GA 9.4 to 9.6 to 9.8... Observing a trend 3 3

[clarkkentdds]

Has anyone noticed the increasing amount of 9.8 GA books being churned out of the CGC machine lately? Frankly it’s  an obvious trend. 9.4s that were pressed 5-10 years ago to 9.6s are getting “pressed” again and magically becoming 9.8s. 

Paying a premium for (even rare) single highest graded GA is a sure way to lose money... I’m finally seeing collectors catch on to this. 

Lots of newly minted 9.8s these days... 

 

Edited September 4, 2019 by clarkkentdds

[gino2paulus2]

that why I stick to low to mid grade, “lookers” Even high grade if that’s your thing but when it comes to multiples from 9.4 to a 9.8 and we are talking tens of thousands of dollars if it doesn’t look better than what’s the point? At some point people will realize this is more a visual and intellectually stimulating medium and not just a # and $ hobby. For some it’s a game though so I’m not judging I just would rather own the book because I love it not just because it has CPR potential. 

[tth2]

3 hours ago, clarkkentdds said:

Paying a premium for (even rare) single highest graded GA is a sure way to lose money... I’m finally seeing collectors catch on to this.

Really?  I'm just seeing prices going higher and higher.

Edited September 4, 2019 by tth2

[tth2]

2 hours ago, gino2paulus2 said:

At some point people will realize this is more a visual and intellectually stimulating medium and not just a # and $ hobby.

The last of the idealists! 

[Cat-Man_America]

4 hours ago, clarkkentdds said:

Has anyone noticed the increasing amount of 9.8 GA books being churned out of the CGC machine lately? Frankly it’s  an obvious trend. 9.4s that were pressed 5-10 years ago are getting “pressed” again and magically becoming 9.8s. 

Paying a premium for (even rare) single highest graded GA is a sure way to lose money... I’m finally seeing collectors catch on to this. 

Lots of newly minted 9.8s these days... 

 

As a high grade GA collector I can tell you this issue that has been bantered around in other threads.  It's one of several reasons I rarely buy newer label CGC graded books.  

Bad as this is though, losing revenue isn't as serious as lost confidence in grading accuracy.

[Mr. Lady Luck]

I am definitely noticing this trend and I do not like it. I've become skeptical of every golden age 9.6 and 9.8 I see these days.

[entalmighty1]

1 hour ago, Mr. Lady Luck said:

I am definitely noticing this trend and I do not like it. I've become skeptical of every golden age 9.6 and 9.8 I see these days.

The more new GA books I see slabbed, the more apparent it is that they're giving a LOT of these books a friendly wink of a bump.  

[Robot Man]

8 hours ago, tth2 said:

Really?  I'm just seeing prices going higher and higher.

True but at the same time, I know a lot of people who are being priced out of the hobby. The pool of deep pocketed spenders is shrinking. Sooner or later, some of these people will be stuck holding the bag. 

[Robot Man]

11 hours ago, gino2paulus2 said:

that why I stick to low to mid grade, “lookers” Even high grade if that’s your thing but when it comes to multiples from 9.4 to a 9.8 and we are talking tens of thousands of dollars if it doesn’t look better than what’s the point? At some point people will realize this is more a visual and intellectually stimulating medium and not just a # and $ hobby. For some it’s a game though so I’m not judging I just would rather own the book because I love it not just because it has CPR potential. 

As you know, I’m with you Gino. Problem is, we are a shrinking breed of collectors and lovers of the medium. I don’t mind selling books here and there for a small profit to buy books I really want. Problem is, when high grade prices go up, lower grade prices go up even more. For every high grade buyer, there are 10 lower grade buyers that just want to own a copy. Trouble is, much of the stuff I want has finally reached the point for me that I can no longer justify the price I need to pay to obtain it. 

Thats OK though, I’ve been doing it a LONG time. So all I have to do is to open up a few boxes to enjoy all the great books I’ve put away over the years  and feel sorry for the poor suckers that are paying up these days...

[szav]

10 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

True but at the same time, I know a lot of people who are being priced out of the hobby. The pool of deep pocketed spenders is shrinking. Sooner or later, some of these people will be stuck holding the bag. 

I dunno...depends what you consider deep pocketed.  Is that someone who can spend 10k a year on comics or 25k or 100k?

As a matter of simple math I think the pool of deep pocketed buyers (I’d say 25k+ A year) is growing. The general Population goes up and with it demand and prices  .. supply is somewhat unknown for now, but fairly stable, and ultimately finite.

