It's that time. New Overstreet 53rd Ed. out tomorrow. I still love the book. 3 3

[twmjr1]

Been buying it since #5 in 1975. Read it cover to cover every year. Last year's edition contained a huge price correction across the whole hobby to more accurately reflect real valuations. 

[lou_fine]

On 7/18/2023 at 11:50 AM, twmjr1 said:

Last year's edition contained a huge price correction across the whole hobby to more accurately reflect real valuations. 

The only problem being that although he put in huge valuation increases to reflect the Covid/crypto crazy price increases that took place in 2020 and 2021, the market for some of the SA books and readily available so-called BA and CA keys did a complete 180 degree price reversal to the poiint that some of them even dropped by more than half of their 2021 marketplace prices.  

To the point that the 2022 Guide is now substantially higher than the current marketplace prices on some of these more readily available books which makes me wonder how Overstreet is going to reflect this in the new guide?  Especially since we all know how much he absolutely hates to put price decreases in his guide.  

Yep, it looks like Overstreet clearly picked the wrong year to go all out with some of his huge double and even triple digit percentage valuation increases in his guide last year.  

Edited July 18, 2023 by lou_fine

[N e r V]

I haven’t picked up a copy in years now but after seeing your thread I think I might grab a copy if it’s at this weeks SDCC. I’m feeling nostalgic.. 

[lou_fine]

On 7/18/2023 at 5:37 PM, N e r V said:

I haven’t picked up a copy in years now but after seeing your thread I think I might grab a copy if it’s at this weeks SDCC. I’m feeling nostalgic.. 

If it's been years since your last one, rather shockingly nice from a strict visual POV last year since everything's in full color now instead of B&W. 

[This is Who We Are]

As a fan of Frazetta, had to pick up the Death Dealer cover 👍🏻

[Primetime]

I have OSPGs #4 - current. It’s a nice relic now, but I still enjoy contributing to the guide each year. 

[lou_fine]

On 7/18/2023 at 7:23 PM, This is Who We Are said:

As a fan of Frazetta, had to pick up the Death Dealer cover 👍🏻

I was talking last week to the owner of the LCS and he said the only version he was ordering this year was the mainstream Avengers cover. 

[Robot Man]

It’s that time of year again. The bash the Overstreet guide time.

When this book came out it turned comic collecting on its ear. There was bashing then too. A lot of folks pushed back to keep prices low so they could buy up cheap collections. But it quickly became a device to level the playing field for most of us.

Times have changed, drastically. How a printed book could possibly reflect actual priced realized on thousands and thousands of comics is simply impossible and unrealistic. We have much better resources now. And even with them it is still neatly impossible to keep pace with auction prices.

The guide is still the most valuble resource for quick information and a fun yearly read. It still works well for just average stuff. I just use it as a starting point for prices. Often how many times “guide” I am paying. At the end of the day, it is just a “guide” nothing more.

I have bought nearly every one since #2 and always considered it money well spent. Comic collecting just wouldn’t be the same without it. 

[aardvark88]

On 7/18/2023 at 4:48 PM, lou_fine said:

The only problem being that although he put in huge valuation increases to reflect the Covid/crypto crazy price increases that took place in 2020 and 2021, the market for some of the SA books and readily available so-called BA and CA keys did a complete 180 degree price reversal to the point that some of them even dropped by more than half of their 2021 marketplace prices.  

To the point that the 2022 Guide is now substantially higher than the current marketplace prices on some of these more readily available books which makes me wonder how Overstreet is going to reflect this in the new guide?  Especially since we all know how much he absolutely hates to put price decreases in his guide.  

 

Solution seems to be reprint the Overstreet 2021-22 edition but add color cover pics to restore the Guide pricing for year 2022 to May 2023 equilibrium for this week's release of Overstreet 2023-24.

[Zonker]

Is it actually out today?  The reason I ask is it shows up in the "Comics Shipping NEXT Week" list by @The Brain ?

[The Brain]

On 7/19/2023 at 9:56 AM, Zonker said:

Is it actually out today?  The reason I ask is it shows up in the "Comics Shipping NEXT Week" list by @The Brain ?

 

That list is copied directly from PREVIEW WORLD website.

I see that it is in the 19th & the 26th. Sooooooooooo

[MAR1979]

For the last 35 years I've picked up the hardcovers, starting this year on I will not be picking up the publication.  Besides being outright outmoded, and their failure to adapt to concept's newer than 1980, Overstreet's supreme vanity in virtually never correcting errors coupled with unprofessional unwillingness to decrease values to reflect empirical data is not only poor business but frankly disgusting.

If was a fun ride at one time but those days are long gone. I'll still have my memories thus no need to continue to purchase what I feel is a useless publication.

 

Edited July 20, 2023 by MAR1979

[MusterMark]

I have always found the guide to be indispensable, and I feel the same way now.

