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Jeremy Simington
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 April 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 687
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| Posted: 02 November 2013 at 8:41am | IP Logged | 1
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A sad reality check for anyone planning on turning a comic book collection into a fortune.
Better to use them for their intended purpose: reading and enjoyment.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133318
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| Posted: 02 November 2013 at 8:46am | IP Logged | 2
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As I have mentioned before, this foolishness was born back in the Seventies, when a copy of ACTION COMICS 1 sold at auction for $20,000, the highest paid up to that point, and The Wall Street Journal declared that, based on a ten cent original outlay, this made comics a better "investment" than GOLD.Missing from this brilliant bit of math, of course, was that the seller had not bought the book for 10¢. But, the damage was done. The fools parade commenced, and continues to this day, with ever greater idiocy added. ("This is the polybagged hologram variant cover, so it's worth even MORE!")
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Thom Price
Byrne Robotics Member
L’Homme Diabolique
Joined: 29 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 7593
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| Posted: 02 November 2013 at 8:47am | IP Logged | 3
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“The entire back-issues market is essentially a Ponzi scheme,” Salkowitz says. “It’s been managed and run that way for 35 years.”
***
I'm baffled that there are people who thought these books would be valuable. I remember when "The Death of Superman" issue came out; friends who had not one iota of interest in comics rushed out to buy copies. "This is going to be worth a fortune one day!" Not with tens of thousands of people keeping pristine copies boarded and bagged. Do people still not grasp that the reason "Action Comics" #1 (and the like) are valueable is because there are so few of them?
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133318
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| Posted: 02 November 2013 at 8:56am | IP Logged | 4
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Rarity and historical significance used to dictate the "value" of a comic book. But that went away a long time ago, in favor of "hot" artists and "hot" titles that were bought on speculation.Many's the time I was asked at a Con by some wild-eyed fan if the fact that I'd signed his book made it "Worth more?" LESS, I would say. Somebody wrote on it!
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Gregory Friedman
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 25 April 2013
Posts: 249
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| Posted: 02 November 2013 at 10:16am | IP Logged | 5
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Well, I never believed that my wheelbarrow o' comics would buy my entrance into a country club.
Nevertheless, it is sort of depressing to think that my two file cabinets of carefully organized and preserved comics are essentially carefully organized pieces of garbage from a financial point of view.
One would want things they save and put time and effort into to be objectively worth something, I suppose. Maybe they really are just magic beans.
Edited by Gregory Friedman on 02 November 2013 at 1:20pm
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Roy Johnson
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 19 May 2013
Location: Canada
Posts: 1323
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| Posted: 02 November 2013 at 10:22am | IP Logged | 6
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When I was around 10 (1979) I bought into the whole "investment" thing - for about a year.
The reason I have a "collection" is that when I buy something, I tend to just keep it in good condition because I paid money for it and I want to read it again, not for any other reason.
Besides, my retirement plan is fool-proof: marry rich, marry often. Now, where is Jennifer Aniston?
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Thom Price
Byrne Robotics Member
L’Homme Diabolique
Joined: 29 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 7593
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| Posted: 02 November 2013 at 10:37am | IP Logged | 7
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I'm sure I'm stealing one of JB's jokes, but I've never regarded my collection as anything other than an accumulation. I've never bagged, let alone boarded, any of my comics. Through most of the years I read comics, I just had them piled up in cabinets. What little I have left, after selling (for a pittance) and trashing most of them, have been sitting in boxes in my mom's basement for so long, I shudder to think how mildewed they must be.
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David Ferguson
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 March 2007
Location: Ireland
Posts: 6782
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| Posted: 02 November 2013 at 10:50am | IP Logged | 8
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I only bagged mine to keep them in good shape to read again. It is why only buy physical copies in trade now. Everything else is digital.
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Matt Hawes
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 16502
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| Posted: 02 November 2013 at 10:56am | IP Logged | 9
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In the article, Walter Durajlija, an adviser for Overstreet and owner of Big B Comics says that "Incredible Hulk" #181 was going for $20,000 (and now is at $8,000).
Well, firstly, that comic is not $8,000 at guide value and never has been. It's value is around $1,000 - $1,500. IF it ever sold for $20,000, that was a one-time deal on most likely a very high grade CGC graded copy.
He also says in the article that he sold a copy of Uncanny X-Men No. 94 in 2010 for a record $26,500. Last year, that same comic sold in his store for only $12,000..."
SOOOOOOO MISLEADING! As with what I said above about "Incredible Hulk" #181, "Uncanny X-Men" #94 has NEVER booked at above $2,000. Selling a copy for ONLY $12,000 is SEVERAL times above guide. You can't trust anything you read in news articles, it seems.
Basically, the big key issues (1st Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, etc.) will always have some demand, particularly those that feature the first appearances of characters that are cultural icons. But, too many people think every #1 issue is going to be worth a mint, and people selling their collections are disappointed that when they sell a lot, they get bulk prices. They don't want to put in the effort of working to sell individual issues, so they end up dumping a whole collection and complain that their books are "worthless."
Well, honestly, if the only reason a person wants to collect comics is purely for resale, they might as well invest in stocks. People should buy comics because they enjoy reading them, or for the art, or both. IF the comics are truly worth anything monetarily-speaking, that is an added bonus.
Edited by Matt Hawes on 02 November 2013 at 10:58am
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Matt Reed
Byrne Robotics Security
Robotmod
Joined: 16 April 2004
Posts: 35941
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| Posted: 02 November 2013 at 11:02am | IP Logged | 10
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Gregory Friedman wrote:
| One does want things they save and put time and effort into to be objectively worth something, I suppose. Maybe they really are just magic beans. |
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If you're always looking at the things you buy as monetary investments that will appreciate in value over time, that's one thing. If you look at your collection, any collection of anything, as buying them because you love and enjoy them, then their market value should be way down that list. I know it is for me.
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Steven Myers
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 June 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 5680
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| Posted: 02 November 2013 at 11:06am | IP Logged | 11
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I've always been a buyer, not a seller. So the current market is great for me to fill out holes in my collection! I did get rid of some duplicates to make room recently (5o cents each store credit!) plus I sold all my Leifeld New Mutants (one of which I got $50--and I hated those anyway!)
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Matt Hawes
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 16502
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| Posted: 02 November 2013 at 11:17am | IP Logged | 12
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I bet the "New Mutants" you got $50 for was issue #98, Steven. That issue is Deadpool's first appearance and is very popular with fans at this time.
That comics also serves to illustrate how much consideration goes into what comic is "worth" more than another comic. Since I first opened my shop in 1996, all but Cable's first appearance in that run of "New Mutants" was pretty much comics I would price at a dollar each, including #98.
None of those Rob Liefeld issues are truly rare, and are actually some of the most printed comic books from that era. After all, "New Mutants" was a spin-off of "Uncanny X-Men," and X-Men was the top-selling comic then. Add to that fact that Liefeld was the hot new artist, and #98 came out a year after his start on the title, and that tells you this book is pretty common.
But, the popularity of Deadpool has grown so large over the years that today fans willingly shell out a $100 for that particular issue. I get it that he is super hot and popular, but it boggles my mind because that book is not rare in the least.
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