Smart investors are always on the lookout for a good deal, and you've got a chance to pick up a few keys while they're in a slump, particularly some Black Panther keys, which are in the midst of a 90-day drop.
Not even the Black Panther is immune from a price drop.
This is a surprising one. After all the Black Panther craze we experienced earlier this year, everything T'Challa was on fire. The movie was a huge success, and his early appearances were skyrocketing, including his full origin being told in The Avengers #87. However, the past 90 days have not been kind. After seeing large gains across the board between 2016 to 2017, almost every grade has fallen in fair market value over the past three months. In fact, eight of the nine grades that have sold in that span have all taken a dive. The most significant hit was taken by the graded 9.6, which averaged $734 in the past 12 months, but has dropped to $498 in the last 90 days.
I don't imagine these trends will continue for too long. Although the Black Panther sequel hasn't been officially announced for Phase Four, it's a lock considering the popularity of the original. When that happens, Avengers #87 will get a boost, so this lull is an opportunity to get the Panther's origin story at a low price.
Not only is Black Panther's origin feeling the effects of a slump. The Panther's second appearance in FF #53 has taken a significant hit over the past 90 days. Compared to its 12 month fair market value, all but one grade sold in the last three months have dropped in FMV, and while the 8.0 hasn't dropped, it's stayed exactly the same at $219 since the start of 2017. The graded 7.0 has the most eye-opening dip; its 12-month average has been $162, but its only brought $101 over the past 90 days.
Like Avengers #87, I don't believe FF #53 will stay down for too long, which means you can get one for relatively cheap if you act now.
When Howard the Duck made an unexpected cameo in the first Guardians of the Galaxy installment, collectors lost their collective minds. The rumors began circulating almost instantly of a possible reboot of his movie, and we have seen a resurgence of Howard in the comics. It makes sense that in 2014, a 9.8 Howard the Duck #1 brought as much as $1,000. Two years later, as fans were sure he would return in GOTG Volume 2, that 9.8 jumped to $1,185. Then last year, HTD #1 took a hit. A 9.8 dropped to a $741 average. What's worse, while the sales have increased to 10 in 2018, it's brought as little as $105 (the worst in almost 10 years) and a high of just $600.
The 9.8 isn't the only HTD #1 grade that's been dropping. In the past 12 months, the 9.6, 9.4, 8.5, and 8.0 have all taken a hit compared to 2017 and 2016. Clearly, investors are shying away from Howard, but this is another opportunity. I'm not seeing a Howard the Duck movie coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe anytime soon, and while he will probably show up in another cameo or two, I don't predict that Howard the Duck #1 won't reach those 2016 prices.
