I always tell myself "just because something is rare, doesn't mean it's valuable". I feel a lot of people in collectibles forget this and assume because they have something which is hard to obtain, it must be worth a high premium. Demand is so much more important in determining value than rarity. Ideally you want to invest in collectibles which are both rare and in-demand.
“What is popular now, is not going to be popular 50 years from now”. 100% true statement. A great example of this, Sothebys used to have a paperweight division 30 years ago. An entire department dedicated to the auction of paperweights. Admittedly I know ZERO about paperweights but I can tell you this… I would bet there are less than a handful of people under the age of 30 who collect paperweights.
I've got a couple. Got them from charity shops though so the price was next to nothing. They're beautiful items but definitely not something I'd consider investable!
You have integrity. Instead of harvesting views and subscribers by pandering to the newbies, you are educating your audience. I have learned more about this market watching a few of your videos than watching videos from less than ethical TH-camrs for the past couple of years.
I agree....thanks to your videos over the years, totally changed my mind. I only buy stuff i love now & not for the investment. Will be happy owning it & never selling it.
Great video. When I was a kid, I happened to own all early Valiant comics - Harbinger, Solar, etc. My father told me to “sell them now while the market is hot.” I assumed he didn’t understand the comic market and that I was holding books that would eventually be as valuable as Amazing Fantasy 15. Here we are 30 years later, and we all know how that story ended. It was a good lesson, and like you I invest in traditional index funds and stocks. Long term, that’s the way to go. Thanks again
I realized first hand yesterday that you are correct about modern graded books being bad investments. I took two cgc 9.6 modern books to a local comic shop yesterday (AVP 1 and a Red Sonja variant cover), both have current listings and comps $60+ on ebay. These werent even investments, just wanted them gone for some extra cash, was willing to lose 50% on them. The guy tells me: “we’re gonna pass on these, graded books have really slowed down for us the last few years, we wont be able to move them unless its a 9.8 vintage key.” I’m like….dude, what? I would have taken 40 bucks for both of them and you could put them on YOUR ebay store and make a profit. A comic I paid almost $100 on ebay is worth literally nothing to someone who owns a business selling comics and collectibles. Just wild to me when I saw it broke down that way, I realize this market isnt even doing well and its still in a bubble 😂
I have a porcelain flamingo statue commissioned by Bugsy Siegel to give to VIP guests opening night of the Flamingo Hotel / Casino in Las Vegas (1946). Most of these fragile figurines ended up on the casino floor that night broken / damaged. There are less than 75 known to still be in existence… Now with ALL that going for it, the most one of these flamingos ever sold for was around $5000, with most going for $2500. It’s rare, it’s old, it has an interesting history, it caters to mafia/Vegas/casino/hotel collectors and is STILL a relatively affordable collectible. Shawn is spot on.
agree with this video…. and I invested about 90% of my portfoli in stocks thru my life… i’m 60 now.. and my portfolio is moslty now in cash accounts making guarantied 4-5%…. but my fun side still has about 10% in sports cards… mostly vintage sport cards.. yes they have no value other then what someone would pay for it… but for me its a hobby and fun… and I do expect to sell them in about 10 years and DO BELIEVE they will be worth more thne they r today...
I went to a comic store the other day and they had a rack of the 90s POTF mint in box, selling for $6 each... The same price I paid for them in the 90s! Manufactured scarcity in action.
It’s funny that you mentioned power of the force. Some guy on Reddit was so adamant about how it’s possible that in 30 years those figures could increase in value. No matter what anyone told him it didn’t matter he was sticking to the idea that in 30 years they could increase in value. I’m far from an expert in this stuff and I was frustrated, can’t imagine the stuff you deal with.
Not sure why but something about this video made me curious if you've done a video about the "antique" car market. Certainly a bit different than usual "collectibles" but I imagine there's some intricacies and perhaps even crossover with other antique markets.
Mtg and Pokémon both have at least some longevity yet I'm operating more like reseller role. MTG has a fantastic old school community and Pokemon has wide collector base partly outside tcg enthusiastics.
