So, what is the state of the hobby?

[dzminn]

So, how are things in comic collecting land, as it apperas the "crash" has not occurred yet? Slabbed comics still popular, or losing popularity? I've basically been on Pluto since March of 05 as far as collecting goes, and have missed any and all uprisings, bad things, good things-so is the hobby stable? Leveled out? Declining? Still shooting upwards?

 

I've been getting great deals on slabbed bronze books--about 2 months ago i got a conan 15 CGC 9.6 for $64!!! I don't hesitate to buy slabs but I don't chase them either. When i buy them it is usually in 9.2 to avoid the price hikes involved in the higher grades. When it comes to silver books i generally prefer slabs as I have yet to be disapointed in their(CGC) quality and since i cannot afford to buy in the NM range in silver I feel confident I avoid the shysters trying to trim their way to big $$$.

I have yet to pay $1000 for a non CGC book! I have so much more confidence in the CGC product at this level! This is not to say that I hesitate to buy raw books from those sellers that I have found to be competent graders-I don't at all -I enjoy paying less $$$ for books and also enjoy the savings on shipping costs as well!!!!

Honestly though alot more trial and error goes with buying raw books--right now I am in the process of returning 2 conan's(#'s 2 &7 graded NM- white pages) to J&S COMICS because I didn't feel they measure up---so i find buying raw books a hassle sometimes but i will always continue to buy a healthy amount of raw books as long as i am collecting!!! As far as the hobby I think silver has leveled out some but is pretty stable, bronze has cooled off quite a bit it seems. I think how the upcoming movies fare will tell us alot about the immediate future of the market. The next spidey movie especially --if spidey#3 tanks at the box office I think we all know there will be a drop in silver prices across the board!!!

 

Just a couple innocent questions, are you cracking the slabs to inspect the books?

 

If you haven't, how can you be sure "that they measure up"?

[dzminn]

It pertains to the entire hobby, with a question directed at slabbed comics as well.

 

For the entire hobby, there's the same problems, concerns and events that there has been for the history of the hobby.

 

For raw books, this is probably the best time ever to be a buyer, as you have many many more outlets to buy from, there's much more competition, there's almost instantaneous availability of almost everything (look at Ian Levine - it took him 20 years to get to 250 books, and then he found the remaining ones on line in 24 months), grading standards have significantly toughened, and you have the ability to see things you've never seen before. It has also become much easier to sell your books than ever before, and the ability of a collector to turn on a dime and change his/her collecting focus without taking a huge bath is something that's not really discussed. If you know how to grade, and can spot restoration - and for those of you who can't I urge you to spend some time with FFB at a convention - the hobby can be a great place right now for raw books, even in high grades.

 

For slabs, yecch. There are scandals all over the place.

 

I do not know either Ian or FFB, but the rest of this observation makes total sense to me and is in keeping with my experience.

[mar-vell]

So, how are things in comic collecting land, as it apperas the "crash" has not occurred yet? Slabbed comics still popular, or losing popularity? I've basically been on Pluto since March of 05 as far as collecting goes, and have missed any and all uprisings, bad things, good things-so is the hobby stable? Leveled out? Declining? Still shooting upwards?

 

I've been getting great deals on slabbed bronze books--about 2 months ago i got a conan 15 CGC 9.6 for $64!!! I don't hesitate to buy slabs but I don't chase them either. When i buy them it is usually in 9.2 to avoid the price hikes involved in the higher grades. When it comes to silver books i generally prefer slabs as I have yet to be disapointed in their(CGC) quality and since i cannot afford to buy in the NM range in silver I feel confident I avoid the shysters trying to trim their way to big $$$.

I have yet to pay $1000 for a non CGC book! I have so much more confidence in the CGC product at this level! This is not to say that I hesitate to buy raw books from those sellers that I have found to be competent graders-I don't at all -I enjoy paying less $$$ for books and also enjoy the savings on shipping costs as well!!!!

Honestly though alot more trial and error goes with buying raw books--right now I am in the process of returning 2 conan's(#'s 2 &7 graded NM- white pages) to J&S COMICS because I didn't feel they measure up---so i find buying raw books a hassle sometimes but i will always continue to buy a healthy amount of raw books as long as i am collecting!!! As far as the hobby I think silver has leveled out some but is pretty stable, bronze has cooled off quite a bit it seems. I think how the upcoming movies fare will tell us alot about the immediate future of the market. The next spidey movie especially --if spidey#3 tanks at the box office I think we all know there will be a drop in silver prices across the board!!!

