as everything's registered properly.  Certainly also a need for buyers going in and doing their own due diligence to ensure they have a full understanding of the product, especially when it comes to controlling rights and the ins and outs of reselling your shares.  hm  

Not sure why he would equate it to a timeshare though, as I see it much more like equity investing where you own a tiny fractional share of a publically traded company like Apple or dare we say Enron :devil: because as an individual investor, you simply can't afford to buy the whole company for yourself.  (thumbsu

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On 2/19/2022 at 4:05 PM, lou_fine said:

Yep, been talked about quite a bit on the boards here with most boardies giving a big  :p to this idea. 

I guess it's really geared much more towards the investor side of the comic book marketplace, and as such, I personally don't see much of a problem with it as long as everything's registered properly.  Certainly also a need for buyers going in and doing their own due diligence to ensure they have a full understanding of the product, especially when it comes to controlling rights and the ins and outs of reselling your shares.  hm  

Not sure why he would equate it to a timeshare though, as I see it much more like equity investing where you own a tiny fractional share of a publically traded company like Apple or dare we say Enron :devil: because as an individual investor, you simply can't afford to buy the whole company for yourself.  (thumbsu

Yeah, I agree.  I have no problem with the idea and if you want to "invest" in comics rather than - or in addition to - collecting them, it's a way to build a diversified "comic book portfolio" and have stuff you otherwise couldn't afford.  Generally speaking, I'm in favor of owning a broad range of different kinds/classes of investments but don't really see my collection as an investment.

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On 2/19/2022 at 10:36 AM, Robot Man said:

Saw this on the local news this morning. Some grim news. Really wonder how this is going to affect the comic market. Bull or Bear?

If anything at all, it should result in higher prices because with this new avenue of purchasing, it basically just means more buyers or demand for books that's already in limited supply. hm

Especially since the breakup of the book into more affordable share units means that the owner through Rally Road can most probably ask and receive a higher price on the whole book, as opposed to selling it as just one complete high dollar value book.  Perfect case in point, with CC selling the last CGC 8.0 graded copy of Batman 1 for a shade over $1.2M just last year and now this copy here is selling for $1.8M.  Of course, it's now 10 months later and the Larson pedigree should in theory account for some of this $600K increase here. (shrug)

 

On 2/19/2022 at 10:36 AM, Robot Man said:

Who in their right mind would "invest" in this? You basically get nothing. Not even a panel. What a weird place this world has gotten to be...

My bet is that the purchasers whio brought into the CGC 9.8 graded copy of TMNT 1 at something like $65K either last year or late the year before that are not complaining now that other copies in this same grade are reselling in the $200K to $250K price range.  :takeit:

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So CC sold the Larson Bat 1 for $390K in 2016 (which was probably still a bargain at that time). The next time it appeared it had a just under $1 million asking price on CC, but didn't sell, only to resurface and "sell" for $1.44 million in the first Goldin auction in September. and now they are helping to sell it again, this time for $1.8 million to a fractional share company.

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On 2/19/2022 at 4:31 PM, lou_fine said:

If anything at all, it should result in higher prices because with this new avenue of purchasing, it basically just means more buyers or demand for books that's already in limited supply. hm

Especially since the breakup of the book into more affordable share units means that the owner through Rally Road can most probably ask and receive a higher price on the whole book, as opposed to selling it as just one complete high dollar value book.  Perfect case in point, with CC selling the last CGC 8.0 graded copy of Batman 1 for a shade over $1.2M just last year and now this copy here is selling for $1.8M.  Of course, it's now 10 months later and the Larson pedigree should in theory account for some of this $600K increase here. (shrug)

 

My bet is that the purchasers whio brought into the CGC 9.8 graded copy of TMNT 1 at something like $65K either last year or late the year before that are not complaining now that other copies in this same grade are reselling in the $200K to $250K price range.  :takeit:

My original post was pointing out the rather shaky and uncertain economy we are experiencing and the possible further down turn we might be facing.

The average collector might be taking a lot harder look at expenses in the near future.

I know my buying has slowed to a virtual crawl in the past few months. For a number of reasons. Books have just risen too high in to short a time. Very unnatural for those of us who have been in for such a long time. In my case, I am fortunate to have collected since before the wheel and pieced together a rather large collection of books I have always wanted. Then, there is the availability of sources to obtain the few holes I have yet to fill. Ebay has gotton tough. There are from time to time a few decent board sales. Comic Cons, flea markets. Estate sales and other live venues where I used to score a few deals have dried up. The big auction houses are pretty much out for me. Just too expensive and just no fun. I long ago gave up the mega books I would still like to own.

There are and will continue to be those with super deep pockets. Many probably aren’t comic people though. What will happen when they want to move on and cash in? Who will replace these buyers? I know of a few local guys who have already gotton out. I don’t see these people willing to ride it out long term. Investors by nature, tend to move on.

Just the current state as I see it from the eyes of a lifetime collector.

And yes, I know the “shares” thing has been discussed and those of us with experience in the hobby (shrug). I just found the piece obviously aimed at the general public rather amusing.

