I have the only CGC Graded set of Marko Djurdjevic Ultimate Fallout variants for issues 1-6, with the Yellow Labels per the current census. I also snagged the recently retired Miles Morales custom labels so my connecting set is the only one that will have all Yellow OG Miles labels, ever. I paid $20 per copy and am asking $50,000 obo.
I bought 3,036 copies of the Batman Day edition of Batman/Fortnite: Zeropoint Specual Edition from my LCS (Mile High Comics) to get 6 of the 1-in-500 variants. I sold 3 to friends to cover my costs so I got 3 of the 1:500 and 30 of the 1:100 for free. A 9.9 graded copy of the 1:500 was recently traded for a 9.8 and $6,000 cash.
This is the truth I needed to hear. Recently got back into collecting and working on filling out my ASM run. The past months I’ve spent way more getting all sorts of variant covers for different books trying to get the new hotness, when in reality if I spent that money on the books I’m actually after I’d be much happier. Keep up the good work 🤙
Told my son almost the exact same thing the other day. Collect what you love, because if you love it more than likely there are a lot more people that love it too. Try to always collect what you love not what's gonna make money!
@@ComicBookInvestmentsA variant is the exact same book with a different cover right? I saw a bunch of different covers for some of my favorite comics with my favorite character and got excited thinking it was new comics I had never heard of just to find out it was the same book just with a cover with my favorite character.
I love your no bullshit approach. Tough medicine to swallow for most collectors. Interesting that most of the variants that have done well over time are either Batman or Spidey books
Also, hot women covers!!! But the same rule applies. Only get it if you like it. I was not a fan of that Rose Besch WW B&G cover even though folks were going wild. So i stayed away. Still wouldn’t buy it even though its so much cheaper now.
Great research and video as always. The sad thing is people might be able to buy a lower grade raw copy of UF4 first print for what they are buying this trash variant for. For sure a nice second print. But if youtube guy or gal is buying 100 copies people want in on that action.
I love these types of videos as you crunch the numbers and do the research for us. I like some incentive covers but it looks like it is almost always better to just wait on them. I think the only catch is if something big happens in the issue or if the cover is really stunning.
lol...this is great...young ones learning about what happened in the 90's with gimmik covers - every week a shelf of 'collectable' #1s - every week with Glow in the Dark or Foil or Die Cut or Scratch and Sniff or Holographic or connecting covers or a Gem glued to the cover or, or, or.....almost all those books are worth nothing - even the few that now have movie characters are relatively little as far as what return you could have gotten in the same time period on actual investments..... at least those books often introduced a new character so have some basis for value other than just pretty or shinny etc.
Definitely a tough one to swallow, because I was glued to every auction during SDCC 2022. However, i knew what i liked, set a ceiling for what i was willing to pay, and largely kept to it. I knew that certain books would get cheaper as the weekend went on, so i held out for a cheaper price on certain books. But ultimately, if you don’t really like the cover, stay away. The buyer’s regret is real!!! Although i do NOT regret overpaying for my Joker #2 1:50. 😂
This is such a great video. Me and my wife are new to collecting. We started back in May, and we bought everything that we liked. We currently have so many Venom covers, which is not a complaint because it's what we like. Going forward, we are going to be very selective with the covers we choose. Every time we leave a LCS, we say we have to start focusing and narrowing down our list. We are doing this, so we don't go broke just by buying whatever. We don't have FOMO at all; we are just inexperienced. Videos like this help us out tremendously. Soda City Comic Con is in 9 days, and we already have a list of what we are looking for. Buy what we like, stick to Cover A's, and buy the variants if we want them.
This is a great great video! Thank you. I'm a variant fan only for titles I'm collecting, and my favorite artists. I normally wait on variants till my lcs has a sell, or they clean out pull boxes. I love when youtubers brag about how they got the one of 80 variant, but then few months later auctioning it off, or doing a giveaway with their followers. Great video!!
I want to start by saying this channel is awesome and always spot on. That having been said, I feel a bit misled with this episode. The teaser for this episode showed the 1:25 black panther 3 Clark variant, but Dave failed to mention that book altogether. It seems to be hanging in pretty strong price wise. Would you say it it bucking this trend, or does that remain to be seen? Was it left out of the analysis because it doesn't support the argument? thanks. Keep up the great content!
To be fair, he did show a bunch of good variants that have stood the test of time and spoke to the rise in value & those books ability to keep rising in price & demand. I’d sell Tosin apps so quick while people are still clinging onto the idea that character will ever be something. Holding a dead-ender too long is also a mistake.
Well for me personally. I dont mess with 9.8 that much. I do have a few I bought that way. But nothing crazy. But I do have some huge variants in my collection. I bought raw and before the hype. So for me my $50 to $200 dollar variant purchases are sitting really pretty right now. The black and white spawn #1 $125. Thanos #13 Albuquerque variant $80 and the invincible ironman #9 1:50 $50 just to name a few right of the top of my head. I never cared about high grade slabs. I just got the books I liked in my budget. :) to each their own I always say. But for me I just sit back and enjoy the hobby. Dont worry about what's trending. Or losing money. Even if a book I bought drops some. I win because I personally care and wanted the book. And I'm happy with it regardless. Great work put into this post.
thanks Dave, this video is great. Made me realize that i'm guilty for Variant Fomo Syndrome. While watching i realized i bought a few variants the past year that have predictably gone down in price like you documented. On top of Variants, there are also limited edition comic store exlusives from Comic Mint, Frankie's comics that also fall into same category. Keep preaching!
I saw an online auction of all variant covers a few months ago. Popular seller, lukewarm interest from buyers and low prices compared to the “market value”. I have very few variants because the main cover is usually the one I prefer. The few I have are from artists I enjoy, the art looks great and the book is already on my pull list.
I agree in terms in the investment aspect. Picked up a couple of below $30 9.8 cbcs's of some of my favorite Variant covers. That's half off just sending it off myself, and I have the guaranteed grade! Variants are only good for immediate raw FOMO flips in terms of investment. And when I say immediate, I mean immediate. A lot of books drop off after a week. Even if you buy cheap, if its not already in hand, ready to sell; your chance of loss is incredibly high.
