Observations from a returning original member

[lizard_king]

First of all - glad to be back....

I have been out of the hobby for close to a year. I was getting increasingly jaded/cynical about the hobby in general - seemed like everywhere you looked, there was someone trying to take advantage of someone and I just got sick of it.....I said that's it I am done - pressing of books, the whole Ewart thing, I got personally screwed by a restored book...but I could NOT stay away - I still cannot resist looking at/buying those Bronze Age Horrors or the Bronze Age superheroes...oh well...

Soooo, the one observation I have already is that the high end (9.2/9.4/9.6/9.8) CGC books SEEM to have softened - In fact I am sure they have - 9.4 used to go for at least 2X and more of 9.2, 9.6 used to go at 6 - 8X, and 9.8 - wow.....now having said that - I still see a lot of the crazy prices BUT - where it used to be IMPOSSIBLE to get a 9.4 at the 9.2 guide or a 9.6 at a reasonable 2X 9.2 - I am now getting that ...

so is that a generally known fact - that prices are softening? I saw that suggested over on the CGC boards in looking at some posts - and they have some fairly major dealers (not to mention lawyers) on their boards (which makes for some VERY entertaining discussions)

Anyway - what are your observations? what did I miss!!?!?!??!

[The Charlton Guy]

Welcome back Lizard King!

I agree. CGC prices have dipped. How much of this is due to the increasing number of scammers, trim jobs, undisclosed pressing and cleaning, etc., etc., is tough to quantify, but it HAS to have had an impact.

At least with you and me.

I haven't bought a CGC book in over a year and a half and I used to buy them fairly regularly. And I sold off each and every one that I did have.

But it wasn't the scandals that turned me off (though that was the final knife in the back), it was the glaring INCONSISTANCY!

Seeing VF or poorer SA and GA age books getting touted as NM, seeing brand new, never handled comics come back as 8.5s, seeing the same grade on several different books with a HUGE range of flaws, the list goes on.

Even more frustrating is trying to sell high grade, shining, beautious, books "raw" (I hate that term) and getting peanuts compared to these
"Professionally Graded" plastic slabbed trophies.

I don't rant as much as I used to about it, because, one, I got tired of it, and two, I think a lot of people are coming around to the fact that ultimately, the collecting of plastic-entombed comics, no matter how valuable or scarce, is just plain frustrating.

So yes, I have joined Stu's club, with the blaring mantra of:

"READ YOUR COMICS!"

Will I take flak for this?

Probably not.

Because again, I think collectors are coming around, and because I'm not a lawyer...yet.

[Hoss]

lizard_king!

Thanks for stopping in! Hope we see you around more often!

+

[disneyteddies]

Welcome back dude...you can take the comic out of the child, but not the comic out of the child's hand's.....or something like that.... :?

[The Charlton Guy]

:roll:

LOL!

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

I never buy slabbed books, well I did once buy three worthless books for under $10 each and busted one out just to see what was inside. I don't know why I don't...I jst don't. I guess I like to get my books cheap and gamble a llittle that I am gonna get a real prize winner. Some of the more expensive books I buy should have been slabbed and probably would have sold for more if they had been, but ohw well, there loss is my gain. I have thought about buying at least one super high grade book to put in my little metal box at the bank, but when I consider doing that I am reminded of all the super high grade books that I already own and haven't slabbed. I might send some of those in to be slabbed one day but.....

Hey, can't we think of a more positive word than slabbed? it's so deathy, dead, death, killed rotten yuck. There's gotta be a more positive way of putting it right. Seriously put yur personal dislikes and disagreements aside and lets brainstorm here for a new term. I'm starting a new thread.