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Open discussion of Overstreet GA pricing

86 posts in this topic

Thought it would be interesting to open a discussion on Overstreet Golden Age pricing and how it correlates to todays market.

 

In particular (and I have not had a chance to review these prices), has there been any correction on prices that have been out-of-wack for years? Examples would be books that typically sell for well over guide consistantly, ie Cat-man Comics, GA Phantom Stranger, Phantom Lady, ect.

 

Feel free to jump in. :popcorn:

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Feel free to also include SA observations in these discussions. I noticed a few Overstreet Advisors have suggested a lowering of common, mid-grade prices. Personally, I would recommend they freeze those prices from Fine and below until the market corrects........but that just seems like the easiest way to make those corrections. (shrug)

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Feel free to also include SA observations in these discussions. I noticed a few Overstreet Advisors have suggested a lowering of common, mid-grade prices. Personally, I would recommend they freeze those prices from Fine and below until the market corrects........but that just seems like the easiest way to make those corrections. (shrug)

 

Um, I'm a bit confused here...your initial post suggests that OPG prices on some titles are undervalued against market prices and you want to know if Overstreet 'corrected' them (ie increased the price to reflect the market price).

 

Your subsequent post suggests you would like Overstreet to 'freeze' prices on mid-grade books until the market catches up to the published prices rather than having Overstreet lower the prices to reflect the market, right?

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They still publish the Guide :o

 

Really! I mean, the very first post?!? :taptaptap:

 

That's all the help I can provide since I don't have the new Guide. I still use the 2003 guide ... and it works out for me :shrug: As a matter of fact, I haven't looked up a Guide value in well over a year. I am at the point I know how much I want to spend on the books I am chasing and go from there. It also comes down to the fact I rarely sell and maybe Guide would be more helpful in those shoes.

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They still publish the Guide :o

 

Really! I mean, the very first post?!? :taptaptap:

 

That's all the help I can provide since I don't have the new Guide. I still use the 2003 guide ... and it works out for me :shrug: As a matter of fact, I haven't looked up a Guide value in well over a year. I am at the point I know how much I want to spend on the books I am chasing and go from there. It also comes down to the fact I rarely sell and maybe Guide would be more helpful in those shoes.

 

Right there with you! Eventually you develop a "feel" for true value and the scarcitiy/demand quotient so far outweighs "guide value" that it is sometimes meaningless to refer to it - and I too use an old guide when I use one at all (which is rarely).

 

In terms of guide losing touch with reality the example that comes most readily to mind is Baker romance.

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Feel free to also include SA observations in these discussions. I noticed a few Overstreet Advisors have suggested a lowering of common, mid-grade prices. Personally, I would recommend they freeze those prices from Fine and below until the market corrects........but that just seems like the easiest way to make those corrections. (shrug)

 

Um, I'm a bit confused here...your initial post suggests that OPG prices on some titles are undervalued against market prices and you want to know if Overstreet 'corrected' them (ie increased the price to reflect the market price).

 

Your subsequent post suggests you would like Overstreet to 'freeze' prices on mid-grade books until the market catches up to the published prices rather than having Overstreet lower the prices to reflect the market, right?

 

It makes sense to me. Overstreet rarely, if ever, LOWERS prices. It was a shocker that they lowered Marvel Comics #1 by 2-3% even though the book has sold for 30-40% under guide for at least 5-6 years. So if they won't lower prices, freezing them makes the most sense.

 

They do raise prices, so using that tactic in the other direction is no big deal.

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I have not checked mid-grade prices using previous guides, but Overstreet did say that each year he looks at the price spread between the high grade and the lowest grade and that the gap gets bigger. If that is the case, if the high end price stayed the same, the lower grade price would decline in the years the spread increased.

 

As for adjustments, the Superman cover Actions all made big jumps.

 

While Marvel #1 went down, #9 went up $12k to $70,000.

 

For an oddity, All-American #16 went up 25% to $350,000, but #17 went down more than 30% to $19,900.

 

Archie #1 and Pep #22 went from from $38,000 to $50k.

 

A couple notable increase for Crime Does Not Pay. #22 went up 56% to $7500 and #24 up 80% to $4,500.

 

In the Silver Age, AF15, FF1 and Hulk 1 and nearly every other Marvel key saw big increases.