Dave, Love your passion on this timely video...Collect what you love. Not to chase something to flip 10 mins later. Nothing wrong with collecting great cover art though. #acetategate
Amazing video my dude. FOMO can be real, and I’m sure it’s bit us all a time or two. It’s great keeping things in perspective when it comes to the modern books/variants.
YES! Finally someone to call the modern market what it truly is…textbook capitizing on FOMO! It’s a flash in the pan market that catches uneducated collectors that believe in the hype. This video is not only great but gives huge advise to new collectors to not get caught in the trap. I think you said it best for the variant market, collect what you like and wait some months before buying these variants and don’t focus on them as an investment. Thanks for all you do, you are one of the reasons I started my UA-cam channel🙏
Very good video and quite insightful. A lot of collected editions include full page variants that you can buy for 1/10 of the price of these variants and you get a full story usually to boot lol!
Man, you seriously brought on the heat. And this is why I always enjoy viewing your channel. Thanks for bring the sources of your argument so that people can see your point; well done, my dude. Now, if I can only get you to see the light that the Hulk is the SECOND strongest there is. ;)
best explanation of variants I've ever watched. I'm someone who is greatly susceptible to FOMO - and this was tough for me to really grasp without being presented with numbers as done here. Buy the variants you want to own, spec here and there, but loading up on variants is very very costly.
So… I appreciate your research and providing some of the cost information regarding some of these variant covers. I have always found chasing around all of the variants a chore in collecting comics, so I don’t need much of an excuse not to chase them around. I remember this 30 years ago with Platinum Spiderman #1.
Interesting stuff bro-thanks for doing this! I’d say that 85% or better of what I buy are for my PC! Also, sometimes I get extra copies if there is some speculation potential at the time that could possibly help fund the hobby. If not, at least I like it. As you mentioned, buy variants if you like them. That’s definitely the main driver for me. There are some phenomenal ones being done by many of my favorite artists. With that said, I’m learning to be more patient and wait for the prices to come down. Funny you mentioned that King Spawn 1 signed series. I got CGC SS of it, Scorched 1 and Gunslinger Spawn 1 for less than $500 each about a month ago! They are all for the PC of course! 👍🏾😀
I only go for variants of first appearances where the character appears on the cover, and only in certain cases. For example, Clone Wars 1 first Ahsoka (1000 copies), which I bought for $100 about five years ago
Solid video! I agree for the most part about variants but what if the (investment) approach was to only try and buy variants with lower print runs (1:25, 1:50, 1:100, etc.) and only pay about 2x to 4x the raw cover price?
Just FYI. The acetate cover is actually Black Flag's UF #4 facsimile cover from 2021. They slapped on the acetate cover on top of the old cover and added 2 extra staples. That's one of the numerous reasons people are pissed at Black Flag. (Black Flag is the online store that produced the variant.
Black Flag is scummy, but they’re a retailer looking to make a buck today, I’d expect no less from a seller. I’d blame CGC squarely on this as there’s no way you blue label this book & give 9.9s & 10s. They’re supposed to be an independent 3rd party (i.e., reliable with some set of standards) and they royally screwed the pooch on grading those.
I really appreciate this video. I am somewhat new to collecting and with the return of conventions this year, I have been trying to figure out this whole variant game. Keep up the great work.
Buy what you love for you. I own 6 slabs which I purchased and the most recent one was Deathblow #1 in a 9.8 for $35 and I bought it because I always loved the cover for some reason, it’ll never be worth anything to anyone but me.
I agree, if there's one you really like just wait and it's more than likely to come way down. I usually buy the ones I like unless they're super expensive, and they're just for my PC.
My Immortal Hulk variants have actually done very well however they were bought because I love the covers, not for investments. This video perked my interest and made me check. Good video.
I whole heartedly agree with what you are talking about. I got caught up in the FOMO and most of what I bought has depreciated. One book you didn't mention that I think has actually done well is the Wonder Woman Black and Gold #1 Louw variant. I bought that book because I love the cover and it's in my personal collection. The fact that it has gained value over the issue price doesn't matter to me. Louw did an incredible job on the cover and it's gonna stay in my collection. I started buying only covers and variant books that I like. Not for what they may be worth. The Batman #125 Louw variant is also a nice cover but not as good as the WW. I bought the Batman one because I read Batman and it's Zdarsky's first Batman book. If you buy what you like, you will never be disappointed in any drop in value.
Agreed! I’m a collector and seller. I buy variants I like and can see myself putting on the wall/displaying. I’m sick of the runs with 30 different covers and feeling like Pokémon having to get them all. Also, the unoriginal shit like the Tyler Kirkham battle damage where he does the same cover over and over and changes the face. We get it. You can draw the same pick over and over with a different face on it. How about some originality. He also signs EVERYTHING. Don’t waste your money buying a signed copy as there are so many in circulation, they are not rare and you can pick one up for pennies in the dollar bin.
I agree that modern comic variants are trash as investments. I decorated my wall with 22 various Dr. Doom comics (the Wall of Doom!) since he is my favorite. Mostly old books, but also a handfull of modern books just because they have nice Doom covers purely for decoration. I got lucky with the purchase of a FF#1 (2018) Sienkiewicz 8.5 raw which has an awesome Doom cover because it came back from CGC a 9.8. Im sure it will be worthless in the future but for now its worth 4 times what i paid thanks to the seller (mcs) undergrading it.
I love many of the Harley covers. I started collecting again just last April so all the exclusive variants were new to me. I spent far too much money the first two or three months. I realized what I really loved were virgin variant and minimal trade covers that feature DC females. So I try to stick with those and scroll and scroll until I find bargains. I seldom pay more than $10 per book anymore.
@8:15 that Mobieus variant was also what they used for the marvel x Primitive Skateboards collab. That would be the one I’d get! Much easier to sell, especially if you pair it with the skate deck!
Thankfully that's the only reason I buy some of the covers is because I like the variance but definitely people are going to be disappointed in the future I have to concur with that thank you for your information again David really enjoy the shows
@@ComicBookInvestments yeah I got that ice cream man variant for 20 bucks and a 9.6 so I'm golden on that and I bought it cuz I like the cover but nobody else bid on it so I won the auction at 15 bucks plus five dollar shipping but thanks again David I love your knowledge and the fact that you enjoy sharing it
It took me a while to figure out what I’m doing in the hobby. I collect silver and Bronze Age books, read some good modern titles and buy some modern books for cover art only. As long as I stick to that approach I’m happy with my hobby.
