Open discussion of Overstreet GA pricing

[stagedoorjohnny]

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.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

Long overdue. The days of "batch pricing" a particular run of a title solely based on chronology have passed. The market is way to cover sensitive and sophisticated to speak in such generalities. Take the time and break them out, it should not be too difficult.

[ciorac]

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.

 

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've always been confused by this assertion. Can lowering guide value on books for sale in my inventory, that won't sell at guide prices anyway, actually lower their value?

 

Not in my view. The guide is as relevant now as ever before. GPA is only a tiny fraction of the market and is a tool for that fraction. The rest of the comic collecting world uses the guide as a starting point. Whether a book sells for more or less than the stated guide value is still a relevant discussion and frequent selling point discussion for dealers and collectors alike.

 

I've advised Overstreet for nearly two decades and have often made recommendations to lower value on books that just sit in inventory at anything close to guide. Some downward movement in this years' guide is a good indicator that the folks at Overstreet are attempting to more accurately reflect the market

 

[kimik]

I have only looked at a few books in the new OSPG, but the one that stood out for me was actually FF #1. In VG or lower the guide is actually too high.

[VintageComics]

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.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

Long overdue. The days of "batch pricing" a particular run of a title solely based on chronology have passed. The market is way to cover sensitive and sophisticated to speak in such generalities. Take the time and break them out, it should not be too difficult.

 

...but that would take a C-O-M-P-U-T-O-R...

 

[143ksk]

Pep 22-50 are still laughably low in the Guide...

[rob_react]

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.

 

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've always been confused by this assertion. Can lowering guide value on books for sale in my inventory, that won't sell at guide prices anyway, actually lower their value?

 

Not in my view. The guide is as relevant now as ever before. GPA is only a tiny fraction of the market and is a tool for that fraction. The rest of the comic collecting world uses the guide as a starting point. Whether a book sells for more or less than the stated guide value is still a relevant discussion and frequent selling point discussion for dealers and collectors alike.

 

I've advised Overstreet for nearly two decades and have often made recommendations to lower value on books that just sit in inventory at anything close to guide. Some downward movement in this years' guide is a good indicator that the folks at Overstreet are attempting to more accurately reflect the market

 

I really haven't stated (in this thread) how significant I feel the drop in price for Marvel Comics #1 is (and moving it BEHIND Superman #1 in the list.) I got the feeling, on that book and on something like Amazing Spider-Man #1 (which was tied, somehow, with Fantastic Four #1 a book which sells for nearly double the price in equal grades, for a few years) that there was some unspoken rule that favored, or protected certain books. Marvel #1 is still overvalued by a ton in the Guide, but at least it didn't get an automatic 15% bump in the face of horrendous results.

 

Baby steps are better than no steps.

[ComicConnoisseur]

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.

Buy as many golden age Superman/Batman books in decent grade as you can and hold for 10 years and you will get some profit. My grandfather and uncle use to own a coin store 25 years ago and the only comic books they would buy would be them and silver age Marvel keys, so what was true 25 years ago is basically 90% true now for comicbook investment purposes.Nothing really has changed that much

[sacentaur]

Pep 22-50 are still laughably low in the Guide...

 

You're right Steve - rivals Catman in its hilarity, and I think Peps have been in demand - and fetching correspondingly higher prices - for longer than Cats.

 

I just don't get it.

[Doohickamabob]

They still publish the Guide

 

On another note, I vaguely recall somebody saying that Overstreet was going to announce something at Comic-Con. Was there some big announcement? I am out of the loop.

[VintageComics]

They still publish the Guide

 

On another note, I vaguely recall somebody saying that Overstreet was going to announce something at Comic-Con. Was there some big announcement? I am out of the loop.

 

Yes, they announced the guide. And then delivered it to dealers.

 

I didn't hear anything special.

 

 

[lou_fine]

They still publish the Guide

 

On another note, I vaguely recall somebody saying that Overstreet was going to announce something at Comic-Con. Was there some big announcement? I am out of the loop.

 

Yes, they announced the guide. And then delivered it to dealers.

 

I didn't hear anything special.

 

 

The timing of this year's guide was certainly a puzzle to me also!

 

Was this an attempt to cross promote it to the movie crowd and other non-comic segments of the crowd that would be out there at the SD Con? Was this a hopeless attempt at trying to increase sales to the traditional comic geeks that would be showing up at the Con?

 

Strongly doubt that either of these attempts would have worked. All we have to remember is Heritage's Live auction during the SD Con a few years ago. Didn't they only managed to draw in a huge crowd of only 20 to 30 people out of over 100,000 convention attendees. An amazingly low number considering that they was passing out free refreshments and food to anybody who would attend.

 

BTW: What does this mean for the guide next year? Will it go back to its traditional April release date or will it stick with the new SD Con release date?

