Author Topic: Hobby-Flation  (Read 694 times)

Offline number six

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Hobby-Flation
« on: September 11, 2020, 04:12:00 PM »




Whenever I think Pinball prices are out of control, I remember it could be worse.

(I think the Frazetta is actually not that bad of a price, that's an absolute unit of a painting)

Offline Niloc

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2020, 06:16:53 PM »
Well original artwork... whole different beast than say video game collecting. That Frazetta is way more likely to hold its value than the After Burner painting though.

The whole bubble around 8 and 16bit video game stuff is going to pop, including related things like game art, displays, books, etc. Prices have been flatting out on that stuff for a while, and eventually you just get to people who aren't old enough to have nostalgia for it. They certainly won't pay hundreds of dollars for a rare NES cart - if they're interested at all they'll just play an emulator or one of the retro mini systems.

« Last Edit: September 11, 2020, 06:45:49 PM by Niloc »

Offline number six

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2020, 09:52:20 PM »
Well original artwork... whole different beast than say video game collecting. That Frazetta is way more likely to hold its value than the After Burner painting though.

The whole bubble around 8 and 16bit video game stuff is going to pop, including related things like game art, displays, books, etc. Prices have been flatting out on that stuff for a while, and eventually you just get to people who aren't old enough to have nostalgia for it. They certainly won't pay hundreds of dollars for a rare NES cart - if they're interested at all they'll just play an emulator or one of the retro mini systems.

I've been collecting game art for awhile, its never been $18k for something like that.. it's just nuts. A few years ago I bought the cover to the NES game "Cowboy Kid" for a whopping $400. It's totally gay:



I traded it for the cover to a genesis game, maybe I should have kept it. hard to say but I didn't want to look at that half naked indian and broke back stash every day.

People keep saying the classic game bubble is going to pop but I dunno, prices keep rising. I also know kids way younger than us (definitely after the 'era' of these systems) that are into it. A lot of it is still the hipsters with money, they've ruined everything.

Offline toastbot

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #3 on: September 14, 2020, 11:07:35 AM »
...the NES game "Cowboy Kid" for a whopping $400. It's totally gay:

Gay? All I see are a couple of macho men.

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Offline tufnel1530

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2020, 12:28:55 PM »
Isnt some of the point of collecting things that you hope they are worth more someday?




Offline toastbot

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2020, 05:00:57 PM »
Isnt some of the point of collecting things that you hope they are worth more someday?

I would argue that what you describe is technically "investing"

Like a collection can be an investment, but it doesn't have to be

Now, when companies release something called "collector's edition," ugh, don't get me started on that bullshit
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Offline Richie107

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #6 on: September 14, 2020, 05:31:13 PM »
I think the worst that bugs me is sports cards.. Why would someone pay $$$$ for a printed picture on a piece of cardboard?? Its not like its interactive or anything special, just an overpaid athlete who got their picture taken and printed on some card stock.. oh and the gum always sucked and was stale lol..

Offline brewmeister_us

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #7 on: September 14, 2020, 06:58:13 PM »
Never have seen the Frazetta Princess of Mars before today.

Reminded me of the Lost World backglass. 

I think Paul Faris may have had some influence from here (skimpily clad woman, warrior with sword, big lizard (in my backyard)...

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Offline number six

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #8 on: September 15, 2020, 10:00:33 AM »
Gay? All I see are a couple of macho men.




Lol, i don't have a good picture of it handy but actual painting was even more gay. Not sure if anyone was paying $18k for that but you never know.

Offline number six

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #9 on: September 15, 2020, 10:03:33 AM »
Isnt some of the point of collecting things that you hope they are worth more someday?

It's a double-edged sword though. Once they all start going for $5k-$10k to $20k (!) that's great for any items you own but that means you'll never buy another one.

For example when I first started collecting Fantasy art in the early 2000s I really liked TSR art.. aka classic Dungeons and Dragons.

