Where do you see the hobby in 25 years 4 4

[kav]

9 minutes ago, Hollywood1892 said:

What type of person will be able to buy AF 15 in 25 years, and out of every 1000 collectors how many will be able to afford it?

Better yet, will there be a market for AF 15?

someone asked this question 25 years ago and here we are.

[1Cool]

23 minutes ago, Hollywood1892 said:

What type of person will be able to buy AF 15 in 25 years, and out of every 1000 collectors how many will be able to afford it?

Better yet, will there be a market for AF 15?

I'd say yes - Babe Ruth cards still sell.  Inverted stamps still sell.  Heck - I'd think the key beanie babies may still sell.  The true key books should do very well over the next 25 years - the rest of the stuff I'm more worried about.

[KCOComics]

I have a few thoughts on this. 

I think what makes comics different from Dime novels is the characters have had such a lasting impact on our culture. Superman, batman and spiderman are more comparable to sherlock Holmes than to dime novel detective stories. 

As for if AF15 is a good investment,  I think it really depends on you as a collector.  I never looked at collecting as an investment. I buy stocks and funds to invest.  I enjoy collecting and if I bought an AF15, I wouldn't be too concerned about the value fluctuating. I would have it for a long long time. 

As for using credit, I totally agree that taking out $40k loans to buy depreciating assets like cars and boats is a bad idea.  But I also wouldn't use credit for comics.  Even at no interest.  Just my opinion.

The last few months should be a lesson that nothing is a guarantee in life.  Everything can be just fine then someone eats a bat and 120k people are dead with 30M unemployed.  Having large amounts of debt tied up in comics and cars without the cash on hand to pay it off is dangerous. 

My advice, save first, sell pieces off second and once you have the cash if your just not crazy about watching your savings evaporate on a comic,  maybe leverage no interest credit as long as you have the cash to back it up in an emergency. 

 

As an aide,  I'm 37 and also thinking about an AF15.  It's already pretty out of reach,  but it may be more unobtainable in the future and I might be kicking myself.

I'm thinking of books like superman 1. I remember seeing one at a show with my dad when I was like 9.  The price seemed absurd at the time. I can't remember what it was, but $7k comes to mind. That same book is probably $100k today. Which is pretty unobtainable for normal folks. 

[Hollywood1892]

1 hour ago, kav said:

someone asked this question 25 years ago and here we are.

Answer the question I posed to you Kav

[NoMan]

1 hour ago, Hollywood1892 said:

What type of person will be able to buy AF 15 in 25 years, and out of every 1000 collectors how many will be able to afford it?

Better yet, will there be a market for AF 15?

The Chinese have a recent history of buying AF15s. Now that the Chinese government has relaxed its "one-child" policy into a "two-child" policy this creates twice the demand for AF15. If you hold onto your AF15 for the 25 years or so you mentioned this newly mined market in China will be substantial and lucrative. It should be no problem to find a buyer in the Chinese comic-collecting market making AF15 not only an American bullet-proof investment buy a Chinese one as well. 

In regards to your original question of where the comic book market will be in 25 years (and I know this is not a popular opinion on these boards) but I see it tanking. Kids today do not collect comics and therefore will feel no nostalgic value to them as you or I (and many here) do. Of course AF15 will still be collectable much as the stamp collecting hobby has died but the Inverted Jenny Air Mail stamp is still highly prized and valued. I don't hold much hope for other current blue chip comics (X-Men 1, Marvel Mystery 1, Archie 1) as most comic collecting money in the future will go towards acquiring the precious few AF15s that will still be around and not forever buried in black hole collections of the Chinese.

I live in a predominately Chinese area of California and many Chinese children dress up as Spiderman for Halloween and their enthusiasm for all things Spiderman carries over to them dressing up as Spiderman for other major holidays, including President's Day. The last President's Day here a Chinese child actually came to my door dressed as a copy of AF15 (In mylar, not in a CGC case) and his mother was dressed behind him as a cantankerous letter from Steve Ditko. The child's father was also there but was not dressed up. He did have a facial mole with a long hair sticking out of it. I believe he works for the post office.

So yeah, AF15s are a sure thing. 

 

[kav]

1 minute ago, Hollywood1892 said:

Answer the question I posed to you Kav

In 25 years AF 15 will be incredibly valuable, and ppl will be asking "In 25 years will-"

[Hollywood1892]

1 minute ago, kav said:

In 25 years AF 15 will be incredibly valuable, and ppl will be asking "In 25 years will-"

That sounds like 50 years to me

[Hollywood1892]

2 minutes ago, NoMan said:

The Chinese have a recent history of buying AF15s. Now that the Chinese government has relaxed its "one-child" policy into a "two-child" policy this creates twice the demand for AF15. If you hold onto your AF15 for the 25 years or so you mentioned this newly mined market in China will be substantial and lucrative. It should be no problem to find a buyer in the Chinese comic-collecting market making AF15 not only an American bullet-proof investment buy a Chinese one as well. 

