Hindsight is 2020... 4 4

[valiantman]

Some terms will never go away, Golden Age, Silver Age, etc., but those terms also have somewhat debatable years and always require explanation for non-collectors.

We've now had 80 years of comics, so ANOTHER way to look at the comic book (superhero) hobby is four blocks of 20-years.

1940s-1950s (DC) actually begins in 1938, but only 3% of CGC slabbed comics 1930-1959 are for 1930s comics, 97% are 1940s-1950s.

1960s-1970s (Marvel)

1980s-1990s (Independents)

2000s-2010s (Movies)

It could be very useful to explain 80 years of the hobby this way, without having our non-collecting friends roll their eyes back in their head. 

(To possibly prevent a few of the long-winding rebuttals of how this is "so wrong" because Captain America #1 is 1941, Showcase #4 is 1956, etc., I'll go ahead and roll my own eyes into the back of my head.) 

 

Edited January 30, 2020 by valiantman

[blazingbob]

To me while the movies were a big part of the last 20 years CGC grading had a lot of impact to the comic "hobby"  You would not be seeing the same sales numbers if CGC wasn't introduced/accepted in the marketplace.

[LordRahl]

2 minutes ago, blazingbob said:

To me while the movies were a big part of the last 20 years CGC grading had a lot of impact to the comic "hobby"  You would not be seeing the same sales numbers if CGC wasn't introduced/accepted in the marketplace.

Absolutely. The confluence of CGC and the internet I think did more for the hobby than movies.

[Krismusic]

25 minutes ago, blazingbob said:

To me while the movies were a big part of the last 20 years CGC grading had a lot of impact to the comic "hobby"  You would not be seeing the same sales numbers if CGC wasn't introduced/accepted in the marketplace.

I agree with this I think CGC helping collectors recognize the condition of books on a more universally accepted scale improved the ability to complete transactions.  

[jeffreyk]

I only buy cgc books and would never have spent the amount of money I have if not for cgc.  Too risky and no dispute as to grade when selling.

[theCapraAegagrus]

[Junkdrawer]

When does it end? Asking for a friend.

[JTD]

CGC made me realize I shouldn’t have manhandled my comics as a teen...as a 12 year old in 1980 through the end of the decade I paid almost no attention to condition as I would routinely roll the pages behind the book as I read them...so in short, I agree CGC has influenced me way more than movies...of course this is all probably age related.

[MetalPSI]

I need someone to get a copy of OSPG 2018 to my 1992 self 

[VintageComics]

5 hours ago, valiantman said:

It could be very useful to explain 80 years of the hobby this way, without having our non-collecting friends roll their eyes back in their head

What's most interesting (to those of us who have been talking about this on here for nearly 20 years) is how our own perception of the 2000's have changed.

I remember people wanting to call it the chrome/nickel (or you name it) or the silicon age and other things.

But I think you've summed it up quite nicely.

[valiantman]

2 hours ago, LordRahl said:

2 hours ago, blazingbob said:

To me while the movies were a big part of the last 20 years CGC grading had a lot of impact to the comic "hobby"  You would not be seeing the same sales numbers if CGC wasn't introduced/accepted in the marketplace.

Absolutely. The confluence of CGC and the internet I think did more for the hobby than movies.

CGC has driven a portion of the marketplace (and a bigger portion of the dollars), but it has been impactful to all comics from the whole 80-year span.  

I was generally asking the question "What would a non-collector understand about each 20-year block of time?" and "DC", "Marvel", and "Independents" accurately reflect what "rose to prominence" (even for non-collectors) in those 20-year blocks.  Comic book movies have risen to unbelievable heights during the past 20-years, while things like CGC, Ebay, and the internet (in general) have been impactful across the entire 80-years of comic book output - not specifically to comics printed 2000s-2010s.

There should probably be more than one word per 20-year block. 

 Adding a second question, "how did collectors collect?" would be useful and address the concerns.

1940s-1950s (DC on newstands)

1960s-1970s (Marvel in used bookstores)

1980s-1990s (Independents in comic shops)

2000s-2010s (Movies, slabs, and the internet)  

Knowing we only get a few words before non-collectors are done listening, adding precision will be subtracting retention.

(Maybe this level of detail is only possible if the non-collector listens to the one-word descriptions and asks "what about..." and continues the discussion.) 

Edited January 30, 2020 by valiantman

[valiantman]

1 hour ago, Junkdrawer said:

When does it end? Asking for a friend.

About 100 years after the end of stamp collecting and 50 years after the end of coin collecting. 

[buttock]

3 hours ago, valiantman said:

Some terms will never go away, Golden Age, Silver Age, etc., but those terms also have somewhat debatable years and always require explanation for non-collectors.

We've now had 80 years of comics, so ANOTHER way to look at the comic book (superhero) hobby is four blocks of 20-years.

1940s-1950s (DC) actually begins in 1938, but only 3% of CGC slabbed comics 1930-1959 are for 1930s comics, 97% are 1940s-1950s.

1960s-1970s (Marvel)

1980s-1990s (Independents)

2000s-2010s (Movies)

It could be very useful to explain 80 years of the hobby this way, without having our non-collecting friends roll their eyes back in their head. 