Well this crazy millionaire guy in hong kong got it in his head he wanted all the TSR art in the world to maybe open a museum or something. He offered everyone with TSR artwork $15k (or more) cash for any TSR art they had. It was a really nice payout if you were sitting on any but it also means that I have seen no TSR art for sale in the last decade nor will I ever probably see any again.

Offline number six

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #10 on: September 15, 2020, 10:06:11 AM »
I would argue that what you describe is technically "investing"

Like a collection can be an investment, but it doesn't have to be

Now, when companies release something called "collector's edition," ugh, don't get me started on that bullshit

Yeah many people see collections as investing. Watch collectors can be like that.. but when it gets to that level it's not as fun as collecting for the joy of it. When you start paying into the 5-figures for stuff and you have to be worried about re-sale value, you are becoming a stock broker. Pinball is definitely like that now but its a bit easier to navigate.. you just have to be sensible and not buy a crappy title that everyone hates and chances are you'll get most of your money back if you don't try to sell it until its out of production. However with paintings and stuff that's rough and what if you overpay or the market drops.. that's a lot of money to gamble with.

Offline number six

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2020, 10:08:00 AM »
I think the worst that bugs me is sports cards.. Why would someone pay $$$$ for a printed picture on a piece of cardboard?? Its not like its interactive or anything special, just an overpaid athlete who got their picture taken and printed on some card stock.. oh and the gum always sucked and was stale lol..

Man Sports cards is a whole 'nother ball of wax.

First off, everything most of us had as kids is worthless because they overprinted the living hell out of cards in the 1980s and 1990s.

Then mint was no longer mint, it was 10 levels of mint with the highest levels being almost impossible to obtain.

I gave all my baseball cards away to a friend who I think burned them. I only kept my Tom Seaver cards (Rest in Peace Tom!) and some non-sports stuff like my old Garbage Pail Kids.


Offline number six

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2020, 10:10:37 AM »
Never have seen the Frazetta Princess of Mars before today.

Reminded me of the Lost World backglass. 

I think Paul Faris may have had some influence from here (skimpily clad woman, warrior with sword, big lizard (in my backyard)...

Frank Frazetta is like the Picasso of modern Fantasy Illustration. He came up in the 50s and 60s. His art revolutionized the genre, most fantasy artists after that time will show an influence.

One of the reasons I think Pinball art from the late-70s to the early 80s is so amazing is because it's definitely more pulp/gritty and takes a lot of inspiration from Frazetta in many cases. Before that time Pinballs were cartoony and simple. By the late 80s the art became tighter and more polished especially on the licensed pieces that had to go through approval.. so you lost a lot of character.

As crazy as it sounds I think $1m for that Frazetta piece is a good deal, if i was insane rich I'd go for it.

Offline HammysHangout ( Hammy )

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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #13 on: September 15, 2020, 10:20:24 AM »
with the # of baseball cards printed, it will take 60-80 years before they are worth anything, and then only great players will be worth something, and i really can't think of any real "greats" like Babe Ruth from the 80s-90s.  I don't recall the 60's cards from my uncles collection being worth a lot until the late 80s, not even sure what they would be worth now, stopped following in the 90's ..

Other item is "90's comic books" pretty much most of them have lost value do to overprinting.

I think i have/had some that went up in value a little, but then fell out when a movie came out and bombed ( ie, Spawn ) .. So many franchises started , and then died off.

To me, pinball will probably stay at 80% of retail price for anything post 2010. only a few titles will command a higher dollar amount, and those who bought them when the market fell will reap the rewards.   



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Re: Hobby-Flation
« Reply #14 on: September 15, 2020, 11:29:43 AM »
...pinball will probably stay at 80% of retail price for anything post 2010. only a few titles will command a higher dollar amount, and those who bought them when the market fell will reap the rewards.

um. when was that?  :P

stern keeps jacking up the price $100 every 1/2 year. a Pro will run you $6500 in 3 years.

jersey jack, $11,500 yellow brick road? nothing's crashed yet. it needed to years ago...but nope.

now look at arcades. stupid upswing in value. basically 6-7 years behind pinball's spike.
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