Sports card investors entering into the graded comic book market? 2 2

[Lorne Malvo]

I've been following this YouTuber that goes by NE Ohio Sports Cards. He believes one of the reasons we've been seeing so much appreciation in the graded comic book market is largely due to sports card investors entering into the market. He made an interesting point by comparing how comic collectors and sports card collectors views differ when it comes to CGC graded census count. For example, a NM 98 in a 9.8 with its 3k+ census count may seem like a lot to us (comic collectors), but to the sports card collectors, 3k+ is nothing. Sports card investors comes from an environment where there are 5k or 10k+ for a particular rookie / PSA 10 card. When they look at the prices compared to the census counts, graded books all feels cheap to them.

What do you guys think?

Here's a recent video of his: 

 

Edited March 18, 2021 by Lorne Malvo

[snitzer]

Almost to the year, everyone was worried the comic market would tank and we’d have a “buyer’s market.” Good to know it’s “ablaze” right now 

[Aman619]

interesting take on what may be happening. They may be miscalculating the supply side with comics.  Most of us given the smallness of our hobby consider 1000 of something in its highest grade way too common to chase.  For me its a much smaller number, in the dozens in top grade.

but we all come from the mindset of a small group of collectors, and an even smaller pool of buyers for the most expensive comics. If more people are coming in from other hobbies, it could be changing.  However Card guys poured into comics back in the 90s. then shuffled away when the boom ended. I guess their kids are baaaack!??  

Edited March 17, 2021 by Aman619

[Lorne Malvo]

31 minutes ago, Aman619 said:

However Card guys poured into comics back in the 90s. then shuffled away when the boom ended. I guess their kids are baaaack!??  

Makes sense. Most of their kids would be 28 to 39 years old now and with disposable income.

Edited March 17, 2021 by Lorne Malvo

[Dark Knight]

Yeppp! I think so and not just with comics, but in also in bitcoin, stocks, video games, TCG.. Just to name a few

[Readcomix]

I'm not so sure they're coming in from any particular place as it is people from all over taking a bit more out of traditional asset classes and putting it in all these various collectibles and such. 

[cmixer]

I listened to a Finance Guy recently say that people under 40 are disillusioned with traditional investments (like 401K's). They want to have an emotional attachment to the things they invest in. If the casual 38-year-old wanted to park some money until retirement, blue chip comics don't look like a bad option. 

[WolverineX]

I have a lot of crappy Minor keys to sell.  I welcome our new money overlords to take my junk I don't really care about at a 200% premium. 

[Lorne Malvo]

56 minutes ago, Wolverinex said:

I have a lot of crappy Minor keys to sell.  I welcome our new money overlords to take my junk I don't really care about at a 200% premium. 

That is how I feel with some of my copper age and modern books. If people are willing to pay a 200% premium then so be it. I will sell and convert that money into SA keys.

[FineCollector]

I think the run ups in price are from people who have no interest or attachment in the books themselves.  Collectors don't want to set new highs, they want bargains.  I think prices are being driven up by speculators selling to other speculators, as long as they think someone else will pay a little more than they did.  It's like day trading stocks, except the market is far easier to manipulate.  I'm already tired of this... bring on the crash.

[Aman619]

20 hours ago, Lorne Malvo said:

That is how I feel with some of my copper age and modern books. If people are willing to pay a 200% premium then so be it. I will sell and convert that money into SA keys.

Take the long view... 10 years ago I was thrilled to get $75 and $100 each for 9.8 Moon Knight #1s (I had a dozen of them sitting around since they came out). 100 bucks for 80s dreck I paid a dollar for? Yes ma’am.  I’m sick seeing what they sell for now.  Yeah my good stuff has gone up too.  But we can’t be too sure this is not new baselines being set. Will there be a hangover after life comes back? Probably inevitable.  But it would only be a permanent bubble bust if all the new buyers quit buying... 

and Disney has no plans to slow the spigot of marvel TV and movies... overall there’s a case to be made for optimism and excitement for the hobby, along with the ongoing pessimism we always share.

[Northwest]

I find it amusing when these videos say "there are only 17,000 New Mutants 98 graded. there is way more demand than supply. " The census shows ~50 more graded each week so 2,600 more each year, in addition to existing copies reaching the market. Modern supply is more than ample, and that implies the modern market will cool down with time. 

[speedcake]

8 minutes ago, Northwest said:

I find it amusing when these videos say "there are only 17,000 New Mutants 98 graded. there is way more demand than supply. " The census shows ~50 more graded each week so 2,600 more each year, in addition to existing copies reaching the market. Modern supply is more than ample, and that implies the modern market will cool down with time. 

yeah the logic just doesn't hold up, at least with moderns from an era when they were still being published in huge quantities. The increased interest/demand in a book like NM 98 just means that many more copies sent off to CGC which defeats the purpose.  Would make a little more sense if they were only talking about very recent moderns with significantly lower print runs, but of course without time passing as context, it's more of a gamble with those books.

[Pat Thomas]

Until rather recently, the market for back issues was limited primarily to collectors in North America and parts of Europe. The MCU has given these characters worldwide exposure. There are millions more people curious about our little hobby than ever before, and peoples' opinions toward comics and collectors are no longer negative. The existing supply of a particular comic may have been too much before, but the audience is growing. It doesn't matter whether old timers like me embrace that or despise the result, that's how it is now. COVID probably benefitted the comic community by forcing a long break between MCU projects. There was a lot of talk about burnout after Endgame, but I think Wandavision showed that people everywhere are becoming enthused again. If the upcoming movies are successful, expect prices to keep jumping.

[Lorne Malvo]

 

[Lorne Malvo]

 

[MetalPSI]

I think anyone who thinks themselves an influencer is someone who is ill informed, opinionated, and mentally hilarious 

[Lorne Malvo]

Yea, so does a lot of old people.

[Lorne Malvo]

Including my parents and grandparents. 

[MetalPSI]

I'm gen X

I know stupid when I see it.