News — News

As The CGC Rock Poster Revolution continues to unfold, it’s important to remember the BIG PICTURE of where this market was and where it’s going.

For many years, we implored our clientele to buy the highest quality posters they could, and to pay the small premium at the time (usually less than double a damaged copy) to acquire the best examples they could. This advice proved to be prescient and the collectors that acted on this recommendation are sitting pretty today. But the collectors that bought quality in the past were the equivalent to angel investors who bought stock in private companies with a hope and a prayer that they will someday go public. The purchase may pan out, and it may not.

Today’s market is very different. CGC grading is now a reality. The future is far more clear cut and easier to understand. CGC grading of rock concert posters has now “gone public”, and buying today, at today’s price levels is like buying stock in a company when it first goes public.

Let’s look at a few of the most COMMON United States coins, and the premiums attached to high grade examples. 1879-S Morgan Silver Dollar MS60 (Equal to CGC 9.0) $40 , MS66 (Equal to CGC 9.4) $212, MS67 (Equal to CGC 9.8) $580.00 1945 Walking Liberty Half Dollar MS60 $31, MS66 $118, MS67 $635. 1901-S $5.00 Liberty Gold Piece MS60 $350, MS66 $2800, MS67 $10,000

Please note the above examples are the smallest premiums seen for the most common of all coins. Most coins bring FAR HIGHER premiums as the grade ascends! And the examples above are for coins where tens of millions were made and many tens of thousands exist in MS60 or higher. Clearly, CGC graded posters offered today WILL NOT bring 15-30 times what a lesser graded, non CGC graded example would bring. And that represents an opportunity. Based on all other collectibles, we believe it WILL BE POSSIBLE to see similar premiums in the not too distant future.

We believe the focus on top quality concert posters that began several years ago will continue and accelerate. You have this knowledge, the only question now is what you will do with it!

Rare CGC Comic Book Brings Record $956,000! Last week a 1938 Action Comics #1 comic book that was graded by CGC made national news headlines when it brought a staggering $956,000 at auction! 

This event is notable for many reasons. First, read the first two lines of the auction lot description:

It's the holy grail of comic collecting, and we've never auctioned a higher-graded, unrestored copy! In the nearly 15 years since our first auction, we've offered a total of 18 complete copies of the iconic issue, but only nine of those had earned the CGC blue Universal label awarded to an unrestored copy.

The auctioneer clearly explains the importance that this comic book is CGC graded, UNRESTORED, and HIGH GRADE. Furthermore, this is a NUMBER ONE, and readers of this blog are very familiar of the ultra high desirability of a NUMBER ONE in collectibles. This is something we are true believers in and adhering to this collecting philosophy has personally made us many millions of dollars in the collectibles markets over the years.

Lastly, the CNN story states that about 100 copies are known to exist in any condition! MANY of the poster we sell have around 100 known, and many much, much less. And these can be acquired for $150 and up!!!

Please stop for a second and take a break from your very busy day. Stop all the noise in your head and just ponder all of this for a second. The CGC Rock Poster Revolution is unfolding right before your very eyes. We have told you that third party grading would lead to increased media attention, collector participation, rising demand, rising values and a great focus on condition and originality.

We did not pull these ideas out of thin air, or make them up out of whole cloth. We are simply reporting the obvious, what has already happened in SIX OTHER COLLECTIBLES markets.

As a reader of this blog, you should consider yourself lucky to be at the right place, at the right time. You are one of the relative few…for now. There will always be naysayers, but the market speaks louder than any individual. Listen closely to what’s happening now and ACT accordingly.

As we have stated repeatedly, the great majority of posters we handle never make it into our store or auction. If you would like help in starting a collection, it’s up to you to contact us, we are here to help you any way we can.

To view the original auction listing (highly recommended, read carefully) for the CGC comic book, click here:

To view the CNN national headline story, click here:

To get on our secret VIP preferred customer list, drop us a line , scotttilson@me.com

Excitement continues to grow in the collectibles market as word spreads about the third party authentication and grading of posters by CGC.

Since this is at least the SIXTH collectible category to receive third party grading (coins, stamps, baseball cards, comics and paper money), many collectors expect the market for these posters to react in similar and obvious ways experienced by these other collectibles. Specifically, these “First Order” effects include 1) increased media attention, 2) this increased media attention results in a huge increase in NEW collectors that can now collect with confidence. 3) Since this rise in demand is chasing the same small supply, values go up. 4) And since dealers can easily quote buy prices for CGC graded posters sight unseen, liquidity is increased. 5) Also, since third party grading is inherently about distinguishing differences in quality, there is a huge focus on quality.

