Back in the early 1970s, that's *EXACTLY* what Bob Overstreet did with comics. I would see him at a show, and say, "Bob, the early issues of title X are woefully underpriced in your last guide", and he'd say, "Wait until I add them to my collection, and* THEN* I'll raise the prices"!
Bruce On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 2:52 PM, Richard Halegua Comic Art < sa...@comic-art.com> wrote: > *LMFAO > > > * > At 12:48 PM 4/4/2010, Doug Taylor wrote: > > I should put together a price guide for our industry. > > I’d start with “Grand Hotel OS, F, $250,000”, “Wings OS, M, $500”. (Smile) > > Regards > > DBT > Profile <http://www.linkedin.com/in/douglasbtaylor> > > *From:* MoPo List [ > mailto:mopo-l@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU<mopo-l@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU>] > *On Behalf Of *Richard Halegua Comic Art > *Sent:* Sunday, April 04, 2010 2:25 PM > *To:* MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU > *Subject:* Re: [MOPO] An excellent thought provoking article: Ten > Signposts to Identify Endangered Collecting Categories > > I totally agree.. the price guide in comics is used as a bible.. regardless > of it's truth or lack thereof and the poster hobby is comparatively calm. > But what is/will continue to change is that lots of the bottom 50% of > pre-1960 material either doesn't increase in value or decreases because > there are fewer buyers - like very much silent memorabilia > > the march of time erases history > > Rich > > > At 04:59 AM 4/4/2010, Bruce Hershenson wrote: > > But here's another bright side, Rich. The movie poster hobby of today > reminds me of the comics hobby circa 1969. No official price guide, lots and > lots of super-cheap items (once you get past the top 10% of items that > everyone wants), which are available in large numbers in my auctions and > yours and on eBay. Lots of people who really love what they collect, and few > "investor types" (once you get past the top 10% of items that everyone > wants). And a relatively small hobby, that could grow much larger. > > So I am not "doom and gloom" about posters, because anyone can start > collecting tomorrow, and $100 will buy them a large box of items in my > auctions or yours or on eBay (if they leave alone the top 10% of items that > everyone wants), and to me, that makes for a healthy hobby. > > Bruce > > On Sat, Apr 3, 2010 at 5:05 PM, Richard Halegua Comic Art < > sa...@comic-art.com> wrote: > it does indeed Bruce and that's how I knew the housing bubble was gonna to > come as early as 2003 (we did have one of the hottest markets). I rented a > house in 2000. It was brand new and the houses on either side were still > building > the owner bought it for $120k. > within a year he offered it to me at $155k. I said no thanks, and he sold > it. I continued renting > within a year it sold again for $195k > then another year $235k. then it sold twice more until it was $295,000 in > 2003. That's when I moved out, even though my rent never changed in all that > time (the new manager was an a$$hole). > i was up in the neighborhood last year & drove by. It was foreclosed. > I checked online & it was for sale at $107k.. less than when it was new!!! > all along I told my friends this couldn't be real, and a correction was > coming.. Of course, like the comics hobby - no one believed me then. > I was talking to a friend I ran into yesterday. she lost $380k on 3 houses > she invested in.. it was a total rout to her. > but hey.. I hadn't seen her in a while.. and we're having dinner next > week.. so the real estate bubble did get me something after all... LOL > > > 02:55 PM 4/3/2010, Bruce Hershenson wrote: > > Sounds like there are parallels to the real estate bubble of a few years > ago. > Or the Greater Fool theory. Once a few of the "big players" decide to back > off, prices can go down just as quick as they go up. > If the people buying these items have a true love of them, that's a healthy > hobby. But when the "investor types" buy because they think they are going > to sell at a huge profit in a few years, it's a recipe for disaster. > Time will tell. > Bruce > On Sat, Apr 3, 2010 at 4:13 PM, Richard Halegua Comic Art < > sa...