You should do a video on old metal toy trucks. Met a guy that had a ton, sitting in the bed of his truck exposed to the elements, and he still wanted a ton for each.
Really good work here, people need to remember what there cost basis is for the collectible they purchased that determines there ror .. the flipper is a toned down day trader ... again great videos... keep preaching
I have a very specific question if you (or anyone else) have the time to provide some insight. The only funko pops I have are from the regular show. I have the entire set. If I don’t have an emotional attachment to them, do you recommend I sell now? They are currently worth around 1k-1.5k for the lot. Unsure if that will go up, down, or stay constant
Thanks for the videos. Very informative. It would be nice to have a video about "selling into the hype". How does one know when to sell? Obviously, this the most crucial - but also most difficult - question. But, are there perhaps some signs and signals that NOW is the time to sell? Is the hype peaking or still on its way up?
Enjoy the channel and would like to see a video on vintage sports cards. Especially the legends that are historical figures. How do you view that market over the next several decades?
I own a couple boxes of rare and “valuable” mtg cards but I don’t look at them as financial investments because I know for a fact that the company that makes them can reprint them at any time. The cards are neat to look at, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t bet my retirement on them.
In your opinion, how do you feel the Boom/But cycle is currently playing in our either raw or graded cards, versus raw or graded comic books? Are they in parity with the ups and downs? Or detached? Unless if I am misreading, a fried of mine spec out cards more than comics and comics more than cards & am seeing a little More of a "Boom" in cards, currently?
I have a coworker that's heavy into vintage Star Wars and he swears that the value will never go down. I told him with the way Di$ney has screwed up,by the time today's kids are in their 40s and 50s(the age of most Star Wars collectors right now) they wont give a damn and that market will more than likely take a nose dive.
You were wrong about nobody paying you for a four-leaf clover. The top sale on eBay right now is $19 for one four-leaf clover. Not a huge sale but still somebody bought it 🍀
But Shawn... Tom Hanks is going after type-writers! Build your business model by hoarding type-writers, and selling to Tom Hanks! 😄 Joking aside... completely agree with your comments in this. 👍
If I want to maximize the bids on a comic I want to sell at auction, is it better to go with an auction house that extends bidding if a bid is placed at the end (anti-sniping) or one where sniping is allowed? Heritage, ComicConnect and Goldin fall into the former. Ebay and Comiclink fall into the latter category. Just curious what you think. I am trying to determine which auction house I want to use to sell a large portion of my collection.
You should never pick an auction house based on whether or not they have extended bidding. You choose an auction house based on credibility, consignment rate, and how much experience they have in the market.
Let's assume that a non-extended bidding platform and an extended bidding platform are pretty equal on these criteria (e.g. ComicLink vs ComicConnect), then is there a preference if the goal is to maximize return on auction sale? @@ReservedInvestments
I would dump the Funcos ASAP. If you have vintage Pokemon, I'd keep those but dump any moderns. This is what I would do, I'm not telling you to do it, you need to decide for yourself
I see future kids buying X men going to take their own kids to see the new X men .. over swamp thing.😂 Darth vader . Spiderman. Batman . Superman. have bankable spin offs. just timeless stuff
@@ReservedInvestments listen Shawn, you need to understand something. Pokémon video games offer a compelling investment proposition driven by their iconic brand and consistently strong market performance. The enduring popularity of the franchise translates into a stable and growing market share, presenting investors with a reliable opportunity for long-term returns. Additionally, the strategic expansion of the Pokémon brand into various media and merchandise enhances its overall value, making it an attractive and diversified investment within the gaming industry.
Did the Pokemon Company help write that for you? There’s opportunity in any market depending on how much you pay for something, that said there is also tremendous risk.
Maxed out my Roth and celebrated by buying a MTG Dr. Who booster box for $200 to sit on. Worst case scenario I'll have $485 worth of fun ripping them open in 10 years.
