Get ready for an exciting year!

[PGCMint]

Just a note to say hello and to perhaps lift your spirits a bit.

I'm not selling anything, just giving a bit of friendly encouragement to dealers and collectors alike.

 

We have been through quite a bit in the last few years as our our hobby has grown, adjusted. There has been moments of triumph where growth was red hot, only to be rapidly cooled by shocking scandles that created an atmosphere of fear and anger, which in turn translated into a softer market.

 

The CGC Census has grown and we are learning to read it better. The multiples fomulas that once were written in stone have evaporated, creating an air of uncertainty, which in turn caused many would be investors, dealers and collectors to Play It Safe and hold back on spending.

 

Heritage has grown into a gigantic vacume cleaner and clearing house, gobbling up an ever growing percentage of the market.

 

And ebay... it just keeps growing, allowing anyone with a computer to become an instant dealer.

 

The good news???

 

Professionallly graded books are still doing well. And not just "well" but better than ever. Better "Mouse Traps" are contantly being built and the grading is tighter than ever. Yes, a pain in the astrik to the submitter but a ray of bright light for the collector. It is because of all the scandles that the professional grading services are advancing and creating a better product.

I can write page after page on this issue but the bottom line is that there are and will be many more collectors in this hobby who will enter, spend and remain only through this vehicle.

Again, we are still in the fomative years of professional grading and those of us who have been here from the begining, who feel as though it has been a lifetime of ups and downs, take heart because the best is yet to come.

 

The CGC Census is a very powerful tool and is teaching us much. Everyone wants the "very best copy" but we are begining to learn that owning one of the top Ten is a real accomplishment. And in some cases, owning one of the top 100 is OK too.

Collectors are looking for a sharp 9.2 as opposed to paying two to three times as much as a 9.4 and that is OK because they are getting a fantastic treasure and are happy. This is good for the hobby because it broadens it out and encourages more collectors. Remember, we are still at the point where it is the dealers who own much of the great stuff. Eventually it will reverse and dealers will have a very tough time owning a large inventory of the great stuff.

And what about the Highest Recorded grades? They will always sell and trust me on something.... Once you sell them, good luck getting them back.

It only takes a moment for situations to change in this hobby. A new collector entering, or two collectors deciding they want to collect a run, and then BAM! Everything changes.

Case in point:

I just sold a great group of books to an overseas collector. He cleaned me out of a group of 35 books (I will write on this at a later date). The sale is wonderful but also a little scary, as I have no idea how to rebuild this inventory.

The world is a big place and there are thousands of collectors who will eventually enter.

Which brings me to Heritage....

 

Love em or hate em, they are moving our hobby to a level that beyond our ability to do alone.

I have no affilation with Heritage what so ever but I am thrilled for their commitment to our hobby. yes, they are making a jillion or so dollars but the bottom line is that they are expanding our hobby faster than a speeding bullet! And the outlets of resale offered by both Heritage and ebay give a collector tremendous support. Collectors need to know they can liquidate if the need arises. This ability to liquidate at a moments notice is a very powerful motivator to buy, even if it is at a loss.

 

Yes, these are just nutshell comments and all can be exhaustively examined but they are written with no other reason in mind than simply encouragement. Encouragement to the dealers and collectors, who are doing there best and wondering if they are doing the right things. Know that this year will be a very good one and I honestly hope you do great!!

 

Mark

[Foolkiller]

Mark,

 

Heritage. Puh leeze. Hope they realize that somebody is always watching you. Growing the industry out of greed and manipulation.

 

Anyway, I am all for positive sentiments, and think yours are well thought out -- but I am not a pom pom cheerleader and things are not "better than ever" in the hobby. In fact, from collectors across the board, those who have never seen these message board, I see less enthusiasm than ever. On top of that, I've never felt more attuned to the corruption and dishonesty that's pervasive in our hobby.

 

I hope your good sales and good fortune continue. .

