GA COMIC BOOK Collecting in the Financial crisis of 2020 3 3

[Cat-Man_America]

5 hours ago, batman_fan said:

It won't collapse until I auction off stuff.

You're a desperado under the eaves... 

"And if California slides into the ocean
Like the mystics and statistics say it will
I predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill" 

- Warren Zevon

[Robot Man]

I have seen no real collapse at all in the comic book market. I have seen people a lot smarter and picky but everything seems to sell well if priced right. I know of a few unfortunate collectors selling off part of their collections due to income issues. No mass dumping though. Like 2008, many are willing to let this sort out as it will eventually. 

My wife has been a high end antique dealer for many years. For years she has watched the market slowly drop. Mostly because, the younger crowd has no interest in it. The real good stuff like Tiffany lamps, high end art pottery, paintings and the once very hot Arts and Crafts movement pieces have dropped considerably. She is a smart lady and has always bought real right so she was always able to turn a decent profit. She has sold off most of her better inventory and is now buying and selling very little. Unlike me, she is strictly a dealer and has kept very few pieces. 

As most of you know by now, I’m into a lot of other stuff besides just comics. I have also seen a dip in these markets. Stuff like toys, advertising, sports and political material still sells decently if you have the right stuff. I have for the most part stopped buying a lot of this stuff for myself. Been selling off a lot of stuff mainly because I’m getting older, have enjoyed it long enough and don’t want to burden my family with it. 

Been REAL hard with no shows for 6 months. Flea Markets and shows have always been my best venues to move this stuff. One of our big monthly shows just started up a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t been and figure I won’t be out there for the rest of the year. 

Will be real interesting to see if my regulars are still out there and if people are still buying. This market is real hard to read right now. 

I do know though, that collectors (of anything) are like junkies. Everybody needs to get that next great piece. I can’t imagine that going away. 

As far as comics and pulps go. This market is still robust and in many cases growing. I am buying anything good I am lucky enough to run into. 

 

[adamstrange]

1 hour ago, Robot Man said:

My wife has been a high end antique dealer for many years. For years she has watched the market slowly drop. Mostly because, the younger crowd has no interest in it. The real good stuff like Tiffany lamps, high end art pottery, paintings and the once very hot Arts and Crafts movement pieces have dropped considerably.

Is that partly due to a switch to more informal style of decoration and social events?  It used to be important to have "nice stuff" in the living and dining room but these days they make those rooms small and enlarge the family room.

[Robot Man]

I think it has more to do with age and changing times. The younger hipster crowd I deal with are looking for decor items, primarily mid century modern. Anything older reeks of “grannie’s” stuff. Many do not seek out certain things or collect but instead impulse buy single items. They are very “plugged in” and laugh when I mention things like CDs. Until the past few years, they also laughed at vinyl records. Now, they are among the best selling items at shows. 

Being an artist, I have always appreciated the warm glow and beauty of a leaded glass lamp or the rich colors of arts and crafts pottery. But they are intermingled with other more modern items in my house. It has just become a time where younger people do not value, appreciate or pay money for them. 

I am VERY “plugged in”. I am super computer literate and up on current trends. But there is nothing quite kicking over a carburator powered motorcycle or the warm rich sound of playing my guitar through a vintage tube amp...

[Mmehdy]

I think anybody that wants an instant answer, or  depression, like instant coffee is going to be disappointed. It will take a many more  months or a couple of years to sort out the economic damage that will affect governments, financial markets, and individuals. What is known at this point , is that we do not have an official vaccine nor do you know if its 30% effective or 70%...let alone a world wide distribution nightmare ahead. Folks, this is just gonna take time to play out and not on your or mine time, but the scientists and distribution timetable that lies ahead of us. I can share with you a possible timeline best case from a source within vaccine industry from a conversation  I had last week.

 Best case, a vaccine in Q1 2021 with priority distribution to front line defenders, law enforcement and senior citizens 65 and up. With distribution, that exact time line is unknown.

The collectable market and especially high priced GA/SA have a long road and unknown road ahead. The longer time this economic damage occurs, the greater the recovery time. I fully endorse my prior statements that you should use caution when purchasing GA/SA  comic books by making sure they are CGC graded, good page and staple quality, and if possible unrestored or a GA/SA book with very minor restoration. I would not pay the "worlds highest price" at this point for any GA/SA comic book with so many unknowns on the table.