Some of the reasons I consider it indispensable may have changed to some extent, but Overstreet is still Overstreet, and its value can never be overstated.

I always wait impatiently for it and buy it on the very first day that I can. 

[sfcityduck]

On 7/19/2023 at 10:54 AM, MAR1979 said:

If was a fun ride at one time but now they days are long gone. I'll still have my memories thus no need to continue to purchase what I feel is a useless publication.

 

I don't buy it for pricing. But it provides loads of information in the best format and easiest accessibility of any source I know. 

Back in the day the sources for information on comics included not only OPG, but also a large quantity of quality fan publications like Comic Buyers Guide, Comic Book Marketplace, Comics Journal, Comic Reader, Amazing Heroes, NEMO, etc.  Now, non-price information is fractured and hard to find. Prices are easy. eBay has 2.5M+ listings. At least one dealer on eBay is around 200K items sold with 100% ratings. Heritage has complete auction records for anyone to see. GPA is available to those who want to pay for their service. With little effort you can find the prices for the vast majority of items using your phone. No need to have an Overstreet in glove box anymore. But ... Overstreet is invaluable and easier to access to find most substantive info on comics. You can browse Overstreet a lot easier than any other source.

I know kids today like Instragram and Twitter and TikTok for buying comics, which is fine, but you aren't going to learn much of substance on those formats. I probably learned more from CBM than any other source of information other than OPG.  These days, these Boards are probably the best source for new info, but that doesn't help people who are entering the activity. The most recs I've ever seen for a post on comic history on these boards is in the 30s maybe 40s. Thats not a lot of eyes. So I think that a lot of known information is going to become buried as time goes by. It saddens me. Especially when I see the auction houses or CGC spreading false information. Which is why every once in a while I send info to Overstreet in the hopes it ill enter the book and be preserved. Fortunately, every once in a while that happens. I think with its little inaccuracies, it still is more accurate and comprehensive than anything else.

 

Edited July 19, 2023 by sfcityduck

[comicstock]

Just picked up the new edition #53 hardcover (Marvel characters).

It's sitting right here to my left.  

I'll be removing the shrinkwrap in mere seconds...

[BitterOldMan]

Comes out during SDCC week.  Just picked up my copy.  Have every OPSG starting with number 1.  Had to have the Avengers 3 hard cover.  Bought my well loved Avengers 3 for a nickel in the sixties.  Comics are not just a passing fad with me.

Bought OSPG number 3 from Gary Arlington.  While a college student, found OSPG number 2 at a used book store almost fifty years ago.  Had to pay for OSPG number 1. ☹️

[Sarg]

How old is Robert Overstreet?

[sfcityduck]

On 7/19/2023 at 2:36 PM, Sarg said:

How old is Robert Overstreet?

Probably high 70s to high 80s.

[Cat-Man_America]

On 7/19/2023 at 6:23 PM, sfcityduck said:

Probably high 70s to high 80s.

...like a lot of high grade GA book keys! 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Cat-Man_America
Ale added for emphasis!

[Frisco Larson]

Times sure have changed. I remember in the early to mid 90s, racing to get the Overstreet Golden Age Quarterly right when it came out and scanning the price changes! I couldn't wait for the Overstreet Monthly to be sitting on the shelf for me at a local shop so I could devour the Timely (and other Golden Age) articles by Steve Gentner, check out the regular columns by Pat S. Calhoun, Tony Starks and ANYTHING written by Jon Berk! Quickly I learned to scan the market reports for recent acquisitions from those dealers savvy enough to list them (and I got a LOT of comics that way!)! Those monthly and quarterly publications kept us going until the BIG DOG came out once a year!!! It was an event that I'll never forget, because once I got my copy, I'd sit right down and in I went, until some situation in the real world pulled me out! Never had there been a publication to teach me more about comics than the Overstreet Price Guide!!! SO much dense content in one place, at a time when there were few other places to turn for any useful information about building a collection, what restoration was and how to spot it, how to properly care for and store your comics, etc. It was (and still IS) certainly more than just a list of prices! When I got it, there were no photo journals yet, no Google or Schmoogle or internet ... the Overstreet was OUR handheld guide to comic prices, to identifying industry agreed upon rarity, and an index of contact information to comic shops and convention dealers! It truly WAS a different time. 

 

  I admit that it's been a number of years (maybe 5) since I've bought the annual Overstreet. I am about as guilty as anyone of embracing the modern conveniences of having whatever information I need in a tiny handheld box that I carry with me almost everywhere I go. Technology has changed our world and changed our hobby in SO many ways! Many of the changes are as welcome as a cold drink on a hot summer day, and yet some of them make for a sterile collecting experience. I'll probably never gripe about those who had the CBG Fed Ex'd overnight to them, and thereby beat me out of a lot of the comics for sale that month, but maybe I'll take a trip down an old familiar road and grab an Overstreet the next time I'm in a local shop! After all, it's good to see old friends!