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Overstreet's baby steps toward reality
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43 posts in this topic

11 hours ago, Aman619 said:

It will take time nd more sales before we can be sure about books like BV 40.  The 7.5 that  sold for 3900 had three bidders snipe at crazy numbers and crashed into each other.  So maybe that means it’s really worth that much... or it just another instance of the bidding process flaw that throwing “win at all cost” snipes can get you hurt when you win...

once two more nice copies show up, we may see prices drop, as we have seen time and time again.  Or they will climb, nd we will know for sure.

I think this is it.  With a lot of GA books there aren't too many copies in higher grades, but there also aren't as many people chasing them as chase SA and later books.  It's not always clear that once a few deep-pocketed collectors have bought copies whether demand will continue to support the peak prices.  I think we've kind of seen that with Cindy 37, which is another book that suddenly skyrocketed a couple of years ago.  Still sells for good money, but my impression is that the most recent sales have been a cut below the peak prices of a year or so ago.

I think Overstreet's position has always been that it doesn't make sense for a yearly price guide to adjust prices to reflect what may turn out to be short-lived blips in demand.

Edited by Sqeggs
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There's a 40 currently being offered for sale here on the boards. A 41 sold in the same sales thread very quickly with an asking price of $550 for a copy listed as a 6.5. 

My gut tells me 40 is definitely a ways ahead of 41, but not quite so much as that $3900 sale suggested. I feel like that was a bit of an outlier.

For what it's worth, there are 13 total copies of #40 in the census compared to just 7 copies of #41. The highest #41 is a 7.5, with three copies at 7.0 behind it. I'm surprised the surge in prices hasn't brought more books out of the woodwork. 

 

I don't have a #40, but here's my #41:

 

ystjxTj.jpg

 

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23 hours ago, N e r V said:

It seems like the flippers and speculators are fueling a lot of the prices upward on some books. Not sure how that will play out in long run for market. 

Betty and Veronica #40 had always been a popular cover with Archie collectors. Never was it at this level until pretty recently. It’s no more difficult in grade than the surrounding issues either. My concern with it and some other books is that the buyers often seem to be other dealers or flippers trying to get copies. Most long term Archie collectors probably already own it and paid a fraction of what it goes for today. I think a lot of the crazy prices on some books are justified but also a lot are being fueled by a strong economy and people trying to make a buck off the current strong market. 

As mentioned you can see crazy prices on books now in a few short months or weeks or days (see any Marvel movie announcement) so you’d need a daily update like the stock market to keep up with many.

The price increases are not sustainable in any type of business model.  So, a word of caution when paying 20X times guide. Overstreet,  was in the early days, the GUIDE..it has changed as Steve Geppi needs to do a complete revision of this product in order for it to become relevant again. When it was all and powerful, it in effect "slowed price increases down" and was an effective brake for the comic book market on over heating. It no longer has that power, as print media disappears, its survive or die...it must go online in the next 5 years.I recomment on this weeks SCOOP-4-16 the 53 minute steve geppi address to retailers this month....I learned a heck of a lot during that speech. At the height Diamond had over 7,000 accounts, today they are down to 3,000 and to get a idea of the state of the market coming up...read between lines on that speech, 2016 was great year, and 2017 was OK(4th best in terms of $ not accounting for inflation). The main Idea, expressed is dead right on...Time or the competition for your free time has never been so competitive with so many different choices, and how comic books have survived thru the 50's witch hunt, market crashes, etc is remarkable. If you are interested in any kind of crystal ball, check out the "you tube" video.

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13 hours ago, N e r V said:

I think anyone that thinks B&V #40 is somehow a great cheesecake cover should grab a few back issues of Cherry Poptart to see what real Archie style cheesecake is.

 

As a Archie collector since the 1980’s I’m a bit concerned that there are those looking at Archie comics now the same way the Brony views My Little Pony stuff. 

 

They are enjoyable humor books with great characters drawn by some of the better humor artists in comics over the years and not intended for some weird male fantasies... creepy. lol 

 

 

Yeah, but c'mon -- throughout the '60s and since, at the very least, Archie's covers could be counted on for off-the-cuff observations that have cemented him as America's favorite teenaged horndog. Bless him!

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I have always viewed Overstreet as serving three primary functions:

(1) It is a great compilation of key non-price information on comics books (e.g., dates, publishers, issues, first apps, origins, etc.).

(2) It is a great resource for dealers to use when buying comics (e.g., the prices are skewed to benefit dealers).

(3) It is intended to stabilize prices (e.g., Overstreet is very hesitant to drop prices and, as a result, is very hesitant to boost prices too quickly).

For me item (1) justifies the price of admissions and makes the book indispensable.  Items (2) and (3) inhabit the borders between good and evil.