 

Just a couple innocent questions, are you cracking the slabs to inspect the books?

 

If you haven't, how can you be sure "that they measure up"?

 

thus far i have purchased 77 slabbed books--i have cracked open 72 of them, i sold 2 of the slabs i didn't open, 2 i have listed on comiclink for sale and the other is on the way--if i like the looks of it i will crack that one open too!!! Out of the ones i sold 2 of them were sold because i didn't feel they "measured up" to the grade given! Please note that i try to cherry pick all of my books whether slabbed or not! While i may not always be able to purchase the highest grade for a given book I am always trying to find one of the nicest examples available of the grade I am after! Front cover generally being the most important thing aesthetically(tough word -spelled correctly?) to me! I never buy the label -always the book first!!! I think i frustrate some ebay sellers because i will often ask for hi-res scans of certified books so i can nitpick the comic. Just because I feel confident CGC will grade the book within .5 of it's true technical grade does not mean it's the right book for me! If I didn't work hard to get the right CGC book for me I know I would have a lot higher percentage of CGC books that don't "measure up" to my standards!

[dzminn]

So, how are things in comic collecting land, as it apperas the "crash" has not occurred yet? Slabbed comics still popular, or losing popularity? I've basically been on Pluto since March of 05 as far as collecting goes, and have missed any and all uprisings, bad things, good things-so is the hobby stable? Leveled out? Declining? Still shooting upwards?

 

I've been getting great deals on slabbed bronze books--about 2 months ago i got a conan 15 CGC 9.6 for $64!!! I don't hesitate to buy slabs but I don't chase them either. When i buy them it is usually in 9.2 to avoid the price hikes involved in the higher grades. When it comes to silver books i generally prefer slabs as I have yet to be disapointed in their(CGC) quality and since i cannot afford to buy in the NM range in silver I feel confident I avoid the shysters trying to trim their way to big $$$.

I have yet to pay $1000 for a non CGC book! I have so much more confidence in the CGC product at this level! This is not to say that I hesitate to buy raw books from those sellers that I have found to be competent graders-I don't at all -I enjoy paying less $$$ for books and also enjoy the savings on shipping costs as well!!!!

Honestly though alot more trial and error goes with buying raw books--right now I am in the process of returning 2 conan's(#'s 2 &7 graded NM- white pages) to J&S COMICS because I didn't feel they measure up---so i find buying raw books a hassle sometimes but i will always continue to buy a healthy amount of raw books as long as i am collecting!!! As far as the hobby I think silver has leveled out some but is pretty stable, bronze has cooled off quite a bit it seems. I think how the upcoming movies fare will tell us alot about the immediate future of the market. The next spidey movie especially --if spidey#3 tanks at the box office I think we all know there will be a drop in silver prices across the board!!!

 

Just a couple innocent questions, are you cracking the slabs to inspect the books?

 

If you haven't, how can you be sure "that they measure up"?

 

thus far i have purchased 77 slabbed books--i have cracked open 72 of them, i sold 2 of the slabs i didn't open, 2 i have listed on comiclink for sale and the other is on the way--if i like the looks of it i will crack that one open too!!! Out of the ones i sold 2 of them were sold because i didn't feel they "measured up" to the grade given! Please note that i try to cherry pick all of my books whether slabbed or not! While i may not always be able to purchase the highest grade for a given book I am always trying to find one of the nicest examples available of the grade I am after! Front cover generally being the most important thing aesthetically(tough word -spelled correctly?) to me! I never buy the label -always the book first!!! I think i frustrate some ebay sellers because i will often ask for hi-res scans of certified books so i can nitpick the comic. Just because I feel confident CGC will grade the book within .5 of it's true technical grade does not mean it's the right book for me! If I didn't work hard to get the right CGC book for me I know I would have a lot higher percentage of CGC books that don't "measure up" to my standards!

