Is the Comic Book Market Ruined?

[@josephgottli4676]

I love when private equity firms acquire my favourite companies. It always improves things.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I'm patiently waiting for an offer on my channel.

[@Eyrrll]

They seem to have the uncanny ability to ruin everything that they touch.

[@cristiantapia631]

reminds me of jersey mike's. very sad day indeed :(

[@neieus]

Hilarious I was just thinking the exact same thing. ​@@cristiantapia631

[@lennywolfe6220]

Wasn't there a scandal where people sent in high grade comics to be "resealed" only to find that they were replaced with lower grade comics? This would also help explain why high grade books look worse.

[@NotSoAmazing]

He covers that in the video.

[@lennywolfe6220]

@NotSoAmazing hm, I guess I missed that

[@PubeStache]

In the casino industry, once someone cashes in chips or a slot ticket and hits a certain amount, a CTR (casino transaction report) needs to be filed. This is to help prevent money laundering. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's no such tracking or reporting mechanism for artwork, cars or collectable auctions.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Very interesting! No, I don't think that exists in the comic auction market! Now there's something to consider!

[@danpetitpas]

Well, that's why it was very suspect that Hunter Biden was selling artwork for $300,000-$500,000. There were no established prices for his artwork so there's no way to prove his art is worth that much. And his art could be just a money-laundering scheme. Something similar might have been going on in the auction market, or just plain thievery between the comics graders and the auction house.

[@BrandonToy]

Good point. Where there is an opportunity launder money, it is happening.

[@carpal08]

Bruh anyone collecting modern comics as an investement deserves to lose it all 😭😭😭

[@justmy2cts]

You missed a key problem: CGC’s fees for grading books over 1000$ (it used to be 3000$) are not fixed but equal a percentage of a book’s so called fair market value. In other words, their revenue is tied to the grade they assign to a book. They are NOT a neutral party. A 9.9 grade nets many multiples of a 9.8, and so their income multiplies as well. Hence the influx of top grades, the slipping grading standards for Golden Age, the pass that key books get for all sorts of flaws and all those other shenanigans. If you just collect labeled plastic boxes it may not matter, but if you break them open (like me) because you like the books it’s very, very frustrating.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you so much for watching! I did gently allude to the pricing at the very end of my video regarding the X-Men and FMV. I probably should've been a bit more direct.

[@Supertomscustoms]

People need to share this video with everyone they know. If you watch this and don’t distrust the grading and auction houses, then you’re likely part of the problem.

[@uFELLA]

Share this video? Did you see this video? The author makes a big deal of the MD#1 graded 1.5 vs the Blonde Phantom graded 2.5 b/c he thought the MD#1's cover looked better and didn't understand the grade difference from one book to the other. So he ignored what it says RIGHT ON THE LABEL that the MD#1's cover was completely split (and detached) while the BF's cover was only detached. And I can't see why thought the BF's cover was "so much worse off". The author himself provided pix that contradict what he says, which is even more puzzling. How can we take anything the author says seriously without independently verifying (like i did when read the labels that he himself provided! Sheesh)? So his prime example of grading variations is completely baseless. And he criticizes CGC grades without knowing how to read its labels (or ignoring what is right there on the labels he's discussing). This is a reason why we DO need CGC in the comic book space (and for valuable stamps, coins and currency, etc.). If you watch this video and don't distrust the author. then . . . .

[@UncannyDerekComics]

@uFELLA Hi again! Since you're spamming the same response on my highest-liked comments, I'll put my response to you here: I was expecting this comment to come up! After all was edited and uploaded, I noticed the MD and Blonde Phantom difference as well. To be frank: It's still entirely subjective. I still feel the BP is worse off and would factor glue as a bigger problem than a spine split. The fact that we have different opinions on the matter just reinforces how subjective grading can be! Could I have picked better ones to showcase? In hindsight: Sure! Does it change anything I've said in the video? I don't think so. If you feel you have to disregard everything I've said in this video due to having a subjective opinion on two books - I'm sorry to hear that.

