How CGC Has Increased Supply

[comicinvestor-migration]

As many of you know, I'm a hoarder of certain runs and have multiples of issues that I find interesting or important. Some fellow collectors I know are the same, but I discovered a rather elementary trend among those that had started to compile CGC collections.

 

Beforce CGC, they would hoard NM issues, not wanting to sell, since many of the comics had their individual appeal. One might have had better gloss, another deeper color or maybe cut or page quality was better on some. Undisclosed restoration was also a concern, and call it uncertainty or just plain unwillingness to choose, but there existed a real reason to keep more than one issue.

 

Now these same guys are looking to complete CGC 9.6-9.8 runs, but being cheap buggers, as mass submitting their hoards and then cherry picking the returned books. This is natural, but here's the important point:

 

They are no longer hoarding, but instead selling their 5-10 copies of CGC 9.2-9.6 books on the open market and using that money to submit even more. The consensus seems to be that CGC has provided the impetus to "zone in" on a specific grade, and the rest of the lower-grade (though still NM) comics are not required. Even our grading-challenged member Scottish recently did a slight variation on this theme with his Daredevil 158 comics, so it's pretty well gone mass-market.

 

What I see happening is more and more CGC 9.2-9.6 "extras" being put up for sale, and potentially the 9.8's becoming more rare for the time being. One thing's for sure, once you get that elusive 9.6-9.8 grade, the rest of the hoard do become quite expendable.

[aardvark88]

Guess that's why hi-rollers like Brulato are casting off their low grade 9.2 silver Marvels to J Ewert who successfully resells those Curators on eBay for good coin.

[murph0]

It's just the way it goes..there's always obsessive collectors out there who can't stand the "Near" part of Near Mint.

 

Brian

[Guest]

This is a key observation of the CGC phenomenon.

 

The corollary point is that CGC has also chased HG books out of the woodwork, as collectors and dealers see an ideal opportunity to cash in their truly HG books. Prior to CGC, many of these books wouldn't have seen market as the owners likely felt (rightly so) that these HG copies wouldn't achieve values reflective of their quality.

 

I wonder if some of these books will be absorbed by deep-pocket collectors waiting to find exquisite HG copies like these, and be subtracted from the market? In 2000, I saw 4 copies of FF 48 CGC 9.8 sold on eBay - I don't think I've seen one since.

[drbanner]

Prior to CGC, many of these books wouldn't have seen market as the owners likely felt (rightly so) that these HG copies wouldn't achieve values reflective of their quality. I wonder if some of these books will be absorbed by deep-pocket collectors waiting to find exquisite HG copies like these, and be subtracted from the market?

 

This is exactly right - when prices spike, collectors holding the "hot" stuff pull them out to sell - just look at DD 131, it becomes "hot" and two 9.6 copies show up on ebay (and at the same time!). I think a lot of people paying the multiples for the best material are just that - deep pocket collectors (like Brulato) looking for the best. Other than the coin-collecting crowd introduced to comics by the leader of the pack, I think most CGC purchases are from collectors. In my experience, I"m selling CGC books to the same collectors that were buying raw books from me before...

[underthebigw]

CI, you're right on target, as usual. However, I think the implications are even greater. Flying Donut and I have had this argument in person many times, and I'm a firm believer that the effect of CGC is that it is going to draw out more high grade material than anyone ever dreamed existed. Especially HG Gold and Silver. In addition to the pull of CGC, other factors are going to bring these books out of the woodwork as well. Collectors are simply going to realize that very few books are truly rare in HG and that there is a whole generation of gold and silver collectors who have carefully stored and preserved HG books.

 

Sadly, and I only state this as a matter of demographics, this generation is likely to start hitting a number of milestones that have implications for the number of books on the market. They will start to retire, start to sell off their houses and move in with families and into assisted living and nursing homes, and, sadly, will even pass away. And collections will be sent to CGC and will be catalogued then sold. And we will all find out that there are more than 500 9.6 or better copies of the first 20 issues of Spidey, FF, etc., hundreds of HG copies of early DC silver, and even many more 9.2-9.8's Golden Age books than anyone ever imagined.

 

Nevermind how many thousands of true NM copies of each bronze book are out there.

 

Any thoughts?

[scottish]

I'm a hoarder as well. I hoard books that no one else gives a hoot about and probably never will.

 

Badger, Dreadstar, Green Arrow, CFD...

[scottish]

I think it would be utterly fantastic to find a multitude of NM books that have been hidden away by aging collectors.

 

While I do appreciate my collection having value I would give up some of it to have full runs of every title ever published.

[hogations]

"Badger, Dreadstar, Green Arrow, CFD... "

 

Dreadstars!!!! An amazing run (and his run in Epic magazine is also great). Do you have any extra Starlin issues? I need #24, 28, 29 & 30.

[scottish]

I might have dupes of those issues. That run is buried pretty deep and this point so I will have to research for you - will let you know!

[greggy]

Just make sure you replicate your last good transaction with Raphael!