[lou_fine]

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.

 

Keeping a good portion of the high demand books undervalued creates hype in the market, thus pushing up demand and values.

 

Ahhh......the poster child for the case of an Overstreet price increase gone bad!

 

Yes, Mystery Men #1 was one of the absolute hottest book out there for a couple of years running. Then Overstreet jacked the price up from something like $2,000 all the way up to $8,500 in one shot to try to reflect what was occuring in the marketplace.

 

Needless to say, the demand side just imploded like a pin popping a ballon. Fifteen years later, the demand for this book (and possibly the rest of the run) still hasn't recovered. Not sure of what the market vlaue for these books are nowadays, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me if they are running at significantly less than guide.

 

So yes, I believe there is definitely some truth to the statment that keeping books at less than market value certainly helps to push up demand and value.

 

 

[G.A.tor]

They still publish the Guide

 

On another note, I vaguely recall somebody saying that Overstreet was going to announce something at Comic-Con. Was there some big announcement? I am out of the loop.

 

Yes, they announced the guide. And then delivered it to dealers.

 

I didn't hear anything special.

 

 

The timing of this year's guide was certainly a puzzle to me also!

 

Was this an attempt to cross promote it to the movie crowd and other non-comic segments of the crowd that would be out there at the SD Con? Was this a hopeless attempt at trying to increase sales to the traditional comic geeks that would be showing up at the Con?

 

Strongly doubt that either of these attempts would have worked. All we have to remember is Heritage's Live auction during the SD Con a few years ago. Didn't they only managed to draw in a huge crowd of only 20 to 30 people out of over 100,000 convention attendees. An amazingly low number considering that they was passing out free refreshments and food to anybody who would attend.

 

BTW: What does this mean for the guide next year? Will it go back to its traditional April release date or will it stick with the new SD Con release date?

not sure how the release would really increase the sales, as the price guide orders were due in March of this year...so numbers (for production purposes) were pretty much already established... and, folks like me (and virtually every dealer that had to set up and have product in SD by Tuesday) didn't have them for sale anyway, as they were not delivered until Wednesday (so only local dealers likely would or could have even had, like Jamie at SoCal)...

 

and I spoke at great length with Bob O. about the guide during SDCC, and he confirmed for me that release would be SDCC time from now on...

[Forbush-Man]

and I spoke at great length with Bob O. about the guide during SDCC, and he confirmed for me that release would be SDCC time from now on...

 

Did he explain why?

[G.A.tor]

and I spoke at great length with Bob O. about the guide during SDCC, and he confirmed for me that release would be SDCC time from now on...

 

Did he explain why?

due to delay in this year's release, no way he could get next years ready any earlier...he needs that time (thumbs u

[MrBedrock]

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.

 

Keeping a good portion of the high demand books undervalued creates hype in the market, thus pushing up demand and values.

 

Ahhh......the poster child for the case of an Overstreet price increase gone bad!

 

Yes, Mystery Men #1 was one of the absolute hottest book out there for a couple of years running. Then Overstreet jacked the price up from something like $2,000 all the way up to $8,500 in one shot to try to reflect what was occuring in the marketplace.

 

Needless to say, the demand side just imploded like a pin popping a ballon. Fifteen years later, the demand for this book (and possibly the rest of the run) still hasn't recovered. Not sure of what the market vlaue for these books are nowadays, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me if they are running at significantly less than guide.

There are few issues of Mystery Men that I'd pay significantly less than guide for.

Heck, twist my arm and I might pay significantly more than guide for them.

[VintageComics]

and I spoke at great length with Bob O. about the guide during SDCC, and he confirmed for me that release would be SDCC time from now on...

 

Did he explain why?

due to delay in this year's release, no way he could get next years ready any earlier...he needs that time (thumbs u

 

Electronics speed things up.

 

[Forbush-Man]

and I spoke at great length with Bob O. about the guide during SDCC, and he confirmed for me that release would be SDCC time from now on...

 

Did he explain why?

due to delay in this year's release, no way he could get next years ready any earlier...he needs that time (thumbs u

 

Electronics speed things up.

 

 

You youngsters with your new-fangled gadgets..........Electronics will never catch on.

[G.A.tor]

and bob won't ever use it ...it is "his" guide and he likes doing it "his" way (thumbs u

[Forbush-Man]

"Key Sales from 2009-2010"

 

Do we really need to know this?

 

Adventures of Dean Martin #12 VG $20

Archie's Girls Betty & Veronica #20 GD $25

Astonishing #62 GD $12

 

.......Three Stoogies #36 VG+ $12

 

It's all there starting on page 142. And check out the Wall Street like roller coaster which is the Increases on the Top 20 Big Little Books. Thrill to the death-defying Platinum Age. Talk about frozen in time...........