Are you making a video hasbro fired 1100 employees today? They are not doing well today since kids are not buying toys anymore? What is going on? What would happen future toys if no kids want toys today.
diversification when you are young is sub-optimal. Berkshire is diversified across about a dozen positions. Diversification keeps you wealthy. Concentrated bets can make you rich.
I think this applies to who you're trying to outperform. With diversified index funds, you'll do about as well as the average index fund investor (A large portion of investors). If you want to be Warren Buffet, you're going to need to do far better than the average index investor requiring likely more concentration. By definition, impossible for the average investor. There's likely a high chance that you're not the next Warren Buffet. But maybe.
Imagine Warren Buffet watching this video and thinking "Bro." I learned the "glorified hoarder" lesson the hard way after taking a long look in the mirror.
You talked about the POTF Star Wars figures. Why? Those were newly released modern figures line. The toys that should've been bought and discussed were the original SW figures. Where today the prices are higher. They were high even in 2013. POTF was a duplicated line of original figures and a money grab for George Lucas. That's cherry-picking. You know the best is usually the first release run or first figure released character. Im not sure about antique and old paper money. You need people interested. I see less and less interest in that. You have to enjoy what you collect. That's why people collect. We'll see, though.
Because back in 1995 ‘vintage’ Star Wars figures were not vintage yet seeing as they were only discontinued in 1985 and were still selling in clearance bins at toy stores in 1987. Do the math…or actually read a book! OMG…
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency are making a huge comeback now. Since bitcoin etf will get approval next year. I am glad I am buying bitcoin and cryptocurrency in the bear market in 2 years. Now it a huge payoff since it call dollars cost of average. Since I am in profit zone in cryptocurrency. I treat cryptocurrency like my spy500. It is like stock market. I will be selling in the hype in the next bull run. I will be sell in 20 percent each time if I hit my price target.
Get back to us when you actually sell...now you're like the person doing well at the black-jack table on a hot run. Profits only count when you're on the plane home from Vegas and promising yourself you're never going back.
"I will be selling in the hype in the next bull run." I'd advise that you are in it now. You're playing with fire, if you have profit, take it and run.
I always tell myself "just because something is rare, doesn't mean it's valuable". I feel a lot of people in collectibles forget this and assume because they have something which is hard to obtain, it must be worth a high premium. Demand is so much more important in determining value than rarity. Ideally you want to invest in collectibles which are both rare and in-demand.
Kimmies status: Owned
Timmies status: Blown out
Poindexters: Vaporized
“What is popular now, is not going to be popular 50 years from now”. 100% true statement. A great example of this, Sothebys used to have a paperweight division 30 years ago. An entire department dedicated to the auction of paperweights. Admittedly I know ZERO about paperweights but I can tell you this… I would bet there are less than a handful of people under the age of 30 who collect paperweights.
💯
I've got a couple. Got them from charity shops though so the price was next to nothing. They're beautiful items but definitely not something I'd consider investable!
You have integrity. Instead of harvesting views and subscribers by pandering to the newbies, you are educating your audience. I have learned more about this market watching a few of your videos than watching videos from less than ethical TH-camrs for the past couple of years.
Thank you for the kind words.
I agree....thanks to your videos over the years, totally changed my mind. I only buy stuff i love now & not for the investment. Will be happy owning it & never selling it.
Great video. When I was a kid, I happened to own all early Valiant comics - Harbinger, Solar, etc. My father told me to “sell them now while the market is hot.” I assumed he didn’t understand the comic market and that I was holding books that would eventually be as valuable as Amazing Fantasy 15. Here we are 30 years later, and we all know how that story ended.
It was a good lesson, and like you I invest in traditional index funds and stocks. Long term, that’s the way to go.
Thanks again
I realized first hand yesterday that you are correct about modern graded books being bad investments.
