Just thought to reprint this old article from 2002 for shat and giggles.
Investors Leave Stocks To Find Comic Relief
Copyright 2002 The Times-Picayune Publishing Co., The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
Byline: Michael Sangiacomo; Newhouse News Service
December 22, 2002
Looking for a safe place to stash your cash? Forget steel mills. Consider the Man of Steel.
Rare comic books have become a hot new investment for people nervous about the stock market, says one of the country's largest dealers in rare comic books. Stephen Fishler, co-owner of Metropolis Comics in New York City, said investors are shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars for the first appearances of Superman, Batman, Captain America and others - comic books that sold for a thin dime more than 60 years ago. They are even investing in newer comics, like 1962's "Amazing Fantasy" No. 15 that features the origin of Spider-Man. That 12-cent comic, in near-mint condition today, is worth about $42,000.
"These are people who have seen their stock portfolio go down for the past two years," Fishler said. "They want to put their money someplace where it will perform, not shrink. These high-end collectible comics have only grown and grown every year," Fishler said.
In many cases the new buyers are not comics fans, just business people. Fishler said he has sold $1.5 million worth of comics to one man, $1 million to another. D. Chambers, 70, of Amarillo, Texas, pulled $98,000 from his stock portfolio this year and invested in near-mint issues of comics from the early 1940s, including "Exciting Comics" No. 9 and "Suspense" No. 1.
"That one issue of 'Suspense' increased in value by 18 percent this year," he said. "The others go up between 12 and 18 percent. I can't do that well in the stock market, certainly not lately. I have them stored in a bank vault for my future."
Ben Smith of Metropolis Comics noted that "Detective Comics" No. 27, the first appearance of Batman in 1938, sold for $80,000 in 1992. That comic is now worth $300,000.
But $80,000 worth of stock from Time Warner, the company that owns DC Comics and Batman, bought in 1992, is worth $164,441 today.
"Marvel Comics" No. 1, the 1939 comic that introduced the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner, recently sold at auction for $350,000. Ten years ago, a copy of "Marvel Comics" No. 1 was worth a mere $42,000.
Just as in the stock market, there are "Blue Chip" comics that have increased in value each year and are considered safe investments.
"There is an increased interest in putting money into . . . comics like 1930s and 1940s Superman, Batman, Captain America, and Wonder Woman," Fishler said. "These books get more valuable every year. Also the EC horror comics of the 1950s are always good investments." Fishler said there are many good investments from the Golden Age besides the obvious ones.
"The late 1930s comics are very good," he said. "There are a lot of very rare comics from that time, obscure titles like 'Phantom Lady' with Matt Baker's scantily clad women on the cover; 'Amazing Man' by Bill Everett; and those wonderful 'Master Comics' [featuring Captain Marvel Jr.] with anti-#### covers by Mac Raboy. Few people can afford the Holy Grail of comics, 'Action' No. 1."
But Norman Klopp, a partner at Midwest Investments in Cleveland, does not recommend trading in a stock portfolio for old copies of "Blue Beetle."
"Comics are a form of art and come under the heading of alternative forms of investing," he said. "That would include coins, stamps, antiques and the like. You have to know what you're doing. I would never touch it because I am not knowledgeable in that area. It's hard to put an intrinsic value on a comic book beyond supply and demand."
Klopp said he can look at a building and figure out what it will be worth in 10 years. He can't do that with a comic book.
"That's why we take a very conservative approach to the stock market with a well-diversified portfolio," he said.
Article Copyright 2002 The Times-Picayune Publishing Co., The Times-Picayune[/b]
Me? I like to read 'em.