Thanks for posting Dave. Variants are just another way for the publishers to have us part with our hard earned dough, but they can be nice. Whatever happened to 2nd printings? And of course to muddy the market further, there are now facsimile books. The industry has become a woke fest of covers with female characters in thongs. I'll stick to my Marvel Silver age books as always. Best to all.
I'm not a fan of variants (I've been jaded by them ever since X-Men 1), but I don't entirely agree. If the issue itself has value, then a more-in-demand variant with lower supply should fetch more than the standard issue. I'll use the example of Batman 92, the first cover for Punchline. Right now, the standard copy and the variants are roughly the same price, but, IMHO, the variants that prominently feature punchline are much more desirable than the standard issue that has Punchline on the cover, but she isn't featured. Isn't a beautiful cover that features the character of interest more important than the barcode (talking about how newstands are higher priced even though they're essentially the same comic). Time will tell if I'm right or wrong and also, for me, the issue itself has to have importance before I'm interesting in investing in its variant.
that is true about variants, I i never buy those books as investments, but because I love the art or just owning the rareity, I buy vintage golden ,silver and bronze or certain copper first appearances for investing
I agree...But like...I've played the waiting game with the Mario Cover for 8 billion genies...And now it had 100% increase =\ So my new strategy is the rule of cool + faith that the progect is good enough to get some kind of addpitation some day. As a new fan of comics, is very tempting seeing a hot book that is limited to 1000 or something...But I'm learning the hard reallity now...
Just wait a few months for 8billion genies to cool off. Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. When douches like Comic Tom stop putting them on their top 10 lists to sell them for a better price at his sale sites), it’ll crater. Ironically same folks that worked stray dogs & if you waited on those variants you can now buy them for less than it costs to slab them.
I think you are right in the first few months through the first 2 years on this Black flag UF4, but with the controversy and since comics are heating up now the nostalgia of the event. This will cause the book to settle up from the 2 year low at the 5-10 year mark if you like me buy in at the down forgotten time you could make a big profit.
Dave I'd like you to do an episode where you compare investmemt growth values of cover A's versus the variant covers. Based on this video, I think you may find that it's just best to ignore variants and focus on cover A's. I'd be curious to see what your findings are. Thanks!
My rule of thumb is for investment purposes, stick with books published before 1975. For books published 1975 or later -- with very, very few exceptions (e.g, BA 12, TMNT 1, ASM 300) -- buy them for collecting purposes.
If you're going to buy variants the way to go is the 1980s newstand variants which were not actually considered variants for the first 30 years of their life. They are accidental variants. And nobody bothered to pay attention or preserve them. That's why there's so much scarcer in high grade than direct versions today
I picked up some LSH Jim Lee variants from 2010 that I love. LSH #1 Saturn Girl was about $80 (9.4ish) and the other 5 cost on average $20. Well worth it for the PC. LSH is my favorite. Hoping to put some cash and trade books together to get an Adventure Comics 247. Maybe next year when I get my books back from CGC.
Not all variants are trash for investment. I guess that 1 percent 😁 from the 99 percent mentioned. Discern correctly when collecting. Ask other collectors for opinions that always helps and goes a long way. Doesn't hurt to ask for help.
Pretty much agreed. A lot of variants are just manufactured scarcity. Sure some of the variants will go up exponentially (because of the low print run vs demand), but most variants are just shiny objects that go into obscurity after a few months because the demand just isn't there. You need to ask yourself, why would anyone want this variant? It helps if you at least have decent artwork or a popular artist or a first appearance, but it is no guarantee that your variant will appreciate over time.
I’m just glad that I have probably 80% of those super high-end variants that you reference, and I bought them for almost nothing back in the day. The one I have that you didn’t hit and I’d be interested in was the wolverine number 1 black variant exchange chase Deadpool book.
@@ComicBookInvestments I used to love the hunt, then everything had a ton of variants & it lost its luster. But I have 9.8 of that Wolverine 1 exchange Variant SS by JSC. I had a Siege 3 ‘Pool variant too but traded that away for a GA Cap. I laughed at the UF4 variant (but I chuckle no more as I wish I bought back when they were a few hundred bucks). The one book I wished I bought was a Spawn 185 sketch book when Portacio was selling a few he had but I was daft enough to say ‘no’ because he wanted a lot for the time & the book has obvious spine tics. That was one I wish I had back. But in the end books are just that, don’t cry over anything that can’t cry over you. Hope your band is doing well, stuff like that gives the world meaning.
Top notch, educated arguments as usual. Are you going to talk about the oddities going on CGC regarding the absurdly large amount of 9.9a, 10s on a modified variant cover?
@@ComicBookInvestments yes. I forgot where I read that the percentage of books submitted that went as a 9.9 or 10 was absurdly high, like suspiciously high. Also I believe CBCS said they won’t grade it but CGC is in too deep and will keep grading it including the upcoming convention variants like this bc they already started the process. Sorry I’m not being specific enough.
By the logic of your argument, you can say the same thing about buying weeklys no? 99% of the books released every week are trash if measured in the same way.
Nah, I think you have missed the point in comic book collecting. Comic book collecting is NOT about an investment mentality. Sure, you can certainly move in to the game to be a flipper and make some cash. But the collectors who also look at and READ their comics - we are not about a hot return on our investment only. We collect them because we love them. It is our hobby. And I am sure that is true for you also. Now, like any comics, after a WHILE some of us start favouring certain issues and certain key issues. Over the long haul particular issues tend to rise in demand because it's a hot comic for various reasons, often, but not only, because it's a first appearance of significance. Now, if you want to play the money game with hot new comics, all well and good - buyer beware. But if you stay in the game as a long term investor, and look to collect comics which are showing themselves in demand over a longer time, you will make decent money. In this respect, there are indeed a number of the key variant issues which collectors will gradually want and pay good money for. We DO like the scarcer cover. Your job in comic book investments is to work out which variants have the long term good return.