The current boom even in GA seems driven by the overall success of comic related movies.  I think this gets sustained for another 25 to 30 years at least.

As for GA 9.6s and 9.8s and highest graded copies.  For the most part the buyers for these are in the same realm as the original art people... they’re from another planet than me and  I don’t find much point in trying to dissect  the logic of their spending patterns..

They may get left holding the 9.8 GA comic bag, but I’m pretty sure they’re not worried about missing any meals because of it.

 

[clarkkentdds]

I think we have to look at the inevitability of this business model. It's a lesson in economics...

Would you pay money to have your books pressed to achieve a lower grade? Would you pay lots of money for that book to be pressed and regraded to a higher grade?

I know this has been discussed over and over. But the explosion of 9.8s (previously a very difficult grade to achieve) has prompted me to start to question this whole thing again.

And a very telling observation:  The majority of these new 9.8s showing up are not new to market 9.8s.

Last decade's 9.4 is yesterday's 9.6 and today's 9.8. And I don't think it has anything to do with CGC's lax grading. As collectors,  investing in having your books pressed must yield dividends for this business model to work.

Edited September 4, 2019 by clarkkentdds

[lou_fine]

13 hours ago, clarkkentdds said:

Paying a premium for (even rare) single highest graded GA is a sure way to lose money... I’m finally seeing collectors catch on to this. 

Well, I guess the buyer of the Tomb of Dracula 10 for a mere $85,000 must have been left off the email distribution list then.    

[lou_fine]

4 hours ago, entalmighty1 said:

6 hours ago, Mr. Lady Luck said:

I am definitely noticing this trend and I do not like it. I've become skeptical of every golden age 9.6 and 9.8 I see these days.

The more new GA books I see slabbed, the more apparent it is that they're giving a LOT of these books a friendly wink of a bump.  

Well, it would definitely not help the business model for CCG longer term if they do not give their customers an extra bump for providing them with additional revenue streams of revenues through both their CGC and CCS subsidiaries.  

That is why I am generally willing to bid a higher amount for the old label slabbed books or even the second generation label books that were slabbed pprior to the whole pressing fiasco back in 2005.  

Edited September 4, 2019 by lou_fine

[october]

Have I missed this 9.8 explosion? How many books are we talking about here?

[MrBedrock]

49 minutes ago, clarkkentdds said:

I think we have to look at the inevitability of this business model. It's a lesson in economics...

Would you pay money to have your books pressed to achieve a lower grade? Would you pay lots of money for that book to be pressed and regraded to a higher grade?

I know this has been discussed over and over. But the explosion of 9.8s (previously a very difficult grade to achieve) has prompted me to start to question this whole thing again.

And a very telling observation:  The majority of these new 9.8s showing up are not new to market 9.8s.

Last decade's 9.4 is yesterday's 9.6 and today's 9.8. And I don't think it has anything to do with CGC's lax grading. As collectors,  investing in having your books pressed must yield dividends for this business model to work.

Can you show us some examples?

[buttock]

19 minutes ago, october said:

Have I missed this 9.8 explosion? How many books are we talking about here?

I tripped over a stack of them this morning.  They weren't there when I went to bed. 

[october]

13 minutes ago, buttock said:

I tripped over a stack of them this morning.  They weren't there when I went to bed. 

So the 9.8 explosion came from your bed during the middle of last night? 

I don't collect books in that grade, but Bedrock might want to stack up on the sanitary wipes in prep for the next Heritage auction. 

[MrBedrock]

2 minutes ago, october said:

18 minutes ago, buttock said:

I tripped over a stack of them this morning.  They weren't there when I went to bed. 

So the 9.8 explosion came from your bed during the middle of last night? 

I don't collect books in that grade, but Bedrock might want to stack up on the sanitary wipes in prep for the next Heritage auction. 

I'm worried about the house.

[buttock]

7 minutes ago, october said:

So the 9.8 explosion came from your bed during the middle of last night? 

I don't collect books in that grade, but Bedrock might want to stack up on the sanitary wipes in prep for the next Heritage auction. 

No, they were in front of the toilet.  There were a couple in the shower also, maybe they're coming up from the plumbing?  I'll check the basement. 

[Mmehdy]

11 hours ago, Cat-Man_America said:

As a high grade GA collector I can tell you this issue that has been bantered around in other threads.  It's one of several reasons I rarely buy newer label CGC graded books.  

Bad as this is though, losing revenue isn't as serious as lost confidence in grading accuracy.

Good point on the "older" graded books but now you have to compete with the Flippers and Pressers for those which can be upgraded as well.