[PGCMint]

Mark,

 

Heritage. Puh leeze. Hope they realize that somebody is always watching you. Growing the industry out of greed and manipulation.

 

Anyway, I am all for positive sentiments, and think yours are well thought out -- but I am not a pom pom cheerleader and things are not "better than ever" in the hobby. In fact, from collectors across the board, those who have never seen these message board, I see less enthusiasm than ever. On top of that, I've never felt more attuned to the corruption and dishonesty that's pervasive in our hobby.

 

I hope your good sales and good fortune continue. .

 

I can understand your thoughts completely and know how grim it seems at times but I really think our hobby is going to do really well this year. The scandles create an air of frustration, confusion and doubt, which obviously destroys enthusiasm but there are soooo many wonderful things happening in our hobby as well. I am not trying to be unreasonably positve and do not mean to be a cheer leader for Heritage but I do see some very powerful indicators that we are moving this ship into the right direction.

 

Dealers are realizing (or should by now) that it is better to give the customer the best bang for their buck and they will return.

Yes, there are always going to be the flash in the pan, too good to be true dealers, who hit and run. That will never go away as long as a quick buck can be made, but the adversity is creating a stronger, more well informed hobby. I think we are all a bit more savvy than we were just a year ago.

 

Anyway, my hopes are a really good year for all. If I seem Pollyannish (or am a rotten speller

that's OK too because I really believe it will be a fantastic year.

Take care,

Mark

[Foolkiller]

Mark,

 

I'm not sure what indicators you are thinking will make for a strong year -- perhaps you'll be right, but for me, I don't see dealers suddenly becoming super honest. There's short list of dealers who conduct themselves honestly and do not have questionable dealings. So I don't think there's going to be this high level of great honesty all of a sudden. I think a lot of collectors are skeptical of dealers or just simply don't care. They want to stick their heads in the sand because it only means a negative impact and thought on thier collections they've overgraded or missed resto on...

 

What Heritage signals? Raising the consignment fee? Intentional manipulation of the market? Perhaps it's that whole allowing their employees to bid on their own auctions? Do the books ever leave Heritage? Perhaps it's the questionable leader who at age 13 was learning how to run a scam?

 

I want to see a good year for the comic collectors, and a good year of progress for more honesty from dealers. I'm not holding my breath for the latter.

 

Maybe it will be a good year, maybe not. The Javitz show should at least be good... another good San Diego Con -- who knows, maybe there will be another major collection unveiled or something -- those are the things that make a great year. If CGC books trend upwards in price, I could care less.

[PGCMint]

Mark,

 

I'm not sure what indicators you are thinking will make for a strong year -- perhaps you'll be right, but for me, I don't see dealers suddenly becoming super honest.

 

I want to see a good year for the comic collectors, and a good year of progress for more honesty from dealers. I'm not holding my breath for the latter.

 

If CGC books trend upwards in price, I could care less.

 

I only took part of your quotes for space reasons, hope you don't mind.

I see you are a True collector, which is great.

Your points are very powerful ones and I am hopeful that those who are leaning towards dishonesty will read them (and re-read them) and think twice, understanding that repeat business is a very potent and enduring friend.

 

As for price climbs, yes that will happen BUT the good news is that more collectors like you are going to enter, broadening and strengthening the hobby.

 

And you are correct, the proof is in the pudding. We will all know when 2006 is behind us but my thoughts are that it will be a great year.

Now will by words come back to bite me or give me cause to smile

We will all soon see.

 

Regardless, keep your heart a bit light and enjoy the best parts of this hobby because like I said, there are a lot of wonderful things happening.

[Mushroom]

If I was a dealer in this market then I would be trying to spruik it up as well, however, the pollyanna sentiments that you are putting forward in your post are impossible to swallow given recent events..........

[Pirate]

Just a note to say hello and to perhaps lift your spirits a bit.

I'm not selling anything, just giving a bit of friendly encouragement to dealers and collectors alike.