Not to so obvious, are many second order effects of third party grading, one of which we will discuss now. First, CGC grading will make it much easier to track values and price performance of concert posters. Because there is a standardized grading scale, posters can be far more easily compared to each other and properly valued. Say you have two of the same poster, example A and example B. Example sells for $1000 at auction and a dealer is asking $3000 for the same poster via private sale because it is the best example he has ever handled. Is this a good deal? Without third party grading, it could be hard to say. If example B is in reality much higher quality, it could be a steal. But if it’s the same as example A, it’s hard to say. If BOTH posters were graded by CGC, it would be much easier to know.

Let’s take another valuation example. Lets say that a poster you’ve been hoping to buy finally comes available after 2 years of searching. The dealer wants $2500 and the poster is CGC graded. Your research tells you that this same poster that has traded in the past for $900, 1100, $1500 and $4000. Is it a good deal? It’s hard to say because it’s impossible to know the quality of the other previous sales. If all the posters were graded, the answer would be easy.

One last example will involve past price performance. Lets say you want to determine if a poster has risen in value over the past 5 years. As of now, past price realized are somewhat meaningless unless the same exact example of the same exact poster is sold multiple times. Otherwise, you are not comparing “apples with apples”. Now that CGC is grading posters, you can look at different examples of the same poster in the same grade and compare their price performance over time. So if 3 different examples of the same poster have all been graded 9.0 by CGC, you easily track these data points and see if a clear trend emerges.

The bottom line is that third party grading brings order to collectibles marketplaces that previously operated like the “Wild West”. Make no mistake about it, just a very few posters have been CGC graded. By no means should you pass over the 99.99% of those that have not yet been graded. Just make sure that you are buying from an honest dealer that stands behind their product with a strong guarantee, in writing.

It has just been announced that the phenomenal “Bill Graham and The Rock and Roll Revolution” exhibit that has already appeared in Los Angeles and San Francisco, is now making its way east to Philadalphia!

The exhibit will open 9/16/16 at The National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, Pa. and will run through 1/16/17. The exhibit features over 200 pieces of memorabilia that covers the entirety of Graham’s life and career. The vast majority of pieces in the exhibit are the very same concert posters that have become so sought after by collectors. This news guarantees that a mega bright spotlight will continue to be focused on Vintage Rock Concert Posters in general, and Fillmore posters, in particular. More importantly, with each new museum retrospective, there is a heightened recognition and appreciation for both the historical significance and artistic merits of these artworks. We continue to recommend collecting any and all issues pertaining to Bill Graham concerts.

Our specific advice continues to be the same: Buy the best possible posters you can afford. Buy one great poster instead of five middle of the road pieces. Buy Original First Printings whenever possible. Focus on the highest quality and earliest examples you can find.

Most importantly, understand and act on what you see happening here. Six or seven years ago, it would have been earth shattering news to hear about the appearance of Vintage Rock Concert posters in any major museum. Now, this is happening many times a year. No wonder demand for the best material is far out stripping the tiny available supply! What’s most exciting is that we believe we are just in the top of the second inning as far what you will eventually see develop in this exciting, emerging market. Stay tuned for a detailed report on the Philadelphia exhibit, as soon as it opens.

To read more about the Bill Graham Museum Retrospective, click here:

CGC has recently announced the third party authentication and grading of Vintage Rock Concert Posters. The significance of this announcement should not be overlooked or underestimated. Many are calling this the most lucrative, ground floor collectibles opportunity to present itself in many years. Read on for details…

The Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) is the recognized leader in third party authentication and grading of collectibles. Three times since 1987, CGC has entered a collectibles market. First, rare coins in 1987 (NGC). Second, was rare comic books in 2000 (CGC). And then, rare paper money in 2005 (PMG).

Each and every time - the value for the highest graded and finest quality examples of these collectibles exploded in value, 500%, 1000% and in thousands upon thousands of examples, much, much more!

It is an absolute truth that CGC authentication and grading has added literally BILLIONS OF DOLLARS of market value to rare coins, comic books and paper money.

