Show me your Timely's and I'll show you mine. Have a Cigar... 30 30

[Mr. Lady Luck]

Recent acquisition (cross post)

 

[MrBedrock]

On 6/3/2018 at 9:12 PM, Dr. Love said:

Gay 32 at almost 15K.  But but but...guide!

That's Gay.

[entalmighty1]

19 hours ago, MrBedrock said:

That's Gay.

 

[entalmighty1]

On 6/4/2018 at 3:10 PM, Timely said:

If the Gay #32 8.5 Mile High (girl in red dress) is worth $14,340, what's my Marvel Mystery Comics #89 8.5 Mile High (girl in red dress) worth?

 

 

Last GPA for a 7.5 was $1,700 in 2002.  In light of recent market activity with other books, I'm going to ballpark it at 30 million.

[Cat-Man_America]

     Yowzer!!!   

This sweet 9.2 red dressed floozy seducing Cap oughta net me a kewl billion! Woo-Hoo!!!

PS: All proposed bank transfers will be considered on a first come first serve basis! 

Edited June 6, 2018 by Cat-Man_America
Dollars and sense!

[Sqeggs]

On 6/4/2018 at 4:10 PM, Timely said:

If the Gay #32 8.5 Mile High (girl in red dress) is worth $14,340, what's my Marvel Mystery Comics #89 8.5 Mile High (girl in red dress) worth?

 

 

$14,341?

[Mr. Lady Luck]

Guide value doesn't mean squat. Past sales don't mean squat.

A comic is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

[Sqeggs]

11 hours ago, Mr. Lady Luck said:

Guide value doesn't mean squat. Past sales don't mean squat.

A comic is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

Who is this person and where can I find him? 

[Robot Man]

Seems me that if you want to part with high grade Marvel teen age books, you found him.  

[PopKulture]

On ‎6‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 9:12 PM, Dr. Love said:

Gay 32 at almost 15K.  But but but...guide!

Wow. Seeing sales like this distress me somewhat. Even though I know many of these auction results are outliers and should be regarded as such, there is a real frenzy for certain genres of books that I'm not at all sure will translate even fractionally towards future values. I don't sell comics, and I don't really want to sell any of my comics. Most of them I've had since my teens when I parlayed scarce grass-cutting money or house-painting money into books at local shows and shops. I was always attracted to certain covers, and now that a few of them are noteworthy, the prices are taking off. My angst derives from the fact that I strongly suspect if I don't sell them soon, I'll be leaving a lot of extra money on the table. Now, I will state that I've always collected things for the joy and not the $$$, and therein lies my answer I'm sure; however, I often wish our perception of value was just that token annual percent increase in Overstreet and a lot of sideline speculation wouldn't be necessary. 

Edited June 11, 2018 by PopKulture

[Mr. Lady Luck]

3 hours ago, PopKulture said:

Wow. Seeing sales like this distress me somewhat. Even though I know many of these auction results are outliers and should be regarded as such, there is a real frenzy for certain genres of books that I'm not at all sure will translate even fractionally towards future values. I don't sell comics, and I don't really want to sell any of my comics. Most of them I've had since my teens when I parlayed scarce grass-cutting money or house-painting money into books at local shows and shops. I was always attracted to certain covers, and now that a few of them are noteworthy, the prices are taking off. My angst derives from the fact that I strongly suspect if I don't sell them soon, I'll be leaving a lot of extra money on the table. Now, I will state that I've always collected things for the joy and not the $$$, and therein lies my answer I'm sure; however, I often wish our perception of value was just that token annual percent increase in Overstreet and a lot of sideline speculation wouldn't be necessary. 

If you don't want to sell any of your comics, then I recommend that you hold onto them. Books in this genre are only going to increase in value. They may not skyrocket like the Church copy of Gay #32 (that was a unique exception). But I honestly don't think you will lose any money by holding onto them longer.

 

If the true perception of value was just that token annual percent increase in Overstreet, we would lose all the excitement of comic collecting

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

p.s. Your copy of Gay #32 is a beauty!

[PopKulture]

20 hours ago, Mr. Lady Luck said:

If you don't want to sell any of your comics, then I recommend that you hold onto them. Books in this genre are only going to increase in value. They may not skyrocket like the Church copy of Gay #32 (that was a unique exception). But I honestly don't think you will lose any money by holding onto them longer.

 

If the true perception of value was just that token annual percent increase in Overstreet, we would lose all the excitement of comic collecting

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

p.s. Your copy of Gay #32 is a beauty!

Thanks for the vote of encouragement, Mr. Lady Luck.

There's long been a debate about whether comics can continue on this seemingly permanent upward trajectory, but the demand for good material shows no signs of letting up, so who really knows? I do know this: it's more fun to look at an early Superman or PCH book than a share of Apple. Heck, they don't even give you a stock certificate in most cases, and those used to be somewhat ornate and pleasing... 

[Cat-Man_America]

2 hours ago, PopKulture said:

Thanks for the vote of encouragement, Mr. Lady Luck.

There's long been a debate about whether comics can continue on this seemingly permanent upward trajectory, but the demand for good material shows no signs of letting up, so who really knows? I do know this: it's more fun to look at an early Superman or PCH book than a share of Apple. Heck, they don't even give you a stock certificate in most cases, and those used to be somewhat ornate and pleasing... 

