The Elephant in the Room | The Comic Book Market

[@jessepearson557]

When you guys ask questions like “Is it bad that there are so many comics available now?” I have to laugh because it just exposes your viewpoint as DEALERS who are afraid of competition and market saturation. My viewpoint as a COLLECTOR is that this new dynamic is FANTASTIC for the hobby because I can find pretty much any book I want and it makes DEALERS like you have to compete for my business! 👍

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@jessepearson557 WE ARE NOT DEALERS! Granted we may sell books out of our collections but are not dealers. We are also content creators.

[@StephenCofMD]

I completely agree with Mighty, 100%. I've been gradually selling off my collection and only keeping the books I truly enjoy. However, even the books I decide to keep will be sold if the opportunity arises to purchase an even better one. I'm in my 40s, and over the past couple of years, I've realized that having multiple long and short boxes filled with books just sitting in my closet adds no value to my life. Ultimately, I would like to have a collection of at most 100 books that I can display in my office.

[@Whalewraith]

@@StephenCofMD thing is people only want your good stuff, I imagine it's very easy to get your collection cherry picked and end up with a huge amount of dollar bin books.

[@patwilliams7362]

​@@Whalewraith Good point! And I have never sold books. In my 40's as well...and have a buttload of dollar bin stuff. Maybe toss in some of those along with a higher dollar book? I don't know it all works, just a thought.

[@michaelsaritelli]

I had a horrible day, to put it mildly... I watched every second of this. I so appreciate the distraction and escape from real life. This was a great talk, thank you for letting me feel like a fly on the wall. It helped.

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@michaelsaritelli sorry the day sucked. I’ve been there.

[@teetoo3790]

If you are going to invest. Stick to Amazing Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men and Batman. They are like the Morgan Dollars of coin collecting. Safe bets that always have interest

[@parkerrizo2172]

The economy is driving collecting in all collectibles. I think it's a great time to buy.

[@hankscorpion9939]

I keep hearing about people wanting to have just one short box of big keys, rather than loads of books Personally, I would prefer to have lots of minor keys and my favourite covers. Sometimes with the big books it feels like looking at a famous painting and not feeling what you think you are supposed to feel. It can be too much about the reputation of the book rather than the book itself.

[@marclapuma]

I am 37 years old and have been collecting on and off for about 30 years. As of recent, I finally took the plunge and bought a copy of Batman 1. It’s been my dream book for as long as I could remember. I sold a large chunk of my collection over the years, especially this year, saved, flipped a little, and bought that MOFO. With similar sympathies, I don’t know if I will actively buy like I have the last few years, but I’ll have some great satisfaction knowing I bought my grail. I have a lot of confidence too holding this book for the short and long term, for whenever I’m ready to sell it. I have been fortunate enough to get a damn good education and I work in healthcare, so I don’t have a lot of financial stress in the book as I would’ve years ago. Yes the market is correcting. Yes golden age books are also correcting. Yes I own my grail. And no….i don’t think I have any F***s to give either, it’s the absolutely pinnacle and symbolic representation of my collecting life and journey. Great job and discourse to both of you on this topic and hobby. Yes, could the money appreciate better in some other markets, most definitely. But I perceive it as really holding a piece of Americana and modern history, Thanks compadres 🦇

[@KozysGhost]

I had them all (Bronze for me). Hulk 180-181. GSX 1, Marvel Premier 15, Iron Fist 14, House of Secrets 92, etc. I jumped in 2021-22. Had built a collection of $20k plus. Sold 90% of them (at a loss). Comic collecting is evolving into a more liquid market that DOES NOT reward short term speculation. It’s a market of more transactions, less bid/ask spread, better valuation. If I want a run filler of ‘Nam #23 (solid cover), not a problem in 2024. Probably have 20 sellers to consider at any moment in time. Capitalism will always find efficiency. Just collect what you want. Forget the investment. This is just colored paper. Do this for the fun.

[@vintagegizmoscollection1282]

As a collector and seller I am happy I don't have to compete with any Influencers that hold the market hostage on over priced books that don't have value. I can grab a big key and hold it for the future.

