Just some random comments on the various threads running through here:
- The only real way to have a valid "comics exchange" that tracked prices would be to do exactly what NYSE and the like do: Every sale must happen under their watchful eye and pay them a commision to count. That may be possible in cooperation with eBay and the like and/or a grading service like the CGC.
- I'm still half-interested in seeing what such a system would theoretically involve, and if anybody wants to tinker with ideas, drop me a line--I can do development, have web space, and even a running company. So while it's an evil idea, at least it'd be out in the open before the profiteers and speculators get hold of it.
- I'm not particularly offended by people who collect the objects as objects, but it does bother me that those books are pulled from circulation. The more people investing or collecting/hoarding, the fewer chances exist to buy cheap and/or scan. We've already talked about examples like the various ashcans and prototypes--they're public domain, but it's unlikely we'll ever get any of them. (Speculation, I really don't get--it's far too risky and leads to bad practices in the rest of the industry.)
- Ken's absolutely right that this market inflation can't last forever. When it crashes, it's going to crash hard. All investment is, essentially, a pyramid scheme, where you can't get a good payout unless more people pay more in, or at least more money (hence the reliance on "consumer confidence" in the stock markets). And the faster the prices rise, the faster that wall is going to hit.
- As hinted, I've never really understood collecting for the sake of collecting. I did it for a while, because (like Cimm), I grew up in the '70s and '80s, when polybags were just something you...needed. But I still yanked the books out of the bags regularly to reread them, including a small handful of books that would probably give some collectors heart attacks. To me, they're carriers of ideas, stories, and art (usually in about that order), not museum pieces.
- At some point, the comic book industry really should consider a compromise measure. Scans are fine, but digital media never lasts as long as well-maintained paper. A physical comic book library/archive with the backing of the publishing companies would preserve the books without making them unattainable "collectables." Alas, that's not really a trivial undertaking, and the companies aren't really in a position to actively avoid profit.
