Noodlez Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 For a Bronze age book I won't go as low as 2.0 to see the swing. So I did 9.2, 8.0 and 5.0....all show a nice increase for IH 181. However, it's not as steep an increase in a key book as I would like to see. For me, it's the 5 year swing and % of increase 9.2 shows a steady increase 2015 (2) $3,600Hi $2,950Lo 2014 (22) $3,200Hi $1,937Lo 2013 (41) $2,330Hi $1,795Lo 2012 (29) $2,295Hi $1,500Lo 2011 (23) $1,895Hi $1,308Lo 2010 (24) $2,500Hi $1,098Lo 2009 (22) $1,950Hi $1,300Lo 2008 (20) $2,195Hi $1,235Lo 2007 (34) $1,995Hi $1,100Lo 2006 (20) $1,550Hi $900Lo 2005 (41) $1,725Hi $1,000Lo 2004 (61) $1,600Hi $1,050Lo 2003 (51) $1,725Hi $1,035Lo 2002 (31) $1,550Hi $810Lo An 8.0 shows a rise also 2015 (4) $1,750Hi $1,675Lo 2014 (42) $2,041Hi $850Lo 2013 (29) $1,550Hi $751Lo 2012 (25) $1,170Hi $499Lo 2011 (34) $1,016Hi $580Lo 2010 (32) $1,000Hi $593Lo 2009 (39) $1,043Hi $620Lo 2008 (29) $925Hi $500Lo 2007 (32) $850Hi $461Lo 2006 (37) $847Hi $400Lo 2005 (40) $800Hi $474Lo 2004 (27) $772Hi $490Lo 2003 (46) $949Hi $450Lo 2002 (19) $776Hi $430Lo 5.0 shows a nice increase over time 2015 (1) $900Hi 2014 (15) $965Hi $500Lo 2013 (17) $699Hi $485Lo 2012 (14) $640Hi $348Lo 2011 (12) $435Hi $275Lo 2010 (6) $475Hi $323Lo 2009 (11) $400Hi $250Lo 2008 (13) $337Hi $197Lo 2007 (12) $450Hi $228Lo 2006 (13) $281Hi $188Lo 2005 (11) $275Hi $203Lo 2004 (13) $336Hi $193Lo 2003 (19) $500Hi $188Lo 2002 (5) $291Hi $193Lo That's some good info Mark! Cool stats. An eye opener for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beige Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 (edited) As soon as I saw the title (and I know someone else said it) I thought DD #1. With some luck you can pick-up a nice midgrade for your money. Just needs the TV show to be moderately successful (don't forget a new movie is at the end of these 4 new series) and DD #1 will boom Grossly underated book. And no, I don't own one. Edited February 21, 2015 by Beige Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonicyouth Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 (edited) can't go wrong with Hulk 181. ever. Daredevil #1 is very common about twice as common as X-men #1 and 3 to 4 times as common as the other early 60's keys. also i wouldnt invest in comics based on movies or television shows right now. stick to the tried and true titles and teams that were popular regardless of movie. mainly the top 3: Wolverine Batman Spider-man so Hulk 181 bro... the marvel movie machine will implode in a few years and 10 years form now everything will just be Batman Wolverine and Spider-man out of fear of cramming too muhc 'superhero' down audiences throats. all it takes is a disney flop, will it be Ant MAn or Dr Strange?? eventually these marvel movies will start to flop and the studios will just shrink it down to the top 3 heroes like time always reveals. basically X-men comics sell Spider-man comics sell Batman comics sell everything else basically wont matter Edited February 21, 2015 by sonicyouth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vikingreed Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 "The value of IH 181 is at least 70% based on movies. If Wolverine never made it there he would be not be considered a key." I STRONGLY disagree with this statement. I think the movie speculation effects the B, C and D list characters way more than someone as popular as Wolverine. How much was a 181 worth in the nineties. Couple hundred bucks at most? Then the movies came and it skyrocketed to what it is today. You will not see a huge increase in value for this book over the long haul like 20 years or so because it doesn't have the stamina. Cheers, Howard It's been a four figure book for 20 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chillax23 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Hulk 181 is not a movie hype book. Wolverine is Marvel's second most popular character and has been for some time. Regarding the drastic decrease in 9.8 copies - when they were selling north of 20K this was because there were so few 9.8's, as soon as more came on the market there was a swift downward adjustment in price. That being said the mid-high grade copies (8.0 - 9.2) have been increasing year over year and the lower grade copies (3.0 - 6.0) are also ballooning. That being said - buy what you like. Both GSXM 1 and Hulk 181 are incredible books IMO, but I am also a big X-Men fan so take that with a grain of salt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grube09 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 "The value of IH 181 is at least 70% based on movies. If Wolverine never made it there he would be not be considered a key." I STRONGLY disagree with this statement. I think the movie speculation effects the B, C and D list characters way more than someone as popular as Wolverine. How much was a 181 worth in the nineties. Couple hundred bucks at most? Then the movies came and it skyrocketed to what it is today. You will not see a huge increase in value for this book over the long haul like 20 years or so because it doesn't have the stamina. Cheers, Howard It's been a four figure book for 20 years. Amen. Hulk 181 was a hot book when I was 12 years old...that was 1988. It's hotter than ever right now. Bottom line, it is a great book with a hugely popular character that has already proven to be generational and no matter how many copies CGC reports as graded, demand has always outweighed supply. It is the next generations AF 15 to me. On a smaller scale this same argument applies to GS X-Men 1. Great book with immense importance and a demand outweighing supply. Beyond Apple and Google, it's difficult to find stocks with as good a track record... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkowl Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 9.8 of any comic is a bad choice for "sizing the market' on a value. I tend to look at 9.2 as a baseline then I look at 5.0 and then 2.0 to get a real grasp of the market. + infinity. Its one of the worse examples ever for demonstrating the overall value growth of Hulk 181. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMyAmadeus Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 The answer to "what comics to invest in?" the answer is: none. If you want to invest, find a nice matching retirement account, and put your money there. Or land. Those of you who think you should "invest in comics" probably weren't active from 1990-2002. Yes, I know some of you were, but if you were, you weren't paying attention. The current market for comics is like nothing that has ever been in comics, and cannot last. If you buy what you like, because you like it, and if it rises in price, bonus, then you'll be fine. Otherwise...look out below! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkowl Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 This may not go over very well with this particular crowd but I foresee women having an even bigger buying power in the next 30 years. Women now outnumbering men in college and I can't imagine those numbers aren't going to creep higher. I think books like X-Men 266 would be a good investment since Gambit could resonate with female fans. BA 12 and NM 98 may not be able sustain the upward trend but who knows what the world will look like in 20 years. But back to the OP question - I'd go with the 181. I'd bank on wolverine remaining more relavent compared to Storm, night crawler and Colossus. I think this is a great point! Its amazing how many women collect comics and go to cons nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grube09 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Very good point. The last stock I picked was Countrywide Financial, so my investment track record is spotty, at best As many others have said, buy to collect and enjoy. Anything else will be a bonus (thumbs u Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kav Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I like solid mid grade for investments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quicksilver Signs Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 i know this is the CGC boards but if you want to max out on an investment, do not buy a slabbed book. Especially bronze, you should be able to buy a raw GSX 1 or IH 181, then slab yourself if you must slab it. Why pay maximum value when they're plentiful raw for the exact same book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kav Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I agree but once in a while you'll end up with a plod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark 1 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 The answer to "what comics to invest in?" the answer is: none. If you want to invest, find a nice matching retirement account, and put your money there. Or land. Those of you who think you should "invest in comics" probably weren't active from 1990-2002. Yes, I know some of you were, but if you were, you weren't paying attention. The current market for comics is like nothing that has ever been in comics, and cannot last. If you buy what you like, because you like it, and if it rises in price, bonus, then you'll be fine. Otherwise...look out below! Can you be more specific? The 90s was horrible from a modern perspective where all these moderns were climbing in price then boom the bottom dropped But, Silver Age keys have always climbed in price. Go look at a 1980 price guide and see what Hulk 1 was valued at....see what it is today. See what it was in 1990. It has always climbed. Same with TOS 39, JIM 83, AF15, ASM 1....I have not seen a decline in the demand or value of these books. Some years have stayed more steady than others and some have had huge spikes (like AF15 some years ago and Hulk 1 this past year). Hulk 181 and GSXM to me will continue to rise and stay in demand. NM 98...maybe not. Variant of the week....not at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunsicker Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 The answer to "what comics to invest in?" the answer is: none. If you want to invest, find a nice matching retirement account, and put your money there. Or land. Those of you who think you should "invest in comics" probably weren't active from 1990-2002. Yes, I know some of you were, but if you were, you weren't paying attention. The current market for comics is like nothing that has ever been