I'm 99% with you, but the exceptions make the rule. There are a bunch of high-profile artist's variants that consistently outpace the value on standard covers. As those artists have gotten more prolific the prices have tended to stabilize, but there are certainly a lot of early Peach Momoko Variants that command 2-3 times the value of the standard editions. With new, hot artists entering the hobby all the time there is good sense and an established precedent for scooping some of them up. But I would recommend purchasing those as pre-orders -and whenever possible, pre-ordering a guaranteed graded 9.8. In some of your examples you are looking at months in the center of the 2021 boom, so you are going to see drastic drops almost across the board NOW. In that sense, by showcasing examples of variants that have gone UP in price even a little bit could be interpreted as performing above the market. In the two Moon Knight examples you are comparing a #1 to a #200. Even though they are both Sienkiewicz variants featuring the same character, a new #1 is almost always going to retain more value than an inconsequential higher number, but in this case that 2014 #1 is the first appearance of the Mr. Knight version of the character -who appeared in the Disney+ series. That #200 cover is a repurposing of a previously printed image and a much more minor key, being the first appearance of False Truth, which is merely a corrupted version of a side character. The Most Important factor in deciding whether or not a variant has better investment potential than a standard issue (or at all) is that some Variants are keys that feature characters or events on the cover that are absent from other covers (and even entire other issues). Think of the Walmart Spider-verse #1 Variant, which features Spider Zero on the cover, or your Son of Kal-El #1 Third Printing which is scarce but also features an historic same-sex kiss. That was clearly the one to own. The Mss Minutes cover to Timeless #1 will also prove to be the smart choice for that fully-hyped book when that character returns in any number of TVA related plots down the pike, and that B&W 2nd printing is basically gold.I bought mine for cover price off the rack. And really, that's the gospel here. It is very rarely worthwhile to buy a variant once it has hit the reseller market unless it is an important and recognized Key. Look at the original Ultimate Fallout #4 Djurdjevic 1:25 variant, which sells for about 5 times the price as the standard 1st printing. That might be the driver of interest in the bootleg acetate Clayton Crain Facsimile Edition. I consider it a counterfeit because it has after-market additions and damage (the extra staples) but with a 750 print run it is the single rarest edition of Miles Morales' first appearance. Even though it is a facsimile edition, that scarcity matters when it is a key and there are a lot of rabid Miles Morales fans. If you could have gotten one for $85 at C2E2 as much as I hate to admit it, that was probably a smart purchase because aside from the reasons already named, that edition is also now an infamous comic. The handful of CGC 9.8s submitted by Clayton Crain might end-up being the only ones that CGC will grade in a blue label. The backlash over the situation makes this empirical certainly, but if they do continue graded submissions those raw copies will definitely be worth 3 or 4 times what they cost last weekend.
*_Is this correct, the "Acetate-re-cover has all ready been slabbed and it didn't get a Green Label?? Why wasn't this Ultimate Fallout book labeled with a GREEN label? Did CGC forget their own rules??_*
I will never forget one person paid 4500 for a 9.8 signed Stan Lee ASM 700 ditko variant in 2012 when that fool could of bought a low grade Af 15 for that back then. That gave me a good laugh
I mean the obvious point here is that the more a book is in the first place, the less room it has to grow. That combined with a limited market for a particular high price variant means the drop in price for most variants makes a ton of sense.
figured this out the hard way came back to comics and started collecting and reselling variants, did not turn a profit. Still buy the ones I really like butt now I wait.
Can’t say I totally agree with you. Your first demonstration showed 50%, though I think you got confused with the + and - the second demonstration showed 70 drop off. I do agree that UF4 by black flag is pointless. I think the figures were a bit confusing. Anyway keep it up I always watch.
I wish they'd return to coming up with ONE cool 'GIMMICK' cover with Silver Embossing and Holograms and a Die-Cut feature, instead of hiring a dozen random artists to do another 'average' cover for customers to choose from...
I always try to get the virgin variant of the original cover. Marvel is doing crazy variants to introduce a new comic like Predator, a predator variant cover for everything every week this month.
"More than 99% of them will never be worth anything" "So you're Telling me there's a chance? "- Lloyd Christmas
Hahhaha love that movie. I quote it all the time
what if there is a limited to say 250 copies variant?
I have the only CGC Graded set of Marko Djurdjevic Ultimate Fallout variants for issues 1-6, with the Yellow Labels per the current census. I also snagged the recently retired Miles Morales custom labels so my connecting set is the only one that will have all Yellow OG Miles labels, ever. I paid $20 per copy and am asking $50,000 obo.
I bought 3,036 copies of the Batman Day edition of Batman/Fortnite: Zeropoint Specual Edition from my LCS (Mile High Comics) to get 6 of the 1-in-500 variants. I sold 3 to friends to cover my costs so I got 3 of the 1:500 and 30 of the 1:100 for free.
A 9.9 graded copy of the 1:500 was recently traded for a 9.8 and $6,000 cash.
This is the truth I needed to hear. Recently got back into collecting and working on filling out my ASM run. The past months I’ve spent way more getting all sorts of variant covers for different books trying to get the new hotness, when in reality if I spent that money on the books I’m actually after I’d be much happier.
Keep up the good work 🤙
Told my son almost the exact same thing the other day. Collect what you love, because if you love it more than likely there are a lot more people that love it too. Try to always collect what you love not what's gonna make money!
Exactly
I agree. I have about $3000 worth of variants. It's all about the artwork and will be worthless to anyone except me. Good video.
Agreed. Variants are just a cooler image of the original cover
@@ComicBookInvestmentsA variant is the exact same book with a different cover right? I saw a bunch of different covers for some of my favorite comics with my favorite character and got excited thinking it was new comics I had never heard of just to find out it was the same book just with a cover with my favorite character.
I love your no bullshit approach. Tough medicine to swallow for most collectors. Interesting that most of the variants that have done well over time are either Batman or Spidey books
Also, hot women covers!!!
But the same rule applies. Only get it if you like it. I was not a fan of that Rose Besch WW B&G cover even though folks were going wild.
So i stayed away. Still wouldn’t buy it even though its so much cheaper now.
Great research and video as always. The sad thing is people might be able to buy a lower grade raw copy of UF4 first print for what they are buying this trash variant for. For sure a nice second print. But if youtube guy or gal is buying 100 copies people want in on that action.
keep up the great work Alex!
I enjoy variant covers..;..only because they look cool to me. Thanks for the content!
