Sealed SteelBooks a safe posterity investment?

[Heche1981]

I've viewed a lot of collector's collections here on HDN, and one trend I've noticed is that the majority of collectors have at least one sealed SteelBook, if not more. Many also have multiples of the same titles, some of which are kept sealed

I was just wondering whether members here view sealed SteelBooks as a safe posterity investment?


I will admit to being a sealed collector. Not so much for the monetry investment, but more because I enjoy the thrill of the chase. I enjoy collecting SteelBooks, and want them in a certain condition, and also want to keep them pristine. If I want to watch a film, I'll either buy an Amaray release, or wait until it's aired on TV. I'm in no hurry to watch new releases, and due to work commitments I haven't much time to watch films anyway

Like with many forms of collecting, posterity investment can be a bit hit and miss, as well as having risks involved. I would also say that it's a much safer form of investment than stocks and shares though. The demand for certain items will always be there, and certain items will increase in value over time - especially those kept in mint condition

That said, it's still nice to know that my collection retains some (or all) of the value that I have initially invested. I can enjoy owning them and having them to display, as well as knowing that certain pieces are increasing in demand and value. However, as technology progresses, the demand for some older items may dwindle, as can be observed with some Dvd SteelBook releases that have since had a Blu-Ray SteelBook release. I still believe that there is a demand for these older releases, although not so much as there once was

Old sealed video games quite often fetch ridiculous amounts of money on eBay, despite some having been re-released again and again on different platforms - Such examples could be the early Mario or Zelda games


I'm interested to know how you guys feel about collecting sealed SteelBooks, and what motivates you to keep yours sealed? Do you see your SteelBook collection as an investment, or just a money pit?

 

[bigwednesday0]

I remember being in HMV & picking up the original Thor Steelbook in perfect mint condition then deciding not to buy & put it back. Now I see how much people are paying on ebay etc.

Damn


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Troll2Fan]

I remember being in HMV & picking up the original Thor Steelbook in perfect mint condition then deciding not to buy & put it back. Now I see how much people are paying on ebay etc.

That is one of the steels in my collection that has remained sealed.

 

[Travis Bickle]

I saw The World's end Steelbook in hmv today at 22.99 there was 1 copy was tempted as going for over £50 already on some sites

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That is one of the steels in my collection that has remained sealed.

Must admit wish I'd bought it now nice steelbook

 

[psychoscot]

I remember being in HMV & picking up the original Thor Steelbook in perfect mint condition then deciding not to buy & put it back. Now I see how much people are paying on ebay etc.

I did that when it originally came out. I finally picked it up from my local HMV in Jan of this year for £29.99 as I had some Xmas spending money. At the time I thought £29.99 was a but too steep but I really liked it. Looking back I got a serious bargain. They still had a copy of this as late as March this year. Wish I had bought a second to sell.

 

[Heche1981]

I wish a had a dime for every post I read that states that the next format will kill off the collectibility of bluray steelbooks. You can usually tell who got suckered into buying "limited" edition DVD's lol, because they're the ones saying it. I've asked this question many times, and not one person has provided a satisfactory answer. If its an absolute certainty that the next format will kill off the collectibility of bluray steels, then by that exact logic, the XBox 360 and PS3 games should have killed off the value of the old NES or Atari carts, correct? Yes or no? It's a simple question. The price of the regular run of the mill steel has definitely decreased. But I look at my collection, and the grails seems to still be doing OK. The old Disney Steels and IP's are still doing OK. Why can't people understand that if there is more product in the market, the price goes down, because of more competition? It's actually a very very simple concept.

The difference between games and films is significant. Games tend to be a product of the era of the consoles / console generations that they were released, whereas films tend to be recycled a lot more than video games.

There are, of course, exceptions. Some popular or classic video games are often given a new lease of life on newer consoles, either as budget retro games or as modern HD remakes. These titles do tend to affect the values of their original counterparts though - One example would be the value of Final Fantasy X which halved in value once the HD version was announced.