[@COMICBOOKCOLLECTORKING]

@@uFELLA Uncanny Derek proved that grading is subjective and random based on the individual grader. You think the grades should be one way and Derek thinks otherwise. CGC comes out on top in the end as you two will argue the grade and then resubmit and spend even more money that makes Jay-Z and his evil empire blackstone richer. Let's face it CGC has been swindling us since 2000. Accept or Deny what you like I don't care if you are convinced.

[@uFELLA]

@@UncannyDerekComics I wasn't trying to spam my comments on your video by responding to other commenters. I initially posted a single comment to your video, and it would not take. The only way for my comment to show was by replying to another commenter's post. I'm not saying that you were deliberately deleting or keeping my posts from appearing, but whatever the reason, I couldn't comment directly on your video. I thought the viewers should know about the big errors in your video, so I responded to a few. That's all.

[@Supertomscustoms]

@@uFELLAthe primary purpose of the video was to show the inconsistencies of CGC and to question the legitimacy of these big auction houses. If we supposedly “need” CGC they should be the authority on all things grading and they should be completely impartial to the resale market. Yet it’s clear they’ve been changing their grading standards to fit the market demand and maintain their profit margins, and they’ve colluded directly with auction houses to promote these huge sales on questionable books. How about the ASM #1 that sold last year that magically went from a 9.6 to a 9.8? There are thousands of examples of books not being the grade the label states but they’re out there manipulating the market in their favor.

[@silverflash7773]

Excellent observations, research, and reporting! Fantastic job!

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@chrisolivo6591]

I collect sports cards and we go through the same thing with the graded slab market. There is this high end, high grade, low population market of sports cards that sell for ridiculous prices. We have a saying, “buy the card, not the grade.” It means I can find a lower grade card that look exactly the same as a higher graded card for a cheaper price. Since grading is so subjective there are 2 markets of sports card collectors. Those who buy the grade no matter what the card looks like. And those like me who buy the card no matter what the grade says. Guess who pays less?

[@UncannyDerekComics]

"Buy the book, not the grade," is one of my major collecting mottos. I'm happy to hear it's in other hobbies, too! Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@davidsamuelson2089]

Guess whose card is worth less

[@c0mmanderb0nd95]

I can totally agree with if you find the same "looking" card/comic why not buy it, the number is so subjective at the top end. However I do appreciate having the graded options today because growing up in the 80's and 90's the number of shops that had a 2.0 copy of a book selling at a 9.0 price were insane.

[@guhr1dy]

@@davidsamuelson2089 Guess who has the same book and more money because they didn't fall victim to hype and fomo before the market crash

[@ChienandKun]

According to Jobst's video, Halperin's coin grading company was found to be 'overvaluing goods'. One has to realistically make the observation that pressing is such a large part of the comic community only for the purpose of attempting to get a grade bump...which ultimately leads to the question of systematically overvaluing goods. That is, the entire purpose is to disguise flaws, in order for the book to get better grades, and considering how widespread this practice is (even the grading houses themselves offer it), one has to ask what is the *real* grade of many of the books counted in the 9.8 census. This would imply then, that many books across the board are overvalued, which in turn inflates the price of actually flawless books by counting artificially pressed books as 'flawless' as well. So the comic market has been ruined for quite some time based on the greed of disguising flaws in order to get more valuable grades.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

This is quite the apt summary! Thank you so much for it - and for watching!

[@Moncomics]

Derek, this was freaking amazing! I can tell how much work you put into this and your narration was flawless. Regardless if you are a big book collector with access to these gems or regular collectors like us, the questions you asked regarding the integrity of both the auction houses, and grading companies, needs to be brought to light as you have just done. It will be interesting to see how the future unfolds for comic books and comic book grading but well done man. Bravo on one of the best KZbin comic book videos I have ever seen!

[@UncannyDerekComics]

If I could print and frame a comment of yours Brandon, it would be this one! Thank you so much for the support!

[@Moncomics]

@@UncannyDerekComics I've shared your video with so many people, as many as I could. You put some love into it and I need to watch it again but I'll probably be more outraged this time and throw something at the wall lol. Keep more like this coming please!

