DD 168 CGC 9.6 WHITE

[Tomega]

Darth -

 

I am a collector of Dell's, not for investment, but because I like some of the movie/TV photo covers. I can honestly say that except for the Zane Grey and Hennesey, those are all reading (g/vg) comics. Even the Hennessey and the Zane Grey would probably fetch $10 and the others would be $1-$5 bin stuff.

 

Tomega

[Darthdiesel]

Even the Hennessey and the Zane Grey would probably fetch $10 and the others would be $1-$5 bin stuff.

 

WAAAAAAAAAH!

 

that's cool - I can take it from guys I know... I thikn it's time for Marvel come out with Ultimate Hennessey and Ultimate Mountees and see where prices go from there. As for the Westerns, maybe insuating Roy Rogers as a Rawhide Kid (which is blasphemy for some) would stir enough controversy to raise prices. Gimmincks abound...

[Lofwyr]

The western genre has been dead since the late 60's or so. Most of the western comics were in direct response to the 50's popularity of western TV shows and "davy crocket" madness. Perhaps one of the oldbies can chime in on this phenomenon since it has never been cool to wear coonskin caps in my generation. Anyways, not surprisingly the comics based on that genre are stagnant but this certainly doesn't apply to GA horror, war, or superhero comics. In order of popularity i'd still say GA superhero books win out any day of the week with horror being a close second. I find the _best_ deals on high grade EC crime and war comics and some of that stuff is pretty edgy even for today's standards.

 

 

 

[awe4one]

The point I'm trying to make is that a lot of Golden Age fetishists here like to make the broad generalization that ANY GOlden Age book is a smarter investment than ANY Modern book simply because it is a tried and true proven collectible. we;ve had this argument on here many times. To each their own. It is just raises my ire to see statements like that made on the money spent for Elektra's 1s app on DD 168 CGC 9.6...folks dropping money on modern books as lacking common sense. Well, if I dropped money on these books I showed you just because they were Golden Age, then I'd definitely be lacking that same common sense.

 

Try selling an Alf in VG and see what you get or most modern age under VF. Your example is rather poor. There are far more desirable GA comics to be had in VG condition than anyone can make a case for NM modern comics of the last 20 years. And you make more money per unit than a box of common modern [!@#%^&^]. The high end buyers of modern are really misinformed or looking for the quick turnaround buck in my opinion. High end is even more remarkable and I'd bet if your copies were VF/NM and set at a far price then you'd have no trouble selling it.

 

It's not rocket science....with a little research (and I mean little), a collector will see the folly of spending that kind of money for DD #168 and/or the way to go in buying GA comics. It's the misinformed ones that are biting for your GA reader copies and moderns.

 

 

Jim

[Bronty]

The point I'm trying to make is that a lot of Golden Age fetishists here like to make the broad generalization that ANY GOlden Age book is a smarter investment than ANY Modern book simply because it is a tried and true proven collectible. we;ve had this argument on here many times. To each their own.

 

That's true enough. Certain moderns will be better investments than certain GA. I think the point people are trying to make is to "beware the fad" - because they don't last. Not to say that all modern age books are fads, but certain books are, whereas certain GA/SA have a proven track record.

[delekkerste]

It's not rocket science....with a little research (and I mean little), a collector will see the folly of spending that kind of money for DD #168 and/or the way to go in buying GA comics.

 

I really don't understand this obsession GA collectors have with rarity, market values and profit potential. Is it all about the Benjamins for you guys? If not, will you please stop bringing up monetary considerations every time you talk about your collectible class of choice? If I want to make money investing, I'm not going to do it buying funny books, GA or otherwise. I collect comics because I like the stories, art, characters and creators. Should I buy GA books simply because they're harder to find and worth more than Bronze and Moderns? Even though I think the corn-ball stories, cartoony art and light-weight characterizations are total ? (Sure, I appreciate the historical importance and contribution of the early books and creative teams, but I don't buy comics to run a museum, I buy stuff I like and can relate to).

