Another raw polybag copy sold yesterday for $1060.42 + shipping.
Is there recent news driving this right now? It’s hitting new heights with each passing day. New stimulus money perhaps? I have no idea???
I paid about $350 for what is probably a 1.5 or 2.0 of X-Men #1 in the early 90’s. It blows my mind that people are paying so much for this book.
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The weekly push by youtubers, blog sites etc. Every week this book is mentioned.
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People always seem to talk of “bubbles”…it can’t last, it’s Covid, it’s stimulus money, etc, etc…
…but all I have seen is just about every sort of major key comic going absolutely bonkers over the last two years. Honestly, a bit depressing to me as I’m watching some books I’ve always really wanted just become out of reach in a decent grade. I get it, money makes the world go round. Honestly a bit of sour grapes and I suppose at the same time, I have books I paid very little for, now worth 10x what I paid so it evens out.
Nevertheless, while folks say the rise in prices can’t keep going…I sure don’t see anything to the contrary. They may lose some heat, or back off a bit, but not much.
Maybe with the return of cons it will get a bit better. A fresh influx of products/books. Not everyone sells on ebay and such.
Ok…my whining is now over. Thanks for listening.
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I also sometimes just wonder about the fact that on any given day there are more people than have ever lived on the planet. All of them maturing at certain times and able to access stupidly easy lines of credit like PayPal, Klarna, etc.
Yes, certain books had huge print runs, but will they always be considered huge relative to population and demand for them?
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My theory on this… more media = more awareness = more demand. This goes both for the content (first appearances, trading cards, etc) and awareness of price appreciation via YouTube and Twitter punditry.
While this could be a bubble in terms of pricing. I do think that the collectible world as a whole is a legitimate investment choice as part of a diversified portfolio.
I also think there is a line between short term spec and long term hold. That is a key distinction for any collectible. And I am not always good at sorting my collectibles in to the sell or hold bucket.
The above point about credit availability, stimulus, etc are all good points. In summary: while prices may be a bit high, the collectible world is very legitimate and I believe will only become more legitimate as an investment over time.
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I haven’t bit the bullet on UF #4. I’m probably gonna get the 2nd print at some point, don’t know. I don’t see it as overvalued as much as I’d rather spend that money on multiple books.
Yeah, people are always saying bubble this or bubble that. One particular guy on youtube (Reserved Investments) drives me bonkers. Basically says that comics haven’t proven themselves and are too tied to pop culture to be safe investments. Yet pushes rare coins as proven. I wish people would quit acting like they know, because they don’t. All through 2019, people screamed the stock market was overvalued/in a bubble and missed out on lots of gains. I could have bought UF4 at $600, I missed out as well 
I don’t see comics in a bubble. I have some nice silver age books I paid less than $300 for. They seem undervalued more than overvalued. It’s a pc of history and entry point is not that high in comparison to many things. There are always portions of any market that are “overvalued” and “undervalued.” That is why diversification is preached.
The large portion of purchasers have another 30+ years and there are younger people that are buying comics as well. I know because I’m usually the oldest person in the store, lol. I think the market will continue to grow for awhile but have no idea about price action of specific books.
Movies help price action but look at the last year, prices went sky high without a lot of new movies. I think that is a good sign honestly.
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A distinction between long term investment and short term speculation definitely exists. When I bought my super low grade Amazing Fantasy 15, it was $9,000. That wasn’t too long ago. Do I wish I bought in when a higher grade was $9,000 or a lower grade was a lower price? Definitely. I also wish I knew enough to buy google and Amazon with my weekly allowance back in the 90s, but here we all are with history as it is.
I think if anybody out there is timid about the high price point of certain comics, they should do their own research and determine their own level of confidence that a book is a long term investment versus short term speculation. If so, making that expensive purchase could be justified. Selling a large portion of your collection could also be justified. Asking questions like, does the market really care about Spider-Man UK, or is it just me and some guy willing to spend $300 when Into the Spider-Verse 2 comes out? Will the market really care about Spider-Man UK in 2050, or again, is it just me? (This could apply to any of the myriad Spider-Verse spiders or multiverse characters of any shared superhero universe, just an example).
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Mel V explained exactly why he pulled the trigger on picking up a UF 4 9.8 for $3k
during his show.
I think he is spot on. Based on the future generation of kids who are current watching superhero movies/shows/etc… Miles is their SpiderMan.
FOMO or Not the book should have some value if these kids 20+ years from now want a UF4 and I would throw in Spider Gwen in the mix also.
As long as there are still future super hero fans out there I will be OK with that.
Time will tell.
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Nothing against any of the talking heads telling people to buy this or that book. I don’t watch or know them but I wouldn’t put a lot of stock in someone’s wisdom or suggestions if they just now invested in UF4. Lol. Jk.
A year ago I picked up a CGC 9.4 that could possibly press to a 9.6 for $110. I just wish people would do a bit of research before listening to an online stranger telling you what books to buy. I think Mel used to do an article here on variants and he does know his stuff.
If I go further back with this book. I actually had at least 6-10 copies of each print bought at cover price and sold for $30 in sets. We all do these things all the time. Just can’t look back and dwell.
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Is that a challenge!?
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How does Mel V not have one back when it was $5 lol Mel
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I think that I would deploy $3,000 differently at this stage of the game. UF4 is amazing. But I would go with a different approach. Something like this. Try and seek out the next big star that is not a stretch (more of a known commodity)
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Clearly MODOK is the next character to take the entire world by storm. Mental Organism Designed Only as a Key comic.
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MODOK is the epitome of “not a stretch”. Riri, Shuri, America Chavez, Young Avengers, Silk… MODOK!
As an aside. I just did a Google image search for “MODOK cosplay” it brought a moment of unique joy to my life.
“From the patriotic brain of Lee and Kirby that brought you Captain America comes a cocaine-fueled fever dream! He’s all head and all bad, he’s MODOK!”
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There is a Ms MODOK too
If I can get an Ultimate Fallout #4 CGC 9.6 for $850 should I go for it and then see where it stands in another month or two for a profit? Hold it longer? Don’t even buy it? Thoughts from you all?
To me it’s a longer term hold if possible. At least until there’s a live action announcement. I couldn’t justify paying $800+ on a Modern but I’m a cheapskate.
I believe it was My Comic Shop I was buying them for about $8. Maybe 5 or so years ago? I can’t exactly recall?? I just remember thinking $8 was too much because they were obtainable locally in the wild for $5 or less but did get a couple MCS copies.
The cheapest first prints I have though were from Hastings. Bought 4-5 copies in their back bins for $1.99 each about a year before they went out of business. I too sold some way early at about the $50 range maybe?? It hurts thinking about it, but I thankfully held onto three polybag firsts as well as both 2nd print variants all in high grade.
This is why I’m so fascinated with these prices right now. I have three copies and contemplate selling just one if I’m going to net $900-$1000. I believe the smart move is still holding, so I likley won’t be selling any copies. Will likely send them all for pressing and slabbing.
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