In regards to film mediums, they aren't as limited to a generation as much as video games are, plus every new medium is an improvement from the last, be it DVD to VHS, or Blu-Ray to DVD. No doubt the successor to Blu-Ray will offer an entirely new viewing experience, but you never hear anyone say "Do you know what? I'd actuslly prefer to watch this film on VHS!" - Likewise, how many people do you know in 2013 who are still collecting VHS releases? Maybe a few die-hard Manga fans, or those who like films / TV series which haven't made the transition to DVD (such as some old BBC series), but generally speaking DVD killed off VHS

The same cannot be said for video games. Most games are tied to specific console hardware. Some hardware can't be emulated, or rather not very well. Many older video game studios have since folded, meaning many retro games will never be re-released or updated. People still play GoldenEye 64 on original N64 hardware, just the same as those who still play Space Invaders or Pac-Man on Atari 2600! Demand for retro games is still high, and mint examples of iconic titles (Ie, Super Mario Bros) are very rare to find these days, despite selling in their millions! NES collecting is a popular hobby, VHS collecting is not!

 

[stevo]

The difference between games and films is significant. Games tend to be a product of the era of the consoles / console generations that they were released, whereas films tend to be recycled a lot more than video games.

There are, of course, exceptions. Some popular or classic video games are often given a new lease of life on newer consoles, either as budget retro games or as modern HD remakes. These titles do tend to affect the values of their original counterparts though - One example would be the value of Final Fantasy X which halved in value once the HD version was announced.

In regards to film mediums, they aren't as limited to a generation as much as video games are, plus every new medium is an improvement from the last, be it DVD to VHS, or Blu-Ray to DVD. No doubt the successor to Blu-Ray will offer an entirely new viewing experience, but you never hear anyone say "Do you know what? I'd actuslly prefer to watch this film on VHS!" - Likewise, how many people do you know in 2013 who are still collecting VHS releases? Maybe a few die-hard Manga fans, or those who like films / TV series which haven't made the transition to DVD (such as some old BBC series), but generally speaking DVD killed off VHS

The same cannot be said for video games. Most games are tied to specific console hardware. Some hardware can't be emulated, or rather not very well. Many older video game studios have since folded, meaning many retro games will never be re-released or updated. People still play GoldenEye 64 on original N64 hardware, just the same as those who still play Space Invaders or Pac-Man on Atari 2600! Demand for retro games is still high, and mint examples of iconic titles (Ie, Super Mario Bros) are very rare to find these days, despite selling in their millions! NES collecting is a popular hobby, VHS collecting is not!

I believe you are barking up the wrong tree. You seem to believe that people collect movies and games for the movie or game itself. I believe the actual movie or game is absolutely irrelevant to collecting. You can download almost any movie for free, you can get an emulator for almost any game. I believe people collect for the packaging or cartridge itself. Time will tell who's got the correct interpretation. Going back to what I said in past posts, you're probably a DVD collector that got burned, and apply that to steelbooks. I disagree with this notion. To me, no DVD sets were ever collectible. It has to do with 99.999999% of them are promoted as "limited, special, collectors, ultimate, platinum, ect ect ect. No body believed a word they were saying (well, maybe some of you did). Unlike all those "limited" DVD's, I believe the Kimchi, Blu fans, HD Zeta releases ARE limited. The exact print run of these releases are well know.

 

[bigrob]

I believe you are barking up the wrong tree. You seem to believe that people collect movies and games for the movie or game itself. I believe the actual movie or game is absolutely irrelevant to collecting. You can download almost any movie for free, you can get an emulator for almost any game. I believe people collect for the packaging or cartridge itself. Time will tell who's got the correct interpretation. Going back to what I said in past posts, you're probably a DVD collector that got burned, and apply that to steelbooks. I disagree with this notion. To me, no DVD sets were ever collectible. It has to do with 99.999999% of them are promoted as "limited, special, collectors, ultimate, platinum, ect ect ect. No body believed a word they were saying (well, maybe some of you did). Unlike all those "limited" DVD's, I believe the Kimchi, Blu fans, HD Zeta releases ARE limited. The exact print run of these releases are well know.

