Oh Man I Sure Hope the Comics Market Never Crashes as Bad as the Stamps Market 13 13

[RonS2112]

On 3/2/2022 at 8:11 AM, Stefan_W said:

Professionally graded items are absolutely more of an asset. The professional grading process sets a value on an item that you do not get as a raw. Of course a Superman 1 is still a Superman 1, but if a seller of that book says it is an FN+ and you are seeing a VG tops then you have two radically different value points. An objective third party evaluation of the grade locks it, and it is a major contributing factor to value as well since the value point follows the grade. It also allows tracking of grades through services such as GPAnalysis where a market value can be established for books with a sales history through the "a comic is worth what someone is willing to pay for it" process. This is very different from old school approaches that I grew up with which focused on highly speculative guide book values based on even more speculative, and often highly optimistic, grades. 

 

This is true for internet transactions, but for in-person transactions, both parties ought to be able to agree on a grade while working out the price of the book in question.  Which is why I always buy raw books at local comic-cons.  It's just preferable to actually be able to look through a book.

[Cat]

I wonder if a grading service could revive interest in stamps? 

[shadroch]

I have some Roberto Clemente stamps that are in a sealed holder and were graded by something call GAI. 

[TomG]

Here are a few interesting links looking at the stamp hobby. Some of this is viewed as positive and some negative, but it does illustrate some interesting perspectives. In regards to stamps and many other collecting fields we are seeing a widening in the sense of the top tier items accelerating in value where as lesser items that are common and lower condition are selling for less and seeing less demand. This is due to demographical changes as to who is buying or interested in various categories. I think we could easily see a company like Rally acquiring key rare stamps like the inverted Jenny stamps for investment purposes like various other collectibles. 

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardlehmann/2020/02/19/price-discovery-in-stamps/?sh=60893cd4430a

 

https://www.financialpoise.com/investing-in-stamps/

 

https://amp.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/apr/11/post-modern-why-millennials-have-fallen-in-love-with-stamp-collecting

 

https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/why-stamp-collecting-is-suddenly-back-in-vogue-11591358415

 

[shadroch]

Stamps, coins and cards take up a lot less room than comics, are easier to secure and easier to transport. My ever growing vintage card collection easily would fit into one long comic box.

[William-James88]

On 3/2/2022 at 8:11 AM, Stefan_W said:

 Of course a Superman 1 is still a Superman 1

And that's what I was trying to say. It being slabbed doesn't suddenly make it an asset, it already was. Just like slabbing a midgrade Elf Quest 31 does not suddenly turn it into more of a collectible than it was before. The interest in comics (and specific comics at that) is what is driving the comic market, not the fact that slabs exist. 

 

On 3/2/2022 at 9:56 AM, Mecha_Fantastic said:

I wonder if a grading service could revive interest in stamps? 

There's plenty of stamp grading services already. And they are easier to grade and verify a grade than comics, which can deteriorate from what is marked on the slab.

Edited March 2, 2022 by William-James88

[Rob]

On 3/2/2022 at 6:06 AM, William-James88 said:

Pretty certain this is false too. Honestly, I think that's just wishful thinking that the market is going crazy due to external forces since it denies our own fault in it. I've been in several conversations now where fans will be discussing a crazy price that a comic just got and speculating exactly as you say, only for a fellow boardie to join in on the conversation and say they bought it and explain their reasoning behind paying such a high price for it.

But I do get what you mean with the rest.

I don't think it's crypto millionaires and I don't think it was the small stimulus checks that did it.  But I do suspect that the housing market boom played a part.  Many people sold their house and made hundreds of thousands of dollars (sure, buying a new one only cost them even more), but some took out some of that new equity as they saw it as "free money".  If your $300,000 house suddenly appraised for $600,000, you have $300k to play with.  Some may have taken out $100k to pay some debt, do home upgrades, or buy some comic keys for record prices.

[William-James88]

On 3/2/2022 at 11:40 AM, Rob said:

I don't think it's crypto millionaires and I don't think it was the small stimulus checks that did it.  But I do suspect that the housing market boom played a part.  Many people sold their house and made hundreds of thousands of dollars (sure, buying a new one only cost them even more), but some took out some of that new equity as they saw it as "free money".  If your $300,000 house suddenly appraised for $600,000, you have $300k to play with.  Some may have taken out $100k to pay some debt, do home upgrades, or buy some comic keys for record prices.

Plus let's not forget that many in the community profited from the higher prices. Someone could have had 2 of the first anihilus and sold 1 at the way higher prices it went for, and then used that money to buy another comic they wanted before. While the price of the comic they bought could be inflated as well, it's all good since they are simply using the money from their big sale. So there's a lot of money being transferred among us. I sold books on comiclink and used that money to buy some books off boardies here, essentially trading some comics for others. There is definitely new money coming in for the initial higher prices, but at a certain point it just becomes that same money travelling among the same community.