ZIP  POW  BANG!

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In what city will the book physically reside?

Where within that city/town will the book physically reside?

Would share owners be able to arrange to see the book?

Will the book be insured?  If so, for how much?  If not, why not?

Where does the money come from to pay the insurance premiums/storage fees?

I have an emergency and I need to sell my shares.  How do I do that?  

How is the value of my shares determined at any point in time?

Who determines when the book is to be sold?  How is it determined what site is to be used?

What prevents the custodian from selling the book and then buggering off with the proceeds?

How are any Capital Gains handled?

What are the rules surrounding the custodian's physical handling of the book?  

I'm sure that there are dozens more unknowns...

 

 

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On 2/19/2022 at 8:49 PM, Robot Man said:

My original post was pointing out the rather shaky and uncertain economy we are experiencing and the possible further down turn we might be facing.

The average collector might be taking a lot harder look at expenses in the near future.

I know my buying has slowed to a virtual crawl in the past few months. For a number of reasons. Books have just risen too high in to short a time. Very unnatural for those of us who have been in for such a long time. In my case, I am fortunate to have collected since before the wheel and pieced together a rather large collection of books I have always wanted. Then, there is the availability of sources to obtain the few holes I have yet to fill. Ebay has gotton tough. There are from time to time a few decent board sales. Comic Cons, flea markets. Estate sales and other live venues where I used to score a few deals have dried up. The big auction houses are pretty much out for me. Just too expensive and just no fun. I long ago gave up the mega books I would still like to own.

There are and will continue to be those with super deep pockets. Many probably aren’t comic people though. What will happen when they want to move on and cash in? Who will replace these buyers? I know of a few local guys who have already gotton out. I don’t see these people willing to ride it out long term. Investors by nature, tend to move on.

Just the current state as I see it from the eyes of a lifetime collector.

And yes, I know the “shares” thing has been discussed and those of us with experience in the hobby (shrug). I just found the piece obviously aimed at the general public rather amusing.

ZIP  POW  BANG!

 

On 2/19/2022 at 8:49 PM, Robot Man said:

My original post was pointing out the rather shaky and uncertain economy we are experiencing and the possible further down turn we might be facing.

The average collector might be taking a lot harder look at expenses in the near future.

I know my buying has slowed to a virtual crawl in the past few months. For a number of reasons. Books have just risen too high in to short a time. Very unnatural for those of us who have been in for such a long time. In my case, I am fortunate to have collected since before the wheel and pieced together a rather large collection of books I have always wanted. Then, there is the availability of sources to obtain the few holes I have yet to fill. Ebay has gotton tough. There are from time to time a few decent board sales. Comic Cons, flea markets. Estate sales and other live venues where I used to score a few deals have dried up. The big auction houses are pretty much out for me. Just too expensive and just no fun. I long ago gave up the mega books I would still like to own.

There are and will continue to be those with super deep pockets. Many probably aren’t comic people though. What will happen when they want to move on and cash in? Who will replace these buyers? I know of a few local guys who have already gotton out. I don’t see these people willing to ride it out long term. Investors by nature, tend to move on.

Just the current state as I see it from the eyes of a lifetime collector.

And yes, I know the “shares” thing has been discussed and those of us with experience in the hobby (shrug). I just found the piece obviously aimed at the general public rather amusing.

ZIP  POW  BANG!

Yeah, it's gotten so bad, I'm starting to buy DC.

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On 2/19/2022 at 6:58 PM, Wolverinex said:

 

Yeah, it's gotten so bad, I'm starting to buy DC.

Well, absolutely nothing at all wrong with either an Action 1 or a 'Tec 27.  lol  :takeit:

Seriously though, haven't we always been told the best time to buy is when something is out of favor and sell when it hopefully goes higher.  :wishluck:

Or the other strategy is to buy the red hot MCU related books at top of market or close to it and sell them when they come crashing back down to Earth after the movie comes out.  :tonofbricks:

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On 2/20/2022 at 12:08 AM, lou_fine said:

Or the other strategy is to buy the red hot MCU related books at top of market or close to it and sell them when they come crashing back down to Earth after the movie comes out.  :tonofbricks:

I wonder if with this new fractional shares company you will finally be able to short comic futures?  Maybe now is a good time to cover those shorts on Special Marvel Edition 15s and Spidey 300s from last summer.

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On 2/20/2022 at 2:10 AM, Crowzilla said:

I wonder if with this new fractional shares company you will finally be able to short comic futures?  Maybe now is a good time to cover those shorts on Special Marvel Edition 15s and Spidey 300s from last summer.

Have you already covered your short on Marvel Super-Heroes 13 which used to sell at multiples to condition guide, but now only able to move at pretty much half of condition guide or thereabouts.  Wonder where the Eternals comic book series will bottom out at?  :tonofbricks:

Starting to look a lot like some of those oh so red hot popular growth tech stocks on the Nasdaq where many of them have cratered by 70% to 80% from their recent all-time highs.  :tonofbricks:  :tonofbricks:

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