 

I don't care if there are enough DD #168s for every man, woman and child on the planet...I'll always appreciate Miller's stunning story, art and characters more than some "Golly Gee Whiz Bulletman!" dialogue and be willing to pay up for the privilege of reading and owning issues like DD #168 any day. I'm a comic fan and collector, not an investor, dealer or speculator, and lately I've been getting nauseous from all the hype and crass commercialism too many people in the hobby have been displaying, from GA stalwarts to Wizard-brainwashed Modern fanboys.

 

Whatever happened to buying what you like at a price you can afford? Anyone who follows that simple advice can't go wrong, whether your personal preference is for GA, SA, Bronze or Modern.

 

'Nuff said.

 

Gene

[seank]

For all of you out there claiming there's thousands of DD 168s out there, or are sitting on a stack of them, how about walking the walk instead of talking the talk and selling me one in decent condition (9.0 to 9.4) for a decent price (e.g. less than my monthly mortgage payment). I can't, and don't want to, compete with the speculator lemmings on eBay that have more money than sense and I need that one issue to fill my Frank Miller run of DDs. It's a nasty little gap.

[PovertyRow]

By your rationale Golden age books should have dropped off the comic collecting radar a long time ago because everyone I know who was alive to read comics back in the 50's is in the 65-70+ age range.

 

Whoah whoah now sonny! ::eh? What's that? I can't hear ya! Speak up!::

 

I was born in December 1950 - am 52 years old and was reading comics, though not many, in the 50's.

[THE_BEYONDER]

Whatever happened to buying what you like at a price you can afford? .

 

 

 

The problem is.......unlike collectors, "investors" buy what they think OTHER people will like. I WILL NOT buy anything that I personally think is "garbage". As for BULLETMAN......who cares?

[musicmeta]

Whatever happened to buying what you like at a price you can afford? Anyone who follows that simple advice can't go wrong, whether your personal preference is for GA, SA, Bronze or Modern.

 

Well stated. I couldn't agree more.

[Arty]

 

Bulletman 4 big picture

 

Dedicated to all Bulletman 4 haters

 

 

[Darthdiesel]

Not to say that all modern age books are fads, but certain books are, whereas certain GA/SA have a proven track record.

 

Hey, I'm with you on this. Problem is truly perceiving what is a fad and what is not. DD 168 has always been know as a Miller masterpiece for Miller fans and 1st app of Elektra has been pretty sought after by collectors for a while. Just because people are spending mad money on it now as opposed to before doesn't automatically discount it as a fleeting fad. DD 168 is always gonna be a key issue for DD and Miller enthusiasts.

[Aman619]

Whatever happened to buying what you like at a price you can afford? Anyone who follows that simple advice can't go wrong, whether your personal preference is for GA, SA, Bronze or Modern.

 

what happened was this recent skyrocketing of prices to absurd levels. Daredevil 168 is a cool book, a key first appearance, and a great story and art by Miller at his first most influential peak. I dont think anyone here thinks its a bad book to buy or own. Its the new-fangled price tag that makes it an arguably dumb purchase. At $30 to $50 is worth buying. $500? nope.

 

 

[Lofwyr]

Its the new-fangled price tag that makes it an arguably dumb purchase. At $30 to $50 is worth buying. $500? nope.

 

Just to further illustrate how screwed up prices are now, I bought my giant size X-men #1 in NM condition off _ebay_ for only $350 back around June 2000 (after the first x-men movie was released.) and Amazing spidey #129 in NM (came back 9.2) for only $255. Matter of fact, I remember most of the books that broke the early bronze/silver $300+ barrier were all key issues. People were selling CGC'd books back then too but it hadn't reached the uber inflated levels yet. Flash forward to 2003 and look at the prices these days for relatively non key bronze age books in high grade. Almost all of them are commanding enormous premiums. What has changed? Mostly movie hype but little else really. There hasn't been a drastic reduction of supply anywhere, matter of fact I can find way more high grade CGC books now but the "popular" price point is prohibitive.

 

All is not well in comic book land, folks.

[Aman619]

talking about supply in regards to Modern age books....I was thinking earlier today how it is possible for these prices to be paid on what are nearly unanimously understood to be very common if not plentiful.

