Baker Romance 43 43

[october]

Gorgeous!!!

[Bumble Kitty]

Nice set of Bakers!

 

There has certainly been a substantial run up in prices in recent years -- I've played my part in helping cause it!

 

But it's nothing we haven't seen in other collecting niches, such as PCH.

 

I guess I would say that for Baker collectors, a book like CL 25 or GCE 12 is a real key. Granted many fewer people chase those books than chase IH 181, but there are thousands of graded copies of IH 181 and fewer than 20 graded copies of either CL 25 or GCE 12.

 

From a collecting viewpoint, that's what makes Baker so interesting -- many of the books are difficult to very difficult to next door to impossible to find, especially in mid-grade or above. In contrast, if you would like a copy of IH 181 in any given grade, you can instantly find one. It's just a question of paying the price. So far as I know, not a single copy of CL 25 or CGE 12 is currently available for sale, at least not publicly.

 

Will Baker prices fall back to where they were five years ago? As with any other area of comic book pricing, the true answer is "Who knows?" I'll venture a guess that enough people have been attracted to collecting him the past few years that it will be a while before they fill out their collections and drop out of the bidding when his books come up at auction.

I kind of feel the same way.

[n2wdw]

Nice set of Bakers!

 

I guess I would say that for Baker collectors, a book like CL 25 or GCE 12 is a real key. Granted many fewer people chase those books than chase IH 181, but there are thousands of graded copies of IH 181 and fewer than 20 graded copies of either CL 25 or GCE 12.

 

Not looking to get into an argument, because I agree with most of what you say. I'll just say that you get an efficient market when there are alot of copies out there. Also, while there are alot more copies of IH 181, there are also alot more collectors. So IH 181 is like money. You know, given its grade, what you will get for it. Also, it will most likely appreciate over time in a somewhat predictable way.

 

Baker is super hot right now. But I think there are a limited number of collectors. Prices are up but not predictable, long term anyway.

 

As a collector, it just frustrates me. It means I'm out of the Baker market until prices settle down. Maybe they never will. But sometimes what happens -- and I think we all see this -- is sellers keep their prices high on formerly hot books even after market goes down. So we end up with an inefficient market.

 

So where am I going with this? Well, I don't know. This is all 1st world problems right? I'm turning my attention to getting a FF #1. And ASM 129. With these books (and a few others) I'll complete my SA Marvel collection, which I've not paid enough attention to the last couple 3 years. Then after I might turn back to my quest of getting every comic where Baker drew the cover.

[Sqeggs]

Not his best APC cover and it suffers a bit from St John cover staining, but as the highest graded copy of a toughish issue, I thought this one would go higher.

 

[sagii]

Not his best APC cover and it suffers a bit from St John cover staining, but as the highest graded copy of a toughish issue, I thought this one would go higher.

 

congrats!

[Sqeggs]

Nice set of Bakers!

 

I guess I would say that for Baker collectors, a book like CL 25 or GCE 12 is a real key. Granted many fewer people chase those books than chase IH 181, but there are thousands of graded copies of IH 181 and fewer than 20 graded copies of either CL 25 or GCE 12.

 

Not looking to get into an argument, because I agree with most of what you say. I'll just say that you get an efficient market when there are alot of copies out there. Also, while there are alot more copies of IH 181, there are also alot more collectors. So IH 181 is like money. You know, given its grade, what you will get for it. Also, it will most likely appreciate over time in a somewhat predictable way.

 

Baker is super hot right now. But I think there are a limited number of collectors. Prices are up but not predictable, long term anyway.

 

As a collector, it just frustrates me. It means I'm out of the Baker market until prices settle down. Maybe they never will. But sometimes what happens -- and I think we all see this -- is sellers keep their prices high on formerly hot books even after market goes down. So we end up with an inefficient market.

 

So where am I going with this? Well, I don't know. This is all 1st world problems right? I'm turning my attention to getting a FF #1. And ASM 129. With these books (and a few others) I'll complete my SA Marvel collection, which I've not paid enough attention to the last couple 3 years. Then after I might turn back to my quest of getting every comic where Baker drew the cover.

 

Great accomplishment to finish an SA Marvel collection. Good luck on landing the last few (although a purist would call ASM 129 Bronze, so you may actually need one less!).

