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 < [email protected]> 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 < > [email protected]> 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: [email protected] 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: > [email protected] 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: > [email protected] 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 <http://www.CVTreasures.com> > 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: [email protected] > 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: [email protected] > 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: [email protected] > 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: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