(To possibly prevent a few of the long-winding rebuttals of how this is "so wrong" because Captain America #1 is 1941, Showcase #4 is 1956, etc., I'll go ahead and roll my own eyes into the back of my head.) 

 

Golden age and Silver age make sense.  Everything else should be defined by the decade in which it was printed.  Except 1993 which was garbage.  

[valiantman]

24 minutes ago, valiantman said:

2 hours ago, LordRahl said:

2 hours ago, blazingbob said:

To me while the movies were a big part of the last 20 years CGC grading had a lot of impact to the comic "hobby"  You would not be seeing the same sales numbers if CGC wasn't introduced/accepted in the marketplace.

Absolutely. The confluence of CGC and the internet I think did more for the hobby than movies.

CGC has driven a portion of the marketplace (and a bigger portion of the dollars), but it has been impactful to all comics from the whole 80-year span.  

I was generally asking the question "What would a non-collector understand about each 20-year block of time?" and "DC", "Marvel", and "Independents" accurately reflect what "rose to prominence" (even for non-collectors) in those 20-year blocks.  Comic book movies have risen to unbelievable heights during the past 20-years, while things like CGC, Ebay, and the internet (in general) have been impactful across the entire 80-years of comic book output - not specifically to comics printed 2000s-2010s.

There should probably be more than one word per 20-year block. 

 Adding a second question, "how did collectors collect?" would be useful and address the concerns.

1940s-1950s (DC on newstands)

1960s-1970s (Marvel in used bookstores)

1980s-1990s (Independents in comic shops)

2000s-2010s (Movies, slabs, and the internet)  

Knowing we only get a few words before non-collectors are done listening, adding precision will be subtracting retention.

(Maybe this level of detail is only possible if the non-collector listens to the one-word descriptions and asks "what about..." and continues the discussion.) 

Taking it a little further (but again, losing much of the non-collector audience we're trying to educate), we could have sentences that answer the question "What would a non-collector expect to see in the comic hobby at this point in time?":

1940s-1950s (Non-collectors see DC Comics being bought by kids on newsstands and most are thrown away.)

1960s-1970s (Non-collectors see Marvel comics in used bookstores helping kids (and some older collectors) make complete sets.)

1980s-1990s (Non-collectors see independent comics in comic book stores with price guides showing "instant riches" for certain new comics.)

2000s-2010s (Non-collectors see Movies, Comic-cons, and online sales of certain comics in certain CGC-graded certified conditions.)

Edited January 30, 2020 by valiantman

[valiantman]

3 minutes ago, buttock said:

Golden age and Silver age make sense.  Everything else should be defined by the decade in which it was printed.  Except 1993 which was garbage.  

I love the decades as their own descriptions, but we've got 10 decades "1930s","1940s","1950s","1960s","1970s","1980s","1990s","2000s","2010s","2020s" - and we'll never keep a non-collector's attention that long. 

[valiantman]

1 hour ago, IkewithMike said:

I need someone to get a copy of OSPG 2018 to my 1992 self 

Why not send the 2015 Gray's Sports Almanac to an ancestor in 1955? 

[ADAMANTIUM]

4 minutes ago, valiantman said:

Why not send the 2015 Gray's Sports Almanac to an ancestor in 1955? 

was there in fact a 2015 Gray's Sports Almanac? Did it have the same cover as the movie?

[valiantman]

1 minute ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

was there in fact a 2015 Gray's Sports Almanac? Did it have the same cover as the movie?

Yes, but it's a movie-based replica: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Back-to-the-future-1-zbox-grays-sports-almanac-varient/223809691607

Fun fact, Back To The Future II showed the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series in 2015 (which they hadn't won in 100 years).  The Cubs actually won in 2016.

[buttock]

1 minute ago, valiantman said:

I love the decades as their own descriptions, but we've got 10 decades "1930s","1940s","1950s","1960s","1970s","1980s","1990s","2000s","2010s","2020s" - and we'll never keep a non-collector's attention that long. 

1) pre-2000

2) post-2000

 

Problem solved.

 

But other descriptors are basically by decades, no? 

30s/platinum

40s/GA

50s/Atomic

60s/SA

70s/BA

80s/CA

90s plus TBD

 

That's less clear to a newbie than plain old numbers.

[valiantman]

7 minutes ago, buttock said:

But other descriptors are basically by decades, no? 

30s/platinum

40s/GA

50s/Atomic

60s/SA

70s/BA

80s/CA

90s plus TBD

 

That's less clear to a newbie than plain old numbers.

Right, it depends on who we're talking to.  Talking to other collectors "Golden Age" is pretty well understood, but it means nothing to non-collectors and we have to put the dates in there immediately.  Golden Age is 1938-1955 (roughly) which is almost 20 years and takes a lot longer to explain (to a non-collector) than 1940s-50s.  Atomic age is an ok descriptor for most comic collectors, but the 1950s is literally split in two, with the early 1950s being pre-Wertham and the later 1950s being post-Wertham, so "Pre-Wertham Atomic Age" is going to roll the eyes into the back of the head of all non-collectors and most collectors.   So, there's value in saying 1930s Platinum, 1950s Atomic, etc., but it's pretty easy to sum up (most) of the 1940s-50s as "DC" and the 1960s-70s as "Marvel" and that would take four seconds to cover four decades and a non-collector would understand every word.