The glory days of cel collecting...

[Strictly-Dragonball]

Hi everyone, hope you are all well

I was thinking about this the other day, now I got into cels back in 2005 which really isn't the glory days for many. However, it was a good time to be buying DBZ for example as the prices weren't as inflated as 3 or 4 years before and there was still decent supply of quality cels showing up all the time.

Animegame was the best! Frequent updates, always a DBZ one and usually had something that would sell so quickly it'd make your head spin.

Mandarake and YHJ were constanly flooded with great DBZ auctions.

These days good quality DBZ cels are so hard to come by, seen a couple OP cels on eBay recently and if I didn't have one would have pounced.

Animegame has completely sold off all their Dragonball stock now and when everything has gone the site is gone for good which is sad as they were fantastic!

Part of the reason it's so hard for me to buy DB cels anymore is because truthfully I'm very happy with what I have and would just have to be one of the amazing pieces you'd never expect to see for me to be interested.

Back when I started my ultimate wishlist item was a Super-Saiyan 4 Gogeta of which it took me an insane amount of time to get. Always wanted a DBZ OP but never considered getting one and everything else I have I also love very much as I was always selective. So in many ways I'm satisfied but it's frustrating to never really see anything that makes your jaw hit the floor anymore.

Anyone else feel the same about a series or cels in general?

I'm waiting on delivery of a beautiful original Tarzan from the film by Glen Keane though

I'll be sure to have that up for a bit in my gallery so you can see. Had to pay loads for it as it was from a dealer and nobody has Tarzan drawings. The art was never officially released and not many people bothered saving the drawings so only chance you get is getting them from the animators.

Mine came from a junior animator that had saved one. Very happy to get that as I again never thought I would.

Thanks for reading.

[pixie_princess]

Every now and again I see some really neat stuff still.

I remember a few years ago when CCS used to have several pages worth of auctions for Cels, Sketches, and backgrounds... Now I'm lucky to get 3 pages. My first anime convention I remember seeing a couple dealers with tables loaded with books containing cels (Acen 2001). It is sort of sad to see everything dry up. What really makes me cry (figuratively not literally) is remembering the prices and the pages upon pages of cels that Mangaya (1998/99) had for Sailor Moon... Back then a lot of them were fairly decent, some seemed rather high but were really nice. Now they'd go for 2-3x that price. If I hadn't been so new to Cel collecting or if I had more funds to use at the time instead of paying my way through college, I would have jumped on more cels...

So I don't think everything is necessarily dried up, it is just rather difficult to be in the right place at the right time. If I could change 1 thing though I would not have taken that cel collecting hiatus that I did a few years ago. I missed out on a ton of good stuff. Ah well. It only makes me appreciate and take care of the cels and sketches I do have now.

Anyways...

[ToriPagac]

thats odd ive been finding more cels from shows ive always wanted to collect maybe because i collect american stuff

[cutiebunny]

I purchased my first cel in June 2003, but like you, I was not interested in collecting cels until 2005. Before that, I bought cels because I wanted characters and scenes that were never made into trading cards.

At least in terms of devouted Sailor Moon collectors that were around in 2005, I can't think of too many that are actively collecting today. So, either everyone else has gone rogue and become a 'black hole' collector, switched focus or they're out of the game entirely. I think most are in the latter category, though.

For me, 2005-2007 was my heyday, with 2008-2009 being a secondary market heyday. The bulk of my Sailor Moon collection was acquired in 2005-2007 as twin_angels had about 2-3 high quality Sailor Moon cel auctions every week. His supply of high quality cels ended in January 2008. During this time, the exchange rate was favorable, and although there were a lot more visable Sailor Moon cel collectors then, thanks to internal bid wars, exchange rates and a constant supply, prices were more reasonable. In 2008, when a lot of collectors from the 2005-2007 boom were liquidating their collections, I was also able to buy a lot of items. Close to 95% of my Sailor Moon collection came from within the first three years of my start of this hobby. Within the last three years, I've purchased 3 Sailor Moon cels, a sketch and a shikishi.

For me, a large part of my purchase power came from the fact that I didn't own a home at that time, but yet earned a lot. It's a lot easier to spend, say $2K, on a master set-up when you don't have a mortgage or a family to support. While a part of me is upset that I spent so much on cels during this period, I know I would regret not having them even more and knowing that if they show up, I couldn't afford them when they sell for 3-5 times what I paid for them on a Mandarake BWA.

Has the supply dried up? Yeah, for the most part. Unless any studios find themselves near bankruptcy like Madhouse did in 2005, cel-wise, I suspect that most of what you'll see will be second-hand sales from people liquidating their collection for whatever reason. While every once in a while something will pop up that will catch my interest, but it will also catch the interest of others, and together, we'll drive the price high.

[ginga123]

I agree with Cutie. My heyday was also between 2005 to 2007. My favorite seller is God_Hand 777. I got some of my best cels from that YJ seller. I noticed that he/she/they has reappeared recently on Rinkya after a several year hiatus with a hanken cel and a sketch set for auction.

