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Blue vs Yellow- valuation
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183 posts in this topic

Does a signature on a book increase the book's FMV or decrease it?

Provide opinions or provide proof 

And when I say signature I'm talking about someone directly involved with that particular book

This is a strictly valuation question

Collectors collect for different reasons, it is nice to see your favorite artists signature on the book

And also it has to be in the same grade

Blue label vs Yellow label of the same book and grade

Edited by Hollywood1892
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Many think a sig is a value added.  It is simply not true.  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Sigs often sell for less than non sigs-the very first thing I searched it took me 10 sec to find example:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Amazing-Spider-man-15-CGC-8-0-SS-sig-Stan-Lee-1st-Kraven-never-pressed-13-14/254498594178?hash=item3b414c5d82:g:hngAAOSwZL5eM5wp

 
 
There are plenty of collectors that want an unmarred book.
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Just now, kav said:

Many think a sig is a value added.  It is simply not true.  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Sigs often sell for less than non sigs-the very first thing I searched it took me 10 sec to find example:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Amazing-Spider-man-15-CGC-8-0-SS-sig-Stan-Lee-1st-Kraven-never-pressed-13-14/254498594178?hash=item3b414c5d82:g:hngAAOSwZL5eM5wp

 
 
There are plenty of collectors that want an unmarred book.

I don't think signatures 'mar' a book, that comes down to taste...there is plenty of 9.8s from years ago with date stamps on them, it doesn't 'mar' a book.

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5 minutes ago, Red84 said:

Signed books are a niche collectible with a limited number of potential buyers.

(Numbers are purely for demonstration) - If 100 people want an unsigned book, maybe 50 people would want a signed book, and maybe 20 would want a book signed by a specific person.

Some people who like signed books only want to get the book signed in person (the experience of meeting the signer is important to them), so those people would not buy a signature series book even though they like signed books.

Keep in mind that an unsigned book can always be signed in the future (assuming of course the person is still signing), but a signed book cannot be unsigned. 

If buying to flip, buy blue; if buying for yourself, buy what you like.

 

I would go so far as to say it's a niche within a niche...for me personally I have about 95% of my slabs in blue label and 5% in yellow...

I do see some collections thought that are the other way around

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10 minutes ago, Hollywood1892 said:

I think it gives the book some history

"Billy Smith" written on book gives history but I dont want that either.  A ketchup stain gives "history".

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17 minutes ago, lizards2 said:

I would only buy a yellow label if it was cheaper than the blue.

I have not bought any yellow labels. lol

Not being snarky.    Surprised you didn't pick up a Stan signature at some point given the breadth of books I see you interested in.   

...unless you did through another vendor like Dynamic Forces or something. 

 

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There are plenty of books which increase the fair market value of the book if it was raw.

While not a creator, a William Shatner signed Star Trek book goes for much more than an unsigned Star Trek book.   Nimoy?  I missed the boat on that one. Go take a look at what that commands. 

 

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Also, for me the only signed books that I still have are ones that I got signed in person (Jon Bernthal on an ASM129 reprint and Tony Moore on a Walking Dead 1 reprint). The only other signed book that I had (ASM issued signed by Stan Lee - I don't even remember the issue #) I sold.

It's similar to signed sports memorabilia. All of the signatures I still have I either got signed in person (McGwire at a Cardinals game, Horace Grant at a TGI Fridays, etc) or I got signed through the mail (Abdul Jabbar, Tony Gwynn, Kirby Puckett, Paul Molitor, Nolan Ryan, etc). The ones that I just purchased I ended up selling later on because I had no attachment to them.

I will say that my view changes when the person is no longer alive. For example, I would like to get a Mantle signature.

Edited by Red84
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6 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:

There are plenty of books which increase the fair market value of the book if it was raw.

While not a creator, a William Shatner signed Star Trek book goes for much more than an unsigned Star Trek book.   Nimoy?  I missed the boat on that one. Go take a look at what that commands. 

 

See lotta fakes tho.

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1 minute ago, kav said:

See lotta fakes tho.

On yellow signature series? 

I want to see you back this claim up that you see a LOT of fakes of Shatner's signature in yellow slabs.  Particularly Shatner.  Particularly fake yellow slabs.

Maybe I am misunderstanding.   I have two in the closet across from me.  I really don't feel like taking them out and making scans. 

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6 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:
25 minutes ago, lizards2 said:

I would only buy a yellow label if it was cheaper than the blue.

I have not bought any yellow labels. lol

Not being snarky.    Surprised you didn't pick up a Stan signature at some point given the breadth of books I see you interested in.   

...unless you did through another vendor like Dynamic Forces or something. 

 

You don't know me very well :baiting: 

The only book I had with an incidental sig was raw book sold to greggy a week ago.  I bought that one because it was a nice 9.0.  I sold it because I bought a nicer 9.2, which did not have a sig. Neal Adams defacement of the book has no value to me.  I'm almost always reminded that Neal Adams fans can't spell his name...., when they sell his books.

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Just now, Buzzetta said:

On yellow signature series? 

I want to see you back this claim up that you see a LOT of fakes of Shatner's signature in yellow slabs.  Particularly Shatner.  Particularly fake yellow slabs.

Maybe I am misunderstanding.   I have two in the closet across from me.  I really don't feel like taking them out and making scans. 

No scans needed; just beam them up.

:acclaim:

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Just now, lizards2 said:

You don't know me very well :baiting: 

The only book I had with an incidental sig was raw book sold to greggy a week ago.  I bought that one because it was a nice 9.0.  I sold it because I bought a nicer 9.2, which did not have a sig. Neal Adams defacement of the book has no value to me.  I'm almost always reminded that Neal Adams fans can't spell his name...., when they sell his books.

Yeah but I am not talking about purchasing the item for the book.  I don't care about the book itself if that makes sense.  When I picked up a Shatner autograph I did so because I trusted CGC with the autograph and I wanted something signed by Shatner.  To be honest, I don't care about the comic.  That's more toward what I was leaning that you had a Stan signature on something somewhere stashed away.  I figured most everyone does actually. 

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5 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:

On yellow signature series? 

I want to see you back this claim up that you see a LOT of fakes of Shatner's signature in yellow slabs.  Particularly Shatner.  Particularly fake yellow slabs.

Maybe I am misunderstanding.   I have two in the closet across from me.  I really don't feel like taking them out and making scans. 

Oh I meant photos and **** on ebay.  yellow slabs-sure those will command more than unsigned because of tight niche market for em on otherwise valueless books.

Edited by kav
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Just now, Buzzetta said:
4 minutes ago, lizards2 said:

You don't know me very well :baiting: 

The only book I had with an incidental sig was raw book sold to greggy a week ago.  I bought that one because it was a nice 9.0.  I sold it because I bought a nicer 9.2, which did not have a sig. Neal Adams defacement of the book has no value to me.  I'm almost always reminded that Neal Adams fans can't spell his name...., when they sell his books.

Yeah but I am not talking about purchasing the item for the book.  I don't care about the book itself if that makes sense.  When I picked up a Shatner autograph I did so because I trusted CGC with the autograph and I wanted something signed by Shatner.  To be honest, I don't care about the comic.  That's more toward what I was leaning that you had a Stan signature on something somewhere stashed away.  I figured most everyone does actually. 

And I don't care about the signature, which will probably blow your mind. I can't imagine paying for that, or let alone, waiting in line to getting a free signature.

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