I do believe there will be up coming more collections sold due to economic damage from this virus and that at some point which we could call bottom, there will be a buying opportunity when prices climb up the level once we have a normal business world again. We cannot even consider when that bottom will occur at this unknown time.

I also think it is the best time to reevaluate your collections and "trade UP" if possible by selling duplicates, and GA/SA material you no longer want, and buying upgrade condition copies or filling in holes for your GA/SA comic book collection.

 I would use caution during these times and not buy something because it is gonna be worth more in the future, but make your purchases from you collectors heart and obtain GA/SA comic books you have always wanted to own and become part of your great collections such that you win at the time you make the purchase.

 

 

 

 

[Mmehdy]

On 8/21/2020 at 3:59 PM, Robot Man said:

This thread has been dead for a long time.  Did the GA market collapse yet?

I do not endorse the word "collapse" for the future of the GA/SA comic book market as I consider that term to mean a 90% fire sale price reduction across the entire GA/SA comic book spectrum. The thread is not dead, it is just waiting for the economic consequences to occur. I do not see or predict an GA/SA market collapse, but a long and serious price correction for a number of years depending upon a resolution of this virus. 50% price reduction is possible, depending on the timeline here. I believe the thread stands for itself...and the test of time will show what was predicted correctly and what was way off. The general  rule is half and half.

Edited August 23, 2020 by Mmehdy

[Mmehdy]

On 8/22/2020 at 9:04 AM, Robot Man said:

I have seen no real collapse at all in the comic book market. I have seen people a lot smarter and picky but everything seems to sell well if priced right. I know of a few unfortunate collectors selling off part of their collections due to income issues. No mass dumping though. Like 2008, many are willing to let this sort out as it will eventually. 

My wife has been a high end antique dealer for many years. For years she has watched the market slowly drop. Mostly because, the younger crowd has no interest in it. The real good stuff like Tiffany lamps, high end art pottery, paintings and the once very hot Arts and Crafts movement pieces have dropped considerably. She is a smart lady and has always bought real right so she was always able to turn a decent profit. She has sold off most of her better inventory and is now buying and selling very little. Unlike me, she is strictly a dealer and has kept very few pieces. 

As most of you know by now, I’m into a lot of other stuff besides just comics. I have also seen a dip in these markets. Stuff like toys, advertising, sports and political material still sells decently if you have the right stuff. I have for the most part stopped buying a lot of this stuff for myself. Been selling off a lot of stuff mainly because I’m getting older, have enjoyed it long enough and don’t want to burden my family with it. 

Been REAL hard with no shows for 6 months. Flea Markets and shows have always been my best venues to move this stuff. One of our big monthly shows just started up a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t been and figure I won’t be out there for the rest of the year. 

Will be real interesting to see if my regulars are still out there and if people are still buying. This market is real hard to read right now. 

I do know though, that collectors (of anything) are like junkies. Everybody needs to get that next great piece. I can’t imagine that going away. 

As far as comics and pulps go. This market is still robust and in many cases growing. I am buying anything good I am lucky enough to run into. 

 

I believe that different and various collectable markets will fluctuate  on a time line basis within factors for that  separate world. . GA/SA comic book collecting has over the last 40 years become more of a recognized investment opportunity and liquidly, especially since third party grading was introduced. While the antique market might have suffered a bigger downturn than other collectable markets could be due to people want to see and touch the items since they could be much large in size or they are more impulse buying material which need personal presence to increase the sales and prices of the items. I do not see any real direct correlation to the GA/SA market other than a indication of some weakness in the economy in general spending wise.

[Cat-Man_America]

Mitch has weighed in with a pretty good general take on things.  I’d probably echo Mitch’s views on this topic about 75% of the time (for instance, I’m a little more confident of sustainable GA values than SA, but that perception may be a bit biased. I’ll make no predictions in respect to overall market volatility in a pandemic aside from observations about the current stability of the GA market and increased interest in high grade books.  Aside from that my focus is on changes that may occur from events in November (that thing we shall not discuss).  Based on modestly biased long term observations, markets usually benefit from a certain level of uncertainty as a hedge against inflation and volatile stocks, but nothing benefits from an environment of total chaos.  IMO, whatever happens in November and December that changes the public’s perception of the future, providing confidence in the nation’s stability will be the best barometer of long term comic market growth & activity.