[@raymondnoah6394]

I am in my young 50's and started collecting comics 3 years ago. Nostalgia is what brought me in. My Dad was reading the bronze age comics when I was young. My brother opened a collectables shop in our little town and had about 5000 comics that he was selling. I started digging and headed down memory lane. The rest was history. I enjoy the campy 70's horror and golden age books. I am a coin dealer with my brother so I understand the ups and downs of current market trends and accept the losses along with the gains of what's hot and what's not. I don't do this for the total investment but I certainly enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Thanks for the detailed information. I respect both of you guys.

[@hankscorpion9939]

That's great to hear people getting into comics at all ages and for a variety of reasons.

[@MJComix]

This was a fantastic conversation by two good guys. Im a 90s kid, I enjoy collecting the crap I liked as a kid, that’s the fun of it. I think the new generation coming through, unless they get into reading comics. There won’t be a nostalgic connection for them to want to part money with these as collectibles. It’s food for thought. Really enjoyed this video 👏

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@MJComix thank you so much!

[@DouglasCaldwell-y6b]

Great topic, great perspectives. Thanks for sharing. I believe we all have our opinions, observations, and expectations on this. I believe, not that anyone asked, but boomers are now sadly passing away, or to your point at 13:45, boomers are selling their books, and the inventory is only going to increase. Some books will always catch value... but 99% of the hoard will slowly decrease in value, fading into obscurity forever.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi gents, I have enjoyed the conversation. I hope you all can do more! I agree that most comic books that are on most comic collectors' minds are relatively easy to obtain with money. If you are an early golden age freak, like myself, then many books are still extremely hard to come by...especially in a given grade range. For example, if I want a More Fun 52 between a 2.5 and 5 (which I do), I may get a shot once a year at best.

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842 yes there are still a few books we rarely get to see.

[@miguelh4750]

I got into comics with Archie as well 41:19. I read it in the tub :)

[@miguelh4750]

1:02:12 Swaggle you are one of the most influencial youtubers in the comic book collecting space !

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@miguelh4750 that’s a positive. He gives a lot of useful information

[@MrRanman91]

also something to consider is you're had a whole generation who grew up on comics in the 50s thru 70s start to age out or pass on, and how is the newer generation picking up the hobby? So you're combining the newer collectors aren't reading the the volumes as the older generations along with the older generations collections coming into the market at higher volumes than they probably used to do. It's an interesting mix, because I don't think the newer generations are reading in the levels we used to see, simply because they have other options. You have the generation like me who grew up in the 70s and 80s, who are still collecting, but eventually that will change as well......have to start looking at who is still collecting and who isn't?

[@comicpadre8603]

For the rare golden age books, it's the same copies that are being sold again and again. I don't know who would buy a book pay all the fees and taxes and then turn around and sell it months to a couple years later and pay sellers fees. That's great for auction companies, but for the collector I'm not so sure.

[@FireflyComics]

The people buying golden age were not around when the books were printed. Even late golden age was 65 years ago. Swagglehaus’ Cap 3 was first printed over 80 years ago. I started collecting 90s books and was drawn to silver age which was before my time. Now I collect golden age. As long as the hobby stays vibrant and we bring in new collectors even ultra modern collectors then we will be fine

[@jamesbowman6925]

I wasn't around when GA books were printed, either, but I was riding my bike to the corner store to buy comics as soon as they came out, and I was collecting back issues by age 10. Millenials and Gen-Zers will never participate in the hobby to the extent that Boomers and Gen-Xers have. As older collectors exit the hobby over the next twenty years, there will not be enough younger collectors replacing them for current prices to be maintained. The writing is on the wall and has been for a while now.

[@miguelh4750]

31:34 Sticky Goose video on influencers, Regie collects quit, ETA Nick bailed at the right time

[@ajguez]

I think ease of access to sales platforms and the aging and dying off of wealthy baby boomers who were the big collectors are flooding the market.

[@JC-dg6vo]

MY local watch man offered me a Rolex 16610 model for $9800 about 3 mo. ago. I sat on my hands. They are at $7200 now. With Comic books, I curated my collection and took my time. I believe is it very nice. There are loads of common modern to silver age books. I want to collect and enjoy the journey. Will they have value, yes. What will that value be? Swaggle probably knows. Our election just happened. My stocks went to the moon. I made 50K in Tesla one day alone and trimmed. Money comes, money goes. Just learn the difference between investing and collecting and where they intersect. Be wise. ps...The comment that Swaggle made "are the auction houses trading between themselves", yes. Sotheby's and Christie's do all the time. They show it in their financials. So why not Heritage? They are businesses and have investors that want their SVA.