I've highlighted these two sentences because i disagree

The quality of the actual film is the most important part. I haven't invested in a HD home cinema with 7.1 surround sound just to stare at pretty covers.

And yes, DVD's were collectable. Aware of the Japanese first print editions? Do some digging and you'll find that they were just as collectable as steelbooks were before the HD format arrived and went for well above SRP prices across forums

There was collecting communitys before Blu-ray steelbooks, i should know because quite a lot of members here, including myself were part of them.

I'm on these forums to talk about the films i love watching and collecting the best possible version of them across multiple formats

I'm not here to make money

 

[stevo]

I've highlighted these two sentences because i disagree

The quality of the actual film is the most important part. I haven't invested in a HD home cinema with 7.1 surround sound just to stare at pretty covers.

And yes, DVD's were collectable. Aware of the Japanese first print editions? Do some digging and you'll find that they were just as collectable as steelbooks were before the HD format arrived and went for well above SRP prices across forums

There was collecting communitys before Blu-ray steelbooks, i should know because quite a lot of members here, including myself were part of them.

I'm on these forums to talk about the films i love watching and collecting the best possible version of them across multiple formats

I'm not here to make money

I stand by my assessment of why collectible DVD's failed. They did become worthless didnt they? And I stated my reasons why. When you place the word "limited" on almost all DVD releases, that particular word no longer holds any true meaning. And thus every last one of them, including the real limited ones were painted with the same brush. As much as some might think that steelbooks are "flooding" the market, I strongly disagree. Maybe that's the case in the UK with ZAvvi, but here in N America, that is definitely not the case.

 

[Afterdeep]

I believe even if those Kimchi and Blufans editions are limited after new technology comes out, their prices will go down too. Its all about demand. When new stuff comes out the demand will be there not on blurays...

 

[stevo]

I believe even if those Kimchi and Blufans editions are limited after new technology comes out, their prices will go down too. Its all about demand. When new stuff comes out the demand will be there not on blurays...

Well in that case. I suggest that you invest in the modern day comics books, with there ultra realistic computer generated graphics, printed in high quality gloss paper, with a 16.7 million color pallet. They should be way "better" then those old comics, printed on a 6 color pallet, on cheap news print. God knows newer is always better right? Say, you wouldn't have any of those old crappy comics from the 40's and 50's do you? I'd like to trade you some of my modern comics, With there much better artwork for them. Sarcastic aside, demand is almost always with the older stuff. No matter what kinda collectible. You name me 1 collectible item that the newer stuff is more highly sought after, and I'll name you 10 that the older stuff is more sought after.

 

[ben6212]

Well in that case. I suggest that you invest in the modern day comics books, with there ultra realistic computer generated graphics, printed in high quality gloss paper, with a 16.7 million color pallet. They should be way "better" then those old comics, printed on a 6 color pallet, on cheap news print. God knows newer is always better right? Say, you wouldn't have any of those old crappy comics from the 40's and 50's do you? I'd like to trade you some of my modern comics, With there much better artwork for them. Sarcastic aside, demand is almost always with the older stuff. No matter what kinda collectible. You name me 1 collectible item that the newer stuff is more highly sought after, and I'll name you 10 that the older stuff is more sought after.

Now thats what i call a touché

 

[Lutzo]

Not a very good investment

I think people get 2 threads mixed up. This is not the "steelbook value decreasing" thread.... are sealed steelbooks a safe investment. NO THEY ARE NOT (ANYMORE). They were up until 2 years ago, when you pretty much had instant Return on Investment on almost every steel. Nowadays there is probably 1 out of 25 steelbooks that increases in value.

There is this great thread of everybody's Top 10 steelbooks.

I posted a picture of my favourite steelbooks in July 2012 and also what I considered to be my most valuable steelbooks back then:

All of these have decreased in value significantly since then (maybe with the exception of Iron Man MM which cost about 100 Euros back then and maybe goes for a bit more now). These would NOT have been good investments obviously.

