advice for new collectors 0

[Old_Skool]

 

My advice would be:Read/collect what you most enjoy and you will never be disappointed.

 

The vast bulk of my collection is basically worth cover price.When I started(circa `93) it was because I remember how much I enjoyed the artwork,stories,and the charachters of my youth.

 

For my more valuable books(bronze and silver) I always try and get the highest grade of a given book that I can afford.Generally I collect VF/NM copies with a few

NM/NM- in there for good measure. If I can get a good deal on a key book in F or higher grade I am all over it(provided I have the funds).

 

Use commen sense(and archival storage products)when storing your treasures.

 

Try not to get caught up in the hype of the moment.

(Like I did with the Valient titles.....ouch!)

 

Buy as many TPBs and reprints of the classic stories as you can! Great and inexpensive way to enjoy the wonderful art/stories of yesteryear.

 

 

[pavespawn]

I think the absolute most important advice for new colloctors is HAVE FUN! I have collected X-Men for 20 years now and I still get excited about seeing the next issue. I had no idea that the X-Men would get so popular. And to tell you the truth, when they started to get main stream, it kind of turned me off to them. The bottom line is buy comics because you like the stories, characters, art etc. Don't buy to get rich because you probably won't. Read your books, then take care of them. Bag, board and box your collection because they are valuable to you and you alone. Like I said, I have been collecting for 20 years but I have never been to a convention. I would recommend going though. It could open you up to a new title or even a new age of books. When I was a kid, I couldn't afford those silver age books, but now I enjoy those early X-Men stories. Anyway, to wrap things up, collect what you like not what may be worth something in a few years.

 

Gary

[THE_BEYONDER]

Hey Pavespawn,

 

Why didn't you sign-in in my "lurkers" thread?

 

Oh well.......WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!!!!

[Kevin76]

I think the absolute most important advice for new colloctors is HAVE FUN! I have collected X-Men for 20 years now and I still get excited about seeing the next issue. I had no idea that the X-Men would get so popular. And to tell you the truth, when they started to get main stream, it kind of turned me off to them. The bottom line is buy comics because you like the stories, characters, art etc. Don't buy to get rich because you probably won't. Read your books, then take care of them. Bag, board and box your collection because they are valuable to you and you alone. Like I said, I have been collecting for 20 years but I have never been to a convention. I would recommend going though. It could open you up to a new title or even a new age of books. When I was a kid, I couldn't afford those silver age books, but now I enjoy those early X-Men stories. Anyway, to wrap things up, collect what you like not what may be worth something in a few years.

 

Gary

 

 

Ever since I started collecting comics,I have heard this kind of story over and over again...buy what you like and not for the investment and Well,I like CGC slabbed scarce silver age in NM,I think Metropolis Comics has something like this on thier website...so why are they selling them for profit it,if they say collect to read and not for investment?

[Dave_Hennen]

Check for Marvel Value stamps on issues that contain them (Hulk 181).

 

Amen to that, I've made my share of mistakes buying books that I haven't checked out thoroughly. Set a limit of maybe $1-2, anything above that don't be afraid to ask the seller of you can take the book out of the bag and inspect it. If you take a book out be careful of tape or you may end up owning a book you didn't intend to buy that now has tape pull damage on the cover!

 

Some people get bummed out by certain defects more than others. I'm not a strictly Near Mint collector, a lot of the time Fine to Very Fine is cool with me but finding coupons or the Marvel Value Stamps removed from books really turns me off

 

Enjoy your comics, they are lots of fun !!!

dave h

[Dave_Hennen]

An example of this would be my wife. The first six years of marriage she paid little to no attention to my pile of comic boxes. One day she discovers some old Wonder Womans that I was moving from poly bags to new mylars.

 

This reminds me of a funny story. My wife didn't much care for my comic collecting when we first got married. One nice summer day we're sitting around watching TV and she picks up one of my Amazing Spiderman books that was out and starts reading it. She gets a few pages into it and a fly or something lands on the open book. "SWAT" she kills the fly by smacking it open handed onto the open comic. I wish I had a picture of the horrified look on my face. "No more

comics for you honey"

 

To bring this back on topic, if you collect comics and want to keep them in good condition, keep them out of the hands of spouses and young children unless they know how to treat them

 

dave h

[pavespawn]

Ever since I started collecting comics,I have heard this kind of story over and over again...buy what you like and not for the investment and Well,I like CGC slabbed scarce silver age in NM,I think Metropolis Comics has something like this on thier website...so why are they selling them for profit it,if they say collect to read and not for investment?

