RE:Calling all Old Timers

[Bullet123]

I have only been at this now for 3yrs, I am trying to get a handle on;

 

There seems to be a never ending supply of high grade books for sale through consignment sites and auction houses.

 

Has this always been the case?

 

Is it because of the acceleration in prices for high grade material post CGC?

 

Or is this simply the way of comics books and the internet making just about everything available at a price except the truly rare?

 

Looking for perspective here from dealers/collectors who go back at least 15yrs preferably longer.

 

Thanks

[tth2]

There seems to be a never ending supply of high grade books for sale through consignment sites and auction houses.

 

Has this always been the case?

Depends on the genre you're talking about, but in general, no.

 

Is it because of the acceleration in prices for high grade material post CGC?

 

Or is this simply the way of comics books and the internet making just about everything available at a price except the truly rare?

Yes and yes. To boil this down to the most basic element, the two combined have significantly improved the price that a seller can realize, which has thus incentivized more sellers to sell, thus increasing the supply significantly.

 

In the old days, sellers took a double hit when they wanted to sell: First, dealers and local comic shops were the primary channel to sell to, and they would pay you 50% of Guide, at best, for the vast majority of books. Maybe all the way up to 100% Guide for really desirable, HG books. The only "neutral" way to sell was to list an ad in CBG or get a table at a con. The second hit that sellers, particularly small-fish collectors, took was that they would get beaten down on grade. No matter how nice the book was, the dealer/shop buying would nitpick them mercilessly to drive the price down.

 

The internet has greatly reduced the first problem, and the broad market acceptance of CGC has greatly reduced the second problem.

 

I would also add that the sheer availability of information through the internet has greatly contributed to supply. Meaning that if a particular book starts to spike up in price, as evidenced by high sales prices on eBay and consignment sites, this information is rapidly disseminated on the internet and causes sellers to sell their copy to cash in on the uptrend. Contrast this with the old days, when this kind of info was all word of mouth except for periodic reports in Overstreet or (shudder!) Wizard. Then, it generally took longer for an increase in demand to translate into an increase in supply.

[Moondog]

Before the Internet there were "Big Time Dealers" who published catalogs and ran ads in the TBG (now CBG) and before that RBCC. Many of these same dealers set up at shows. There was also a network of "Big Time Collectors" who were in every BTD's Rolodex (remember those?). So books still made there way around the hobby. All of today's usual suspects were a part of it (though some have died off).

 

EBay has made it easier for books to get to market, but most of the same dynamic exists today: BTD's and BTC's. The only difference is that it takes more money to crack either status.

 

Back-of-the-envelope-credentials: Opened my first shop in 1978 and have sold millions of dollars of GA and SA. Today I'm just a collector who dabbles in dealing.

[shadroch]

But back in the 70s/80s The Buyers Guide was a semi-weekly,then a weekly newspaper that had very cheap advertising rates,so anyone could reach an audenince of thousands,most of whom scoured every ad,for very little money.

As an example-When Spider-Woman #1 was hot,and selling for about $1,I obtained 200 copies,which I advertised in a small classified, for about 50 cents.A week after the newspaper hit,I got 2 orders for 5 copies. Next day 5 orders,for 30 copies.,Next day,the mail brought 50 envelops,each wanting multiple copies.My mailman was pissed and told me to get a PO Box.

Ended up getting orders for about 800 copies,many with no return addresses,and had an order from Singapore come in about a year later.

I don't recall what TBGs readership was,but it was a great place to buy or sell books.

[tth2]

But back in the 70s/80s The Buyers Guide was a semi-weekly,then a weekly newspaper that had very cheap advertising rates,so anyone could reach an audenince of thousands,most of whom scoured every ad,for very little money.

As an example-When Spider-Woman #1 was hot,and selling for about $1,I obtained 200 copies,which I advertised in a small classified, for about 50 cents.A week after the newspaper hit,I got 2 orders for 5 copies. Next day 5 orders,for 30 copies.,Next day,the mail brought 50 envelops,each wanting multiple copies.My mailman was pissed and told me to get a PO Box.

Ended up getting orders for about 800 copies,many with no return addresses,and had an order from Singapore come in about a year later.

I don't recall what TBGs readership was,but it was a great place to buy or sell books.

CBG was great, but it could be a krap-shoot too, in the same way that eBay is. I bought some books from excellent sellers who could grade very well, and I bought some books from sellers who didn't know how to grade at all.

[shadroch]

As a teen-age collector,I wasn't really condition concious.As long as it didn't crumble in my hands,or stink of mildew,I was a happy,happy camper.Keep in mind,OS back then was Good-Fine-Mint,with a spread of about 3 or 4 to 1.

Most of my dealers listed their books as being in the VG-Mint range,and it was all a crapshoot what you'd get.But back then,we read the books,not encase them in mylar or plastic.

I remember sitting on the floor of the Hotel McAlphin(circa '74) reading a Cap 100 I'd just bought,and striking up a conversation with a kid reading an Avengers #4.When we finished reading them,we exchanged books -to read,not to keep.