 

I think the buyers and players in this market are only recating to the current census and just trying not to deal with the concept of how many more copies there are. They really hope to believe that they must really be 'rare' in even 9.6. And why not? You dont see that many auctions for these books in that condition.

 

But, if you could freeze the world and take a "comics scan" of EVERY copy of DD168 in 9.6 or better in existence right now, does anyone doubt that out of the 200,000 copies printed in the 1980s, shipped to direct comics shops, and bought and saved (sometimes in multiples, often in cases!!) by collectors dealers and speculators, who even if they sold them for $10 at the time to collectors those same issues never made it out of the bags they were immediately placed in...)...that this "comics scan" would not turn up many HUNDREDS of copies???

 

They just dont want to go there...and choose to believe as solidly as in the tooth fairy that these "high high grades" are RARE! I just dont think so... And its wished-for perceived HG 'RARITY' that accounts for these weird prices paid.

[delekkerste]

They just dont want to go there...and choose to believe as solidly as in the tooth fairy that these "high high grades" are RARE! I just dont think so... And its wished-for perceived HG 'RARITY' that accounts for these weird prices paid.

 

There hasn't been a drastic reduction of supply anywhere, matter of fact I can find way more high grade CGC books now but the "popular" price point is prohibitive.

 

Hey guys,

 

I'm not disagreeing with you in the least here. I'm as cognizant of and disgusted with the speculative excess as anyone on the Boards and know that many people are in flat-out denial when it comes to the "rarity" of these books and prospects for price appreciation. That said, it's not always just about rarity and potential price appreciation. I'm a fan/collector first and a market prognosticator/critic second. I don't buy comics at the expense of not doing cool things or saving for the future, nor do I refrain from buying something or doing something I really want just because some people may consider it to be an extravagant expense.

 

Of course, I don't want to be left holding the bag if I can help it, but sometimes it's just worth it for me to pay up for something I really want versus expending additional time & energy to search for a better deal. Remember, what people like to collect is very personal and subjective and how much money is too much is also somewhat relative and partially determined by the person's financial means and opportunity costs.

 

Wow, my "cr@$h" posts from last fall seem positively middle-of-the-road next to the hard-line some people are taking here! But, I welcome that...IMO, there's been too much hope, denial and misplaced optimism on the Boards and it's refreshing to see some people breaking from the Party line.

 

Gene

[fazman]

thing since, most of those into Golden Age with the big money are probably going to die in the next 10 yrs., leaving those wwho invested in it holding a huge loss..

 

Why would you think that ? What do you think happens to these books ? Die's with them ?? Man O man O man !! This could bring thousands to the person/s who have been willed this material. More so than a BA book, ever !! The value may actualy increase !!. Pedagree anyone !!

[PovertyRow]

Dedicated to all Bulletman 4 haters

 

Great cover!

[Lofwyr]

Dedicated to all Bulletman 4 haters

 

Great cover!

 

I concur..even though Bulletman resembles a female stimulation device.

 

[Darthdiesel]

Why would you think that ? What do you think happens to these books ? Die's with them ??

 

The book live on with the heirs. But the desire for collecting Golden Age dies with the collector. No guarantee you will pass your love of comics to your progeny and if you spent all your time taking care of your comics instead of raising your children, then more than likely they will only hate your comics for depriving them of a real father and they will pull a Church family and sell your GA to the closest delaer willing to pay them pennies on the dollar - that is if the dealer even realizes what Golden Age books are - he may even give them a bulk rate of pennies per pound!

 

Man O man O man !! This could bring thousands to the person/s who have been willed this material. More so than a BA book, ever !! The value may actualy increase !!. Pedagree anyone !!

 

This is just wishful thinking and extrapolating our current values on GA/BA books into the future. Ironic about future pedigrees. The pedigree requisite for one original owner can now only come from ...you guessed it...modern books! Any golden age-silver age that one amasses today will only be through secondary sources. Meanwhile, the collector nowadays buying their 9.8 Ultimates and sealing them in airtight boxes in the closet and opening them in 2040 will qualify for that pedigree designation!