Are Convention Exclusives Ever Worth It? 0

[mikenyc]

As the conventions wrap up for the year I’m wondering if there is justification, from a value standpoint, on acquiring con exclusive books.

There is always FOMO, which low print runs and hype builds up, but looking back have values justified the purchases? 

The 90’s childhood collector in me was sucked in by this year’s NYCC foil releases of Batman, Transformers, Swamp Thing and HOS 92. 
 

Any good examples?

 

 

[Robot Man]

No…

[Dr. Balls]

A quick, cursory look at Ebay completed sales shows a lot of high dollar action figure SDCC exclusives holding highest value sales, along with some original sketch covers. I gave up at page 15 trying to find a single comic variant, so while I don't have evidence that they hold value, my guess is that it's probably a no. Influencers probably say otherwise.

[DougC]

The La Mole X-Men convention variants (now labeled as reprints in the registry) have not only held value but the #1A-D variants are scarce enough to flirt with the $500 range in 9.8 which isn't bad for a $$40-50 book. This years variant seems to be trending cheaper but 1k were made and the novelty might be wearing thin.

Overall I would assume the average convention variant is a bad investment but there are always exceptions. I do not collect the Walking Dead but have all the old WW StL variants just for fun, which can also be part of collecting...

[WolverineX]

On 11/2/2023 at 6:34 AM, mikenyc said:

As the conventions wrap up for the year I’m wondering if there is justification, from a value standpoint, on acquiring con exclusive books.

There is always FOMO, which low print runs and hype builds up, but looking back have values justified the purchases? 

The 90’s childhood collector in me was sucked in by this year’s NYCC foil releases of Batman, Transformers, Swamp Thing and HOS 92. 
 

Any good examples?

 

 

 

[masterlogan2000]

There are always going to be a few that hold value.  This one from C2E2 2020 comes to mind...

Originally priced at $20, I sold about 15 of these on the boards for $60 each on the day they were released.  While it helped pay for some of my convention expenses, I wish I would have saved a few more for the personal collection.  These still go for $300+ today.

However, this comic is the exception.  Most exclusives lose their premium over time, and, in my experience, many can be found on the secondary market for less than the cost at the convention... you just may need to wait a couple months or years.

[darkstar]

Unless you bought it for the artwork, they're mostly just a gigantic waste of money that serves as an advertisement for an online retailer or social media personality.    

[William-James88]

When it comes to comics, not usually. 

[B2D327]

On 11/2/2023 at 5:23 PM, darkstar said:

Unless you bought it for the artwork, they're mostly just a gigantic waste of money that serves as an advertisement for an online retailer or social media personality.    

I feel the same way about the gimmicky modern variant covers that are flooding the hobby

[Artboy99]

Generally I think the reason convention exclusives are not worth it is because most people are not aware of the book. 

Here is a convention exclusive I own that has value. I own the book because I found it for sale at a local comic store, otherwise I had no idea of the existence.

[marvelmaniac]

I have these books from Wizard World Philly 2007/2008, a quick check on Ebay for the F.F. issue has sellers asking $15.00 - $25.00 for raw copies and anywhere from $65.00 - $300.00 for graded 9.8's. The only one that has sold in the last 3 month's was a raw BIN for $15.00, the Iron Man variant is selling for around $35.00 graded NM/MT 9.8.

Hope this helps.

[Juno Beach]

Quite a few have increased in value but more probably have not. 

Love this Hughes cover for Sirens #1 NYCC

[speedcake]

Some of them are fun. Buy the ones you like, or don't buy any at all.  Worrying about whether they are "worth it" or not defeats the purpose of them in the first place, IMO.

Its so rare that any particular modern comic pops and maintains any kind of real value. Best bet in general is just to wait a few months or a year and buy the ones you like for, usually, much less money than when they are fresh of the presses.  

[Robot Man]

Isn’t the San Diego Comic Con Comic #2 with the first appearance of Hellboy worth something still? 

[Poekaymon]

I have bought a handful of NYCC and La Mole foils in the last couple years.  But I collect for fun and because I like the covers.  Or I want to be reminded of the convention.  Or because it's of a high value book that I don't want to buy.  In no case do I expect them to go up or even retain value--and usually they don't.  So if you're asking if you should speculate on convention covers, then the answer is no.  But I really wish people would stop speculating across the board.

[batmiesta]

From a personal point of view, they ain't worth sh!te.  Just saying. 

[BigLeagueCHEW]

Didn't the SDCC exclusives years ago retain value, e.g. First Hellboy (San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2) and Wizard #1 con edition?

Edited November 6, 2023 by BigLeagueCHEW

[BigLeagueCHEW]

On 11/2/2023 at 3:34 AM, mikenyc said:

As the conventions wrap up for the year I’m wondering if there is justification, from a value standpoint, on acquiring con exclusive books.

There is always FOMO, which low print runs and hype builds up, but looking back have values justified the purchases? 

The 90’s childhood collector in me was sucked in by this year’s NYCC foil releases of Batman, Transformers, Swamp Thing and HOS 92. 
 

Any good examples?

 

 

[BigLeagueCHEW]

[GeeksAreMyPeeps]

On 11/2/2023 at 6:34 AM, mikenyc said:

As the conventions wrap up for the year I’m wondering if there is justification, from a value standpoint, on acquiring con exclusive books.

There is always FOMO, which low print runs and hype builds up, but looking back have values justified the purchases? 

The 90’s childhood collector in me was sucked in by this year’s NYCC foil releases of Batman, Transformers, Swamp Thing and HOS 92. 
 

Any good examples?

Rarely. If you bought the NYCC Exclusive of the Enormous #1 (Second print) and got it graded at 9.8, you could have flipped that for about $500. (Not so much now, since the option fell through.)

Convention exclusives that were panel giveaways can be worth money. The Black Panther Campbell partial sketch variant was a convention exclusive giveaway. And I just got this at NYCC this year: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=spawn+universe+sampler&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1