I love these types of videos as you crunch the numbers and do the research for us. I like some incentive covers but it looks like it is almost always better to just wait on them. I think the only catch is if something big happens in the issue or if the cover is really stunning.
Agree with that statement on store exclusives. Ratios however, can have potential.
lol...this is great...young ones learning about what happened in the 90's with gimmik covers - every week a shelf of 'collectable' #1s - every week with Glow in the Dark or Foil or Die Cut or Scratch and Sniff or Holographic or connecting covers or a Gem glued to the cover or, or, or.....almost all those books are worth nothing - even the few that now have movie characters are relatively little as far as what return you could have gotten in the same time period on actual investments..... at least those books often introduced a new character so have some basis for value other than just pretty or shinny etc.
Definitely a tough one to swallow, because I was glued to every auction during SDCC 2022.
However, i knew what i liked, set a ceiling for what i was willing to pay, and largely kept to it.
I knew that certain books would get cheaper as the weekend went on, so i held out for a cheaper price on certain books.
But ultimately, if you don’t really like the cover, stay away. The buyer’s regret is real!!!
Although i do NOT regret overpaying for my Joker #2 1:50. 😂
This is such a great video. Me and my wife are new to collecting. We started back in May, and we bought everything that we liked. We currently have so many Venom covers, which is not a complaint because it's what we like. Going forward, we are going to be very selective with the covers we choose. Every time we leave a LCS, we say we have to start focusing and narrowing down our list. We are doing this, so we don't go broke just by buying whatever. We don't have FOMO at all; we are just inexperienced. Videos like this help us out tremendously. Soda City Comic Con is in 9 days, and we already have a list of what we are looking for. Buy what we like, stick to Cover A's, and buy the variants if we want them.
This is a great great video! Thank you. I'm a variant fan only for titles I'm collecting, and my favorite artists. I normally wait on variants till my lcs has a sell, or they clean out pull boxes. I love when youtubers brag about how they got the one of 80 variant, but then few months later auctioning it off, or doing a giveaway with their followers. Great video!!
I fully agree dude, I strictly collect silver and a bit of bronze. Some variant covers are beautiful to look at tho, not as investments.
Yes. That is why I bought that rogue variant. I loved that cover
Yep, also First Appearances of characters that have spanned generations.
I agree with you. It took me about a year to learn it, but I finally got it through my thick skull.
I want to start by saying this channel is awesome and always spot on. That having been said, I feel a bit misled with this episode. The teaser for this episode showed the 1:25 black panther 3 Clark variant, but Dave failed to mention that book altogether. It seems to be hanging in pretty strong price wise. Would you say it it bucking this trend, or does that remain to be seen? Was it left out of the analysis because it doesn't support the argument? thanks. Keep up the great content!
Agree
To be fair, he did show a bunch of good variants that have stood the test of time and spoke to the rise in value & those books ability to keep rising in price & demand. I’d sell Tosin apps so quick while people are still clinging onto the idea that character will ever be something. Holding a dead-ender too long is also a mistake.
Well for me personally. I dont mess with 9.8 that much. I do have a few I bought that way. But nothing crazy. But I do have some huge variants in my collection. I bought raw and before the hype. So for me my $50 to $200 dollar variant purchases are sitting really pretty right now. The black and white spawn #1 $125. Thanos #13 Albuquerque variant $80 and the invincible ironman #9 1:50 $50 just to name a few right of the top of my head. I never cared about high grade slabs. I just got the books I liked in my budget. :) to each their own I always say. But for me I just sit back and enjoy the hobby. Dont worry about what's trending. Or losing money. Even if a book I bought drops some. I win because I personally care and wanted the book. And I'm happy with it regardless. Great work put into this post.
thanks Dave, this video is great. Made me realize that i'm guilty for Variant Fomo Syndrome. While watching i realized i bought a few variants the past year that have predictably gone down in price like you documented. On top of Variants, there are also limited edition comic store exlusives from Comic Mint, Frankie's comics that also fall into same category. Keep preaching!
ya we are all guilty of the FOMO monster hahaha, but if this video helps one person, then its worth it
I saw an online auction of all variant covers a few months ago. Popular seller, lukewarm interest from buyers and low prices compared to the “market value”. I have very few variants because the main cover is usually the one I prefer. The few I have are from artists I enjoy, the art looks great and the book is already on my pull list.
I agree in terms in the investment aspect. Picked up a couple of below $30 9.8 cbcs's of some of my favorite Variant covers. That's half off just sending it off myself, and I have the guaranteed grade! Variants are only good for immediate raw FOMO flips in terms of investment. And when I say immediate, I mean immediate. A lot of books drop off after a week. Even if you buy cheap, if its not already in hand, ready to sell; your chance of loss is incredibly high.
Dave, Love your passion on this timely video...Collect what you love. Not to chase something to flip 10 mins later. Nothing wrong with collecting great cover art though. #acetategate
this is why I only get cover A & a different cover based on what I like. then call it a day
Amazing video my dude. FOMO can be real, and I’m sure it’s bit us all a time or two. It’s great keeping things in perspective when it comes to the modern books/variants.
So pleased to see you’re putting this information out boldly!! Glad someone finally has!!
YES! Finally someone to call the modern market what it truly is…textbook capitizing on FOMO! It’s a flash in the pan market that catches uneducated collectors that believe in the hype. This video is not only great but gives huge advise to new collectors to not get caught in the trap. I think you said it best for the variant market, collect what you like and wait some months before buying these variants and don’t focus on them as an investment. Thanks for all you do, you are one of the reasons I started my UA-cam channel🙏
What a great video! The research you put into this one is amazing! I mean this is UA-cam achievement award worthy! Nice job.
Very good video and quite insightful. A lot of collected editions include full page variants that you can buy for 1/10 of the price of these variants and you get a full story usually to boot lol!
Man, you seriously brought on the heat. And this is why I always enjoy viewing your channel. Thanks for bring the sources of your argument so that people can see your point; well done, my dude. Now, if I can only get you to see the light that the Hulk is the SECOND strongest there is. ;)
Spot on brother! I do the same thing with the wait and see approach on variants.
Great data and insight, so moral of the story is if you want it wait a few years and you most likely will get it for much lower
Awesome video and great how you broke it down, people need to control that FOMO.
