Beginning the Discussion: Overstreet Pricing Updates?
 |
 |
| The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #38 |
Every year as our staff works on assembling The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, it’s readily apparent to us that there is a lot of data – much of it contradictory – to sift through concerning prices. When one looks at the assembled market reports from traditional comic book dealers, high-end auction houses, serious collectors and online or eBay dealers, it is definitely enough to make even an experienced hand take pause.
Add to the equation the perceived differences in value between “raw” or uncertified comics and the same issue and grade of those that have been certified by an independent third party service such as CGC, then the confusion in the marketplace becomes even more apparent.
At this point, we believe the demand for regular pricing updates and market analysis to supplement the annual Guide is clear. What is not so defined, though, is what form such updates should take.
We need to hear from you on this. A few years ago now we published a periodical called Overstreet’s Comic Price Review. During its short run, we were able to correctly anticipate and document market trends including the accelerated disparity in high-end prices, the dramatic spike in interest in Bronze Age and Copper Age comics, the revitalization of interest in Conan, the surge in variant covers offered by current new comics publishers, the sustained fan interest in early and very late Valiant comics and even the appeal of Ultimate Spider-Man.
For whatever reason, though, the publication didn’t sustain its readership. We’d like to believe that it was simply ahead of its time – let’s face it, CGC just certified their one millionth comic and the market for certified books is now definitely more mature – but the truth is the reason doesn’t matter. In the end, we weren’t serving the audience well enough.
We learned a lot from this.
We put what we learned into the deliberations surrounding the most recent edition of The Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide. As you’ll no doubt recall, those were some lively discussions! Everyone from comics historians to the most experience dealers and from neophyte collectors to comics professionals participated, offering us a tremendously diverse group of suggestions and discussion points.
That’s what we’d like to hear from you. What is the best way to get updated pricing and market information to you? How would you like to read it? How can we make this work?
Keeping the Guide up-to-date is a relentless process. As always, we hope you’ll join us.
Please feel free to email us your suggestions. Look for the discussion in Scoop over the coming weeks and months.
On behalf of Steve Geppi, Bob Overstreet and everyone at Gemstone Publishing, we want to wish you Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, and the very best throughout the New Year.