[@UncannyDerekComics]

@@Moncomics You're the best, dude! I was hoping this video got some people talking! If you're sharing it - that definitely helps matters! 😉

[@fluxcap_collects]

Awesome video and well put together. I love this investigation format. You sent me down a huge rabbit hole with the Heritage/Wata controversy and Karl's videos. Thanks for highlighting those shenanigans. It's scary when a book sells for some obscene amount and messes up the FMV. I usually interpret that as two or more bidders with deep pockets wanting to beat the other just to say they won. But who knows really. Scary to think the auction house may be playing a manipulation game to artificially prop of the value of specific books. Your video is definitely making me think smarter about how I collect.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I really appreciate the kind words! Getting others to change their thinking about the hobby was really my biggest goal in the video. Not everything we're told - from graded books to what FMV is - is what it seems anymore. Thank you so much for watching!

[@OuterWorldsComics]

Thoroughly enjoyed this video. Raised a lot of good questions. Good insight and research. Well done.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you so much for watching and for the support!

[@RocknComics]

Very nice video, new sub here. May I suggest adding chapters which may help this video get some more SEO words. This work deserves as much push as it can get.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Hey RocknComics, that's an excellent idea. I'll get around to doing that soon. Thanks for watching and for the suggestion!

[@tomboukouvalas3621]

Brilliant video. The approach to breaking it down without prejudice. I recommend anyone who's looking to buy slabbed or to slab books view this.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I really appreciate the review! Thank you for watching!

[@WordDustNYC]

Commercial Real Estate: Money Laundering for the Uber Wealthy | Residential Real Estate: Money Laundering for the Ultra Wealthy | Fine Art: Money Laundering for the Uber/Ultra Wealthy | Comic Books: Money Laundering for the "Rich". The part that makes me laugh are those 'investors' grading books that are worth, maybe $50 bucks raw; and, slapping them on Epray for $500. Solution: stop grading books, stop over-paying for graded books. Look to the Art world to see how this could play out. The market will either correct itself, or another market will appear where you can buy/sell Raw books for fair prices. BTW, If I can't read it why collect it? Who would 'slab' an old Vinyl Record? Happy Hunting. Great Video!!

[@UncannyDerekComics]

"If I can't read it, why collect?" That's essentially how I feel. If I can't go through my books, why have them graded? Thanks so much for watching and commenting!

[@Alex-lp7dn]

I found a comic grading chart on the internet and have completed enough comic sales data to update and arrive at a better chart. Some thoughts on grading. Number grades must be understood in tandem with page quality. Brittle pages should be no higher than a 2.0. A detached cover, 2” spine split or detached centre fold should be a maximum 2.5. Cover quality issues such as dust shadows appear not to come into play with slabbing, but should. As a collector trust what you see more than what is handed to you, especially with the higher grades. I also know many people that will not buy slabbed books. During the pandemic unslabbed books generally outperformed slabs in mid to low grade and this trend appears to be continuing.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

It's so tough to gauge what a book should get when you have so much variety on what defines a grade. For example, does that 2" spine split you mention have to be in a consistent line or can it be a culmination of smaller splits? What if the split was from chew? What about a staple pull? I'm asking rhetorically. The number system makes it difficult to say X = Y, but I feel we can use our best judgement as individuals to define what a book could be. Thank you so much for watching!

[@VNetFad]

12:29 Wow I always thought that company was shady. So crazy

[@UncannyDerekComics]

At least they disclosed it? It's the little things... Thanks for watching!

[@JohnNelson1]

Really glad to hear this kind of analysis, I'm trying to get some ideas of these changes of the industry and where all this is going. Thank you1

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank YOU for watching! As for where the industry is going: Your guess is as good as mine! It's wild how quick the market changes.

[@bltvd]

That is strange that you lost trust in CGC because they trusted you about getting the book signed.

[@marksticky]

The Comic Book Market is not Ruined, its just that everyone is broke.

[@CMF1980]

I agree. The high expense of housing and cost of living attributed to many factors like private equity firms taking control of things etc has really affected how we live. The government shouldn't allow us to get destroyed

[@amead78]

Great video. No grading company is without its own scandals. Back in 2010, someone had sent in a 1st print of TMNT #1 to PGX for grading, and he was sent back a 3rd printing.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

PGX was certainly a wide ride! Thanks for watching!

