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The Pyramiding Scheme

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duckduckmike

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aka "laddering the collection"

So I've taken some time off to streamline my X-Men collection, focusing on the core of X-Men 1 through the Byrne era. I sold off a number of later X-Men slabs, mostly 9.8s and I just recently sat down to add my new acquisitions to my scores.

I was pleasantly surprised at how many books I've been accruing that are worth a decent amount of points. I'll never have a high score to win an award (at least not in the near future) but as I've been selling off lower copies and getting higher grade ones, I can't help but notice that many books I've bought have gone up in value, or at least made me money since I did my original deal hunting.

A fellow collector told me the term for this is "Pyramiding" so that the sales of the lower items fund the purchase of the higher ones. I thought it was funny that "Pyramid Scheme" often implies such evil connotations. When I tell people I'm a pyramider, they assume I'm doing something illicit or underhanded.

But as I sell my books, I get brief enjoyment after the sale when I get a request to transfer certification. Somewhere, another collector is on my heels. Lower on the ladder, but climbing. It makes me feel good about a hobby that is more and more often maligned in the press by the "evil" speculators and "malevolent" flippers.

I am buying books for investment.

I am flipping books.

But the top of the pyramid is a collection of my favorite super heroes, with a value that will hopefully someday be a part of a diversified portfolio, or an heirloom.

So tonight, I'm just reflecting on my past purchases and sales, and I'm looking forward to the upcoming Allentown Comicon, where I'm hoping to get some collector a great deal on a sale, and maybe for myself get a great purchase. If you're going to the show, shoot me a message and we'll keep this great hobby going.

Mike

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