New collector's should really check this Top10 thread out. This way they would also understand why stevo is so strongly opposed to the idea of collectible steelbooks losing their value

 

[stevo]

I think people get 2 threads mixed up. This is not the "steelbook value decreasing" thread.... are sealed steelbooks a safe investment. NO THEY ARE NOT (ANYMORE). They were up until 2 years ago, when you pretty much had instant Return on Investment on almost every steel. Nowadays there is probably 1 out of 25 steelbooks that increases in value.

There is this great thread of everybody's Top 10 steelbooks.

I posted a picture of my favourite steelbooks in July 2012 and also what I considered to be my most valuable steelbooks back then:

All of these have decreased in value significantly since then (maybe with the exception of Iron Man MM which cost about 100 Euros back then and maybe goes for a bit more now). These would NOT have been good investments obviously.

New collector's should really check this Top10 thread out. This way they would also understand why stevo is so strongly opposed to the idea of collectible steelbooks losing their value

You are wrong about me opposing the decreasing value so steels. Actually, I don't really care. That's because it's not up to me if it increases or decreases. I don't not have control over any one of Earths 7 billion other inhabitants. I believe a more accurate statement would be that there are many of you DVD collectors that got burned, and want to see this happening to steels lol. BTW, of the 10 steels you posted, I only own IB, and I'm pretty sure I can get back the $29.99 I paid for it. But on the bright side, I agree with everything else you said.

 

[himanshu]

for me i m collecting sb to watch and enjoying collecting.only few sealed due to my workload and time.

 

[Towser]

If I buy a sealed steel, I tend to keep it sealed,except for one exception, my first ever steel, if I purchase one that has been opened I will watch it.

Ron

 

[jimmyv]

.... are sealed steelbooks a safe investment. NO THEY ARE NOT (ANYMORE). They were up until 2 years ago, when you pretty much had instant Return on Investment on almost every steel. Nowadays there is probably 1 out of 25 steelbooks that increases in value.

i notice you're in germany. well... here in america, it's easy to sell steelbooks for a profit, especially all the imports. anyone in the states who says otherwise isn't doing it right.

 

[PG Flips]

They'll mostly all be worth sweet FA in a few years time trust me. Apart from the odd few believe me they'll be worth nothing along with the VHS. anyone who is in steelbooks as an investment needs their brain dusted really. Out of every 50 releases you'll be lucky if one increases in value. They'll be lots going up on ebay in a panic within the next 3 years I'll guarantee it.

 

[Afterdeep]

Well in that case. I suggest that you invest in the modern day comics books, with there ultra realistic computer generated graphics, printed in high quality gloss paper, with a 16.7 million color pallet. They should be way "better" then those old comics, printed on a 6 color pallet, on cheap news print. God knows newer is always better right? Say, you wouldn't have any of those old crappy comics from the 40's and 50's do you? I'd like to trade you some of my modern comics, With there much better artwork for them. Sarcastic aside, demand is almost always with the older stuff. No matter what kinda collectible. You name me 1 collectible item that the newer stuff is more highly sought after, and I'll name you 10 that the older stuff is more sought after.

Just wait and see. This will happen sooner or later. I like investing on steels. I invested on DVDs in the past now they are worthless, I'm sure those steels will be worthless when 4K or a better technology comes out. Check out the prices on eBay from time to time. You will understand what I mean. You dont need to be genius for that!

 

[Sigill]

Definatly not IMO, yes there are a few grails that hold their value but in general prices are plummeting on most steels. Asian steels were flying a few months back but the value for them is falling now. A lot of the time you do well to even got the cost value back.

 

[vicwheels]

Steelbooks are just like any other collectable, condition is everything & they will always be worth more sealed than open.

The only thing that it uncertain in this collecting is that if/when everything goes digital, will there be any market for Steelbooks anymore? or will it drive the market higher with no more being made?