[Krydel4]

On 3/2/2022 at 7:57 AM, William-James88 said:

And that's what I was trying to say. It being slabbed doesn't suddenly make it an asset, it already was. Just like slabbing a midgrade Elf Quest 31 does not suddenly turn it into more of a collectible than it was before.

You're obviously not on any FB Marketplace Comic Buy & Sell groups😁. Any books value on there is automatically increased by 300% just by being slabbed. On there you buy the slab not the book.

[Namtak]

I hope it crash,i want an original action comic 1 1938 so much,id gladly pay 30 bucks for it if market crashes

[JollyComics]

On 3/2/2022 at 8:42 AM, RonS2112 said:

No offense to your uncle, but if his "passion" was derived from the perceived monetary value, then he was in the hobby for the wrong reason.  I collected stamps for a while as a kid in the mid/late-70s.  The cool part of it was the strange shapes that stamps came in from other countries, the artwork, the themes, etc.  At one point, I had a stamp for each president of the US, and a variety of rock artists that I liked.  It never occured to me what they might be worth.

Likewise for my comic book collection.  I have long runs of Marvel superhero books, going back to the earliest days.  I track their values as a curiosity, but the value isn't a primary driver.  Mainly because I never intend to sell.

My favorite parts are WWII, WWI, Spanish-American War and Civil War.

[darkstar]

On 3/2/2022 at 7:06 AM, William-James88 said:

Pretty certain this is false too. Honestly, I think that's just wishful thinking that the market is going crazy due to external forces since it denies our own fault in it. I've been in several conversations now where fans will be discussing a crazy price that a comic just got and speculating exactly as you say, only for a fellow boardie to join in on the conversation and say they bought it and explain their reasoning behind paying such a high price for it.

But I do get what you mean with the rest.

Except it isn't false and it is the reason why every collectible from cards to comics to games to toys boomed at the same time. It is absolutely young people with disposable income made from the internet - either bitcoin, social media, youtube, twitch, whatever - having nothing to do the past two years but indulge in their hobbies and buy stuff online. These people either had secure employment during the pandemic and saw their expenses significantly decline during that time period or are young enough that they don't have any real expenses anyway.  

[Rob]

On 3/2/2022 at 10:23 AM, Namtak said:

I hope it crash,i want an original action comic 1 1938 so much,id gladly pay 30 bucks for it if market crashes

I just remember before I left the hobby about 10 years ago, having my eye on an X-Men #1 in 2.0 for around $1000.  Couldn't get myself to pull the trigger on it, as $1000 for a 2.0 sounded high.  Now you can't touch it for less than $9000.  

[kav]

Anyone read lawrence block's hit man books about the stamp collecting hit man?  great stuff.

[The humble Watcher lurking]

On 3/1/2022 at 10:23 PM, William-James88 said:

There is a certification company for stamps.

Also one for vinyl records. It seems like all collectibles are getting certified now.

 

[kav]

On 3/2/2022 at 2:12 PM, The humble Watcher lurking said:

Also one for vinyl records. It seems like all collectibles are getting certified now.

 

pogs?

[Courageous Cat]

apples and oranges. C'mon man 

[William-James88]

On 3/2/2022 at 12:09 PM, Krydel4 said:

You're obviously not on any FB Marketplace Comic Buy & Sell groups😁. Any books value on there is automatically increased by 300% just by being slabbed. On there you buy the slab not the book.

Hahaha, you suspected right, I am not on those buy and sell groups.

On 3/2/2022 at 4:42 PM, kav said:

Anyone read lawrence block's hit man books about the stamp collecting hit man?  great stuff.

I never did, but now I want to.

On 3/2/2022 at 5:19 PM, kav said:

pogs?

I already "reacted" but I wanted to laugh at this again, this comment just cracked me up hard. I think of this every time.

 

 

[William-James88]

On 3/2/2022 at 2:56 PM, darkstar said:

Except it isn't false and it is the reason why every collectible from cards to comics to games to toys boomed at the same time. It is absolutely young people with disposable income made from the internet - either bitcoin, social media, youtube, twitch, whatever - having nothing to do the past two years but indulge in their hobbies and buy stuff online. These people either had secure employment during the pandemic and saw their expenses significantly decline during that time period or are young enough that they don't have any real expenses anyway.  

I'm very curious, but how do you know this? I can show you posts of fellow board members admitting to spending inflated prices on comics (I should know, I am one of them). Where is your proof that the majority of this inflation in the market is coming from young people who made their money online?

[darkstar]

On 3/2/2022 at 3:42 PM, kav said:

Anyone read lawrence block's hit man books about the stamp collecting hit man?  great stuff.

every once in awhile you make a good post