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Just Another X-Men Full Run Dream

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speedcake

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In this journal, I'll be talking about my quest to finally finish a full run of X-Men volume 1, from #1 to 544.  I can't tell if many boardies read the new journals or not, and I like the old format way better, but at least this will be a place to help keep myself focused and on track if nothing else.

I've been a fan of the X-Men since the late 80s when I first really started reading comics in earnest. I've dreamed about having a full run since my early 20s, but made the huge mistake of not focusing on the silver and bronze runs first. So like all full run noobs everywhere, I eventually completed a run from about #141 to 544 by picking up a book here or there at shows, looking for sales online or on Ebay, the usual. 

So here we are, its 2018 and NOW I'm going to get serious about finally finishing the run? Ok, great! I clearly have no sense. But I still love the X-Men. 

I have a plan, sort of. First and foremost is to start shedding excess fat from my roughly 1000 book collection. This is going ok so far. I've sold some things on eBay, through craigslist, and even here on the boards so far.  I don't pick up many monthly new books, but I'm going to look at that list and probably at least cut out a few books and put that money towards the run instead. I'm also selling off the last of my Transformers collection. This should net a decent pile of dough to also put straight into the run. I've already sold about a third of it in a week, so this is going pretty well so far.

And finally, I need to stay disciplined. I get easily distracted by shiny books, runs of other titles (I recently picked up a huge run of Amazing Spider-man for example and I'ma sucker for Iron Man), and other interests. So instead, I want to work on resisting all of that temptation and focus as much on the X-Men run as possible. I don't want this to be my only focus, I don't want to burn out on it, but it needs to be priority #1 or I'll never finish this.

I am missing ALOT of books. Nearly the entire Silver Age run, and most of the Bronze Age run minus a handful of the keys. So it will be a marathon, not a sprint. I just hope it is as rewarding at the end as I hope it will be.

One big decision I have to make (big for me, small potatoes for some reading this I'm sure) is whether or not to sell things like my raw NYX complete run in very high grade. I'd like to have a few issues from the run graded, but not unless I'm sure about the minimum grade. Selling the set would translate into a decently big chunk of the X-Men run. I love having this set, but we'll see.

Later today I'll post a list of the missing issues and any other thoughts I have.

Thanks for reading, whomever drops by, and please comment with your own thoughts.  Call me nuts. Call me names for waiting so long. I'm good with it, just talk with me.  :D

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So here is the list. It doesn't include two recent purchases on the boards, even though I haven't received them yet. This list hurts my eyes. It haunts my dreams. I want to kill it.  I'm not going to list every single issue individually. I'll just edit it as I cross issues off of it.  It is basically the entire Silver and Bronze Age X-Men run.

1-14, 16-31, 33-37, 39-44, 46-53, 55-59, 61-92

94-97, 99, 100, 102, 103, 106, 107, 109-115, 122, 124, 128, 131, 132, 133, 136, 142

Edited by speedcake
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Good luck!  I am on the same journey, and I can see the end now.  Just picked up a 59, to leave this for me: 3, 9, 15,16, 31, 33, 41, 49, 53, 66-68, 80, 82, 90

...I think you beat me to the 15 on the boards the other day 

 

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Ha! Sorry. That's going to be my first slabbed Silver Age book and only my second slab period. Couldn't pass up that deal. :)

 

But you have a #1 so yo are light years ahead of me lul

Edited by speedcake
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6 hours ago, jcronin said:

I wish you luck and keep your eyes on the prize.

thanks! That's exactly what I need to do. Every time I even think about buying another comic book or comic related anything...

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You have your foot in the door on silver and bronze. When you pick up one up here, two up there the spaces start filling in fast. I will say though that sometimes i have sacrificed valuable issues of non-priority titles only to regret it later.

 

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What about GSX 1 and the Annuals?  :)

I just dumped a short box of bronze for cheap. :cry:

I know I still have an xtra 140 but I think my 109 went in the box. I'll check later.

I have never owned of copy of 100 for some reason.

My brother found a VG+ copy of 3 at a yard sale for 50 cents about 10 years ago.

My 94 looks VF but it has tape on the back cover.

I would skip all the reprints, look close at the covers they are all redrawn hack. Plus sellers see "X-Men 72!!" and think $$$$.

