Quote:
Originally Posted by ambasah
other than announcing a varient after-the-fact, I have no issue with it. More choice is always a good thing imho, just let folks know from the beginning, like the recent hulk pfs.
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Well, I for one have to disagree. Yes, in most cases the more choices one has the better, but that just isnt the case when it comes to releasing variants/reprints/reproductions into the limited edition collectible markets. What has happened the last 2-3 years in the Aspen/Michael Turner print market is an absolutely picture perfect example of just what happens whan you give people the choice to buy such reprints/variants/reproductions.
If someone wanted to buy a signed Michael Turner print, they had to spend the $200-$300 bucks required to get one. Then Aspen started releasing a bunch of low cost variants/reprints and suddenly people had a choice. They could either hunt down one of the originals, which isnt easy in many cases, and spend the $200-$300 or they could simply spend $40-$50 bucks on a readily available reprint/variant. Its pretty obvious what route many collectors are going to take in those situations, especially the ones that have limited funds or have been unable to find an original. Of course, once those collectors purchase a variant/reprint, they no longer really need the original. So it causes a drop in overall demand for the originals, which in turn causes a drop in overall value.
Its pretty easy figuring out who is in favor and who is against these kinds of business moves. The people that don't have the originals will LOVE the variants/reprints as they are now able to aquire a piece they wanted for very little money, at least compared to the original, and the people that own the originals will hate them as they wind up hurting the overall demand and value of the originals. Again, what has happened with the Michael Turner/Aspen print market these last couple years is an absolutely picture perfect examples of just what happens when you start introducing reprints/variants/reproductions into a limited edition market. Its not a good thing!!
The way I see it, variants are companies putting easy profits ahead of thier overall integrity, in regards to following the basic tenants of the limited edition markets. They want the best of both worlds as they want thier pieces to be limited editions, yet at the same time they want to be able to produce more of them if need be. You cant have it both ways, not if you actually want people to trust a partciualr company and continue paying premium prices for thier limited editions. Limited editions should be exactly that, limited editions. As I have said before on this topic, once the final limited edition piece/print is sold, it should be permanently retired, and I do mean permanently. The collectors that wind up buying those pieces deserve no less. If a company isn't going to follow the basic tenants of the limited edition market then they should get out of the limited edition market and produce open editions instead. That way they can make as many as they want and release as many variants as they want.
I will agree that if the companies were to tell people at the announcment of the originals that a variant will be produced somewhere down the line...well, I wouldnt have a problem with that as then people know going in exactly what they are getting. I would still prefer that no variants were produced at all, but if variants are going to be produced, thats at least an honest way of going about it. Producing a variant out of the blue, for a limited edition piece, is nothing short of dishonest in my book. The whole thing makes a mockery of limited editions.