David did you see the AF15 drop on veve? Its insane that common the OG cover while SR is an ugly cover variant
Thanks for the dose of reality...I went waaay to heavy in variants the past year.... Great show....
best explanation of variants I've ever watched. I'm someone who is greatly susceptible to FOMO - and this was tough for me to really grasp without being presented with numbers as done here. Buy the variants you want to own, spec here and there, but loading up on variants is very very costly.
So… I appreciate your research and providing some of the cost information regarding some of these variant covers. I have always found chasing around all of the variants a chore in collecting comics, so I don’t need much of an excuse not to chase them around. I remember this 30 years ago with Platinum Spiderman #1.
Interesting stuff bro-thanks for doing this! I’d say that 85% or better of what I buy are for my PC! Also, sometimes I get extra copies if there is some speculation potential at the time that could possibly help fund the hobby. If not, at least I like it. As you mentioned, buy variants if you like them. That’s definitely the main driver for me. There are some phenomenal ones being done by many of my favorite artists. With that said, I’m learning to be more patient and wait for the prices to come down. Funny you mentioned that King Spawn 1 signed series. I got CGC SS of it, Scorched 1 and Gunslinger Spawn 1 for less than $500 each about a month ago! They are all for the PC of course! 👍🏾😀
That’s good. Just learn to wait and get the ones you want. And then your good
@@ComicBookInvestments I fully agree bro! 🙂
Excellent analysis and graphics Dave. Really appreciate the effort you put into these videos. I know it’s a lot of work👍.
I love that ASM 678. Would probably be the only big money variant I would pay up for.
Haha you tell him Dave! You had me laughing right from the get-go I see no lies here!!
Haha. Thanks :)
what if there is a limited to say 250 copies variant?
I only go for variants of first appearances where the character appears on the cover, and only in certain cases. For example, Clone Wars 1 first Ahsoka (1000 copies), which I bought for $100 about five years ago
Solid video! I agree for the most part about variants but what if the (investment) approach was to only try and buy variants with lower print runs (1:25, 1:50, 1:100, etc.) and only pay about 2x to 4x the raw cover price?
Just FYI. The acetate cover is actually Black Flag's UF #4 facsimile cover from 2021. They slapped on the acetate cover on top of the old cover and added 2 extra staples. That's one of the numerous reasons people are pissed at Black Flag. (Black Flag is the online store that produced the variant.
Ya I’m aware. That is why marvel doesn’t see it as a variant cover
Let's not forget CGC's part in this too. Both, in my opinion, did bad things.
Black Flag is scummy, but they’re a retailer looking to make a buck today, I’d expect no less from a seller. I’d blame CGC squarely on this as there’s no way you blue label this book & give 9.9s & 10s. They’re supposed to be an independent 3rd party (i.e., reliable with some set of standards) and they royally screwed the pooch on grading those.
I really appreciate this video. I am somewhat new to collecting and with the return of conventions this year, I have been trying to figure out this whole variant game. Keep up the great work.
Buy what you love for you. I own 6 slabs which I purchased and the most recent one was Deathblow #1 in a 9.8 for $35 and I bought it because I always loved the cover for some reason, it’ll never be worth anything to anyone but me.
I agree, if there's one you really like just wait and it's more than likely to come way down. I usually buy the ones I like unless they're super expensive, and they're just for my PC.
Thank you for another informative video. Great warning for everyone.
My Immortal Hulk variants have actually done very well however they were bought because I love the covers, not for investments. This video perked my interest and made me check. Good video.
I agree. I always buy cover A, and maybe once in a blue moon I’ll buy a variant if I think it looks dope!
I learned this the hard way. Thanks very good video. 👍
I whole heartedly agree with what you are talking about. I got caught up in the FOMO and most of what I bought has depreciated. One book you didn't mention that I think has actually done well is the Wonder Woman Black and Gold #1 Louw variant. I bought that book because I love the cover and it's in my personal collection. The fact that it has gained value over the issue price doesn't matter to me. Louw did an incredible job on the cover and it's gonna stay in my collection. I started buying only covers and variant books that I like. Not for what they may be worth. The Batman #125 Louw variant is also a nice cover but not as good as the WW. I bought the Batman one because I read Batman and it's Zdarsky's first Batman book. If you buy what you like, you will never be disappointed in any drop in value.
Agreed. Just buy the book based off what you like. Also wait. Don’t get it out of the gate. Because it will be way too much
Thanks for this video.
Can you please share what website you are using to compare those prices?
Agreed! I’m a collector and seller. I buy variants I like and can see myself putting on the wall/displaying. I’m sick of the runs with 30 different covers and feeling like Pokémon having to get them all. Also, the unoriginal shit like the Tyler Kirkham battle damage where he does the same cover over and over and changes the face. We get it. You can draw the same pick over and over with a different face on it. How about some originality. He also signs EVERYTHING. Don’t waste your money buying a signed copy as there are so many in circulation, they are not rare and you can pick one up for pennies in the dollar bin.
this is how content should be done great job on explaining fomo
Very well said David! Great video!!
Cool video! Always wondered what variants maintained their value
Enjoyed content. Agree with the problems with new variants.
I agree that modern comic variants are trash as investments. I decorated my wall with 22 various Dr. Doom comics (the Wall of Doom!) since he is my favorite. Mostly old books, but also a handfull of modern books just because they have nice Doom covers purely for decoration. I got lucky with the purchase of a FF#1 (2018) Sienkiewicz 8.5 raw which has an awesome Doom cover because it came back from CGC a 9.8. Im sure it will be worthless in the future but for now its worth 4 times what i paid thanks to the seller (mcs) undergrading it.
That’s awesome. Yes variant covers are more about the art then the price
Only variants I ever collected were the Frank Cho Harley ones, they were the same price as the main cover as all variants should be
I love many of the Harley covers. I started collecting again just last April so all the exclusive variants were new to me. I spent far too much money the first two or three months. I realized what I really loved were virgin variant and minimal trade covers that feature DC females. So I try to stick with those and scroll and scroll until I find bargains. I seldom pay more than $10 per book anymore.
@8:15 that Mobieus variant was also what they used for the marvel x Primitive Skateboards collab. That would be the one I’d get! Much easier to sell, especially if you pair it with the skate deck!