[@kryptoniterocks8245]

Heritage is from my own experience Skum bags. I won two auctions and wouldn’t you know it it was my max bid!!!!!!! There is no coincidence with heritage people trust me they know what your bidding and want to make sure if no one else is bidding to your level they will end the auction on your high end price on purpose. It’s all planned

[@speccollector9740]

Been collecting for 40 years. Ive seen multiple Detectivr 27s and Action 1s in conventions back on the early 90s. I just didnt have the 10 grand to buy one back then. The books you showed are low grade, not even mids. Sellers that have the high grades are holding. People will always sell and buy. How many Suspense 3s have you seen sold this year?

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@speccollector9740 1

[@AGC173]

I think that the market has been inflated by an increase of middle men that have been buying and selling to each other based off of fomo speculation and that the price decreases are simple reflective of the actual comic book fan demand

[@jlmanderville]

Now my hunt as a collector is about finding awesome dealers who aren't overcharging for great books that are more available in the market now. Great chat!

[@mikeyj7824]

I like to buy older books for the history of the characters, sometimes for the cover art, and to own the books that were the material for the movies, but the new comics have the cover art on lock. The new books are also cheap 9.8's to pass down to the kids one day.

[@gregm7269]

A big part is that with all the different selling options, everyone can be a dealer at some level. Back in the olden times, you either sold your books to a comic shop or a dealer at a convention.

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@gregm7269 💯

[@Toy_command]

Love this video! You two gotta do more of this!

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@Toy_command hopefully

[@modius6124]

I'm a comic collector, so having prices come down to the pre-2019 allows me to buy desired silver/bronze issues. I do see the market moving towards artists sketchs, pages.

[@SyntheticPanels]

This was a very interesting conversation very well done

[@The9.9Newsstand]

Great conversation!! Thank you both!

[@hankscorpion9939]

The comic market has a lot of room to grow if more effort was put into translating books into foreign languages. How many books do Marvel and DC translate? Not that many I guess

[@Popculturediscoveries]

Excellent points and point of views ,, you covered every major issue without negative vibes!! You’re like a prophet when it comes to the hobby 🤘

[@futurepastvintagecollectables]

It’s a “silver tsunami” sell off. I do not feel that what you’re focusing on is really the point. The real point is more blue chip keys are available…and selling! It’s musical chairs with the biggest comics. Someone will own our books when we pass away, and someone will own the books when the next generation passes away. They aren’t going away, but they may be held back later as people keep the copies and take them off the market. It’s according to Hoyle disruption. New book sales are massive, and taking a significant portion of all sales. Collectors mature in the hobby and open their choices as time goes on. It seems as if the real point is that more people are in the hobby today than any time before. Our voices are important, as it can help educate newer collectors and pass on the institutional knowledge we have gained from our experience.

[@xgreatnwcomicsx]

I stopped buying back issues. They are way overpriced. It’s like buying a new car, once you drive it off the lot the value drops 30%

[@JESSEJAMESBUCS1]

There has never been a time when any comic book hasn't been able to be bought in abundance. It really depends on what part of the comic book world you're in. What your knowledge is on multi platforms. This also depends on how many collections you buy a year or your budgets. It being a elephant in the room is only from those that are limited in how the collector partakes in the comic book world. In my world, the only thing you say when you buy a Huge collection with 100's or 1000's of keys is, where the next buy? Good show, however, I'm coming from a completely different world then the speakers on this video

[@xenaluck]

the 2034 recap of this show will be wild.

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@xenaluck 😂

[@BBoy770]

😂

[@Paulies-Hideout]

The question about the age generation collecting comic books got to me because I ask that one often. I'm 46 myself and thought the same thing. Its almost the same deal with my dad and older hot rods All collectors were his age. Movies are one thing but if you want to get another generation into comic books like ours, there needs to be another renascence period like we saw in the 90s. We had legends that founded Image Comics. They were new, wild, and violent characters. Then we also had the X-Men, Batman, and Spider-Man Animated Series. Sucks getting older sometimes but growing up in the 80s and 90s was the jackpot for having a childhood I look at the stuff today and feel like there isn't that same passion for telling a good story for the mainstream stuff.