 

BTW-I still remember walking into a retailer seminar some 10-12 years later, and just being in the room with Moondog and Buddy Saunders and the rest of the Overstreet advisors giving me such a rush,as the likes of Neal Adams asked US to carry his books,promising to get them back on schedule.

[blazingbob]

Today I'm just a collector who dabbles in dealing.

 

Collector? Gary Colabuono a collector? Boy, you need to revisit that statement.

 

Hmm, maybe you've got something there. It's easier to be a collector. I can refuse to return money because I'm a collector and don't have to have return policies. I can be a collector so I don't have to pay those taxes or do paperwork. I can claim I can't spot restoration because I'm a collector. I can refuse to sell books because I'm a collector and don't know the rules of being a dealer.

 

He's a collector, She's a collector, wouldn't you like to be a collector to!!!!!

[langur88]

Today I'm just a collector who dabbles in dealing.

 

Collector? Gary Colabuono a collector? Boy, you need to revisit that statement.

 

Hmm, maybe you've got something there. It's easier to be a collector. I can refuse to return money because I'm a collector and don't have to have return policies. I can be a collector so I don't have to pay those taxes or do paperwork. I can claim I can't spot restoration because I'm a collector. I can refuse to sell books because I'm a collector and don't know the rules of being a dealer.

 

He's a collector, She's a collector, wouldn't you like to be a collector to!!!!!

 

Oh, oh. Woke Bob up.

 

[blazingbob]

Oh yeah, I happily remember all those old timers, magic markers in hand gleefully coloring those spines behind the booths

[Comicdey]

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[aardvark88]

The old timers would sell their SA Marvels by the pound because they were so common. My friend got a Hulk v. 1 #1 like that.

[langur88]

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That was quick. What did I miss?

[shadroch]

Oh yeah, I happily remember all those old timers, magic markers in hand gleefully coloring those spines behind the booths

 

 

Yeah,but we were buying them to read,not to sell down the road.I think its better than being afraid to take your FF12 out of a mylar,for fear a small nick will cause it to fall from 9.6 to 9.4 and cost you $10,000.

[Comicdey]

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That was quick. What did I miss?

 

Nothing, I mistakenly thought Blazing was Beerbohm

[blazingbob]

Umm, maybe you were reading them but I was a high grade collector back in the 70's also. And I had my books nicely stacked, alternated them between stacks, constantly changed those gross polypropelene bags and even was making backing boards before they became popular.

 

High grade collectors were just as prevalent as they are today. They haven't changed and their perks are just as long as they were back then.

 

A $100 Hulk #1 made a person shake just as much as the $10,000 copy does today. Frankly, I'm more comfortable with them shaking while holding a CGC holder than physically holding the book. And if somebody dropped it I would have been just as pissed back then as I would be now.

 

$100 was very important to a 13 year old.

[Bullet123]

But were there auctions that had this many quality books in it 7/8 times a year and dealers inventory, where if you wanted to, could assemble most if not all traditional Silver Age characters runs by making a few phone calls? Trying to get a perspective on what seems to me to be a never ending barrage of quality material or am I simply just more aware of things in comics as a consumer because of the internet?

[sborock]

But where there auctions that had this many quality books in it 7/8 times a year and dealers inventory, where if you wanted to, could assemble most if not all traditional Silver Age characters runs by making a few phone calls? Trying to get a perspective on what seems to me to be a never ending barrage of quality material or am I simply just more aware of things in comics as a consumer because of the internet?

 

The material was there as long as you paid a premium, liked to hunt, had $ and had time to spare.

 

Also helped if you had a network of friends around and across the country helping each other looking for books WITHOUT MAKING MONEY OFF OF YOU. That helped me more than anything.

 

That said, yes, the internet, recored prices(bring stuff out of older collectors collections) and a few good finds of new collections have made things easier.........

[shadroch]

Umm, maybe you were reading them but I was a high grade collector back in the 70's also. And I had my books nicely stacked, alternated them between stacks, constantly changed those gross polypropelene bags and even was making backing boards before they became popular.

 

High grade collectors were just as prevalent as they are today. They haven't changed and their perks are just as long as they were back then.

 

A $100 Hulk #1 made a person shake just as much as the $10,000 copy does today. Frankly, I'm more comfortable with them shaking while holding a CGC holder than physically holding the book. And if somebody dropped it I would have been just as pissed back then as I would be now.

 

$100 was very important to a 13 year old.

they well could be.

 

I never got the hg bug. I'd go to Creation and come back with 50 books,somone else would buy 1 book for the same money.

Even in my stores,I'd buy the VG-F copies of back issues from Koch and such.Much easier for me to sell a $20 VG FF #48 in 1988 than it was to sell a $100 NM copy.

Until about four years ago,any hgSA books I had were accidents that came in collections.

Of course,now,I wish I had lain out the extra $150 for the NM Avengers #1 instead of paying $75 for the F- copy.

[MutantKeys]

Talking about Joe Koch I havent been in his warehouse for over a year..I will have to make arrangements...

[langur88]

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That was quick. What did I miss?

 

Nothing, I mistakenly thought Blazing was Beerbohm

 

A more common mistake than you might think.