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1 minute ago, originalisbest said:

Yeah, but c'mon -- throughout the '60s and since, at the very least, Archie's covers could be counted on for off-the-cuff observations that have cemented him as America's favorite teenaged horndog. Bless him!

I know. I was just pointing out there’s a line on ones enjoyment that certainly crosses over into the creepy as noted by my example. lol 

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3 minutes ago, N e r V said:

I know. I was just pointing out there’s a line on ones enjoyment that certainly crosses over into the creepy as noted by my example. lol 

Hard to define the line. One man's perverted extreme might barely make a ripple in someone else's view. ;)

 

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FYI, on the original topic I do believe the comics market is enjoying a healthy period right now and though no one can predict the future it looks bright for now.

I was only pointing out that like the stock market some books are in a artificial place with pricing and I’m not confident the demand is with collectors but rather being impacted by some dealers/flippers out for the short term bucks.

I was there when this was commonplace in the 80’s and 90’s with the new comics market and I see signs of it in the current GA and SA market.

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8 minutes ago, N e r V said:

FYI, on the original topic I do believe the comics market is enjoying a healthy period right now and though no one can predict the future it looks bright for now.

I was only pointing out that like the stock market some books are in a artificial place with pricing and I’m not confident the demand is with collectors but rather being impacted by some dealers/flippers out for the short term bucks.

I was there when this was commonplace in the 80’s and 90’s with the new comics market and I see signs of it in the current GA and SA market.

I find myself agreeing with you there. Good points and can't argue.

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37 minutes ago, Crimebuster said:

There's a 40 currently being offered for sale here on the boards. A 41 sold in the same sales thread very quickly with an asking price of $550 for a copy listed as a 6.5. 

My gut tells me 40 is definitely a ways ahead of 41, but not quite so much as that $3900 sale suggested. I feel like that was a bit of an outlier.

For what it's worth, there are 13 total copies of #40 in the census compared to just 7 copies of #41. The highest #41 is a 7.5, with three copies at 7.0 behind it. I'm surprised the surge in prices hasn't brought more books out of the woodwork. 

 

I don't have a #40, but here's my #41:

 

ystjxTj.jpg

 

I have a lot of high grade Betty and Veronica books that I haven’t slabbed. They were cheap when I bought them and I have far more pressing books to send to CGC first although I might bump some up now. I think a lot of Archie collectors never thought to slab our books until the recent uptick in prices. I could say the same with my Baker books which I haven’t even made a dent in sending in yet. Slabbing isn’t cheap in large numbers if you not a dealer selling them right away.

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8 minutes ago, N e r V said:

I have a lot of high grade Betty and Veronica books that I haven’t slabbed. They were cheap when I bought them and I have far more pressing books to send to CGC first although I might bump some up now. I think a lot of Archie collectors never thought to slab our books until the recent uptick in prices. I could say the same with my Baker books which I haven’t even made a dent in sending in yet. Slabbing isn’t cheap in large numbers if you not a dealer selling them right away.

True enough on the slabbing. When you're in the business of processing and selling books, it's just another cost of doing business. When the books really aren't going to be going anywhere but back into my boxes, I've always leaned toward "I'll slab this someday -- right now I'm going to spend X $$ on book X instead!" :)

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1 minute ago, originalisbest said:

True enough on the slabbing. When you're in the business of processing and selling books, it's just another cost of doing business. When the books really aren't going to be going anywhere but back into my boxes, I've always leaned toward "I'll slab this someday -- right now I'm going to spend X $$ on book X instead!" :)

I try and keep a slow but steady line of books into CGC. I’ll certainly drop more off in San Diego this summer to save on postage at least. I used to go by value but now it’s more about books I really like and want to protect.

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17 minutes ago, N e r V said:

I try and keep a slow but steady line of books into CGC. I’ll certainly drop more off in San Diego this summer to save on postage at least. I used to go by value but now it’s more about books I really like and want to protect.

Sounds like a good approach! Dropping them off at a show to save postage, etc. is a smart way to go. Assuming I get organized enough that's what I'd do when they come around to the Chicago shows.

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2 hours ago, N e r V said:

FYI, on the original topic I do believe the comics market is enjoying a healthy period right now and though no one can predict the future it looks bright for now.

I was only pointing out that like the stock market some books are in a artificial place with pricing and I’m not confident the demand is with collectors but rather being impacted by some dealers/flippers out for the short term bucks.

I was there when this was commonplace in the 80’s and 90’s with the new comics market and I see signs of it in the current GA and SA market.

Geppi's on his youtube video does seem to look to a bright future, the more flippers and inter dealer sales the higher cost to the true collector, with the larger tumble when true value and true demand market conditions apply. when demand cools

Edited by Mmehdy
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