Yes, that’s BILLIONS, with a “B”. Not millions, or tens of millions, or hundreds of millions.

This is real money, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, that dropped right into the pockets of smart collectors that had the knowledge, understanding and ability to act when the opportunity presented itself! Why has CGC authentication and grading resulted in billions of dollars of increased market value for these other collectibles?

The answer is simple.

Impartial, third party authentication and grading of a collectible allows anyone to buy and participate in that market with total confidence, even if they are just getting started. Fear of counterfeits? GONE!

Fear of undisclosed restoration? GONE!
Fear of misrepresentation? GONE!
Fear of over-grading? GONE!
Fear of liquidity when selling? GONE!

Most importantly, the elimination of all these fears, and their absence in the marketplace, is GUARANTEED by CGC.

This increase in confidence leads to an EXPONENTIAL INCREASE IN DEMAND.

Demand that is chasing the same tiny supply of the finest known examples of a collectible. (Like ocean front real estate, they’re not making any more of it!)

The same thing is now just starting to happen in the marketplace for Vintage Concert posters.

Collectors are scrambling to snap up the finest quality examples they can locate. (9.0 and better)

New players are entering the market.

In many cases, these are the very same players that made a killing in these other collectibles.

These smart collectors understand what they see unfolding right before their very eyes- AGAIN!

But there are four major factors that are DIFFERENT this time. Four factors that lead us to believe the potential desirability and appreciation for Vintage Concert Posters dwarfs what happened when third party authentication and grading of other collectibles was introduced.

1) Vintage Concert Posters are many thousands of times rarer than coins, comic books and paper money! All three of those collectibles were mass produced in the hundreds of millions. The average concert poster was released in an edition of 500 – 3500, with most 1000 or less.

2) Vintage Concert Posters can be displayed in your home! Coins, comics and paper money are almost always stored in vaults or safe deposit boxes, reserved for the quiet, enjoyment of the collector.

These spectacular posters can be enjoyed and displayed, making them so much more desirable, to so many more people. Make no mistake about it, that’s why the most valuable art trades in the hundreds of millions of dollars while the most valuable of these other collectibles trade for 1-2 million dollars! When people can proudly display what they have, they are willing to pay more for it. A LOT more!

3) Vintage Concert Posters can be seen in major museums! Over the past several years, these posters have received widespread recognition and exposure in major museums throughout the United States. This inherently makes these artworks more valuable and desirable. We have reported extensively upon this and is another major factor in explaining the price disparity of art and other collectibles.

4) Vintage Concert Posters enjoy potential demand from tens of millions of fans of the musicians! Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, and all the other bands have scores of rabid fans that already connect with them and their music. The addressable market for these posters in exponentially higher than for any other collectible, including the Van Gogh’s and Warhol’s that are worth more than the finest homes or yachts. It will be interesting to watch what happens when these fans learn that they can now buy Vintage Concert Posters from the era with complete and total confidence! And lastly, unlike the market for U.S. coins and paper money, these fans form an international base of demand. People know who Hendrix is, regardless of what language they speak, because music is the universal language!

In short, the announcement that CGC is now authenticating and grading Vintage Concert Posters has provided collectors with a brand new, ground floor, collectibles opportunity. An opportunity that YOU are now among the first to discover. The only question that remains is what YOU are going to do with this information! It’s a well chronicled fact that for the past 7 years we have been advising our clientele to focus on condition and to acquire the best quality examples you can locate and afford. We are proud that many of our clients that listened to our advice are now sitting on collections that in many cases cannot be replicated today – AT ANY PRICE!

It is also a matter of fact that we never have - and never will - advise collectors to “invest” in posters with a profit motive in mind. We are simply stating that if you have “the collecting gene”, this is an opportunity to acquire a world class collectible, with world class rarity and desirability, at prices that are ridiculously cheap compared to most other collectibles. And if you have that “gene”, having a highly valuable, World Class Collection of anything is a worthy goal. We also think this opportunity won’t last very long! Please know that we stand ready to assist you and answer any questions you may have. Also, please know that the VAST majority of posters we handle never make it into our store or auction.

So let us know what you are looking for, or contact us if you want advice on what issues you should target and/or are available. Also, if you have posters for sale, we will be your top cash buyer, with immediate payment within 24 hours. We hope to hear from you soon!

The Official CGC Concert Poster announcement can be seen Here >>