I took two cgc 9.6 modern books to a local comic shop yesterday (AVP 1 and a Red Sonja variant cover), both have current listings and comps $60+ on ebay. These werent even investments, just wanted them gone for some extra cash, was willing to lose 50% on them. The guy tells me: “we’re gonna pass on these, graded books have really slowed down for us the last few years, we wont be able to move them unless its a 9.8 vintage key.”
I’m like….dude, what? I would have taken 40 bucks for both of them and you could put them on YOUR ebay store and make a profit. A comic I paid almost $100 on ebay is worth literally nothing to someone who owns a business selling comics and collectibles. Just wild to me when I saw it broke down that way, I realize this market isnt even doing well and its still in a bubble 😂
I have a porcelain flamingo statue commissioned by Bugsy Siegel to give to VIP guests opening night of the Flamingo Hotel / Casino in Las Vegas (1946). Most of these fragile figurines ended up on the casino floor that night broken / damaged. There are less than 75 known to still be in existence… Now with ALL that going for it, the most one of these flamingos ever sold for was around $5000, with most going for $2500. It’s rare, it’s old, it has an interesting history, it caters to mafia/Vegas/casino/hotel collectors and is STILL a relatively affordable collectible. Shawn is spot on.
"Stale donut strike!" Sounds like a Pokemon attack in itself. Lol Love your vids, and love taking class from you.
agree with this video…. and I invested about 90% of my portfoli in stocks thru my life… i’m 60 now.. and my portfolio is moslty now in cash accounts making guarantied 4-5%…. but my fun side still has about 10% in sports cards… mostly vintage sport cards.. yes they have no value other then what someone would pay for it… but for me its a hobby and fun… and I do expect to sell them in about 10 years and DO BELIEVE they will be worth more thne they r today...
I went to a comic store the other day and they had a rack of the 90s POTF mint in box, selling for $6 each... The same price I paid for them in the 90s! Manufactured scarcity in action.
Yea, I'm glad I never bought them.
As a typewriter collector, I feel validated by this video. I recommend Olympia over Hermes and Smith Corona 😅
What about white out vs liquid paper?
It’s funny that you mentioned power of the force. Some guy on Reddit was so adamant about how it’s possible that in 30 years those figures could increase in value. No matter what anyone told him it didn’t matter he was sticking to the idea that in 30 years they could increase in value. I’m far from an expert in this stuff and I was frustrated, can’t imagine the stuff you deal with.
Another great one professor! Thanks for educating the masses.
I cannot be old enough to be called a professor though, can I be?
Not sure why but something about this video made me curious if you've done a video about the "antique" car market. Certainly a bit different than usual "collectibles" but I imagine there's some intricacies and perhaps even crossover with other antique markets.
I would sell the comic right before the Swamp Thing movie hit. If they do it.
Mtg and Pokémon both have at least some longevity yet I'm operating more like reseller role. MTG has a fantastic old school community and Pokemon has wide collector base partly outside tcg enthusiastics.
You should do a video on old metal toy trucks. Met a guy that had a ton, sitting in the bed of his truck exposed to the elements, and he still wanted a ton for each.
That falls under cast iron collectibles. I am actually working on a video on this now….
@@ReservedInvestments awesome. So wagons and dutch ovens all together, eh?
Always love the humour and content from this channel, keep up the great work!
Are you doing a video on the han solo blaster selling for over $1 million? Is this a collectible fire arm ?
No and no. It’s a movie prop, not a collectible firearm. If it fired real lasers, it’d be a collectible firearm.
Great channel ... glad i found it...
Really good work here, people need to remember what there cost basis is for the collectible they purchased that determines there ror .. the flipper is a toned down day trader ... again great videos... keep preaching
I have a very specific question if you (or anyone else) have the time to provide some insight. The only funko pops I have are from the regular show. I have the entire set. If I don’t have an emotional attachment to them, do you recommend I sell now? They are currently worth around 1k-1.5k for the lot. Unsure if that will go up, down, or stay constant
Great work
Thanks for the videos. Very informative. It would be nice to have a video about "selling into the hype". How does one know when to sell? Obviously, this the most crucial - but also most difficult - question. But, are there perhaps some signs and signals that NOW is the time to sell? Is the hype peaking or still on its way up?
