Those "plentiful" key issues... 1 1

[piper]

I still am intrigued by the OP's straw man argument. I have never seen an AF15 at any LCS I've visited (including Bedrock in Houston). For that matter, I never see nice looking "common" Bronze or Silver locally.

I pretty much only see these "common" books via auction sites (e.g EBay, Comic Link), on line dealers or at larger cons.

If it's truly common, I should be able to find more locally and prices would reflect this.

 

Edited August 16, 2017 by piper

[piper]

Is accessible a better word choice?

 

[Knightsofold]

1 hour ago, Knightsofold said:

Something can only be "common" or "rare" to a particular area at a particular time.

My particular area is any online dealer, online auction house with a buy it now, a trading site, or a major comic book convention (NYC,Chicago,SDCC).   My particular time is now. 

Common or accessible, everyone's particular area and time to judge is different.

[Martin Sinescu]

Most of the LCS's around me don't even have one single graded comic and their wall books, if they even have any, aren't what most of us on this board would even consider minor keys anyway. They're geared towards a totally different market and it's not the type where they can afford to have tens of thousands of dollars sunk into one book that will only attract attention, but never garner an actual sale. It's all current stuff, cheap back issues that they've probably begrudgingly accepted in trade, graphic novels and then the miscellany. Don't see the point of using the local guy as a metric for judging AF15's rarity. I saw quite a few at the last con, though.

[lou_fine]

4 hours ago, lizards2 said:

5 hours ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

I made a B in both micro and macro 

Had a great professor though who shopped at Dave and Adams online..... But only for sports stuff.... 

I'm pretty sure I had A's in both those, and more.  It was basically all bullsh*t.

+1

Got straight A's in both my macro and micro econ courses as they were basically nothing more than just simple common sense once you thought about it.   

[DeadpoolJr.]

I was really sad a few months back when I went after a restored copy, bidding the highest I had ever on a book (5 figures) and still missed out. The price going for more than the person I talked to about it thought it would for the grade, and issues. I also sold off a part of my collection to pay for it which really sucks.

I'm hoping prices drop-off down the line, not to resell, but because I really want to own one in decent condition. I can't bring myself to spend a lot of money on something so torn, and beaten up for what I could get at the same, or cheaper price.

Edited August 16, 2017 by DeadpoolJr.

[piper]

7 hours ago, DeadpoolJr. said:

I was really sad a few months back when I went after a restored copy, bidding the highest I had ever on a book (5 figures) and still missed out. The price going for more than the person I talked to about it thought it would for the grade, and issues. I also sold off a part of my collection to paid for it which really sucks.

I'm hoping prices drop-off down the line, not to resell, but because I really want to own one in decent condition. I can't bring myself to spend a lot of money on something so turn, and beaten up for what I could get at the same, or cheaper price.

The right copy will come along!

[delekkerste]

12 hours ago, SteppinRazor said:

You've made an assumption that every Spider-Man collector is in the market for an AF15.  They are the entire pool of potential customers, but they aren't kinetic customers.  That is the one flaw in the otherwise appropriate ticket analogy.  There is a presumed buyer for every ticket in that analogy (ie demand outstrips supply).

Yeah, I give Valiantman a lot of credit for the work he has done over the years, but, in this particular case, I think he vastly overstates the potential market for AF #15s by orders of magnitude.  There aren't "literally millions" of Spider-Man comic collectors (certainly not active) out there.  And, in any case, only a minuscule fraction of them have the means, motive and opportunity to acquire an AF #15.  Just because almost everyone rooting through longboxes on a convention floor thinks AF #15 is cool and would love to own one (if it was given to them or if they could buy one for pennies on the dollar) doesn't mean they are realistically in the market at current market prices.  Heck, not even at half or a quarter or a tenth of current market prices for most people.  I mean, even if you GAVE this alleged legion of Spidey collectors a $5K or even a $50K windfall, how many of them would use it to buy an AF #15?  Practically every non-hardcore collector would use that money for other purposes, as would even most die-hards.  

Price rations supply.  Of course AF #15 is not "common" like dirt (even though I sometimes make that analogy for effect), but, it is certainly not difficult to find at all if you have the bucks to spend.  Some wishful thinkers were commenting that maybe there were fewer copies at SDCC this year?  Uh, Storms had like 3 of them and Metro had at least 4 or 5 that I saw - and that was just from visiting only two booths on the comic side side of the floor (I spent most of my time at the other end of the hall where the OA is).

