Is it time to stop buying original art.

[marvelboi77]

I've looked at the last auctions over the last year and everything of quality has tripled what it was just two to three years ago.

I wonder if it's time to stop buying or even time to start selling some of the stuff and waiting for it to crash like animation art did?

[lordrycon]

tough call to make, i guess it really depends on why you are collecting in the first place.

if you are collecting purely to make money then sure, by all means sell up before the bottom falls out of the market.

if you are collecting pieces that you love, i dont see any reason why you would sell based on market conditions.

this is just my opinion though.

[Underdog07]

Originally Posted by lordrycon

if you are collecting pieces that you love, i dont see any reason why you would sell based on market conditions.

this is just my opinion though.

Not to pick on you in particular, but I often see this comment and shake my head. All of us have limited means and I can not fathom that people do not consider financial ramifications in purchases (at least purchases over a certain price point). I may love the new cover I got, but if I paid 10k for it, that love would not prevent me from being ticked off if I could only sell it for 1k should I need or decide to. There will come a time when we all cash out of the majority of our collections and I for one want to be in a position to recoup what I put into the collection if at all possible.

[tedmic]

SELL SELL SELL

[jick]

Original published comic art will never crash because it is one of a kind and only around 22 exist per issue while that same issue has a nostalgic value for many people around the world.

Animation art is very abundant and even one memorable scene has so many frames. Animation art was not tied to the artist who made it either, so it is more like a memorabilia piece of history.

Comic art is handmade and connected to the artist who drew it and the stories people loved.

I did see some auction results not being so favorable with owners selling it for the same price or less than they got it years ago, but I don't see it ever crashing like animation art.

However, when it comes to sketches and commissions, I am not if those will maintain value. An artist who is prolific in making sketches and con appearances will have so many sketches out in the market that it will lessen the value and liken it to being mass-produced. But if he is a prominent artist, his published pieces should still be fine.

[snappahead]

Originally Posted by marvelboi77

I've looked at the last auctions over the last year and everything of quality has tripled what it was just two to three years ago.

I wonder if it's time to stop buying or even time to start selling some of the stuff and waiting for it to crash like animation art did?

I've been in the same boat for a couple years now. Everything I want has gotten out of my price range. It's unfortunate, but if I can't buy anything, it's not much of a hobby, so i stopped collecting.

If there's a crash coming, it's impossible to say when it'll happen. People have been calling for it for years now and prices just keep going higher and higher. We may be nowhere near the ceiling yet. Who knows. If you're priced out of the market, you don't have a choice but to wait anyways. The wait could be a very long time though.

[ratchet]

Originally Posted by jick

Original published comic art will never crash because it is one of a kind and only around 22 exist per issue while that same issue has a nostalgic value for many people around the world.

Animation art is very abundant and even one memorable scene has so many frames. Animation art was not tied to the artist who made it either, so it is more like a memorabilia piece of history.

Comic art is handmade and connected to the artist who drew it and the stories people loved.

I did see some auction results not being so favorable with owners selling it for the same price or less than they got it years ago, but I don't see it ever crashing like animation art.

However, when it comes to sketches and commissions, I am not if those will maintain value. An artist who is prolific in making sketches and con appearances will have so many sketches out in the market that it will lessen the value and liken it to being mass-produced. But if he is a prominent artist, his published pieces should still be fine.

I disagree - I think the OA market can crash - and very well may when most people have been priced out of the hobby

[jick]

Originally Posted by ratchet

I disagree - I think the OA market can crash - and very well may when most people have been priced out of the hobby

If by crash you mean something like the Marvel trading cards of the 90's, then I can't wait to get some Kirby pages for $200.

But if crash then you mean the $600k McFarlane cover will drop to just $80k, then most of us mere mortals are not affected.

[lordrycon]

Originally Posted by Underdog07

Not to pick on you in particular, but I often see this comment and shake my head. All of us have limited means and I can not fathom that people do not consider financial ramifications in purchases (at least purchases over a certain price point). I may love the new cover I got, but if I paid 10k for it, that love would not prevent me from being ticked off if I could only sell it for 1k should I need or decide to. There will come a time when we all cash out of the majority of our collections and I for one want to be in a position to recoup what I put into the collection if at all possible.

I understand what you mean, the most valuable piece I have in my collection is worth about 2.5k. So for me, I dont see that amount of money as an investment grade piece. I bought it cause I like it.
But even so, if I had pieces worth many thousands more there would still have to be a desire to sell regardless of market condition. A threat of collapse would not suddenly make me want to sell something I originally didnt intend to.

[Underdog07]

characters factor in and I think a lot of characters are immune from a crash. If, for example, you collected Spider-Woman or maybe She-Hulk you probably need to worry as they do not have the staying power of a Son of Satan or Black Knight.