[@dawsonparadise7132]

Best video I’ve seen on the subject, you have a new subscriber

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you so much for watching and subscribing! I appreciate the positive response of the video!

[@dawsonparadise7132]

@ you keep up this quality in long or short format and I’ll keep watching and let my friends in the comic community know about your channel

[@UncannyDerekComics]

@@dawsonparadise7132 You gottit, Pontiac!

[@JO-qt5fq]

Thanks for the detailed report. We seem to see similar issues with sports cards and other collectibles. People trying to extract more money from true collectors.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you for watching! The bubbles both the comic book and sports card markets have been through... They deserve an entire videos on their own!

[@teetoo3790]

​@@UncannyDerekComics Video game market as well.

[@floorboss]

We're talking about CGC here - an as much as we appreciate your many sound examples - they're the same company via _Wizard magazine;_ Who was advert selling _9.8 Super Bat_ slabs. BEFORE THE COMICS HAD EVEN BEEN PRINTED (almost 3 decades ago, back when to my knowledge I was the lone descending voice of complaint on that singular issue). Due to the fact of what it represented. Something much more simplistic then the layman's definition of corruption. It pointed at A rigged game, one that CGC could monopolize & bend too their will. All one had to do was use a little discernment, cause it was blatant way back then. Thus, I'm happy that more evidence; as well as the obvious stacked deck framework of their infrastructure has become more apparent. Mainly to the geeks & the community at large (hat tip). And w/ ALL that being said, I thank you! GREAT VIDEO!

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I should dig into that Wizard information - that's something I haven't heard of before! Thank you so much for watching and for your support!

[@xenaluck]

shill bidding is perfectly legal in some states. wanna bet the auction houses have reps to bid in legal states.....

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Who knows for sure? Thanks for watching!

[@dansxmencomics]

Great research and presentation, Derek! Terrific work 👏

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thanks so much, Dan! I appreciate you watching!

[@ObsessedCollector]

Video games suffered the same situation too

[@richardrios3049]

No it is getting better. Wankers turned collecting into some sort of investment. Why does everything have to be ruined by greed. If the market is tanking great. People who actually love comics will continue to collect and enjoy the hobby.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

If the market tanks: I agree. I feel it won't really affect us little guys at all. Thanks so much for watching!

[@AFROSAMURAI09]

Bravo! Well done! Thoroughly enjoyed this video! Thank you so much for taking the time to carefully put this content together. It was succinct, interesting and informative. It also reinforces everyone’s suspicions about CGC and these auction houses!!! You just got a new sub! 👍🏽

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you so much for your support and for watching!

[@calebnist]

Great video! Thank you for your insight into this issue. In our online shop, we make great money completely avoiding slabs. We've found that a lot of slabs are more difficult to move. Perhaps because there are more people hesitant to pay a CGC premium than ever before. Of course Hulk #181 and the like are easy movers, but minor keys have taken quite the dip. Hopefully with PSA entering the scene sometime this year, these issues will be forcibly improved, but I doubt it. Really, I am beginning to view slabbing as just a way to protect the comic for me. I can do that at home for a few bucks... but for now, there is still a premium on CGC.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I appreciate you sharing your insights as well! Thank you so much for watching - and good luck with the business! It's definitely going to be interesting watching it evolve over the next few years.

[@walterdimmick653]

Condensing the evaluation of a comic book into a single number is the logical flaw to the CGC system that cannot be repaired. Buying comics as an investment is for rubes and people that already have literally more money than they can even find investments for. I think it is great that people buy old cars, comics, etc and preserve them but paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for a comic is not a wise investment. If you can afford it and it brings you great pleasure then by all means do it, just dont expect a meaningful ROI.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I couldn't agree more! Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@danielsheehan2532]

“May sound like I’m nitpicking” Yes! You should be nitpicking. That’s literally the whole point of grading. To have them carefully, and completely nitpicked to determine the exact quality of the item. Slabbing is 100% a grift. Especially now more than ever.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I appreciate you reinforcing what I've said. It sometimes felt like imposter syndrome when editing and I wasn't sure of myself. Comments like yours definitely help! Thank you for that, and for watching!

[@ScoutReaper-zn1rz]

I'm proud to say that I buy all my comics at cover price and keep them RAW!

