Heritage Nov 16-19 Signature Auction 5 5

[ThothAmon]

On 11/23/2023 at 9:19 PM, tth2 said:

I was simply complimenting those who were smart enough to sell at the top of the market.

Did I miss when you named names? Would it change your perspective if you knew these winners were also buying in the same auctions or had long planned plans to sell? Nobody always buys at the lows and sells at the highs. The “smart money” never stops buying so they catch the lows and the highs and it all works out in the wash. 

[Timecapsule85]

On 11/22/2023 at 12:47 AM, Dirtcheap31 said:

Highest price ever realized for a Yvel Guichet Harley first continuity page at least publicly. https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/story-page/yvel-guichet-and-aaron-sowd-batman-harley-quinn-nn-story-page-16-original-art-dc-1999-/a/7342-95147.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515

Seems like high end still holding up and the good stuff even rising… middle of the road stuff seems to be struggling 

You are right. You can see that pages from this book have risen from 2020 prices. Harley Quinn art this year has been pretty strong.  

[steve9999]

Am an active buyer of comic art from most of the dealers and auction houses and have enjoyed this forum for many, many years. (Not really one to "throw my 2 cents in" but
rather, just enjoy reading the conversations.) That being said, enough with the hourly/daily/weekly/monthly blabber about the "ROI" for these works and "how the comic art market
is doing investment-wise." (The crash is coming" "The crash is here!" "The crash is never coming!!)) Doesn't every respectable art dealer (perhaps an oxymoron) tell you to
"buy what you love if you can afford it?" If the work goes up in value, great. If not, you've had the time to enjoy it." Stop constantly diluting the enjoyment of the hobby

Go ahead, start sending those heartwarming replies and I'll refrain from making another comment for 5 more years due to the slings and arrows sure to be coming my way.

Happy Holidays to one and all.

 

[KirbyCollector]

On 11/24/2023 at 1:33 PM, steve9999 said:

start sending those heartwarming replies and I'll refrain from making another comment for 5 more years due to the slings and arrows sure to be coming my way.

Wait, is this supposed to discourage replies?

[batman_fan]

If the amount of primo material coming to the market is drying up, is it a good time to consign material?  Does a B or C grade piece get upgraded to an A- or B grade ?

I struggle to decide if prices are going up or not.  I guess I am going to declare prices to be mixed, some very high, some about right, and some on the low side.  I feel like I have gotten some great deals on Peanuts material lately but maybe my taste in strips is out of sync with the rest of the collecting community.  

Gene Colan Submariner panel page with tons of action for only $3k, seemed cheap

Calvin and Hobbs drawing with an awesome bit at $102k, seemed about right given recent prices.

Great Batman Splash for only $3120, seemed like a good deal

Awesome Kubert cover for just shy of $23k, seemed high but great cover.

So-so Shadow splash for $4k, seemed strong

Schulz Peanuts daily for $36k, seemed about right for a CB/Snoopy from 1956

 

Decent Byrne's Superman for $3k, seemed cheap

Weird-Ohs recreation, no idea what they would go for but $4320

 

Archie Pep cover from 1952, $26.4k. seemed strong

 

Spy vs Spy, about right at $3840

 

Hulk panel at $5280, seemed strong but this material seems to be climbing

 

 

[steve9999]

On 11/24/2023 at 1:54 PM, KirbyCollector said:

Wait, is this supposed to discourage replies?

No. Just an acknowledgement that they'll most likely come my way, because that's
whatat least half the of the comments seem to be about as opposed to appreciation of an 
artist's work or lauding a specific page. It's mostly porkbelly talk, which is disappointing
if you're like me and buy the work because you're a fan of the artist or title of the book
and not what your "return" is going to be. To each, his own.

[gumbydarnit]

On 11/24/2023 at 2:22 PM, batman_fan said:

Decent Byrne's Superman for $3k, seemed cheap

Nice Byrne Superman page! That page was from the Bloodsport first appearance issue as well… first appearance guys asleep at the wheel?

 

[Michael Browning]

On 11/24/2023 at 4:34 PM, steve9999 said:

No. Just an acknowledgement that they'll most likely come my way, because that's
whatat least half the of the comments seem to be about as opposed to appreciation of an 
artist's work or lauding a specific page. It's mostly porkbelly talk, which is disappointing
if you're like me and buy the work because you're a fan of the artist or title of the book
and not what your "return" is going to be. To each, his own.