in comics, and cannot last. If you buy what you like, because you like it, and if it rises in price, bonus, then you'll be fine. Otherwise...look out below! Very well said. If your company has a 401k match then you'd be a fool not to invest there. Even without a match your money will grow faster tax free in the stock market than it will with comic books. With much, much, much, much, much less risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1950's war comics Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 No kidding , if the Op is looking for a 30 year investment he better build a nice diversified stock portfolio with help of a financial expert. Comics are simply a hobby not an investment and if you are fortunate enough to recoup your initial investment or more consider yourself blessed. To expect or even count on a profit it is foolhardy. FoggyNelson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydogrules Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Unfortunately not everyone is fortunate enough to work for a company that offers matching 401 k benefits, stock options, etc. And if someone is willing to put $500, $1000 into one comic book, he would be foolish to not treat it at least as a quasi-investment. That's a lot of money to most people. I would pick the IH 181 as well from an "investment" standpoint, but it's definitely not by a landslide. Let's not overlook or minimize the importance of GSXM 1. It was, after all, not just the first appearance of storm, nightcrawler, etc, but also of the classic x men team that brought the title back from the dead. It's also wolverine's first appearance as an "x-man" (and 2nd full overall). This book is cheaper than 181 and is far less common on the census. It wouldn't take much for this book to spike, perhaps not to 181 numbers, but it could conceivably close the gap. The 181 is probably a safer bet but with it's lower entry point the GSXM 1 probably has more upside. Okay I just changed my mind, the GSXM 1 might actually be the better pick after all. -J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kav Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 The answer to "what comics to invest in?" the answer is: none. If you want to invest, find a nice matching retirement account, and put your money there. Or land. Those of you who think you should "invest in comics" probably weren't active from 1990-2002. Yes, I know some of you were, but if you were, you weren't paying attention. The current market for comics is like nothing that has ever been in comics, and cannot last. If you buy what you like, because you like it, and if it rises in price, bonus, then you'll be fine. Otherwise...look out below! Very well said. If your company has a 401k match then you'd be a fool not to invest there. Even without a match your money will grow faster tax free in the stock market than it will with comic books. With much, much, much, much, much less risk. Who has ever lost money on a mid grade af15 over 5 years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zevgoli Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Hulk 181 is not a movie hype book. Wolverine is Marvel's second most popular character and has been for some time. Regarding the drastic decrease in 9.8 copies - when they were selling north of 20K this was because there were so few 9.8's, as soon as more came on the market there was a swift downward adjustment in price. That being said the mid-high grade copies (8.0 - 9.2) have been increasing year over year and the lower grade copies (3.0 - 6.0) are also ballooning. That being said - buy what you like. Both GSXM 1 and Hulk 181 are incredible books IMO, but I am also a big X-Men fan so take that with a grain of salt I'm sorry I am not seeing it. Looking at comic trend.com the only big money for 181 has been with 9.8 and over the past ten years you saw a peak in 09 and then a precipitous fall since to well below 03 levels. Yeah you can argue that 8,8.5 and 9 are doing ok but for what you have to pay for a raw book it's not worth it. I am looking at eBay right now and there is a raw 8 ending in 15 hours already over $1000 and climbing. That is just eating into your profit margins. The philosophy of investing in big key issues for the ordinary joe collector is plain stupid. Sorry guys. They are already too expensive to get a decent copy and in the case of 181 it will never gain the value you need to offset the purchase price. I don't care if you wait a 100 years to sell. The book is over rated and that is already reflected in price fluctuations that are scary at best. Real keys which hardly any of us can afford don't fluctuate like that. That's why buying small and smart like I said in an earlier post is the best way. Plus it's more fun. Cheers, Howard PS let the cat calling begin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prez Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I would invest that 800 in Gold/Silver. +1,000,000 Collecting comic books is just a hobby - it's no more than that IMO. Unless of course you're buying your "key" books for a penny on a dollar. Invest on Gold for sure! Talk to a financial advisor and see what he/she has to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