Thankfully that's the only reason I buy some of the covers is because I like the variance but definitely people are going to be disappointed in the future I have to concur with that thank you for your information again David really enjoy the shows
Thanks. Ya if you like it. Buy it. Just don’t think it will be worth a lot down the road
@@ComicBookInvestments yeah I got that ice cream man variant for 20 bucks and a 9.6 so I'm golden on that and I bought it cuz I like the cover but nobody else bid on it so I won the auction at 15 bucks plus five dollar shipping but thanks again David I love your knowledge and the fact that you enjoy sharing it
I know you said Canada A variant, but in my car just listening, I heard Canada eh variant.
It took me a while to figure out what I’m doing in the hobby. I collect silver and Bronze Age books, read some good modern titles and buy some modern books for cover art only. As long as I stick to that approach I’m happy with my hobby.
Thanks for posting Dave. Variants are just another way for the publishers to have us part with our hard earned dough, but they can be nice. Whatever happened to 2nd printings? And of course to muddy the market further, there are now facsimile books. The industry has become a woke fest of covers with female characters in thongs. I'll stick to my Marvel Silver age books as always. Best to all.
I'm not a fan of variants (I've been jaded by them ever since X-Men 1), but I don't entirely agree. If the issue itself has value, then a more-in-demand variant with lower supply should fetch more than the standard issue.
I'll use the example of Batman 92, the first cover for Punchline. Right now, the standard copy and the variants are roughly the same price, but, IMHO, the variants that prominently feature punchline are much more desirable than the standard issue that has Punchline on the cover, but she isn't featured.
Isn't a beautiful cover that features the character of interest more important than the barcode (talking about how newstands are higher priced even though they're essentially the same comic).
Time will tell if I'm right or wrong and also, for me, the issue itself has to have importance before I'm interesting in investing in its variant.
I bought the Dell’Otto Spider-Man variant recently because I liked it. It just caught my eye.
Thanks Dave 🤙🏽 loved the video preach on !
I agree 1000% with your video in the long run variants will not hold there value if you buy them just know it should be for your own PC.
I agree, stopped buying store exclusives a few years ago. Now they kinda make me rage a bit. haha
that is true about variants, I i never buy those books as investments, but because I love the art or just owning the rareity, I buy vintage golden ,silver and bronze or certain copper first appearances for investing
I agree...But like...I've played the waiting game with the Mario Cover for 8 billion genies...And now it had 100% increase =\
So my new strategy is the rule of cool + faith that the progect is good enough to get some kind of addpitation some day.
As a new fan of comics, is very tempting seeing a hot book that is limited to 1000 or something...But I'm learning the hard reallity now...
Just wait a few months for 8billion genies to cool off. Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. When douches like Comic Tom stop putting them on their top 10 lists to sell them for a better price at his sale sites), it’ll crater. Ironically same folks that worked stray dogs & if you waited on those variants you can now buy them for less than it costs to slab them.
I think you are right in the first few months through the first 2 years on this Black flag UF4, but with the controversy and since comics are heating up now the nostalgia of the event. This will cause the book to settle up from the 2 year low at the 5-10 year mark if you like me buy in at the down forgotten time you could make a big profit.
Looks like the vast majority that do increase in value are "good girl" covers.
Dave I'd like you to do an episode where you compare investmemt growth values of cover A's versus the variant covers. Based on this video, I think you may find that it's just best to ignore variants and focus on cover A's. I'd be curious to see what your findings are. Thanks!
I will do a video on modern books soon. But they don’t fair much better
Really good video! Well done
My rule of thumb is for investment purposes, stick with books published before 1975. For books published 1975 or later -- with very, very few exceptions (e.g, BA 12, TMNT 1, ASM 300) -- buy them for collecting purposes.
If you're going to buy variants the way to go is the 1980s newstand variants which were not actually considered variants for the first 30 years of their life. They are accidental variants. And nobody bothered to pay attention or preserve them. That's why there's so much scarcer in high grade than direct versions today
I picked up some LSH Jim Lee variants from 2010 that I love. LSH #1 Saturn Girl was about $80 (9.4ish) and the other 5 cost on average $20. Well worth it for the PC. LSH is my favorite. Hoping to put some cash and trade books together to get an Adventure Comics 247. Maybe next year when I get my books back from CGC.
Miles morales 1:25 djurjavek or however u spell it.. holding its value and other Miles 1:10s and 1:25s
Not all variants are trash for investment. I guess that 1 percent 😁 from the 99 percent mentioned.
Discern correctly when collecting. Ask other collectors for opinions that always helps and goes a long way. Doesn't hurt to ask for help.
Pretty much agreed. A lot of variants are just manufactured scarcity. Sure some of the variants will go up exponentially (because of the low print run vs demand), but most variants are just shiny objects that go into obscurity after a few months because the demand just isn't there. You need to ask yourself, why would anyone want this variant? It helps if you at least have decent artwork or a popular artist or a first appearance, but it is no guarantee that your variant will appreciate over time.
I’m just glad that I have probably 80% of those super high-end variants that you reference, and I bought them for almost nothing back in the day. The one I have that you didn’t hit and I’d be interested in was the wolverine number 1 black variant exchange chase Deadpool book.
Wow. That’s cool u got those high valued variants
@@ComicBookInvestments I used to love the hunt, then everything had a ton of variants & it lost its luster. But I have 9.8 of that Wolverine 1 exchange Variant SS by JSC. I had a Siege 3 ‘Pool variant too but traded that away for a GA Cap. I laughed at the UF4 variant (but I chuckle no more as I wish I bought back when they were a few hundred bucks). The one book I wished I bought was a Spawn 185 sketch book when Portacio was selling a few he had but I was daft enough to say ‘no’ because he wanted a lot for the time & the book has obvious spine tics. That was one I wish I had back. But in the end books are just that, don’t cry over anything that can’t cry over you. Hope your band is doing well, stuff like that gives the world meaning.
I noticed a rather, shall we say curvy repetition to the variants on your list that did go up! Lol. I guess dudes will be dudes. Haha.
Top notch, educated arguments as usual. Are you going to talk about the oddities going on CGC regarding the absurdly large amount of 9.9a, 10s on a modified variant cover?