[@UncannyDerekComics]

That's the spirit! Thanks so much for watching!

[@varelman]

I prefer to read my comics not encase them

[@UncannyDerekComics]

#FreeTheSlab! Thanks for watching!

[@thebman80]

The problem is that people just don't understand that just because something sold for a certain dollar amount doesn't mean its actually worth that amount now. They just see the dollar signs and greed sets in and nothing else matters. This isn't just comics this is all over everything being bought and sold. Another good example is the VW hippy bus, no one wanted the things for $500 - $1000 forever, then one sold at auction for like 100k because a celebrity owned it and now they are all being listed for 10 to 20k for projects worth $500 but the price has been dropping.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

It's wild how one major sale of something can shape the market. Part of me debating delving into the hype of Action Comics #1 selling for $6 million, but I wanted to remain focused. You're absolutely right though: Hype can drive a market to unimaginable places. Thanks for watching!

[@txmoney]

Well researched. Well edited. Well done! I don’t care for the professional grading companies, the auction houses, the flippers and the publishers. The secondary market is one giant circle-jerk filled with corruption and ethical failings. However, I recognize that they are a necessary evil as the secondary market has always existed to some degree. And it is the American secondary market that’s partially responsible for driving the comic book industry. I stopped collecting decades ago. I donated and sold most of my collection of over 13,000 comic books. I now read mostly collected reprints. I still kept a few books purely out of nostalgia and love of the story/art. At some point I will even sell those for the most amount I can get. So I am not above the fray.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you for the kind words! Yes, the secondary market and the "value" it brings to the hobby cannot be understated. As you said, a necessary evil! As for what "value" it brings, well, there's a handful of subjective opinions I could think of...

[@tensixtythreecomics]

Lots of work here. Good for beginners and pros. Nice work! I’m really looking forward to psa and seeing if cbcs can pull it together

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you for watching! PSA and CBCS really have been pulling out the stops as of late. It'll be interesting to see if they could ever dethrone CGC.

[@stkacollects]

Well done. Puts all the little pieces from the past few years into a useful timeline and context to allow reading between the lines. It's almost too polite (lol) but, critically, it is impressively journalistic, subtle, presenting facts and letting us draw the big conclusions. For example, I kept waiting for reference to how the obvious CGC conflict of interest from grading fees being based on % of FMV would fit in and, as with the rest of the video, you state the facts and let us fill in the blanks rather than hit us over the head with your own conclusion. Excellent, and thanks for this. (As the other person said, you've got a new subscriber.)

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I don't think you realize how much I appreciate this comment. As someone still just "starting out" on KZbin here, I definitely guessed and second-guessed a lot of what I was saying in this video. "Am I being too vague?" "Should I be more forward?" Your comment just solidified my insecurities on the matter. Thank you so much for the kind-hearted comment and for watching!

[@comicbooknarcissist]

Excellent critique; well done, sir!

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@JohnZBaeZ]

I believe so. There seems to be a small group of people managing it bad. Those companies follow similar patterns. The collectible item(s) you bought will not be that collectible or worth much of a value once time passes by. They'll make one exactly like it, but with more glitter. Once that 2nd one sells out. They'll make the 3rd one with the same glitter but it will be exclusive. Driving the first 2 collectible worth to crash in price. So yeah, not smart marketing on the collectible. I don't buy much since they've started that on comics, Funko Pop, Hot Wheels, etc. The companies slowly oversaturate the same type of comics. Kind of like 1990s wax packs on sports cards. The companies ended up bankruptcy themselves at the end

[@UncannyDerekComics]

You're telling me my foil and holographic covers from the 1990s aren't retaining their value?! Uh-oh... Thanks for watching!

[@rolandkatsuragi]

2:07 From what I understand, Heritage hyper inflate the value of all their items, not just superhero books.

[@Supertomscustoms]

The sports card brain rot has infected comics. They’re more a commodity than a collectible at this point.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

"Sport card brain rot!" I like it! Thanks for watching!

[@ScoutReaper-zn1rz]

My local comic shop has a section of sports cards in the middle of the store. That's where I slam my box down that the owner keeps my pull list in. He doesn't care and I don't care so that should tell you something lol.