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They still publish the Guide :o

 

Really! I mean, the very first post?!? :taptaptap:

 

That's all the help I can provide since I don't have the new Guide. I still use the 2003 guide ... and it works out for me :shrug: As a matter of fact, I haven't looked up a Guide value in well over a year. I am at the point I know how much I want to spend on the books I am chasing and go from there. It also comes down to the fact I rarely sell and maybe Guide would be more helpful in those shoes.

 

Right there with you! Eventually you develop a "feel" for true value and the scarcitiy/demand quotient so far outweighs "guide value" that it is sometimes meaningless to refer to it - and I too use an old guide when I use one at all (which is rarely).

 

In terms of guide losing touch with reality the example that comes most readily to mind is Baker romance.

 

OS has deliberately chosen to ignore romance for years. They shouldn't even bother to list prices.

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While Marvel #1 went down, #9 went up $12k to $70,000.

 

In the Silver Age, AF15, FF1 and Hulk 1 and nearly every other Marvel key saw big increases.

 

Marvel #1 should have dropped even more. I agree with the bump on #9.

 

I was pleased to see Hulk #1 move up to #3. That book is virtually impossible compared to the other Marvel keys. It's like a DC book in the top grades.

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Still way too low on Catman, but everyone (well, except the OSPG) seems to know that already.

 

New Comics, though very cool early DC books, mostly don't seem to attract nearly the high prices assigned by the Guide.

 

I can certainly appreciate the fact that Overstreet doesn't want to rollercoaster values, but when they do virtually nothing in certain cases (e.g., Catman again, where over several years time market pricing has been established and stabilzed), it does seem odd that the "experts" can't get it right.

 

 

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Feel free to also include SA observations in these discussions. I noticed a few Overstreet Advisors have suggested a lowering of common, mid-grade prices. Personally, I would recommend they freeze those prices from Fine and below until the market corrects........but that just seems like the easiest way to make those corrections. (shrug)

 

Um, I'm a bit confused here...your initial post suggests that OPG prices on some titles are undervalued against market prices and you want to know if Overstreet 'corrected' them (ie increased the price to reflect the market price).

 

Your subsequent post suggests you would like Overstreet to 'freeze' prices on mid-grade books until the market catches up to the published prices rather than having Overstreet lower the prices to reflect the market, right?

 

This shouldn't be confusing at all. There are books in all ages that are known to sell above stated Overstreet values, as well as many books that do not achieve full overstreet value. The discussion is for both cases. (shrug)

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Feel free to also include SA observations in these discussions. I noticed a few Overstreet Advisors have suggested a lowering of common, mid-grade prices. Personally, I would recommend they freeze those prices from Fine and below until the market corrects........but that just seems like the easiest way to make those corrections. (shrug)

 

Um, I'm a bit confused here...your initial post suggests that OPG prices on some titles are undervalued against market prices and you want to know if Overstreet 'corrected' them (ie increased the price to reflect the market price).

 

Your subsequent post suggests you would like Overstreet to 'freeze' prices on mid-grade books until the market catches up to the published prices rather than having Overstreet lower the prices to reflect the market, right?

 

It makes sense to me. Overstreet rarely, if ever, LOWERS prices. It was a shocker that they lowered Marvel Comics #1 by 2-3% even though the book has sold for 30-40% under guide for at least 5-6 years. So if they won't lower prices, freezing them makes the most sense.

 

They do raise prices, so using that tactic in the other direction is no big deal.

 

Exactly. I think it was the 2000 OSPG that actually lowered the Good value for a number of SA keys, which was a surprise at the time. Given that most Overstreet Advisors are also Comic Dealers, this would mean a loss of value on their inventory......not popular with them I'm sure. My idea would be to just freeze the Fine & below values until the market corrects itself, causing no loss of percieved value (it either sales at the stated value or it doesn't.)

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Still way too low on Catman, but everyone (well, except the OSPG) seems to know that already.

 

New Comics, though very cool early DC books, mostly don't seem to attract nearly the high prices assigned by the Guide.

 

I can certainly appreciate the fact that Overstreet doesn't want to rollercoaster values, but when they do virtually nothing in certain cases (e.g., Catman again, where over several years time market pricing has been established and stabilzed), it does seem odd that the "experts" can't get it right.