[@hankscorpion9939]

True. The older I get the more I realise how lucky I was to grow up in the 90s. I remember coming home from school and watching BTAS, Spider-Man and TMNT Wonder what kids will be nostalgic for in decades to come

[@teetoo3790]

​@@hankscorpion9939 Harry Potter and The Walking Dead.

[@hankscorpion9939]

@@teetoo3790 Harry Potter, yeah that's true. Although not sure how many kids were watching the Walking Dead

[@chefrdharris5989]

Another amazing video you put together Laurence. Your opinions are very much appreciated and imo worth sharing.

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@chefrdharris5989 thanks brother

[@JSSBrooklyn]

Great insight and terrific information from both MCC and Swagglehaus. Great information to consider in the marketplace and very useful in decision making. Thank you and keep up the great content.

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@JSSBrooklyn thank u

[@kryptoniterocks8245]

Collect what you love but don’t be one of those who gets obsessed by having to have everything.. You can have everything but then your still gonna what more.

[@braddock8433]

Not to mention that younger collectors don’t have disposable income like older individuals.

[@SwampThingNJ]

Turns out true rarity is… rare

[@bignothing909]

I'm in the same boat. I grew up in the 90s boom of comics and I'm all in on bronze age. I see golden age and I'm like kool. But I'll never have nor really want it. So the vary few youngsters that are into comics... unless they become a billionaire.. will they care about gold silver bronze?

[@Hectekk]

Fanatics is actively working to expand sports card hobby by 10x. What is out there for comics actively working to increase comics hobby?

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@Hectekk I thought fanatics is getting out of the card hobby now? Just saw something recently about that

[@runamuck316]

Like most things, I enjoy the act vs the result. I love the hunt and competition for a grail, one I own it, it bores me

[@buckysbooks4093]

I think part of the reason we see big big books is because of the economy. Life got 20% more expensive through no fault of our own. So, if life gets tight, collectibles get sold so people can do something with their lives or just survive. Comics have not only not gone up to match inflation, they’ve completely deflated in comparison. With that said, if I had 50k to invest, I’d never buy comics right now. We’re all waiting for the floor, before we start to invest in big books again. S&P is a much smarter investment at the moment.

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@buckysbooks4093 agree. My only question is…. The pool who can afford these books I would think have disposable income. Unless they’re liquidating everything why sell?

[@buckysbooks4093]

@ that’s fair. I feel like even the big boys are putting up their high-end books to find more value investing elsewhere right now. Just a theory.

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@ 100%

[@jrucker4181]

I think there are many factors. 1. Is collectors get caught up and are buying and then regretting it. Look at the collector who bought the hockey case of cards for $3.2 mil and then backed out. We also had the collector who bought that action 1 and then sold it in less than a year and took a huge loss, thanks Swag for that video. 2. While the economy was down with the election we have seen a crazy swing. C'mon who would have seen Bitcoin would be $90k per coin? The people who could afford those high dollar books are a separate eco system. 3. Small collectors like me (the most expensive book I buy is under $400, with one very special exception) so i buy lots of smaller books and keys and let them mature. I think many collectors have that mentality but they don't have the staying power. I have watched this occur again and again over the last 40 years. Can't wait to see what the next 40 years brings.

[@hankscorpion9939]

I'm the same. Only one book I ever paid over 1k for. Mostly books that I pay almost nothing for and I'm happy to put them away for decades. I believe there are still a lot of books that you can get for very little that will be very sought after in the long term. Marvel and DC are still going to be going strong in some form or other by the time I'm kicking the bucket.

[@raulmendieta9696]

Lol, gimmick comic covers are gateway comics. Then you graduate to the next obsession level. Lol

[@leveragecomics5067]

Really great video

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@leveragecomics5067 thank u

[@Narynan1]

It's the people who are retiring or actually dying out of the comic space having held onto their collection for long enough that they think that there's either value on it or that it's finally been handed down to their children. Those children are the ones proliferating the auction platforms with these books. I feel like you guys are standing around talking about the fact that the ocean is retreating in a way that you've never seen before, but you don't have the follow-up of, TSUNAMI! This is a tsunami guys...... We're just standing at the edge of the ocean watching it go away, dumbfounded as to why it would.