 

We have been through quite a bit in the last few years as our our hobby has grown, adjusted. There has been moments of triumph where growth was red hot, only to be rapidly cooled by shocking scandles that created an atmosphere of fear and anger, which in turn translated into a softer market.

 

The CGC Census has grown and we are learning to read it better. The multiples fomulas that once were written in stone have evaporated, creating an air of uncertainty, which in turn caused many would be investors, dealers and collectors to Play It Safe and hold back on spending.

 

Heritage has grown into a gigantic vacume cleaner and clearing house, gobbling up an ever growing percentage of the market.

 

And ebay... it just keeps growing, allowing anyone with a computer to become an instant dealer.

 

The good news???

 

Professionallly graded books are still doing well. And not just "well" but better than ever. Better "Mouse Traps" are contantly being built and the grading is tighter than ever. Yes, a pain in the astrik to the submitter but a ray of bright light for the collector. It is because of all the scandles that the professional grading services are advancing and creating a better product.

I can write page after page on this issue but the bottom line is that there are and will be many more collectors in this hobby who will enter, spend and remain only through this vehicle.

Again, we are still in the fomative years of professional grading and those of us who have been here from the begining, who feel as though it has been a lifetime of ups and downs, take heart because the best is yet to come.

 

The CGC Census is a very powerful tool and is teaching us much. Everyone wants the "very best copy" but we are begining to learn that owning one of the top Ten is a real accomplishment. And in some cases, owning one of the top 100 is OK too.

Collectors are looking for a sharp 9.2 as opposed to paying two to three times as much as a 9.4 and that is OK because they are getting a fantastic treasure and are happy. This is good for the hobby because it broadens it out and encourages more collectors. Remember, we are still at the point where it is the dealers who own much of the great stuff. Eventually it will reverse and dealers will have a very tough time owning a large inventory of the great stuff.

And what about the Highest Recorded grades? They will always sell and trust me on something.... Once you sell them, good luck getting them back.

It only takes a moment for situations to change in this hobby. A new collector entering, or two collectors deciding they want to collect a run, and then BAM! Everything changes.

Case in point:

I just sold a great group of books to an overseas collector. He cleaned me out of a group of 35 books (I will write on this at a later date). The sale is wonderful but also a little scary, as I have no idea how to rebuild this inventory.

The world is a big place and there are thousands of collectors who will eventually enter.

Which brings me to Heritage....

 

Love em or hate em, they are moving our hobby to a level that beyond our ability to do alone.

I have no affilation with Heritage what so ever but I am thrilled for their commitment to our hobby. yes, they are making a jillion or so dollars but the bottom line is that they are expanding our hobby faster than a speeding bullet! And the outlets of resale offered by both Heritage and ebay give a collector tremendous support. Collectors need to know they can liquidate if the need arises. This ability to liquidate at a moments notice is a very powerful motivator to buy, even if it is at a loss.

 

Yes, these are just nutshell comments and all can be exhaustively examined but they are written with no other reason in mind than simply encouragement. Encouragement to the dealers and collectors, who are doing there best and wondering if they are doing the right things. Know that this year will be a very good one and I honestly hope you do great!!

 

Mark

 

[Foolkiller]

Well, I'd be the first to admit that lately I've been wearing the dealer hat more than the collector hat, and I think you have to have the same set of ethics on both sides of the table. But I don't do this for a living, so I get to have a different kind of luxury in how I price and sell things. Plus, I love seeing books go into the hands of people who really love them... and actually, i think that's where most of them go.

 

That said, I would like to note that one of the things I think is so incredible about your website and your comics career is that you were the number one example cited to me during the Jason Ewert scandal and the fact that pretty much every dealer and old time collector I spoke to often referred to you as one of the guys with a "shady" and dishonest past about selling undisclosed resto books. However, those same people also said that you were now one of the nicest and more honest guys in comics today, completely different than 15 years ago. To me, this gives me hope that dishonesty can be fettered out and people can change. (incidentally, the rap was basically that unlike Ewert who was intentionally trying to defraud people, you honestly did not agree that certain types of color touch etc. were that big a deal and were not disclosing it).