Enjoy the channel and would like to see a video on vintage sports cards. Especially the legends that are historical figures. How do you view that market over the next several decades?
Do we know how old the people buying the rare expensive cards are?
I own a couple boxes of rare and “valuable” mtg cards but I don’t look at them as financial investments because I know for a fact that the company that makes them can reprint them at any time. The cards are neat to look at, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t bet my retirement on them.
It depends what kind cards you have. If they are old enough they can be very collectible and won't be printed at all or at that form they are.
This is brilliant insight. Subscribed.
Played this on my night time speedwalking workout. Thanks a ton!
hard to disagree with any of this. No demand : Worthless
Oh trust me, people are still trying to disagree with this video, sadly. Thank you for your comment.
Thanks for all you do. I need to ween myself off of the modern MTG and just buy the old stuff.
Amen!!! Oh sorry you didn't ask for one. ;)
Thank you for the knowledge.
Good one
In your opinion, how do you feel the Boom/But cycle is currently playing in our either raw or graded cards, versus raw or graded comic books? Are they in parity with the ups and downs? Or detached? Unless if I am misreading, a fried of mine spec out cards more than comics and comics more than cards & am seeing a little More of a "Boom" in cards, currently?
Christmas presents? How long has this boom been?
Hey did you ever make that tax follow up video about the benefits of being a dealer?
I have so many videos in what I call production h*ll, that I honestly don’t think so as of yet.
Thank you very much
I have a coworker that's heavy into vintage Star Wars and he swears that the value will never go down. I told him with the way Di$ney has screwed up,by the time today's kids are in their 40s and 50s(the age of most Star Wars collectors right now) they wont give a damn and that market will more than likely take a nose dive.
i meant to say i collect 80 s wrestling i will never sell it but i do have a spending problem
Knowing is half the battle.
One of your best yet
Shawn is the Goat 🐐
He’s something…
You were wrong about nobody paying you for a four-leaf clover. The top sale on eBay right now is $19 for one four-leaf clover. Not a huge sale but still somebody bought it 🍀
So would you invest in it? It’s rare…lol.
Wait I can get $20 for four leaf clovers? I find them all the time.
Yes but if you have been paying attention, once you flood the market with them they will lose value and soon they wont be worth more than a penny.
But Shawn... Tom Hanks is going after type-writers! Build your business model by hoarding type-writers, and selling to Tom Hanks! 😄
Joking aside... completely agree with your comments in this. 👍
If I want to maximize the bids on a comic I want to sell at auction, is it better to go with an auction house that extends bidding if a bid is placed at the end (anti-sniping) or one where sniping is allowed? Heritage, ComicConnect and Goldin fall into the former. Ebay and Comiclink fall into the latter category. Just curious what you think. I am trying to determine which auction house I want to use to sell a large portion of my collection.
You should never pick an auction house based on whether or not they have extended bidding. You choose an auction house based on credibility, consignment rate, and how much experience they have in the market.
Let's assume that a non-extended bidding platform and an extended bidding platform are pretty equal on these criteria (e.g. ComicLink vs ComicConnect), then is there a preference if the goal is to maximize return on auction sale? @@ReservedInvestments
Keep rocking the drip
Very good video
How much money would you recommend putting into these speculative/risky investments? 5% or so at most?
I’ve done videos on this…
20% at most, assuming you can tolerate the risk. This includes all speculative assets, not just collectibles.
damn should I just sell all my pokemon and funko pops at this point?? get out while I can? genuine question.
I would dump the Funcos ASAP. If you have vintage Pokemon, I'd keep those but dump any moderns. This is what I would do, I'm not telling you to do it, you need to decide for yourself
That’s a decision that you have to make. It Also depends on why you bought it and what your strategy was from day one.
Ditto on dumping the Funko's
Like #108 - great video and great advice!
Don't buy last generation's bubbles.