[@The_Loreseeker]

This was very informative, thank you for the history lesson.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank YOU for watching!

[@davidsamuelson2089]

It would be very interesting to see someone sue CGC over ruining one of their valuable comics in federal court (not the back water Florida courts) via bend gate or one of the various ways they seem to be able to destroy books these days to challenge that fine print on CGC's site srating their grade assignment is only an opinion; however they charge you more if that grade is high enough so the grade assignment in many instances has a very demonstratable monetary value, that is no longer simply an opinion.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Lawsuits are always interesting, but I feel the court costs would outweigh the cost of the book in the end. Thank you for watching!

[@Red-v8z2y]

There is a difference between collecting, investing, just enjoying the comics, I assume most older readers are collectors, younger readers just enjoy certain series, then there is investors who grade comics for no other reason than to flip. If people wanted to protect the comic use cases and insurance no reason for grading.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I completely agree with you. However, I feel collectors and investors are getting blurred together - and investors getting involved are now affecting the collectors. Thank you so much for watching!

[@saleens330]

Here’s the thing. If I have 10 rules to grading and gave it to 20 ppl…maybe half would grade correctly to the 10 rules. The other 10 have their own opinion to what the rules mean. They are the ones that made the square peg fit through the round hole. That’s why you see 9.8’s that should be a 9.4. Or you see a 9.6 that could possibly be a 9.9. Different ppl, different opinions.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

You're absolutely right about that! That's why I feel it's so important for people to understand how subjective grading is. Yet, it's the grades of 9.8s and 9.9s which are seemingly loosening their grading standards...

[@davidsamuelson2089]

Or of you're a big dealer or auction house who calls the shots at CGC the rules are skewed in your favor

[@hannahvickery4683]

power creep is real. if everyone has the 9.8s, they gotta start selling 9.9s, then special holographic 9.8s, then holo 9.9s, etc. Everyone wants their copy of a comic book to feel special, and slabbing it and getting a serial number, grade, etc. made it feel special but that wears off when everyone has it.CGC is really just selling a feeling of exclusivity and superiority.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Ain't that the truth! Never considered it "power creep" before - I like it! And thank you for watching!

[@stephenthomas1492]

Seems too easy to bribe someone in that industry. 'Hey man, grade this book A LOT higher than it should be. They're not going to crack it open and trust the 'authorities' on grading anyhow. Grade this 4.0 as a 9.5 and I'll give you ten percent of the sale price'. I'm willing to bet if they DID have multiple people grade the same book, they stopped because they could process more with just one person doing it.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I'm not entirely convinced there's bribery happening in the industry. Then again, I'm sure there's a fine line between bribing and incentivizing...

[@saleens330]

I still believe Covid ruined the comic collection. You had ppl getting in the game to make money and didn’t care about comics at all. Prices inflated more than it should have. I know ppl during covid that got bored and started to reflect on nostalgia. Even I got back into collecting comics until prices went absurd. I saw a lot of my collection go from being worth $100 now selling for thousands. Blew my mind. Or even my marvel series one, unopened box go for $900 and up to $1500. That blew my mind. I still have all 4 boxes. At least prices are going back down to normal.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

COVID did do a number on the industry. It artificially inflated prices and put a keen eye on books beyond incomprehensible numbers. As I suggested in the video: While prices are falling, it feels as if there's a push to try and keep higher values of some books.

[@matrix_comix]

You should have sold

[@davidsamuelson2089]

You should've sold in a heartbeat & bought back the stuff today at a fraction of the cost

[@PubeStache]

As a collector it's hard to sell things even when you see the prices going up. I did sell quite a bit during covid days. Set all time high prices on a few records I sold. Of course I should have sold all my comics, but at the time I was still attached. Now, I'll sell all of em as my collecting interests have changed. Oh well, you just never know sometimes.

[@xenaluck]

Jim halparin should be in jail. heritage auctions are just as dirty by association.

[@DiggerJim7202]

This was a great video. I personally only like to have a comic slabbed that has a cover I think represents the character well. To me it is like framing art. I also think the comic graded would also help my wife sell them if anything happened to me. Still I don’t have nearly as many graded books as some folk because I want to read the story. # you keepdiggin

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I'm a big fan of going through books and seeing the "history" of what's inside. I couldn't agree with you more! Thanks for watching!