 

However, my point in bringing this up is that I actually came to like your whole story more because it basically said to me, maybe Ewert will freakin' change and comics dealers can actually change their outlook and become all for disclosing resto to customers.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

No offense Mark, but your comments, while refreshingly optimistic, have a ring similar to those of my own trade group, the NAR (National Association of Realtors).

 

Seemingly, every week I read a press release about how some discouraging housing market statistic is just an anomoly, a blip on the screen, and how the NAR continues to believe this year will be a incredibly strong one for housing nationwide.

 

But those of us on the front lines tell a different story. We're the ones who have sellers calling us everyday asking why their houses are selling, aren't getting offers, heck, aren't even getting showings anymore.

 

There is a disconnect there. Now, is it the NAR's job to put a happy face on a deteriorating situation? Sure, that's where our dues go. But after a while, I get tired of having to defend their hopelessly optimistic position to the people who read the same press releases, but see the market operate much differently then they do.

[mar-vell]

Well, I'd be the first to admit that lately I've been wearing the dealer hat more than the collector hat, and I think you have to have the same set of ethics on both sides of the table. But I don't do this for a living, so I get to have a different kind of luxury in how I price and sell things. Plus, I love seeing books go into the hands of people who really love them... and actually, i think that's where most of them go.

 

That said, I would like to note that one of the things I think is so incredible about your website and your comics career is that you were the number one example cited to me during the Jason Ewert scandal and the fact that pretty much every dealer and old time collector I spoke to often referred to you as one of the guys with a "shady" and dishonest past about selling undisclosed resto books. However, those same people also said that you were now one of the nicest and more honest guys in comics today, completely different than 15 years ago. To me, this gives me hope that dishonesty can be fettered out and people can change. (incidentally, the rap was basically that unlike Ewert who was intentionally trying to defraud people, you honestly did not agree that certain types of color touch etc. were that big a deal and were not disclosing it).

 

However, my point in bringing this up is that I actually came to like your whole story more because it basically said to me, maybe Ewert will freakin' change and comics dealers can actually change their outlook and become all for disclosing resto to customers.

 

I heard from an Overstreet advisor that Mark Wilson was selling world's FINKest comics until CGC came out -then so many big $ books that he sold with undisclosed resto came to light that he was forced out of the hobby temporarily by outraged collectors- he basically had to sell only CGC books because it was the only way he could have any credibility! BTW Mark feel free to defend yourself here as i have never heard your side of the story and I have not confirmed all of the details but i can assure you I heard it from an overstreet advisor!

 

Dave

[Psiknight]

Plus, I love seeing books go into the hands of people who really love them... and actually, i think that's where most of them go.

 

 

Outside of reading and collecting, this is easily my favorite part of the hobby. Sometimes, the people involved are far superior to the actual books!

[Foolkiller]

I've heard the same story from several dealers, many of them OS advisors, and a lot of collectors in general.

 

But to be honest -- I think that Mark's story (and please feel free to add to it Mark) is one that should be looked at as a positive one, where he came back into the hobby, with CGC (and here's an example of CGC clearly being a positive thing for the hobby) and becomes a positive force. So to me, yes, it's a not so good background, but I've also heard from most accounts that Mark's viewpoint was simply that he didn't feel certain things were all that big of a deal in the line of resto and did not believe he was "defrauding" people.

 

Again, my reason for bringing this up is that to me, Mark's story is one where you can say, CGC can be a positive force to help collectors (outing the resto) but that a dealer that people were down on can once again become liked when they change how they do business and become really good parts of the hobby.

[mar-vell]

I've heard the same story from several dealers, many of them OS advisors, and a lot of collectors in general.