My first issue was 185 and found down to 181 on the spinners. I was at a new school and I always carried comics with me. A kid said you wanna buy my books? I got 106-178 for a dollar a pop. I told him they were worth more but he was over them, more into skateboards and chicks. When he brought them to school I carried them around for a bit then just ditched and went home to read them.

I have seen a long box of 137 before. 

I think it was an interview with Bud Cole (?) and he said no one really cared about early Daredevil and X-men so he had a long box of both #1s in Mint.

 

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I completed my run a few years ago, including annuals, GSX, some cross-overs (even a couple Star Trek paperbacks, where the X-Men were involved)! Just keep your focus, but allow yourself to get distracted, from time to time, with the shiny books and other series.

Good luck and most importantly, enjoy!

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I've bought and traded and gave away the Cockrum Byrne issues so many times over the last 35 years.....

About 10 years ago I was up late and an auction was ending on ebay with 1 terrible  pic and condition described as "Good"

I kept zooming in and saying to myself these gotta be VF/NM! If they were Good some spine roll or something would stand out.

Got 101-143 for 200 bucks.  All F+ to NM.

What grade are you looking for in early issues? I don't have anything below that tattered 24.

Oh, you got a Gold 297???  :bigsmile:

Pressman.JPG

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On 3/7/2018 at 12:43 AM, axiom94 said:

 I will say though that sometimes i have sacrificed valuable issues of non-priority titles only to regret it later.

 

Yeah, that's what I want to avoid regarding my NYX set. I really like having it. It's the only big book/set I've ever bought off the shelf, its in great condition, and I like the character. I'll probably end up keeping it and getting the #3 and #4 graded. Probably  :D

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On 3/7/2018 at 12:55 AM, Alf Pogs said:

What about GSX 1 and the Annuals?  :)

I just dumped a short box of bronze for cheap. :cry:

I know I still have an xtra 140 but I think my 109 went in the box. I'll check later.

I have never owned of copy of 100 for some reason.

My brother found a VG+ copy of 3 at a yard sale for 50 cents about 10 years ago.

My 94 looks VF but it has tape on the back cover.

I would skip all the reprints, look close at the covers they are all redrawn hack. Plus sellers see "X-Men 72!!" and think $$$$.

My first issue was 185 and found down to 181 on the spinners. I was at a new school and I always carried comics with me. A kid said you wanna buy my books? I got 106-178 for a dollar a pop. I told him they were worth more but he was over them, more into skateboards and chicks. When he brought them to school I carried them around for a bit then just ditched and went home to read them.

I have seen a long box of 137 before. 

I think it was an interview with Bud Cole (?) and he said no one really cared about early Daredevil and X-men so he had a long box of both #1s in Mint.

 

GSX #1 is a must have obviously, one day.  The annuals I pick up if I come across them and the price is ok, but they aren't a priority.  

I'll eventually have the reprints. I'm a completest, sigh.  They are also not priority.

Nice score on that run!

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On 3/7/2018 at 4:30 PM, pwog said:

I completed my run a few years ago, including annuals, GSX, some cross-overs (even a couple Star Trek paperbacks, where the X-Men were involved)! Just keep your focus, but allow yourself to get distracted, from time to time, with the shiny books and other series.

Good luck and most importantly, enjoy!

nice grats! And thanks, I need it ha. I still pick up spidey books to work on my ASM complete run, and I dabble in a couple other areas, but definitely trying to stay focused on the X-Men run is tough work. Cutting back on everything is like trying to change your diet and exercise to get fit after years of eating whatever the heck you want. lul

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7 hours ago, Alf Pogs said:

I've bought and traded and gave away the Cockrum Byrne issues so many times over the last 35 years.....

About 10 years ago I was up late and an auction was ending on ebay with 1 terrible  pic and condition described as "Good"

I kept zooming in and saying to myself these gotta be VF/NM! If they were Good some spine roll or something would stand out.

Got 101-143 for 200 bucks.  All F+ to NM.

What grade are you looking for in early issues? I don't have anything below that tattered 24.

Oh, you got a Gold 297???  :bigsmile:

Pressman.JPG

ha, ya ebay can be fun sometimes. Especially for the night owls browsing the terribly worded auctions with awful pictures that end at the worst times of the day.

Um, for Bronze I'm looking for VF/NM (9.0) or better. I'll take a nice VF or better if its a standout for the grade.