 

Wow Mar-vell, you have a very interesting collecting strategy. Thanks for info

[Scheradon]

 

thus far i have purchased 77 slabbed books--i have cracked open 72 of them, i sold 2 of the slabs i didn't open, 2 i have listed on comiclink for sale and the other is on the way--if i like the looks of it i will crack that one open too!!! Out of the ones i sold 2 of them were sold because i didn't feel they "measured up" to the grade given! Please note that i try to cherry pick all of my books whether slabbed or not! While i may not always be able to purchase the highest grade for a given book I am always trying to find one of the nicest examples available of the grade I am after! Front cover generally being the most important thing aesthetically(tough word -spelled correctly?) to me! I never buy the label -always the book first!!! I think i frustrate some ebay sellers because i will often ask for hi-res scans of certified books so i can nitpick the comic. Just because I feel confident CGC will grade the book within .5 of it's true technical grade does not mean it's the right book for me! If I didn't work hard to get the right CGC book for me I know I would have a lot higher percentage of CGC books that don't "measure up" to my standards!

 

Wow, if there is one thing that has really surprised me since joining these boards is how many people buy slabs only to crack them open. I'd like to hear more about why. Seriously, if it's about wanting to read the book, save some money and buy a raw copy instead of paying the slab price bump. For me, I only buy HG 9.8 and higher slabs when I do otherwise I'd just buy a nice fine or better raw copy off eBay for reading. Here would be an example that would be insane to me: Hitman1099 just won a John Carter Warlord of Mars #1 cgc 9.8 for $142 (crazy price by the way), now he cracks it open..noooo. Just buy a NM raw copy for $2.99 off of eBay and save a ton of money.

 

Now, I don't really browse mid-grade cgc slabs, so that may be where I'm getting confused. Is there a point (in grade) where the price bump dissappears? I could understand if the price was the same (for a raw in say 6.5 and a slabbed say 6.5). Anything HG though and you just implode your investment by cracking it out of the slab and risking wear and tear that will downgrade the book, not to mention paying an uneccessary price bump.

[Norrin_Radd]

Here would be an example that would be insane to me: Hitman1099 just won a John Carter Warlord of Mars #1 cgc 9.8 for $142 (crazy price by the way), now he cracks it open..noooo. Just buy a NM raw copy for $2.99 off of eBay and save a ton of money.

 

Hitman1099. I haven't thought about him in a while. His ID use to come up alot on comics I was looking at on eBay. Does anybody know him?

[Scheradon]

Here would be an example that would be insane to me: Hitman1099 just won a John Carter Warlord of Mars #1 cgc 9.8 for $142 (crazy price by the way), now he cracks it open..noooo. Just buy a NM raw copy for $2.99 off of eBay and save a ton of money.

 

Hitman1099. I haven't thought about him in a while. His ID use to come up alot on comics I was looking at on eBay. Does anybody know him?

 

I know he's been on a HG cgc buying binge. yes, there have been many a time I was well above the current bid only to be squashed by the Hitman in one fatal swoop of the last second bidding hammer.

[mar-vell]

 

thus far i have purchased 77 slabbed books--i have cracked open 72 of them, i sold 2 of the slabs i didn't open, 2 i have listed on comiclink for sale and the other is on the way--if i like the looks of it i will crack that one open too!!! Out of the ones i sold 2 of them were sold because i didn't feel they "measured up" to the grade given! Please note that i try to cherry pick all of my books whether slabbed or not! While i may not always be able to purchase the highest grade for a given book I am always trying to find one of the nicest examples available of the grade I am after! Front cover generally being the most important thing aesthetically(tough word -spelled correctly?) to me! I never buy the label -always the book first!!! I think i frustrate some ebay sellers because i will often ask for hi-res scans of certified books so i can nitpick the comic. Just because I feel confident CGC will grade the book within .5 of it's true technical grade does not mean it's the right book for me! If I didn't work hard to get the right CGC book for me I know I would have a lot higher percentage of CGC books that don't "measure up" to my standards!

 

Wow, if there is one thing that has really surprised me since joining these boards is how many people buy slabs only to crack them open. I'd like to hear more about why. Seriously, if it's about wanting to read the book, save some money and buy a raw copy instead of paying the slab price bump. For me, I only buy HG 9.8 and higher slabs when I do otherwise I'd just buy a nice fine or better raw copy off eBay for reading. Here would be an example that would be insane to me: Hitman1099 just won a John Carter Warlord of Mars #1 cgc 9.8 for $142 (crazy price by the way), now he cracks it open..noooo. Just buy a NM raw copy for $2.99 off of eBay and save a ton of money.