@comic-art.com> wrote: > no, it's never been really soft and Heritage didn't do anything to change > the field's direction > but it's a classic bubble hobby.. they keep thinking it only goes up-up-up > and if you read the comic boards, that is the general sentiment. Anyone who > challenges that thought is roundly admonished by the complete majority of > the dealers & collectors - even though the number of comic stores has > decreased by 75% (or more) during the last 15 years and publishers are > printing less comics. > As a matter of fact, I had dinner with a longtime friend who used to be one > of the top five comic distributors and we discussed it. there may be less > than 15% of the number of comic stores there were in 1990, but the only > company that could show the proof is Diamond and they won't tell. As a > matter of fact, they keep trumpeting the hobby. > Sean and I have been involved in that hobby for 45+ years (in my case. 40+ > as a dealer) and 25+ (in Sean's case) > seeing as both of us have more faith in movie posters - I think that says > alot about the hobby and Bruce as well was a big person in the hobby in the > 70s. Moreover, when you go to comic conventions, there is almost nobody > under 35 except longtime dealers and a very tiny % of collectors. By and > large, the great population of older collectors has disappeared as prices > have increased, and so - the likelihood of golden age books from third-world > publishers becoming non-sought-after issues is increasing. Surprisingly, the > large part of the hobby dismisses this as well, which is proof that the > hobby is populated by the perfect people - those who wear blinders where > money is concerned.. > Rich > > At 01:57 PM 4/3/2010, Kevin Conway wrote: > I am no comic book expert, but was once a moderate collector. Wasn't the > comic book market quite soft until Heritage entered the market in a "big > way" and heavily promoted the comic book industry about 7-10 years ago ?? > -----Original Message----- > From: Richard Halegua Comic Art > Sent: Apr 3, 2010 3:07 PM > To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU > Subject: Re: [MOPO] An excellent thought provoking article: Ten Signposts > to Identify Endangered Collecting Categories > it's a fantastic article that reports things we as longtime dealers already > know and that comic book collectors need to examine > in comics right now, there is much talk about Action comics #1 CGC 8.0 > grade sold for $1mil, then Heritage sold Detective #27 8.0 for $1,075,000 > and just this week Action #1 8.5 sold for $1.5mil. Because comic collectors > seem (to me) purposely ignorant that a reckoning is coming to the greater > part of the hobby, they all point to these sales & say "the comics hobby is > super-healthy.. prices will never go down". Prices in comics don't reflect > decreases because both dealers and the publishers of the price guide are in > bed together on the one hand, and they have a stranglehold on the hobby off > the other hand. The fans are also complicit in this sham as they 1) go for > it hook-line-and sinker & 2) they choose to ignore the obvious signals. > Action Comics #1 will always sell for big bucks. It is after all the single > most important comic book there is. It has interest outside the comic > collecting hobby and most copies over time will find their way into museums > where they will remain on permanent display. Action comics #2, 102, or > 502.... sorry... down the road, these books will be collected by very few as > the entire comics hobby will continue to deflate over many long years until > almost no-one collects them, with the exception of the top items like Action > #1, Spiderman #1 and the like. > Movie posters will no doubt follow them in great part (especially as > posters themselves stop being printed in favor of digital displays). > The only difference in posters is that, unlike a comic book, a movie poster > is likened to an artwork, can be framed and displayed in a home, while it is > unlikely that Coo-Coo Comics #1 will ever get displayed for company to view > when they come over for dinner > that doesn't mean that all posters will be collected.. Sadly, the > collecting of posters to the great majority will focus on the top titles, > the top stars and the big hits.. Much of the rest will just fade away. > Rich > At 08:28 AM 4/3/2010, Bruce Hershenson wrote: > Ten Signposts to Identify Endangered Collecting Categories > by Harry Rinker (03/16/10). > http://www.worthpoint.com/blog-entry/ten-signposts-identify-endangered-collecting-categories?utm_source=WorthPoint+Insider+List&utm_campaign=cf94b34d78-insider-7&utm_medium=email&mc_cid=cf94b34d78&mc_eid=9c7686e1e6 > Does it apply to movie posters? Comic Books? > Bruce > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > > > Kevin Conway > > > > > > > > > Conway's Vintage > Treasures > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > www.CVTreasures.com > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ How to > UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: > lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF > MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