[@jarrettreynolds4560]

I’m seeing books like new mutants 98 go for literally nothing right now. The market is flooded with 1st app of Deadpool.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

With the pandemic boom of books flooding the market, the bubble had to pop! Thanks for watching!

[@SideQuestComicsChat]

Great video D!!!! Now I usually don't care about all these big slabbed books, just not how I want to collect. I do think this is a great video for not just the information but the history and facts you use to highlight things brought up in the video. Points are brought up that back up my beliefs and how I'm too old to care or mess with that stuff. But for people that do care it's also those points that you "GOT" to think about in collecting and question. Collecting in any hobby is a very personal thing, but these are all things people should know and think about to enjoy the hobby, regardless if you agree with the points you highlighted in the video. This is very good video to make people question things, which we always should, not just put our heads in the sand and go with the flow. Great editing and narration throughout the video Derek, I can see all the hard work you put Ito it! This is your Evergreen video! Keep up the fight brother!👏

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I hadn't thought of this video as a "guide," per se, but you're right - this information is important for people who care about collecting - especially if they're in it for investing. Thank you so much, Eric! I really appreciate your comments and your support! Seeing you consider this an "evergreen video" really makes me feel the work was all worth it!

[@808v1]

solid video, enjoyed it's even and reasoned presentation - unfortunately it just confirms what I always suspected since cons blew up - the comic industry was changing and not for the good long-term...will there be a crash like all of these artificially inflated assets usually experience, I mean once the high-rollers extract as much profit as they can and leave the regular peop0le holding the bag?

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thanks so much for watching! We've seen the comic market crash in the 90s - is it on track to do so again? Maybe! Only this time, I'd argue there's even more money on the line!

[@knives9758]

Very interesting and educational video

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@smokinnplatez1426]

I would never pay more than cover price

[@ZOMb2010]

Grading and Greed have wrecked collecting comics , toys ,etc. Grading is the best legal scam going … such a shame how people think about their values and not the art and stories put into collectibles!!

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I believe you're definitely on to something there! Thank you so much for commenting and watching!

[@James61354]

to be dead honest if you hid the grading number on stacks of comics and asked 1000s of people what they thought the grade was.. almost everyone would get most of them wrong. no one knows the difference between a 7.5 and a 8.0 or a 8.0 and a 8.5. if you want your comics encased for protection cool. but these companies should not be putting a number on it. there should be 3 "grades" if any at all.. mint/Uncirculated for books that have never even gone to market. "average" which pretty much covers everything from 9.8 to your average mid grade comics now.. and "trash" for everything with obvious flaws. like why have tiers within tiers.. does it really matter if your trash tier book has 3 holes and 2 creases instead of 2 holes and 3 creases?

[@UncannyDerekComics]

That's something I considered in this video: Showing a book without the numbers and asking the viewer to guess the grade. You're totally right - the answers would be all over the place! Thanks for watching!

[@Sealab2021dotorg]

I love reading comic books I used to love collecting and not reading them until I finally grew up. It's just the 90s crash all over again. Almost none of these are worth a goddamn dollar just read them. Like yeah I have one graded comic okay so I guess I'm not against it entirely but I don't like what it's done to the market. To me a graded comic is a once every five year purchase because of sentimental value. Not a commodity.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

There's something to be said about having a book encapsulated and graded. Like I mentioned: I have five CGC-graded books! Do I plan on taking them out of their slab? Maybe the X-Men 64 - but I'm not in the hobby to chase graded books. Like you, I feel they're meant to be read and enjoyed. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!

[@Guts318]

Wonderful video.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you for watching!

[@66auguste]

Great video, Derek! Really interesting stuff.

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thanks so much for watching, dude!

[@robotZER0]

Reserved Investments*

[@UncannyDerekComics]

It wasn't until I was at the end of editing did I realize my mistake and go, "Oh COME ON, Derek! You were doing so well!" But catching that means you watched until the very end - so thank you for doing so!

[@rolandkatsuragi]

33:30 Of course, Blackstone is involved. 🤦

[@mattinclemson]

VERY, VERY well done, Derek. Absolutely FANTASTIC video!