 

But to be honest -- I think that Mark's story (and please feel free to add to it Mark) is one that should be looked at as a positive one, where he came back into the hobby, with CGC (and here's an example of CGC clearly being a positive thing for the hobby) and becomes a positive force. So to me, yes, it's a not so good background, but I've also heard from most accounts that Mark's viewpoint was simply that he didn't feel certain things were all that big of a deal in the line of resto and did not believe he was "defrauding" people.

 

Again, my reason for bringing this up is that to me, Mark's story is one where you can say, CGC can be a positive force to help collectors (outing the resto) but that a dealer that people were down on can once again become liked when they change how they do business and become really good parts of the hobby.

 

Yeah it does look like Mark has bounced back and i hope he is wiser for the wear! Don't think that will happen with JE -he went too far! I think he's gonna be another Danny boy from now on!

[thedude]

The CGC Census is a very powerful tool and is teaching us much.

 

Not to me it isn't, not anymore, not with re-subs, and "full potential" graded books, not to mention the fact that not everyone gets there comics graded (the dentist),

 

I find myself growing weary of the "graded comics" side of the hobby, it was a good thing to start with, for resto detection. but is more and more becoming another tool for fraud and deception.

[mar-vell]

The CGC Census is a very powerful tool and is teaching us much.

 

Not to me it isn't, not anymore, not with re-subs, and "full potential" graded books, not to mention the fact that not everyone gets there comics graded (the dentist),

 

I find myself growing weary of the "graded comics" side of the hobby, it was a good thing to start with, for resto detection. but is more and more becoming another tool for fraud and deception.

 

Hey it sounds like the dude isn't that "excited"

[nearmint]

I heard from an Overstreet advisor that Mark Wilson was selling world's FINKest comics until CGC came out -then so many big $ books that he sold with undisclosed resto came to light that he was forced out of the hobby temporarily by outraged collectors- he basically had to sell only CGC books because it was the only way he could have any credibility! BTW Mark feel free to defend yourself here as i have never heard your side of the story and I have not confirmed all of the details but i can assure you I heard it from an overstreet advisor!

Dave

 

I think whoever told you this compacted the timeline a bit. If memory serves, Mark changed his stripes years before CGC arrived on the scene. I specifically remember Mark's declaration(I think both in a new catalog and on the World's Finest website) that, henceforth, ALL resto would be disclosed.

[thedude]

The CGC Census is a very powerful tool and is teaching us much.

 

Not to me it isn't, not anymore, not with re-subs, and "full potential" graded books, not to mention the fact that not everyone gets there comics graded (the dentist),

 

I find myself growing weary of the "graded comics" side of the hobby, it was a good thing to start with, for resto detection. but is more and more becoming another tool for fraud and deception.

 

Hey it sounds like the dude isn't that "excited"

 

about the hobby, I am, I love collecting GA books,.. but I'm just recently starting to think about just sticking them in a mylar and not having them graded,.. and for resto checks maybe send them to a resto expert or something.. who knows..

 

but I am excited , I'm going to MegaCon at the end of the month..

[Pirate]

thedude,

 

we have got to meet up. I will be there all three days (well if my plane gets in on time). PM me and we'll make arrangements to say hey.

[mar-vell]

The CGC Census is a very powerful tool and is teaching us much.

 

Not to me it isn't, not anymore, not with re-subs, and "full potential" graded books, not to mention the fact that not everyone gets there comics graded (the dentist),

 

I find myself growing weary of the "graded comics" side of the hobby, it was a good thing to start with, for resto detection. but is more and more becoming another tool for fraud and deception.

 

Hey it sounds like the dude isn't that "excited"

 

about the hobby, I am, I love collecting GA books,.. but I'm just recently starting to think about just sticking them in a mylar and not having them graded,.. and for resto checks maybe send them to a resto expert or something.. who knows..

 

but I am excited , I'm going to MegaCon at the end of the month..

 

-- wish I was going!

[thedude]

thedude,

 

we have got to meet up. I will be there all three days (well if my plane gets in on time). PM me and we'll make arrangements to say hey.

 

PM sent