 

 

I agree. How Overstreet can, year after year, put out the guide with "dream" prices for books we all know sell for higher, makes no sense to me. I'm amazed that they still list Phantom Lady, GA Phantom Stranger & Cat-Man Comics well below what we all know they sell for. The market is pretty established and stable, and yet they still reflect a price that is well below actual. Just don't understand that.

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Remember what happened with Mystery Men #1 when Overstreet increased the price to real market value? The books demand went for a nose dive. Having books sell constantly for multiples of guide creates more demand for those books then listing them at true market values and having them sell at guide.

 

Guides are here to raise prices. Come on, if we were not told what these books were worth 95% of us would not be willing to spend what we do on the majority of Goldenage books.Keeping a good portion of the high demand books undervalued creates hype in the market, thus pushing up demand and values. Books selling at guide, except maybe Marvel #1, doesn't create a buzz.

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I find that 3x guide for lower grade catman's generally get you in the ball park... mid to higher grades are all over the place, depending on issue!

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I have only briefly scanned the golden age prices in the guide but the one thing that stood out was the increase in price in the middle number (30-50) issues of Marvel Mystery. Those particular issues, which arguably sport the best covers of the run, have always been priced very low in relation to demand. The double and triple guide selling prices have always added to their mystique. It will be interesting to see if those multiples will continue.

 

On a related note, I have always been a proponent of having Overstreet break out and price each golden age comic individually. On most runs, especially in this day of cover driven pricing, it doesn't make sense to price Superman 31-40 for example all the same. In each instance there will obviously be issues that have greater appeal and subsequent demand (Superman 32 will constantly outsell all others in that grouping). Overstreet is slowly addressing this issue with certain titles, particularly Timelys, having more issues individually priced. But their data gathering methods are so old-fashioned that it will take a long time to catch up in that regard.

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Feel free to also include SA observations in these discussions. I noticed a few Overstreet Advisors have suggested a lowering of common, mid-grade prices. Personally, I would recommend they freeze those prices from Fine and below until the market corrects........but that just seems like the easiest way to make those corrections. (shrug)

 

Um, I'm a bit confused here...your initial post suggests that OPG prices on some titles are undervalued against market prices and you want to know if Overstreet 'corrected' them (ie increased the price to reflect the market price).

 

Your subsequent post suggests you would like Overstreet to 'freeze' prices on mid-grade books until the market catches up to the published prices rather than having Overstreet lower the prices to reflect the market, right?

 

It makes sense to me. Overstreet rarely, if ever, LOWERS prices. It was a shocker that they lowered Marvel Comics #1 by 2-3% even though the book has sold for 30-40% under guide for at least 5-6 years. So if they won't lower prices, freezing them makes the most sense.

 

They do raise prices, so using that tactic in the other direction is no big deal.

 

Exactly. I think it was the 2000 OSPG that actually lowered the Good value for a number of SA keys, which was a surprise at the time. Given that most Overstreet Advisors are also Comic Dealers, this would mean a loss of value on their inventory......not popular with them I'm sure. My idea would be to just freeze the Fine & below values until the market corrects itself, causing no loss of percieved value (it either sales at the stated value or it doesn't.)

 

I would think Overstreet should probably move the values downward on many of the lower demand titles. Do low books like Star Spangled Comics, GA Daredevils, Boy Commando's even sell for anything close to guide? I know low grade ducks sell for about 50% of guide, of course with a few exceptions.

 

I would say this would be ok if dealers were discounting this material more aggressively to sell it. This might be similar to books selling for well over guide, create demand because collectors think they are getting a deal. I collect Silver Streak and I know when I have looked at getting an issue of Daredevil, 20 or under, to try out that title they are usually pricy with no good discounts. For a little bit more you can pick up a lot of other books, which are also more in demand.

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In the Silver Age, AF15, FF1 and Hulk 1 and nearly every other Marvel key saw big increases.

 

If you look in the guide, and again I've only done so briefly, there was a pretty sizeable increase across the board on Marvels in the VF and above range.

 

On the flip size, do any of us really think that the corresponding $2 increase on a Good of those same tiles actually happened? If it was Good at $10 before, and now its at $12, it was probably selling on ebay around $5 and won't be moving up to $6..

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