[GermanFan]

Man, the central banks are bombarding all countries with freshly printed money and are so desperate that they start giving it to ordinary people instead only to the top, like they used to.

Lets give this thread a bumb one year from now. It will be another reality then. Today you cannot see through the mist. Its all distorted now.

At least collectibles including, classic cars, fine art will drop half, thats what I think.

There will be too much on the market to buy it all up for the rich. 

But not today and not tomorrow.

As much as I like positive thinking: Matters in the west, USA and Europa, are effed up big time and no man or government can wizard out of this in a short time.

Its the demographic stupid (paraphrasing). The baby boomers, biggest generation in the west who generated the consumers wave starting in the fifties is now retirering with a much smaller and poorer generations following, Gen Xers, Millenials.  Will they spend like they used to or will they hold their pennies together? Easy answer.

Edited August 25, 2020 by GermanFan

[Robot Man]

Nothing thrives in chaos. And that is just what we are experiencing. We are divided, scared and uncertain. It will take a lot more than 4 years or maybe 8 or more to dig us out of this hole. There are as always, industries that are booming but most small business is gone for a long time. I don’t believe that life as we knew it 6 months ago might ever come back. If we don’t learn to give and take and find away to get along, we are doomed. 

That being what it is, we need to find some happiness. Collectors still need their “fix” and I don’t see this ever changing. I continue to lower my sights a bit concentrating on more affordable stuff and limiting my purchases. There are always deals in GA that you won’t lose your shirt over. Buy what you like, buy what you can afford and enjoy doing it. 

[fishbone]

On 8/23/2020 at 1:59 PM, Mmehdy said:

I think anybody that wants an instant answer, or  depression, like instant coffee is going to be disappointed. It will take a many more  months or a couple of years to sort out the economic damage that will affect governments, financial markets, and individuals. What is known at this point , is that we do not have an official vaccine nor do you know if its 30% effective or 70%...let alone a world wide distribution nightmare ahead. Folks, this is just gonna take time to play out and not on your or mine time, but the scientists and distribution timetable that lies ahead of us. I can share with you a possible timeline best case from a source within vaccine industry from a conversation  I had last week.

 Best case, a vaccine in Q1 2021 with priority distribution to front line defenders, law enforcement and senior citizens 65 and up. With distribution, that exact time line is unknown.

The collectable market and especially high priced GA/SA have a long road and unknown road ahead. The longer time this economic damage occurs, the greater the recovery time. I fully endorse my prior statements that you should use caution when purchasing GA/SA  comic books by making sure they are CGC graded, good page and staple quality, and if possible unrestored or a GA/SA book with very minor restoration. I would not pay the "worlds highest price" at this point for any GA/SA comic book with so many unknowns on the table.

I do believe there will be up coming more collections sold due to economic damage from this virus and that at some point which we could call bottom, there will be a buying opportunity when prices climb up the level once we have a normal business world again. We cannot even consider when that bottom will occur at this unknown time.

I also think it is the best time to reevaluate your collections and "trade UP" if possible by selling duplicates, and GA/SA material you no longer want, and buying upgrade condition copies or filling in holes for your GA/SA comic book collection.

 I would use caution during these times and not buy something because it is gonna be worth more in the future, but make your purchases from you collectors heart and obtain GA/SA comic books you have always wanted to own and become part of your great collections such that you win at the time you make the purchase.

 

 

 

 

No offense, but this  is normal, common-sense advice at any time , in any market situation. 

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

8 minutes ago, fishbone said:

No offense, but this  is normal, common-sense advice at any time , in any market situation. 

Sshhhh, it’s Mitch’s concession speech

[fishbone]

14 minutes ago, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

Sshhhh, it’s Mitch’s concession speech

I know, it just gets a bit much, I can't help myself

[Robot Man]

I laugh at the people who have to have the highest graded copy and pay whatever it takes to get it. Is their self esteem so low that they need to pay for it?  At the end of they day, nobody really cares anyway. 

I recently bought the highest graded copy of a book I really love. I bought it because I wanted it for the book, got a fair deal on it and the fact it is highest graded is just a bonus. I have a few others I bought the same way.

I LONG ago realized, no matter how much money I have (and that, sadly has always never been the case), somebody will always have a bigger pee pee. Buy whatever you want and be happy to have one. 