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you, Matt! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@uFELLA]

Wait...did you see this video? The author makes a big deal of the MD#1 graded 1.5 vs the Blonde Phantom graded 2.5 b/c he thought the MD#1's cover looked better and didn't understand the grade difference from one book to the other. So he ignored what it says RIGHT ON THE LABEL that the MD#1's cover was completely split (and detached) while the BF's cover was only detached. And I can't see why thought the BF's cover was "so much worse off". The author himself provided pix that contradict what he says, which is even more puzzling. How can we take anything the author says seriously without independently verifying (like i did when read the labels that he himself provided! Sheesh)?

[@UncannyDerekComics]

@@uFELLA Hey there! I was expecting this comment to come up! After all was edited and uploaded, I noticed the MD and Blonde Phantom difference as well. To be frank: It's still entirely subjective. I still feel the BP is worse off and would factor glue as a bigger problem than a spine split. The fact that we have different opinions on the matter just reinforces how subjective grading can be! Could I have picked better ones to showcase? In hindsight: Sure! Does it change anything I've said in the video? I don't think so. If you feel you have to disregard everything I've said in this video due to having a subjective opinion on two books - I'm sorry to hear that.

[@uFELLA]

Thanks for responding. The problem isn't the difference in subjective opinions regarding those two books. Unfortunately, you described this video in the intro above as a "deep dive," which suggests you have the experience/information to make such a video. Yet you ignored the objective information on the labels of those very books and proceeded to make unsupported commentary about the numerical grades as an indictment on CGC and the allegedly unreliable grading aspect of the hobby. You also speculated, again erroneously, that perhaps the difference in those numerical grades was due to page quality. That is not how it works, with CGC (or even CBCS's) numerical grades, so this also confused your viewers (if they are inexperienced). So this is not about a mere difference of subjective opinion. Your comments on the 0.5 examples are also misleading. 0.5s are for any books missing a significant (like a third?) portion of the cover. Both examples satisfied that criterion (the first on the front cover, the second on the back cover). So, unforunately, this again misled viewers regardings CGC grading, when there is actually nothing materially inconsistent with those two books. The commenters above appear to be inexperienced, as none of them noted these obvious errors. Such viewers are the most vulnerable to this type of misinformation. There is enough misinformation out there in KZbin and elsewhere, don't you think? Just saying for what it's worth. BTW, I wasn't trying to spam my comments on your video by responding to other commenters. I initially posted a single comment to your video, and it would not take. The only way for my comment to show was by replying to another commenter's post. I'm not saying that you were deliberately deleting or keeping my posts from appearing, but whatever the reason, I couldn't do it. I thought the viewers should know about the big errors in your video, so I responded to a few. That's all.

[@cardsfan5100]

Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!

[@dollarbinvulture]

Which chat bot are you using to write your scripts? 🤣

[@Comicbookyoutubersrock]

It’s a good thing we have people like this with arguably no real grading experience to trust that the FF1 9.6 is incorrectly graded. Dude GTFO! I can’t stand these pretend professionals in the comic industry who people believe solely because they make KZbin videos. Sooo original to attack CGC and professional grading by the way. Haven’t seen a video about that before 🤦‍♂️

[@WhatDoesEvilMean]

TL;DR “Slabbed comics aren’t my personal preference, therefore they are bad.” Slabbed comics are today and will for the foreseeable future be *THE* safest way to purchase collectible comics.

[@-raist]

Interesting to say that especially with the CGC reholder scam that involved with over 350 slabs….

[@UncannyDerekComics]

Thank you for watching, but your TL;DR is not at all what I said in the video.

[@doomedhuh]

There's no present day interest in Buck Rogers no one cares

[@UncannyDerekComics]

I'm not so sure! There's a $100+k sale which suggests otherwise. Thanks for watching!

[@DoctorMindbender]

Clueless comment.

[@bcm3938]

So you got your JIM 62 signed by Stan. You didn’t have Cgc witness it. Then the next day you go over and most likely beg them to grade it. They relent and you have a negative view of them. That’s pretty incredible.i agree they should’ve told you to kick rocks.