silver age question

[NewtSamson]

say you have a silver age with a low grade...say a fine or a good.

Would people want to buy them, and could the price possibly go above a hundred dollars.

Say you have a late 50s/ early 60s to mid 60s detective comics or an early issue of the avengers or captain america.

 

[chromium]

I think the only Avengers comics that could go over $100 in GOOD are #1 and #4, no Silver Age Cap gets that price in GOOD...as the series only started in 1968.

 

Your question is a bit too broad, there can be a significant price difference between GOOD and FINE and also a BIG difference between books of the late 50's/early 60's and the books of the mid-60's

[aardvark88]

If u have any low grade key issues, u may want to get them slabbed by cgc or cgg. Even LOW grade cgc DD 1, X-men 1 sell for over guide. e.g. Hulk 181 cgc 1.5 over $200.

[ninanina]

Ok, Newt - trying to read between the lines of you're question and I am betting that you know NM's always go up. In fact, they go up quite a bit from year to year compared to lower grade. Because you're question is "general" in nature, I'll try and answer it in a general way.

 

Over the long haul, lower to mid-grade copies of a particular comic book do accumulate in value but at a much slower pace than hi-grade. It's interesting to note that on a very general basis, comics like Justice League of America in mid to lower grades have for the most part remained about the same over the past 7 years. However, when you start looking at the issues 40 and up, you'll find that there have been significant increases in Fine prices. For example, 7 years ago, 3 guided in $56 and $167 from Good to Fine. #21 $36 and $109. In last years guide the 3 guides at $53 and $159, the 21 at $31 and $93. So, the prices actually dropped. But when you look at issues 49 - 54 the prices in good went up from $2.10 to $5.00 and in fine they went up from $6.50 to $15.00. Similar increases were realized in the # '60's and up.

 

What that meant was, there was more of a demand in the higher numbers than from 1- 20. These fluctuations are by no means constant in every title. Very much depends on demand.

 

Silver Age X-men actually had a bit of a rise in these grades, while Justice League was going down. #12 in good, from $23 to $34, and in fine from $69 to $102. The issues in the 20's went up in good from $9 to $12 and in fine from $28 to $36.

 

So, it does depend on what you collect and what the demand is. Some, as per the above example could decrease in value and some could certainly increase.

 

People will want to buy goods and fines. There is a market for every grade out there. (One of the many things that makes this such a great hobby.) And, certainly in time, many more of these comics can certainly be worth a LOT more than $100.00.

 

In fine, avengers 3 is $117, 4 is $432.00. Issue 4 in good is worth $144.

 

So, if ya' got 'em, they are definitely worth collecting. Not everybody needs NM.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

[Zonker]

My own take on this is that eBay has made low-to-mid grade comics (Fine or lesser condition) a buyers' market. Meaning prices are reasonable (if you're a buyer) and depressed (if you're a seller).

 

As they say, your mileage may vary.

 

Cheers,

Z.

[COI]

Early Silver will always be in demand in all grades. There are more collectors out there who can't afford or don't care to put together collections of high grade Silvers, than there are collectors who pick up HG books. The only reason there appears to be more high grade collectors out there is becuase of the low supply. And even high grade collectors tend to seek out lower grades as reader copies. So overall, I'd say that there's a much larger demand for low grade silver, but there's also enough of a supply of them to balance it out.

[PovertyRow]

Would people want to buy them, and could the price possibly go above a hundred dollars

 

Absolutely people would want to buy them. Could the price go above a hundred? It That basically depends on the issue.

[Aman619]

I basically agree with your Overstreet statistical analysis.....but in upgrading my files with each new Guide each year, I have noticed that incompleteness is a large factor in the prices listed rather than a true "price goes up/ therefore demand must have gone up last year"

 

Especially in the books you have chosen to help answer this persons question.

 

Overstreet is very methodical with early Silver Age and especially keys. You can almost predict the $10 and 20 increases each year as the books go from 70 to 80, and 80 to 105 etc. But I dont think they take the same approach with the later stuff. Even the decreases in lower grades are caused by a new spread being applied without raising the top price.

 

And lately they have a zillion different speads at work! 1/3/6, 1/3/7, 1/3/8, 1/3/9, 1/3/10, 1/3/11 1/3/15, 1/3/25etc !!! I think they change some spreads on some of the later lesser titles and up the prices on some titles, and sort of just get lost and figure theyll catch up what they missed next year or whatever.

 

I'm mostly serious! I have a hard time believing that EVERY single price and spread is discussed and decided EVERY year. Dont you?

[vic6string]

WHat I do with lower grade comics is sell them on consignment at my local shop. Keep them away from Ebay, and unless they are key issues I wouldn't slab them. I regularly buy lower grade stuff (in the 5.0-7.0 range) on Ebay for a few bucks and turn around and sell it at the store for twice what I paid (or more). One reason comic stores haven't really embraced CGC yet is that their clientele still hasn't asked for it and for the most part don't really grade comics very strictly. You can sell older stuff raw at the stores for close to book prices easier than super high grade stuff at the premiums they get on-line. But don't sell it to the store, as they will give pennies on the dollar. Usually a store will charge you 10-20% consignment fee, but some (like the one I go to) will let you put some stuff up at no fee if you are a regular.

[fazman]

"WHat I do with lower grade comics is sell them on consignment at my local shop. Keep them away from Ebay."

 

I beleive that these are some of the best books for E-Bay. Yes maybe you have to start the bidding at a low price, but the opportunity to achieve a high return must be better than a local comic book store ? Maybe I have to try this out.

 

[clobberintime]

100s of dollars? How about 1000s? If you are going to be a bear - might as well be a grizzly. Here's how - with the right exacto amd magic markers those vg books could bring major bucks when slightly augmented! But realistically low grade books do have a market - lots of folks look for keys in fine or lower and will pay decent money but usually not near guide unless it is a real key.

[FlyingDonut]

Mid-grade Silver sells all day long, but don't expect to get anywhere near Guide for it.

[clobberintime]

Agreed! If you look on ebay, non-slabbed high grade usually will not bring the guide price for the grade - unless it is movie hype time or a very rare ultra key book.

[fiendish]

In the 70s through the 90s, I was a reader and completist. I would troll shops and cons looking for the LOWEST GRADE, CHEAPEST copy of each issue. My sole goal was to complete a run. (I still have all those books.) Even today, if i'm looking to complete a run, condition isn't that important.

 

Once complete, then I start upgrading...