 

Wrt to Bakers, depends on what you mean by an efficient market. Not sure there is any way to predict how any given comic -- Baker or IH 181 -- will appreciate over time, or if it will appreciate at all. If we could successfully predict future prices, the market wouldn't be efficient.

[Sqeggs]

Not his best APC cover and it suffers a bit from St John cover staining, but as the highest graded copy of a toughish issue, I thought this one would go higher.

 

congrats!

 

Thanks!

 

LT&MM 1 in your future?

[Ltpink2002]

Not his best APC cover and it suffers a bit from St John cover staining, but as the highest graded copy of a toughish issue, I thought this one would go higher.

 

 

[RICK STARR]

Not his best APC cover and it suffers a bit from St John cover staining, but as the highest graded copy of a toughish issue, I thought this one would go higher.

 

 

 

 

Nice one!

[N e r V]

Looks like the Cinderella Love #29 CGC 3.5 got $525.00 on Clink tonight.

 

Baker is hot still.

[sagii]

Not his best APC cover and it suffers a bit from St John cover staining, but as the highest graded copy of a toughish issue, I thought this one would go higher.

 

congrats!

 

Thanks!

 

LT&MM 1 in your future?

Yes! I had a cover less beater for sometime ago now, but ...soon, Stay tuned..( or is that 'tooned'?) ? Edited September 7, 2016 by Sagii

[n2wdw]

 

 

Thanks for this post. I completely relate to it in some of my collecting interests. Charles Schulz original art is the primary area I can relate, although the ceiling is higher, it is a frustrating interest, believe me.

 

Thanks! And I'm looking forward to your next sale.

[n2wdw]

 

Great accomplishment to finish an SA Marvel collection. Good luck on landing the last few (although a purist would call ASM 129 Bronze, so you may actually need one less!).

 

 

Ah, you're right. By SA Marvel collection, I meant the Marvel titles that began in the SA. The ones I collect are ASM, Cap, FF, Hulk, Iron Man, Avengers, DD. I need 6 more issues to have complete runs (ASM 2, 3, 14 and 50; and FF 1 and 5). I actually already have a reader copy of ASM 129 but I'd like to upgrade someday.

[n2wdw]

Update on Baker - I Can't Stay Away

 

Here's an update on my Baker rant. When I posted my rant I had a few bids in progress, both on C-Link and eBay. To my surprise I won a few Bakers. The biggest surprise was on C-Link. I won Teen-age Temptations #3 CGC 4.0 for $255 and Pictorial Romances #9 CGC 4.0 for $166. I expected them to go as much as twice that much, based on recent history.

 

I also won my first auction from bakerfan on ebay, Teenage Temptations 9. It wasn't cheap, costing $332. But way less than recent sales of $500+.

 

Finally, a Teenage Romances #35 CGC 5.5 popped up on eBay this week with a BIN of $450. I thought about it for a few minutes, then bought it. It only hurt a little. Well, maybe more than a little.

 

So did I overpay for these Baker books? I don't know, maybe. I think I got undermarket for the C-Link books. So that made me feel better about (maybe) overpaying for TT 9 and TR 35 (otherwise I might not have gone for them). Here's the thing though. When I look back at my 40+ years of collecting, the only deals I really regret are the ones I didn't make. Sometimes I have buyer's remorse about buys, but usually over time that goes away and I'm just happy to have the book.

 

On eBay, we've got bakerfan selling a series of nicer grade Bakers, some of which are not often seen. I wonder if currently we're going through a window of high prices because of bakerfan. We're also seeing more Bakers coming on the market, probably because prices are high. A few were offered here on the boards today (for me, they were interesting but too beat up, even though the prices were reasonable). On eBay, in addition to bakerfan, you've got baabaa30 and recently dfoxman1983, plus a few others. I've gotten a few nice Bakers from both.

 

Anyway, these are my thoughts, at this moment and subject to change with the ups and downs of the market.

 

Here are Baker's I've managed to pick up recently, the ones mentioned above, and a few others that I got in the last couple months.

 

 

[Ryan.]

I was really surprised at the hammer on that Pictorial Romances 9.

[Flex Mentallo]

Update on Baker - I Can't Stay Away

 

Here's an update on my Baker rant. When I posted my rant I had a few bids in progress, both on C-Link and eBay. To my surprise I won a few Bakers. The biggest surprise was on C-Link. I won Teen-age Temptations #3 CGC 4.0 for $255 and Pictorial Romances #9 CGC 4.0 for $166. I expected them to go as much as twice that much, based on recent history.