I mean, these are the CGC boards, after all, so all the talk should be about returns, right? 

[gumbydarnit]

On 11/24/2023 at 3:34 PM, steve9999 said:

It's mostly porkbelly talk, which is disappointing if you're like me and buy the work because you're a fan of the artist or title of the book and not what your "return" is going to be. To each, his own.

I think collectors like to get a feel from other collectors about the direction of the hobby. Some want to know if they are stupid for considering spending so much on a page. Used to be, you were only out a small chunk of change if you misbuy (probably not a real word) a piece, “but who cares I love it!” Now at these prices it could be a hard financial blow if you misbuy that cover to Captain Fishbone by Johnny Journeyman for 30k… “But but but the dealer and his friend said it was a good deal.”

If you stick to conversations like how well Neal Adams can draw Batman the conversations dry up, a lot of collectors don’t feel comfortable talking about the merits of artist’s work, they just know it moves them. It would be nice if we got more of these types of conversations. 
 

You’re welcome throw in your two cents more often, always good to hear new voices here.

Edited November 24, 2023 by gumbydarnit

[delekkerste]

On 11/24/2023 at 3:22 PM, batman_fan said:

What about this unpublished Spy vs. Spy? You posted the image but didn't comment on it.  

I liked it a lot and underbid it. Probably would have gone a little higher had I been watching it live and not just thrown in a proxy bid in advance. 

[batman_fan]

On 11/24/2023 at 7:04 PM, delekkerste said:

What about this unpublished Spy vs. Spy? You posted the image but didn't comment on it.  

I liked it a lot and underbid it. Probably would have gone a little higher had I been watching it live and not just thrown in a proxy bid in advance. 

even though it was unpublished I thought it was nice and the final hammer seemed about right.

[tth2]

On 11/25/2023 at 2:33 AM, steve9999 said:

Am an active buyer of comic art from most of the dealers and auction houses and have enjoyed this forum for many, many years. (Not really one to "throw my 2 cents in" but
rather, just enjoy reading the conversations.) That being said, enough with the hourly/daily/weekly/monthly blabber about the "ROI" for these works and "how the comic art market
is doing investment-wise." (The crash is coming" "The crash is here!" "The crash is never coming!!)) Doesn't every respectable art dealer (perhaps an oxymoron) tell you to
"buy what you love if you can afford it?" If the work goes up in value, great. If not, you've had the time to enjoy it." Stop constantly diluting the enjoyment of the hobby

Go ahead, start sending those heartwarming replies and I'll refrain from making another comment for 5 more years due to the slings and arrows sure to be coming my way.

Happy Holidays to one and all.

 

[PhilipB2k17]

On 11/24/2023 at 9:04 PM, delekkerste said:

What about this unpublished Spy vs. Spy? You posted the image but didn't comment on it.  

I liked it a lot and underbid it. Probably would have gone a little higher had I been watching it live and not just thrown in a proxy bid in advance. 

I have a nice Prohias “Spy vs Spy” page on my wish list. I’ll eventually snag one. But I have to get my Kirby first. 

[vodou]

On 11/24/2023 at 7:56 AM, delekkerste said:

Choosing to have your OA purchases delivered to the cardboard box you're living in (IIRC, there's an anecdote in Glen Gold's excellent OA article that he did for Playboy years ago describing something very close to this ) does not say anything about your intelligence or powers of foresight and says everything about the market bailing out your mental illness.  

Cowpuckey. I'm not cardboard box guy (and do not know who he is either) but I certainly built my collection hoard in a manner close enough to be within spitting distance.

When does a good idea become a great idea? When you're still early enough in the cycle to see it before the herd, confirm, and then go all in. That's overcoming two built in human defense mechanisms: it's not real unless I can touch it and but nobody else is doing it.

When does a great idea become legendary? When you resist the urge to cash out too early, all the chicken littles running around it circles, before it all disappears again. That's overcoming FOMO.

Buy right. Sit tight. And hang on for dear life as the raging bull tries to throw you...

Above average results require outlier actions and the willingness to stand aside, land likely alone.

The more jacked a return you seek, the more jacked your commitment must be.

Want average results? Keep being average.

[MAR1979]

On 11/24/2023 at 3:22 PM, batman_fan said:

If the amount of primo material coming to the market is drying up, is it a good time to consign material?  Does a B or C grade piece get upgraded to an A- or B grade ?