For silver non-keys mid to high grade is ok, preferably at VF- or better. For keys, I dunno yet really. very early stuff, like up to #20 probably VG+ to Fine+. later silver at least nice mid grade I guess. Affordability is a factor for most of the silver books.

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My first slabbed silver age X-Men and only my 2nd slab period showed up the other day thanks to a boardie. I just forgot to post here. Pretty pleased with it!  Sorry for the glare.

IMG_2039.JPG

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Another task I'll be working on is transitioning the run into silver age bags and boards. I just finished doing that with my ASM collection as well and they look much better with a uniform bag and board size fitting all the various size books, plus they are better protected IMO. More board surrounding the books.  I'll be making a list of all the under copies that I'll eventually want to upgrade, so I can be on the hunt for those as well.  

 

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I think the best way to get those first 50 is to buy a guys collection. One at a time slabbed with shipping is gonna be $$$. I would save 10 grand and let everyone at the flea markets and shops know you want them and have $$$. I have seen an early run of Daredevil in a grocery bag sell for $150 to a shop. No bags or boards. I was at flea market flipping through books and I said to a guy I love these old Lois Lanes. He said "really"? "I got boxes of that junk!" 900 dollars later I got 3 longs of Silver Age DC.

There is a sweet GSX1 9.8 on the boards right now for $9000.   :devil:

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15 hours ago, speedcake said:

My first slabbed silver age X-Men and only my 2nd slab period showed up the other day thanks to a boardie. I just forgot to post here. Pretty pleased with it!  Sorry for the glare.

IMG_2039.JPG

...and there is the 15 I missed out on.  Nice!  In compensation for missing out on that, I went and found a 3 (graded 4.0) and a 16 (8.5)

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haha yep! sorry again, man :D

 

Also, I'm not looking to buy too many slabbed books. I'm primarily picking up raws. I want to stretch my money as far as i can and slabs is the opposite approach. Just if its a sweet deal, its a sweet deal.

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I just finished this run myself, it took over 20 years. It's tough, just try and stay focused on the run, sell off other books if that will help complete this one. I read your original post about your NYX run. Think about it this way, would you rather have a nice NYX run or a solid copy of GSX #1 or X-Men #94?

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On 3/13/2018 at 12:36 AM, oakman29 said:

As a run collector myself I wish you well. Stay focused, and you'll make it.

thank you, sir! It's the staying focused that will be the toughest task for me. By far.

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On 3/13/2018 at 7:13 PM, maraxusofkeld said:

I just finished this run myself, it took over 20 years. It's tough, just try and stay focused on the run, sell off other books if that will help complete this one. I read your original post about your NYX run. Think about it this way, would you rather have a nice NYX run or a solid copy of GSX #1 or X-Men #94?

I know. I know. I love having it. And the set is in extremely nice condition. It wouldn't quite cover a GSX1 or a 94 in a grade I'd like to have them in, but it'd be a good chunk of it.  

I have to seriously consider selling or trading it, if I'm going to be serious about finishing this run.

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1 hour ago, speedcake said:

thank you, sir! It's the staying focused that will be the toughest task for me. By far.

You know It! There will be plenty of nice books that come across here,  I didn't buy anything but what I was searching for in the run , I  got the hardest or key , most expensive ones first. The fillers are easier to get on the cheap, but keys can get expensive so grab them first.

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Excellent choice for a journal! I too have this same dream. I also started reading X-men in the late 80s and has always been a fave for me. About 5 years ago I decided to get serious about collecting but not sure where my focus would end up. I bought a few small collections and noticed I had a pretty decent run of Late bronze and copper X-Men. At first I wasn't sure if I would go past 300 but decided why not.

My current list just so you know where I'm coming from is 1-12, 14-17, 20, 27, 28, 35, 42, 43, 50, 65-94, 448, 453, 456, 458, 460, 463-467, 470, 478, 491, 495, 496, 497, 507, 512, 513, 534, 535, 537, 538, 539, 542, 543, 544

A lot of the later issues can be found in discount bins. Or even cheap online so I'm not too worried about those. Like you silver and early bronze age is the hardest for me. I've been able to knock off some by looking for sales locally, and even at conventions. I was able to get some from friends on social media (IG). I too struggled with still wanting to collect a lot of new titles but I found once I gave those up it became a lot easier.

Are you going to go after the reprints? I'm a bit undecided, or at least it will be secondary for me.

Good luck with the hunt!

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