 

I also won my first auction from bakerfan on ebay, Teenage Temptations 9. It wasn't cheap, costing $332. But way less than recent sales of $500+.

 

Finally, a Teenage Romances #35 CGC 5.5 popped up on eBay this week with a BIN of $450. I thought about it for a few minutes, then bought it. It only hurt a little. Well, maybe more than a little.

 

So did I overpay for these Baker books? I don't know, maybe. I think I got undermarket for the C-Link books. So that made me feel better about (maybe) overpaying for TT 9 and TR 35 (otherwise I might not have gone for them). Here's the thing though. When I look back at my 40+ years of collecting, the only deals I really regret are the ones I didn't make. Sometimes I have buyer's remorse about buys, but usually over time that goes away and I'm just happy to have the book.

 

On eBay, we've got bakerfan selling a series of nicer grade Bakers, some of which are not often seen. I wonder if currently we're going through a window of high prices because of bakerfan. We're also seeing more Bakers coming on the market, probably because prices are high. A few were offered here on the boards today (for me, they were interesting but too beat up, even though the prices were reasonable). On eBay, in addition to bakerfan, you've got baabaa30 and recently dfoxman1983, plus a few others. I've gotten a few nice Bakers from both.

 

Anyway, these are my thoughts, at this moment and subject to change with the ups and downs of the market.

 

Here are Baker's I've managed to pick up recently, the ones mentioned above, and a few others that I got in the last couple months.

 

 

 

For what it is worth, I think you did okay. Prices have been higher. For a long time grades above fine were impossible. that no longer seems to be the case. But you can expect anything over, say 6.0 to go high.

 

 

[comicnoir]

Update on Baker - I Can't Stay Away

 

Here's an update on my Baker rant. When I posted my rant I had a few bids in progress, both on C-Link and eBay. To my surprise I won a few Bakers. The biggest surprise was on C-Link. I won Teen-age Temptations #3 CGC 4.0 for $255 and Pictorial Romances #9 CGC 4.0 for $166. I expected them to go as much as twice that much, based on recent history.

 

I also won my first auction from bakerfan on ebay, Teenage Temptations 9. It wasn't cheap, costing $332. But way less than recent sales of $500+.

 

Finally, a Teenage Romances #35 CGC 5.5 popped up on eBay this week with a BIN of $450. I thought about it for a few minutes, then bought it. It only hurt a little. Well, maybe more than a little.

 

So did I overpay for these Baker books? I don't know, maybe. I think I got undermarket for the C-Link books. So that made me feel better about (maybe) overpaying for TT 9 and TR 35 (otherwise I might not have gone for them). Here's the thing though. When I look back at my 40+ years of collecting, the only deals I really regret are the ones I didn't make. Sometimes I have buyer's remorse about buys, but usually over time that goes away and I'm just happy to have the book.

 

On eBay, we've got bakerfan selling a series of nicer grade Bakers, some of which are not often seen. I wonder if currently we're going through a window of high prices because of bakerfan. We're also seeing more Bakers coming on the market, probably because prices are high. A few were offered here on the boards today (for me, they were interesting but too beat up, even though the prices were reasonable). On eBay, in addition to bakerfan, you've got baabaa30 and recently dfoxman1983, plus a few others. I've gotten a few nice Bakers from both.

 

Anyway, these are my thoughts, at this moment and subject to change with the ups and downs of the market.

 

Here are Baker's I've managed to pick up recently, the ones mentioned above, and a few others that I got in the last couple months.

 

 

 

It looks like prices may be settling in grades around the 4.0 range. When more come out that happens. Certain books will always command premium regardless of the grade. You picked up some nice copies for all not that much. That TaR 35 is hard to get in nice.

[MB1952]

Thinking about moving this book. Not CGC

But in great shape, own it since 2003

 

[comicnoir]

Thinking about moving this book. Not CGC

But in great shape, own it since 2003

 

 

Nice copy Will.

[MB1952]

Thinking about moving this book. Not CGC

But in great shape, own it since 2003

 

 

Nice copy Will.

 

thanks Ron

 

graded 6.5 offwhite to white pgs. not pressed

 

trying to offer it here after buying some OA. maybe here before the bay.

Edited September 15, 2016 by kat123