I agree with the general sentiment someone made in an above post about the generalized asset bubble due to money printing, etc.  Anyone who thinks AF #15s, or comics books, collectibles or art in general, are going to act counter-cyclically when this "Everything Bubble" eventually bursts (my guess is we'll see the highs within 18 months, though it could take a long time for prices to normalize after that), is going to be in for a rude shock.  Everything's been moving up together for the same reasons, and everything will move down together for the same reasons.  Are we at that point yet?  No - when people are paying more than $4K for "vapor and nothingness" (i.e., Bitcoin), it is easy for people to rationalize that whatever other overpriced asset they prefer isn't actually all that bad, whether it be real estate above the last bubble highs in certain hot markets, cult stocks at 1999-like valuations, junk bonds at historic tight spreads, bonds at near-record low yields, high-end art at all-time highs, or AF #15 at present bubblicious levels.  

Edited August 16, 2017 by delekkerste

[Old Fashion PB and J]

Good lord, some of you just want to argue over such ridiculous nonsense.

Edited August 16, 2017 by The Resurrection

[lizards2]

2 minutes ago, The Resurrection said:

Good lord, some of you just want to argue over such ridiculous nonsense.

It's what we do!

[Hudson]

26 minutes ago, delekkerste said:

Yeah, I give Valiantman a lot of credit for the work he has done over the years, but, in this particular case, I think he vastly overstates the potential market for AF #15s by orders of magnitude.  There aren't "literally millions" of Spider-Man comic collectors (certainly not active) out there.  And, in any case, only a minuscule fraction of them have the means, motive and opportunity to acquire an AF #15.  Just because almost everyone rooting through longboxes on a convention floor thinks AF #15 is cool and would love to own one (if it was given to them or if they could buy one for pennies on the dollar) doesn't mean they are realistically in the market at current market prices.  Heck, not even at half or a quarter or a tenth of current market prices for most people.  I mean, even if you GAVE this alleged legion of Spidey collectors a $5K or even a $50K windfall, how many of them would use it to buy an AF #15?  Practically every non-hardcore collector would use that money for other purposes, as would even most die-hards.  

Price rations supply.  Of course AF #15 is not "common" like dirt (even though I sometimes make that analogy for effect), but, it is certainly not difficult to find at all if you have the bucks to spend.  Some wishful thinkers were commenting that maybe there were fewer copies at SDCC this year?  Uh, Storms had like 3 of them and Metro had at least 4 or 5 that I saw - and that was just from visiting only two booths on the comic side side of the floor (I spent most of my time at the other end of the hall where the OA is).

I agree with the general sentiment someone made in an above post about the generalized asset bubble due to money printing, etc.  Anyone who thinks AF #15s, or comics books, collectibles or art in general, are going to act counter-cyclically when this "Everything Bubble" eventually bursts (my guess is we'll see the highs within 18 months, though it could take a long time for prices to normalize after that), is going to be in for a rude shock.  Everything's been moving up together for the same reasons, and everything will move down together for the same reasons.  Are we at that point yet?  No - when people are paying more than $4K for "vapor and nothingness" (i.e., Bitcoin), it is easy for people to rationalize that whatever other overpriced asset they prefer isn't actually all that bad, whether it be real estate above the last bubble highs in certain hot markets, cult stocks at 1999-like valuations, junk bonds at historic tight spreads, bonds at near-record low yields, high-end art at all-time highs, or AF #15 at present bubblicious levels.  

This is a well thought out and well written post.

It provides the writer's opinion in a logical manner, without insulting anyone else.

Well done (regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with the conclusions made).

[Gotham Kid]

1 hour ago, Hudson said:

This is a well thought out and well written post.

They usually are.

[kav]

AF15s are like diamonds, common, but valuable.

[Lazyboy]

15 minutes ago, kav said:

AF15s are like diamonds, common, but valuable.

So which monopolistic entity is manipulating the price of AF15s?

[kav]

4 minutes ago, Lazyboy said:

So which monopolistic entity is manipulating the price of AF15s?

[kav]

I think Marilyn Monroe was reading one in a movie.

[Ken Aldred]

4 hours ago, kav said:

I think Marilyn Monroe was reading one in a movie.

Must've been her last film. She died around the same time AF 15 was published.

[kav]

Just now, Ken Aldred said:

Must've been her last film. She died around the same time AF 15 was published.

[Ken Aldred]

Actually, got me interested in checking.

AF 15 was published same month she died, August 1962.

[DeadpoolJr.]

9 hours ago, piper said:

The right copy will come along!

Thanks, and really hope you're right!