Welcome to my lucky 13th in a series of Sports Illustrated informational reviews.
Remember those comic books you used to buy for a nickel, fold them in half and stick them in your back pocket? You’d pull them out in study hall, read them, and then scrunch them up in the back of your locker for safe keeping? The link below might make you wish you would have done that differently.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/FLASH-COMICS-1-ASHCAN-EDITION-CGC-9-6-1939/122319959353?hash=item1c7ad67539:m:mP1rDfs2WYY1n1QN2C32soA
Not that long ago, certainly in my lifetime, collectable vintage comic books were easily purchased (if you could find them before the internet) for a tiny fraction of the realized auction prices of today. If you had done your homework and researched the right comics, the most responsible collection methods, and properly stored your purchases in preparation for the day to come, you would be sipping Mytai’s on a Polynesian Island now instead of regurgitating that depressing lament – “if only…..”
Graded Periodicals – Comics vs Magazines
Once grading became an accepted method of valuing comics, investors immediately realized that collectors would want the best. The highest graded, hardest to find issues, set new sales records at every auction. Comic books routinely began to bring 4-5 figures at every auction. And 20 years later, the trend continues but it was the early adaptors who invested first and benefitted the most. Looking back, there are too many similarities to ignore between the early comic BOOM of the past 20 years and the state of the current Sports Illustrated/TIME market development.
I predict the graded magazine market will follow the same path as the graded comic book market and shame on us if history repeats itself and we miss a second opportunity. Values will escalate quickly and early rewarding early investors and leaving those who waited wondering why. You will not be able to negotiate last year’s prices today. This is not one of those events where supply catches up with demand and the market implodes like 87 Topps. Supply has shown to be difficult at best and impossible at worst – and they’re not printing anymore of this vintage stuff. This is the stuff of dreams and the typical barriers of penetration are non-existent. You don’t need machinery and gobs of money to get started. You need timing. Timing is the investor’s best friend.
The good news is – you are reading this blog – and I have already done the leg work, the internet has already organized all kinds of availability for you, and properly preserving your purchases is a no brainer today. But as we all have the same advantages, the timing window is small. You have in front of you the tip of the iceberg but with every blog I write, the iceberg has melted a bit more.
As promised, the opportunities of six months ago are becoming harder and harder to find. Be an early adaptor and beat the crowd. You will be glad you did.
I say again, if you only get one thing out of this blog, recognize the movement. My goal is to bring light to my readers and reward them with the knowledge of current trends. The rest is up to the beholder.
Great collecting to you and Skyward with Sports Illustrated/TIME!