[@ajguez]

Demographics drive this hobby. When adults reach middle age, they finally have the time and importantly, the money to invest in the comic hobby. I think the fact that the baby boomer generation was so much larger and affluent then the gen x-ers reduces the size of the market. Given that millennials grew up with the MCU being so big, I would think as they reach middle age they will enter the market for big vintage keys.

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@ajguez that’s great point

[@ajguez]

@ it’s definitely not a poor man’s hobby.

[@MrRawnch]

I had about 5 single issues in 2022, and the rest of my collection was mostly trades and hardcovers. Then I decided to start collecting singles and I'm now sitting on about 700 comics in about 2 years. Most major keys from the big two are pretty easy to find...provided you have the cash. Long gone are the days of paying off your house because you sold that rare comic. Everything has an acceptable buffer and the market has established tiers of buyers. The buying and selling is more or less a "thousand cuts" when reviewing lots or buying keys. Volume is the name of the game, and its the reason why there are so many variant covers being pushed (more than the 90s). I think books published by smaller companies that have gone under since COVID or bad management will likely have books that'll peak the interest of future buyers. The comic market has stabilized and it's easier to predict whats ahead if your an educated buyer or seller.

[@omegacollects]

Excellent discussion 👍🏾

[@josescomics]

I don't think this is just a market correction or the market approaching the low. I think it is the beginning of the end of vintage collecting. Everything is going digital and while comics have withstood the digitization of collectibles, it's only a matter of time. Younger generations are not buying comics and therefore not getting into collecting. As the older generations age and sell off their comics in retirement or death, the pool of collectors buying is getting smaller. People are selling while they can before all these slabs could potentially tank. Look at the decrease in CGC submissions. Comics are dying; question is, when will the end be?

[@wylierichardson-tu6zs]

I think the back issue market will always be there, it just might have to deal with corrections and contractions from time to time.

[@jamesbowman6925]

I think you have it exactly right, but some people don't want to see it.

[@demetriklloyd4905]

Great show and conversation guys

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@demetriklloyd4905 thank u! 🙏

[@-foxcroft1518]

I'm 15 secs into the vid and already massively disagree. 90% of the books I need are NOT available anywhere... ever. Are you guys collecting on easy mode? I actually don't think I'll be able to get all the comics on my checklist within my lifetime. I can't be the only one on the long wait for their illusive ghost copies to come to market.

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@-foxcroft1518 what books are u looking for?

[@jrucker4181]

Ok sorry need to make another comment. You guys are talking about a throw away character. There is no such thing as a throw away character. Story matters. Let's take the High Evolutionary. I bought his first app in Thor when I was reading the great story about him in the annuals from decades ago. Also when I picked up What If that featured him. I got his first for $20 ea. I bought Bat girl 1st in 2008 because my daughter was 6 years old and I wanted something for her to have down the line. I bought it for $60. It graded at 9.4. I bought Werewolf by Night 32 for $200 back in 2012 because I liked the character. It's a 9.6. I can literally spend hours discussing many more books like this. Another book I liked Alot was New Mutants 98. I used to buy them all the time at $15 and people said I was crazy because that book would never be worth anything because everyone has the book already. How did I do?😅. A more recent example is I like Agent Venom. I bought 10 copies of 654. I have 3 2nd prints, one 9.6, and people tell me it won't be worth anything. I never spent more than $10. I have Archie,Dell, Independent and more stories. Last story...back in 2020 a friends called me and said hey I have a rough comic I am looking to sell. It turned out to be Daredevil 1. I paid him his asking price of $300. It graded a 4.5. people look at that and say it's a no brainer, but at that time over a half dozen people turned him down. I think I do more than ok. Now I do have terrible mistakes. I will share the two worst..I passed on walking dead 1 at $10 a piece because I thought it was a phase and had no staying power. Ouch. 😅 The reason I hate to sell I sold a Hulk 181. I paid over market price at $300, and sold it for $2700 (almost $1k over the market price at the time) and had over a half dozen messages on eBay telling me I was crazy and the book would never get to $2k. That was 2007, would be over 16k now. That one hurts bad still.

[@mightycomicsandcollectibles]

@@jrucker4181 of course. I think that’s what I was saying, it all depends on the price paid per character. Thank you for watching!

[@TheDeepening718]

I won't go anywhere near woke companies and their products and Marvel went super woke. Sorry marvel, you're in the trash can.