I graduated college in 2007 and tried to close my gallery; instead, I took a hiatus for a about a year and a half-- i think. I needed to focus on life's milestones like finding a better job, etc. When I came back, I was scratching my head wondering, "where did all the Moonies go?" I missed that 2008 opportunity Cutie mentioned, and I am little sad I did. I definitely missed out on a dream cel that appeared for auction as soon I took a hiatus. The price was insane when it ended. But, I had some luck on YJ that year in 2008 and in 2009. For 2012, I have only bought 1 Sailor Moon cel and some genga from Chobits and Spice & Wolf. But, I think it the market is slowly drying up. I get most of my cels during the holidays when people want extra cash for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I was suprised that it did not happen last year.

I am now in a position to afford much higher quality cels and it's not there for me. I'm kinda kicking myself in the butt now for selling off some really nice cels b/c they are not even there either. Theyve disappeared into a black hole.

[star-phoenix]

Wah! I feel like an OLD TIMER!! For me, my great Anime days were back in 2000-2004 when I bought a lot of my Inuyasha art from Anime Taro (Anime Museum) and later my Naruto art!

Since the US economy's decline from 2007, and my change of interest into vintage American pieces, the prices have been significantly more affordable in the past 4 years in this particular market. Things I would never dream of being able to own (let alone afford), popped up during this time

Although I do not collect much Anime anymore, I think this is a great time for new collectors because most of the prices have gone significantly down. I think right now is a buyer's market. Yes, the art is more scarce right now. But, patience pays off. There is always something amount popping up at least a few times a year!

[Thanatos]

Well, I am new is this hobby, so I tought that since the art seems to be quite scarce today, the prices would be higher than before. So, in fact, they are lower than some years ago. It is good to know . Well, the prices of the most interesting pieces is still high, so I don't want to imagine what they were before .

But will the coming years be better ? Some recent productions like Bleach, Vampire Knight or Naruto are now some years old, so even if interesting pieces still come out, I think most of the art has still been released. Then it won't come out before a while... if it ever comes out .

[sensei]

I think there was a time when there was a real flood of new material coming onto the market. Simultaneously, it was a time when there was a peak of new interest and excitement over anime, and many young people were getting hooked on collecting cels and sketches. So there was a lot of material and also a lot of competition. The best items always took courage, determination, and a fistful of yen to bring home. Both supply and rivalry seem to have receded quite a bit, over the last five years particularly. But the best material remains no bargain, and there are enough sharp eyes left so that you still can't walk off with a prize unseen. (At least not unless you're lucky, as before.)

When I'd save up my funds over Lent, it was not unusual for me to spend a good share of them on Easter morning, when I'd look at what was up for auction right then and there and find multiple lots to bid on. Now it takes me longer ... oh, about ten days ... to use up the surplus (and to be sure that sum is not as grand since my retirement, and more of it goes to the less favorable exchange rate and other increased expenses).

Still ... it finds places ... and there is nice stuff to be had, and still for affordable prices. With the backlog that I didn't have a chance to upload before Lent, it will make for the usual splashy "May Madness" update. It is a different market from the 2004-07 period, one that requires patience and persistence. I'm continually pushing at the boundaries of my collecting, not just focusing on my first passions but being receptive to eyeworthy items from new series (new to me, as Prospero would comment). It's still an important source of joy in my life, and I think it can be for any serious collector, new to the hobby or old.

[jcaliff]

I bought my first cel at AnimeFest in 1996. I think my first online cel purchase would have been some time in 1997. I bought the majority of my cels from 1997-2004 or so, with sporadic purchases since then. I didn't join Beta until 2004, but I was pretty involved in the online community back in the heyday of Animanga and I was pretty active on the #anime-cel irc channel while I was in Japan. It helped keep me sane giving me someone to talk to in English during the day (what would have been the middle of the night and early morning in the US). Then again, sane is a relative term I guess.

I've seen drama come and drama go. I've seen so many people come into the hobby all gung-ho spending thousands of dollars on their wishlist cels that they turn around and have to get rid of two years later when they realize either they're broke and can't afford something else they want/need and/or have lost interest in the hobby. There are some people who still have seriously negative associations in my mind - especially certain scammers and unethical businesspersons. But there are still quite a few people who I really like in this hobby. I'm rambling I guess. That's what happens when you get old.

edit: whoo, post number 600!

[Strictly-Dragonball]

Yeah I think it makes sense that years ago when popular anime shows had just hit US shores there was a flux of cels hitting the market and bringing in very high prices. Quality items from the shows that have remained popular still bring in similar prices though, I think we can all agree they just don't how up as often as they did before.

A nice DBZ Super-Saiyan 2 Gohan sold last month on eBay for $1,200, a Future Trunks $950 and a nice DB group shot over $500 so Dragonball cels def' still bring in the big bucks for the high-end ones.

Think I'm gonna' try getting a Movie 12 Gogeta soon myself.

[graymouser]

Although I was collecting long before then, most of my heavy buying occurred between 2004 and 2008. At that time I averaged close to a cel a week. Now my volume (and spending) is way down. I probably only spend about a quarter of what I used to on cels. Time has done some interesting things to the prices of cels. The prices have gone both up and down. The majority of cels are less expensive, but high-quality complete setups have increased quite a bit in price.