Rudy has left the chat.
I see future kids buying X men going to take their own kids to see the new X men .. over swamp thing.😂 Darth vader . Spiderman. Batman . Superman. have bankable spin offs. just timeless stuff
Hey Shawn, Pokémon video games to the moon, it’s different this time, I swear ❤
🤔
@@ReservedInvestments listen Shawn, you need to understand something. Pokémon video games offer a compelling investment proposition driven by their iconic brand and consistently strong market performance. The enduring popularity of the franchise translates into a stable and growing market share, presenting investors with a reliable opportunity for long-term returns. Additionally, the strategic expansion of the Pokémon brand into various media and merchandise enhances its overall value, making it an attractive and diversified investment within the gaming industry.
Did the Pokemon Company help write that for you? There’s opportunity in any market depending on how much you pay for something, that said there is also tremendous risk.
Lol Moonknight
I'm sitting on copies of Operation Darkness and Deadly Premonition on Xbox 360.
$$$$$$
Why are you sitting on them?!?
Maxed out my Roth and celebrated by buying a MTG Dr. Who booster box for $200 to sit on. Worst case scenario I'll have $485 worth of fun ripping them open in 10 years.
Are you making a video hasbro fired 1100 employees today? They are not doing well today since kids are not buying toys anymore? What is going on? What would happen future toys if no kids want toys today.
diversification when you are young is sub-optimal. Berkshire is diversified across about a dozen positions. Diversification keeps you wealthy. Concentrated bets can make you rich.
That’s not what the research and financial evidence shows. Concentrated in index funds works, so if you are suggesting that, I do agree.
I think this applies to who you're trying to outperform. With diversified index funds, you'll do about as well as the average index fund investor (A large portion of investors).
If you want to be Warren Buffet, you're going to need to do far better than the average index investor requiring likely more concentration. By definition, impossible for the average investor. There's likely a high chance that you're not the next Warren Buffet. But maybe.
But if you would have invested that silver dollar in the stock market in 1896, it would be worth 69k in 2024 😅
I think precious metals are safer than the stock market, and most coin guys know their precious metals.
I’m a coin guy, but have a lot invested in the stock market. Over the long term, stocks have massively outperformed metals.
@@ReservedInvestments I did say safer, stocks are risky to me and I've made plenty in my cryptos for risk.
Imagine Warren Buffet watching this video and thinking "Bro." I learned the "glorified hoarder" lesson the hard way after taking a long look in the mirror.
first view and comment
You talked about the POTF Star Wars figures. Why? Those were newly released modern figures line. The toys that should've been bought and discussed were the original SW figures. Where today the prices are higher. They were high even in 2013. POTF was a duplicated line of original figures and a money grab for George Lucas. That's cherry-picking. You know the best is usually the first release run or first figure released character.
Im not sure about antique and old paper money. You need people interested. I see less and less interest in that. You have to enjoy what you collect. That's why people collect. We'll see, though.
Because back in 1995 ‘vintage’ Star Wars figures were not vintage yet seeing as they were only discontinued in 1985 and were still selling in clearance bins at toy stores in 1987. Do the math…or actually read a book!
OMG…
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency are making a huge comeback now. Since bitcoin etf will get approval next year. I am glad I am buying bitcoin and cryptocurrency in the bear market in 2 years. Now it a huge payoff since it call dollars cost of average. Since I am in profit zone in cryptocurrency. I treat cryptocurrency like my spy500. It is like stock market. I will be selling in the hype in the next bull run. I will be sell in 20 percent each time if I hit my price target.
Get back to us when you actually sell...now you're like the person doing well at the black-jack table on a hot run. Profits only count when you're on the plane home from Vegas and promising yourself you're never going back.
Hope you have fun, little Timmy 🥴
@@katielowen that stale donut is going to leave a mark...😎
I can will commit my profit takings to a the class of grammers
"I will be selling in the hype in the next bull run." I'd advise that you are in it now. You're playing with fire, if you have profit, take it and run.