 

Now, I don't really browse mid-grade cgc slabs, so that may be where I'm getting confused. Is there a point (in grade) where the price bump dissappears? I could understand if the price was the same (for a raw in say 6.5 and a slabbed say 6.5). Anything HG though and you just implode your investment by cracking it out of the slab and risking wear and tear that will downgrade the book, not to mention paying an uneccessary price bump.

 

First i would like to reply that if I ever purchased a CGC 9.8 I WOULD NOT crack it open! One reason I have bought alot of slabs is the resto check -when you buy alot of silver even midgrades and lower end high grades run into big $$$ easy!!! You get killed if you buy a book and there is undisclosed resto that you don't notice and/or the seller won't refund the $$$!!!! I think I can say confidently that's why a lot of collectors buy slabs plus if you don't like they book it's much easier to turn it around for the money paid or even a profit because confidence in the product was so high! and I do say WAS so high because of recent events!!! I think that's why so many collectors are so upset about the Ewert scandal! Even though we knew things like this would happen we all want to believe the resto check by CGC works and is at least close to infallible.I have double checked the CGC books I have cracked open and have not found any restoration on any of them.. It's true i am damn good at spotting resto and in fact it took me about 30 seconds to catch a raw color touched book that was sold to me about a month ago which led to a refund. These type of things seem to happen over and over again when i buy raw - undisclosed resto, severe overgrading, and just a general dishonest approach by most people about selling books in order to get the most $$$ out of the buyer! Another reason to go CGC because when i buy a CGC graded book from almost any seller they no longer seem to feel the need to severely misrepresent the product because CGC sells itself!!! My experience is when i buy CGC i get what i pay for --so that's why i do it. To answer another question yes CGC prices on midgrades and lower end high grades do not generally command the premiums that super high grades do! For me it's all about the books, i wish there was no investment angle to complicate things. I wish I was like Edgar Church -the only nut who cared to collect these "funny books" but I am not and the prices of these books force me to take their long term and short term value into account!

[Scheradon]

 

First i would like to reply that if I ever purchased a CGC 9.8 I WOULD NOT crack it open! One reason I have bought alot of slabs is the resto check -when you buy alot of silver even midgrades and lower end high grades run into big $$$ easy!!! You get killed if you buy a book and there is undisclosed resto that you don't notice and/or the seller won't refund the $$$!!!! I think I can say confidently that's why a lot of collectors buy slabs plus if you don't like they book it's much easier to turn it around for the money paid or even a profit because confidence in the product was so high! and I do say WAS so high because of recent events!!! I think that's why so many collectors are so upset about the Ewert scandal! Even though we knew things like this would happen we all want to believe the resto check by CGC works and is at least close to infallible.I have double checked the CGC books I have cracked open and have not found any restoration on any of them.. It's true i am damn good at spotting resto and in fact it took me about 30 seconds to catch a raw color touched book that was sold to me about a month ago which led to a refund. These type of things seem to happen over and over again when i buy raw - undisclosed resto, severe overgrading, and just a general dishonest approach by most people about selling books in order to get the most $$$ out of the buyer! Another reason to go CGC because when i buy a CGC graded book from almost any seller they no longer seem to feel the need to severely misrepresent the product because CGC sells itself!!! My experience is when i buy CGC i get what i pay for --so that's why i do it. To answer another question yes CGC prices on midgrades and lower end high grades do not generally command the premiums that super high grades do! For me it's all about the books, i wish there was no investment angle to complicate things. I wish I was like Edgar Church -the only nut who cared to collect these "funny books" but I am not and the prices of these books force me to take their long term and short term value into account!

 

Cool, thanks for the explanation. I hope CGC can restore (no pun intended) buyer confidence again. I say this because now the whole Heritage resubs contraversy has a thread in their honor on eBay now, where that community is having a field day with it. It's sad for me to watch my 9.8 collection dropping in value like the plague, but hopefully some good change will come of this.