Right now, I'm one book away from completing a "high grade" short set of X-men from Giant Size X-men #1 to X-men  101.  First, a word about my definition of "High Grade".  When I first started collecting, I lived and breathed by the Overstreet Price guide.  I was a fairly experienced coin collector when I first started reading Overstreet, so my first question was, "Why isn't there a grade for Mint"?  And it was explained to me that Near Mint was the highest PRACTICAL grade because of the abuse that fragile comic books were exposed to in distribution and delivery.  Seeing tons of comic books bent in the middle from abuse in the spinner racks convinced me that Near Mint was as good as it could get!

Ok,  I'm dragging this out.  Sorry.  Here's my point.  When I talk about "high grade", keep in mind I'm an old-school kind of guy.  To me, high grade is Near Mint and a VF vintage book is plenty nice, with only a few tiny flaws.  Once in a while I'll venture into the rarified air of grades like a 9.6, but if I need a magnifying glass to see the things that make difference in grade, then I'm a happy camper.  This blog isn't about acquiring 9.8 books.  But it is about buying things that are better than most.  I'm happy with the kind of grade that stands out relative to other books.  To me early Journey in Mystery issues in Fine are "high grade" because they aren't often found like that and they command a premium.  Right? 

So let's define "high grade" as "commands a premium".  I've learned when my collectibles command a premium, they are easier to sell if I need to sell them, and tend to appreciate more. 

My first "new" Bronze Key:  (Ok, yes, I've had them before, but this became part of a set).

I was at MegaCon a few years ago just looking for something key to buy at a good price.  I stumbled across a guy selling a Raw Giant Size X-men #1.  It was in an odd state of preservation because the cover was really wrinkled, but the rest of the book looked pretty good.  Had a nice spine, no tears etc.  But with the wrinkling, it was a 4.5 or a 5.0 at best.   I thought that it was a good pressing candidate, but I as concerned that pressing might not work well on a squarebound book.  Then I read an article about a guy who pressed his Giant Size X-men #1 with before and after pictures and it inspired me...his book came out really nice.  So I thought I'd give it a shot with this one, and here's what I got:

The results surprised me! 4.5 to 7.5!  But then again, other than severe cover wrinkles, the book was pretty square and fairly nice.  At this point in my education, I honestly believe Squarebound books are perhaps better candidates for pressing than regular issues.  Also, I created book equity out of thin air!  Why buy high grade books when you can make them?

So suddenly I had a nicer GSXM 1 in nicer grade and this got me thinking about putting together a run of X-men in nicer grade since I already had the key.  But it was just a concept at this point. The next book tipped the balance.