I remember a former boardie buy a 9.8 Gaines File Copy and came on here touting it as the best graded copy. He was a big deal until a couple more 9.8’s of the same book turned up on the census. He was so disgusted, he sold it. I would have killed for it. One of my favorite comics of all time. Way out my comfort zone financially. I had to “settle” for a mere 8.5. I consider myself one heck of a fortunate collector to have it.

I just love all my comics and NEVER apologize for them! And, when the market crashes completely, I will ALWAYS make a profit.

[Mmehdy]

1 hour ago, fishbone said:

No offense, but this  is normal, common-sense advice at any time , in any market situation. 

No offense taken

In the good old days, say in Feb of this year, you could take a chance, a gamble that paying the highest price for a GA/SA comic book was a pretty good bet, that demand and appreciation would protect you in the future. So I would say adherence to the above was pretty lax.

Today, I would not deviate from my comments in your continuing collecting and buying/ selling GA/SA comic books and original comic book art. Using "caution" is a bit of an understatement. News everyday seems a bit bleaker and bleaker, A fellow  long time GA collector and wife  both of whom work for American Airlines one a pilot and his wife a  flight attendant were hit between the eyes today with AA  cutting  off 19,000 employee's. He done collecting until this work and pandemic  situation is settled and called me somewhat in a panic saying Should I consign part of my collection to HA.Com. It does not help that they have dual coast residences and costs which go with them. 

 My advice was simple,do not panic, do not do a knee-jerk reaction BUT think it out. They might be able to do some type of buy-out or long term furlow and of the wife wants the GA comic books out the door first as they are "not doing anything anyway".  Dowsize not only in terms of real estate, the Cali property will be history, but carefully look at your GA collection,   grade the books with the CGC which have not yet been graded and keep GA books which would be impossible to replace or which mean the most to you and them decide on the rest. Everyday, GA/SA collectors are making  this decision, and  this is the tip of the iceberg which is yet to come. I hope someday he becomes active buyer in the GA/SA comic book market as he is a true comic book collector. For now, its survival.

[Tri-Color Brian]

2 hours ago, Mmehdy said:

No offense taken

In the good old days, say in Feb of this year, you could take a chance, a gamble that paying the highest price for a GA/SA comic book was a pretty good bet, that demand and appreciation would protect you in the future. So I would say adherence to the above was pretty lax.

Today, I would not deviate from my comments in your continuing collecting and buying/ selling GA/SA comic books and original comic book art. Using "caution" is a bit of an understatement. News everyday seems a bit bleaker and bleaker, A fellow  long time GA collector and wife  both of whom work for American Airlines one a pilot and his wife a  flight attendant were hit between the eyes today with AA  cutting  off 19,000 employee's. He done collecting until this work and pandemic  situation is settled and called me somewhat in a panic saying Should I consign part of my collection to HA.Com. It does not help that they have dual coast residences and costs which go with them. 

 My advice was simple,do not panic, do not do a knee-jerk reaction BUT think it out. They might be able to do some type of buy-out or long term furlow and of the wife wants the GA comic books out the door first as they are "not doing anything anyway".  Dowsize not only in terms of real estate, the Cali property will be history, but carefully look at your GA collection,   grade the books with the CGC which have not yet been graded and keep GA books which would be impossible to replace or which mean the most to you and them decide on the rest. Everyday, GA/SA collectors are making  this decision, and  this is the tip of the iceberg which is yet to come. I hope someday he becomes active buyer in the GA/SA comic book market as he is a true comic book collector. For now, its survival.

Hey Mitch, when are you going to adopt my avatar of you?  I'm getting tired of seeing your face every time I post...

[Mmehdy]

1 hour ago, Tri-ColorBrian said:

Hey Mitch, when are you going to adopt my avatar of you?  I'm getting tired of seeing your face every time I post...

gonna talk to my kid for help...thank you

[tabcom]

On 4/7/2020 at 6:35 AM, tabcom said:

. . . I prefer the stackable kind of silver or gold.

5 months later, this is still a 

[batman_fan]

46 minutes ago, tabcom said:

5 months later, this is still a 

my favorite stackable gold 

[Cat-Man_America]

Very old school, but I think this might qualify as stacked gold (provided she passes the acid test)...