It depends on the books, public perception and other ...less obvious... economic factors.  Not every GA book in grade is destined to skyrocket in value, but some lines will undoubtably see continued ascent.  Trends like teen books may be undergoing a periodic shift or an overdue market appreciation.  

In my estimation (strictly my perception; other's mileage may vary), Timely/Marvel books (generally) will remain high demand books for the foreseeable future and Timelys in grade are becoming a scarcer commodity.  Folks can speculate on market values carrying over from other genres (such as Marvel/Disney's phenomenal ...and seemingly endless... Midas touch with the lucrative Marvel Universe), but extrapolating market values for comics based on strong film revenues is a three-legged stool (don't count on it for long term support).

You're dead-on about the fun aspect of comics ...and collectibles in general... as opposed to more mundane commodities such as stocks, although a wise argument can also be made ...by others... that a diverse portfolio should contain both as a hedge against the unpredictability of future trends.  That said, there's still plenty of room for upward movement in the comic markets.

FTR, I'm drinking some serious caffeine today! 

 

[Sqeggs]

On 6/11/2018 at 10:23 AM, PopKulture said:

Wow. Seeing sales like this distress me somewhat. Even though I know many of these auction results are outliers and should be regarded as such, there is a real frenzy for certain genres of books that I'm not at all sure will translate even fractionally towards future values. I don't sell comics, and I don't really want to sell any of my comics. Most of them I've had since my teens when I parlayed scarce grass-cutting money or house-painting money into books at local shows and shops. I was always attracted to certain covers, and now that a few of them are noteworthy, the prices are taking off. My angst derives from the fact that I strongly suspect if I don't sell them soon, I'll be leaving a lot of extra money on the table. Now, I will state that I've always collected things for the joy and not the $$$, and therein lies my answer I'm sure; however, I often wish our perception of value was just that token annual percent increase in Overstreet and a lot of sideline speculation wouldn't be necessary. 

The main thing driving these prices, imo, is not just that some genres like ten humor/romance have become popular, but the realization that high-grade copies are difficult to impossible to find.  In a situation like that, it just takes a few people chasing them to really drive up prices.  Add in the Church premium (which seems to me to be much higher than it used to be) and you end up with some eye-popping prices.

Looking at it logically, if you wouldn't buy a book at its current FMV, then you should sell it, because by not selling it, you have effectively bought it at that price.  That's the logic of it, but danged if I pay attention to it!  It's a hobby; it's not meant to be logical! 

[adamstrange]

3 hours ago, Sqeggs said:

Looking at it logically, if you wouldn't buy a book at its current FMV, then you should sell it, because by not selling it, you have effectively bought it at that price.

That's Warren Buffet's approach to investing and it would apply similarly to comic investing, though not quite so much to collecting.  If you can't buy something you like better for the money, then the sale would net you cash at the cost of a book you really like and might not see again.

[Mr. Lady Luck]

8 hours ago, Sqeggs said:

Looking at it logically, if you wouldn't buy a book at its current FMV, then you should sell it, ...................

But when a book sells for 115X guide, how do you determine FMV?

[Mr. Lady Luck]

8 hours ago, Sqeggs said:

 It's a hobby; it's not meant to be logical! 

Truer words were never spoken.

[buttock]

11 hours ago, adamstrange said:

That's Warren Buffet's approach to investing and it would apply similarly to comic investing, though not quite so much to collecting.  If you can't buy something you like better for the money, then the sale would net you cash at the cost of a book you really like and might not see again.

Exactly.  The difference between investing and collecting is night and day.  People spend money on all sorts of discretionary things that make them happy without worrying about investment potential.  With increasing numbers of collectors and competition, you have to pay to get what you want.  If you make money on it, bonus.  

[Sqeggs]

15 hours ago, adamstrange said:

That's Warren Buffet's approach to investing and it would apply similarly to comic investing, though not quite so much to collecting.  If you can't buy something you like better for the money, then the sale would net you cash at the cost of a book you really like and might not see again.

But remember, we're assuming that you wouldn't buy it at its current price.  Say you bought the book for $500 and it's currently worth $5,000.  Then

1.  If you wouldn't buy it for $5,000, you're saying you prefer the situation (A) where you don't have the book but you do have $5,000 to the situation (B) where you have the book but not the $5,000.

2.  If you own it but won't sell it for $5,000, you're saying that you prefer the situation (B) where you have the book but not the $5,000 to the situation (A) where you don't have the book but you do have the $5,000.

You can't prefer A to B and B to A. 

I think this is an example of what psychologists call the endowment effect:  We tend to overvalue things we already own (I wouldn't sell for it $5,000) over things we don't own (I wouldn't buy it for $5,000).

[Sqeggs]

10 hours ago, Mr. Lady Luck said:

But when a book sells for 115X guide, how do you determine FMV?

When a book unexpectedly sells for way over guide, I think we do see owners of the book feeling out where FMV might be for their copy by listing it on the CLink exchange or on eBay or consigning it to a dealer with a high BIN to see if they get any nibbles.  If they get something close to the very strong price they're asking, then they're willing to sell, but not otherwise.