I struggle to decide if prices are going up or not.  I guess I am going to declare prices to be mixed, some very high, some about right, and some on the low side.  I feel like I have gotten some great deals on Peanuts material lately but maybe my taste in strips is out of sync with the rest of the collecting community.  

Hulk panel at $5280, seemed strong but this material seems to be climbing

 

Outstanding action page for those who are Trimpe Hulk Fans.

I've noticed the past 12-16 months that 1970's (plus the year 1980) Trimpe and especially Sal Buscema Hulk interiors are HOT.  While not in 1970's ASM or X-Men territory they are very high demand. I attribute it several collectors who have accumulated many of them into black-hole-collections.  I recall Burkey telling me at a 2018 con pre 1981 Sal Hulk was drying up - he was correct!

Edited November 25, 2023 by MAR1979

[cstojano]

Lots of investment talk about timing, all fair and fine. But lots of people lucked out (and continue to luck out) just by happening to be interested in the herd's interests - superheroes.

Me? I have no interest in superheroes. Never had. All the talk about dead money needs to give me a visit as proof "colllecting what you love" only works if it happens to be Star Wars, superheroes, and some other properties I am forgetting, for sure.

[tth2]

On 11/26/2023 at 6:56 AM, cstojano said:

Me? I have no interest in superheroes. Never had. All the talk about dead money needs to give me a visit as proof "colllecting what you love" only works if it happens to be Star Wars, superheroes, and some other properties I am forgetting, for sure.

This.

Going against the herd is great when investing in the stock market.  It's terrible for comics and OA.

[Rick2you2]

On 11/25/2023 at 11:35 PM, tth2 said:

This.

Going against the herd is great when investing in the stock market.  It's terrible for comics and OA.

If you are investing. Many people here, like Cstojano, don’t.

[vodou]

On 11/26/2023 at 7:58 AM, Rick2you2 said:

If you are investing. Many people here, like Cstojano, don’t.

Almost everyone that "isn't investing" writes that because what they've been buying hasn't kept up or has even lost value.

It's a justification for the contrarian that refuses to stop catching falling knives.

I wasn't investing either, the first 10 years, but then I had to justify continuing after hitting 10x ROI and not selling.

It's well known that I don't sell (nor trade) and haven't for a long time; in total I've sold less than 3% of all the art I've ever acquired.

This in spite of the value today, for the lot of it (call: 1-800-Heritage) being life changing money, by a wide factor too.

It may seem that I'm trying to pick a fight here, I'm not. I agree with large parts of both sides of the discussion, my only distinct point would be...

You can collect anything if you have extra money to blow after the bills are paid each month. Most collector-types have an interest in and collect a number of things, some are quite popular, others more niche. Okay. So buy what you love, always, but maybe lean a lot heavier into buying what others (do or will) love too. In 2023 this doesn't apply to comic art, the days for 100% of everything in your bank/saving/401k/IRA going into it...that ended about 20 years ago. What else are you into...maybe one of them is out of favor and troughing, I dunno...figure it out. There's no reason a collector can't love what they collect and benefit (mightily, even) from asset appreciation over the long run too; then the only pain would be: selling things you love for silly old money. I have a feeling that time comes for everyone that doesn't die young though, you just see more need for liquidity/money and less need for stuff all over the place and then "click", the process begins.

For all collectors, unique trumps multiples. As soon as I found wide availability of comic art (unique), I lost nearly all interest in comic books (multiples, tens of thousands). The fact that "my" era was 80s Marvel superheroes...some of that is just "right time, right place" I guess, but I'll tell you...very few put everything after bills paid into that material in the mid-late 1990s. Anybody alive then could have done it, anybody holding could have not sold (to me) and just continued to hold. They didn't and within just a year after diving in, I saw the entire sub-category as a tremendous generational trough opportunity and took it. Over and over again. And unlike roughly 80% of all the collector names I knew way back then, I didn't sell out at double, triple, etc, have the hobby leave me behind; I am still here today, enjoying the art, loving the art, and patiently waiting for "when" to cash out too.

[steve9999]

On 11/24/2023 at 5:27 PM, Michael Browning said:

I mean, these are the CGC boards, after all, so all the talk should be about returns, right? 

Not sure one has anything to do with the other....Original art is not being "graded" by the CGC, it's just one of the few places to discuss this hobby.
I would like to think that a good portion of the work acquired is not primarily for "the return."