The uf acetate cover? That shouldn’t have been graded by cgc
@@ComicBookInvestments yes. I forgot where I read that the percentage of books submitted that went as a 9.9 or 10 was absurdly high, like suspiciously high. Also I believe CBCS said they won’t grade it but CGC is in too deep and will keep grading it including the upcoming convention variants like this bc they already started the process. Sorry I’m not being specific enough.
@@ekwon4764 Oh there are many of us aware of what you are referring to its right there in the census.
By the logic of your argument, you can say the same thing about buying weeklys no?
99% of the books released every week are trash if measured in the same way.
Nah, I think you have missed the point in comic book collecting. Comic book collecting is NOT about an investment mentality. Sure, you can certainly move in to the game to be a flipper and make some cash. But the collectors who also look at and READ their comics - we are not about a hot return on our investment only. We collect them because we love them. It is our hobby. And I am sure that is true for you also. Now, like any comics, after a WHILE some of us start favouring certain issues and certain key issues. Over the long haul particular issues tend to rise in demand because it's a hot comic for various reasons, often, but not only, because it's a first appearance of significance. Now, if you want to play the money game with hot new comics, all well and good - buyer beware. But if you stay in the game as a long term investor, and look to collect comics which are showing themselves in demand over a longer time, you will make decent money. In this respect, there are indeed a number of the key variant issues which collectors will gradually want and pay good money for. We DO like the scarcer cover. Your job in comic book investments is to work out which variants have the long term good return.
I say that in this video. But this video was more on the fact that if you are buying these as an investment. You will most likely get burned
@@ComicBookInvestments Probably not in the longer term. Maybe in the short term, but you'll make your profit if you buy and hold.
I'm 99% with you, but the exceptions make the rule.
There are a bunch of high-profile artist's variants that consistently outpace the value on standard covers. As those artists have gotten more prolific the prices have tended to stabilize, but there are certainly a lot of early Peach Momoko Variants that command 2-3 times the value of the standard editions. With new, hot artists entering the hobby all the time there is good sense and an established precedent for scooping some of them up. But I would recommend purchasing those as pre-orders -and whenever possible, pre-ordering a guaranteed graded 9.8.
In some of your examples you are looking at months in the center of the 2021 boom, so you are going to see drastic drops almost across the board NOW. In that sense, by showcasing examples of variants that have gone UP in price even a little bit could be interpreted as performing above the market.
In the two Moon Knight examples you are comparing a #1 to a #200. Even though they are both Sienkiewicz variants featuring the same character, a new #1 is almost always going to retain more value than an inconsequential higher number, but in this case that 2014 #1 is the first appearance of the Mr. Knight version of the character -who appeared in the Disney+ series. That #200 cover is a repurposing of a previously printed image and a much more minor key, being the first appearance of False Truth, which is merely a corrupted version of a side character.
The Most Important factor in deciding whether or not a variant has better investment potential than a standard issue (or at all) is that some Variants are keys that feature characters or events on the cover that are absent from other covers (and even entire other issues). Think of the Walmart Spider-verse #1 Variant, which features Spider Zero on the cover, or your Son of Kal-El #1 Third Printing which is scarce but also features an historic same-sex kiss. That was clearly the one to own. The Mss Minutes cover to Timeless #1 will also prove to be the smart choice for that fully-hyped book when that character returns in any number of TVA related plots down the pike, and that B&W 2nd printing is basically gold.I bought mine for cover price off the rack. And really, that's the gospel here. It is very rarely worthwhile to buy a variant once it has hit the reseller market unless it is an important and recognized Key.
Look at the original Ultimate Fallout #4 Djurdjevic 1:25 variant, which sells for about 5 times the price as the standard 1st printing. That might be the driver of interest in the bootleg acetate Clayton Crain Facsimile Edition. I consider it a counterfeit because it has after-market additions and damage (the extra staples) but with a 750 print run it is the single rarest edition of Miles Morales' first appearance. Even though it is a facsimile edition, that scarcity matters when it is a key and there are a lot of rabid Miles Morales fans. If you could have gotten one for $85 at C2E2 as much as I hate to admit it, that was probably a smart purchase because aside from the reasons already named, that edition is also now an infamous comic. The handful of CGC 9.8s submitted by Clayton Crain might end-up being the only ones that CGC will grade in a blue label. The backlash over the situation makes this empirical certainly, but if they do continue graded submissions those raw copies will definitely be worth 3 or 4 times what they cost last weekend.
*_Is this correct, the "Acetate-re-cover has all ready been slabbed and it didn't get a Green Label?? Why wasn't this Ultimate Fallout book labeled with a GREEN label? Did CGC forget their own rules??_*
I will never forget one person paid 4500 for a 9.8 signed Stan Lee ASM 700 ditko variant in 2012 when that fool could of bought a low grade Af 15 for that back then. That gave me a good laugh
Wow. That is crazy should have gotten the af 15
Damn that Sienkiewicz cover is dope
It is. That is why it’s 3k 😂
It’s absolutely stunning.
I mean the obvious point here is that the more a book is in the first place, the less room it has to grow. That combined with a limited market for a particular high price variant means the drop in price for most variants makes a ton of sense.
💯 agree. I only buy it if I like it.
figured this out the hard way came back to comics and started collecting and reselling variants, did not turn a profit. Still buy the ones I really like butt now I wait.
Yes. For moderns just buy the ones you like
That why I won't buy new variants, I've seen a 20 to 40% drop after 4 months on most variants, then it might be a good time to get that cover I like
Yes. Just wait. And you’ll be good
Can’t say I totally agree with you. Your first demonstration showed 50%, though I think you got confused with the + and - the second demonstration showed 70 drop off. I do agree that UF4 by black flag is pointless. I think the figures were a bit confusing. Anyway keep it up I always watch.
I wish they'd return to coming up with ONE cool 'GIMMICK' cover with Silver Embossing and Holograms and a Die-Cut feature, instead of hiring a dozen random artists to do another 'average' cover for customers to choose from...
This is a great channel, man...
Last comment my bad but Lee Bermejo variants are amazing.
I wanted that Jee Hyung Lee Ghost Spider 1, but it went up too fast and hasn't dropped off, darn it. Maybe it will at some point.
I always try to get the virgin variant of the original cover. Marvel is doing crazy variants to introduce a new comic like Predator, a predator variant cover for everything every week this month.