In regards to your original question of where the comic book market will be in 25 years (and I know this is not a popular opinion on these boards) but I see it tanking. Kids today do not collect comics and therefore will feel no nostalgic value to them as you or I (and many here) do. Of course AF15 will still be collectable much as the stamp collecting hobby has died but the Inverted Jenny Air Mail stamp is still highly prized and valued. I don't hold much hope for other current blue chip comics (X-Men 1, Marvel Mystery 1, Archie 1) as most comic collecting money in the future will go towards acquiring the precious few AF15s that will still be around and not forever buried in black hole collections of the Chinese.

I live in a predominately Chinese area of California and many Chinese children dress up as Spiderman for Halloween and their enthusiasm for all things Spiderman carries over to them dressing up as Spiderman for other major holidays, including President's Day. The last President's Day here a Chinese child actually came to my door dressed as a copy of AF15 (In mylar, not in a CGC case) and his mother was dressed behind him as a cantankerous letter from Steve Ditko. The child's father was also there but was not dressed up. He did have a facial mole with a long hair sticking out of it. I believe he works for the post office.

So yeah, AF15s are a sure thing. 

 

Hope your back is okay

[NoMan]

7 minutes ago, Hollywood1892 said:

Hope your back is okay

thanks. now it's my knees. getting old sucks

[Hollywood1892]

3 minutes ago, NoMan said:

getting old sucks

True

[thunsicker]

3 minutes ago, NoMan said:

thanks. now it's my knees. getting old sucks

[Lazyboy]

On 6/10/2020 at 4:54 PM, Hollywood1892 said:

Just curious...I notice that some collectors kids don't collect and some do, so maybe less and less people are collecting

This is not just in terms of collecting but the value of books ect

You could probably just answer the thread and not the verbiage I just wrote....I tend to go on

"I see the future..."

[Hamlet]

3 hours ago, 1Cool said:

I'd say yes - Babe Ruth cards still sell.  Inverted stamps still sell.  Heck - I'd think the key beanie babies may still sell.  The true key books should do very well over the next 25 years - the rest of the stuff I'm more worried about.

I just did a search on beanie babies on EBay, and there are still thousand dollar sales for some of those beanie babies.  Of course, there are also $1 sales with free shipping for some of them, and a lot of sales in between.

 

[Hollywood1892]

1 hour ago, Hamlet said:

I just did a search on beanie babies on EBay, and there are still thousand dollar sales for some of those beanie babies.  Of course, there are also $1 sales with free shipping for some of them, and a lot of sales in between.

 

I'm pretty sure fads and serious collectibles are two different things, I'd be more worried about the state of sports cards

[lou_fine]

20 hours ago, NoMan said:

The Chinese have a recent history of buying AF15s.

Unfortunately for us comic book collectors here, when it comes to the real serious money, the Chinese have a long and storied history of always going after real estate and property.  

Although there are some starting to ventured into fine wines and more artistic wants, do you really believe there are that many AF 15's being shipped over to China, where the real money is?    

[NoMan]

1 hour ago, lou_fine said:

Unfortunately for us comic book collectors here, when it comes to the real serious money, the Chinese have a long and storied history of always going after real estate and property.  

Although there are some starting to ventured into fine wines and more artistic wants, do you really believe there are that many AF 15's being shipped over to China, where the real money is?    

I do believe this as I have many friends at the post office that routinely tell me of packages going to China.

While it's true that the Chinese do spend serious money on real estate and fine wines, many have begun collecting AF15s as Spiderman is the #1 hero there.

[bobotski]

21 hours ago, Hamlet said:

I just did a search on beanie babies on EBay, and there are still thousand dollar sales for some of those beanie babies.  Of course, there are also $1 sales with free shipping for some of them, and a lot of sales in between.

 

<cough,cough> ultimate fallout #4 <cough,cough>

[D84]

Don't know.

Don't care.

I'm enjoying my books now, but who knows if I'll be around in 25 years or will give two sts about the medium anymore.

[Old Fashion PB and J]

 The hobby will still be going, just 25 years older. I look forward to seeing what lies ahead!

[Old Fashion PB and J]

42 minutes ago, bobotski said:

<cough,cough> ultimate fallout #4 <cough,cough>

Theres a beanie baby for this?