 

If you like to buy slabbed books for profit (IMO I call that investing not collecting) then that is fine. You are having fun doing that. Not to affend anyone (please don't take this personally), but I don't consider comic shop owners "collectors". They may be collectors on their own time but in the shop, they are running a business. Business is about profit. I don't think I could ever sell any of my books. I am sorry you feel like you have to mock me because of that.

[Kevin76]

Ever since I started collecting comics,I have heard this kind of story over and over again...buy what you like and not for the investment and Well,I like CGC slabbed scarce silver age in NM,I think Metropolis Comics has something like this on thier website...so why are they selling them for profit it,if they say collect to read and not for investment?

 

If you like to buy slabbed books for profit (IMO I call that investing not collecting) then that is fine. You are having fun doing that. Not to affend anyone (please don't take this personally), but I don't consider comic shop owners "collectors". They may be collectors on their own time but in the shop, they are running a business. Business is about profit. I don't think I could ever sell any of my books. I am sorry you feel like you have to mock me because of that.

 

im not mocking you,i'm justing saying that what you are saying is a bit old don't you think? This "buy what you like and not for investment" type of advice is quite clitche'. don't you think?

[pavespawn]

Ever since I started collecting comics,I have heard this kind of story over and over again...buy what you like and not for the investment and Well,I like CGC slabbed scarce silver age in NM,I think Metropolis Comics has something like this on thier website...so why are they selling them for profit it,if they say collect to read and not for investment?

 

If you like to buy slabbed books for profit (IMO I call that investing not collecting) then that is fine. You are having fun doing that. Not to affend anyone (please don't take this personally), but I don't consider comic shop owners "collectors". They may be collectors on their own time but in the shop, they are running a business. Business is about profit. I don't think I could ever sell any of my books. I am sorry you feel like you have to mock me because of that.

 

im not mocking you,i'm justing saying that what you are saying is a bit old don't you think? This "buy what you like and not for investment" type of advice is quite clitche'. don't you think?

 

Does that mean that comic books have become a business for everyone instead of a hobby? I want to believe that is not true. I still have fun buying comic books and I am 29 years old. If that is cliche' then so be it.

 

Gary

[Kevin76]

Ever since I started collecting comics,I have heard this kind of story over and over again...buy what you like and not for the investment and Well,I like CGC slabbed scarce silver age in NM,I think Metropolis Comics has something like this on thier website...so why are they selling them for profit it,if they say collect to read and not for investment?

 

If you like to buy slabbed books for profit (IMO I call that investing not collecting) then that is fine. You are having fun doing that. Not to affend anyone (please don't take this personally), but I don't consider comic shop owners "collectors". They may be collectors on their own time but in the shop, they are running a business. Business is about profit. I don't think I could ever sell any of my books. I am sorry you feel like you have to mock me because of that.

 

im not mocking you,i'm justing saying that what you are saying is a bit old don't you think? This "buy what you like and not for investment" type of advice is quite clitche'. don't you think?

 

Does that mean that comic books have become a business for everyone instead of a hobby? I want to believe that is not true. I still have fun buying comic books and I am 29 years old. If that is cliche' then so be it.

 

Gary

 

I love comics too,I'm a collector not a dealer.But i've always been drawn to the fact of how much these books go for.It is exciting to lay down 1K,2K 5K even 10K+ for a comic.

[COI]

If you like to buy slabbed books for profit (IMO I call that investing not collecting) then that is fine. You are having fun doing that. Not to affend anyone (please don't take this personally), but I don't consider comic shop owners "collectors". They may be collectors on their own time but in the shop, they are running a business. Business is about profit. I don't think I could ever sell any of my books. I am sorry you feel like you have to mock me because of that.

 

These terms are very arbitrary. I'm sure there are "pure collectors" out there who could care less about the value of their books, but you probably won't find them buying high grade. And that's fine. But high grade collectors being *somewhat* investment minded(meaning they would like to at least be able to get their money back should they need to) is almost a given. No one has Millions of dollars to spend on a hobby without any discretion. Even the richest of the rich won't spend that kind of money frivalously, because building wealth requires prudence, and that's not a quality they're going to suddenly lose just because they've made it.

 

And for some, the fun of the hobby is buying, selling and trading, not so much for money, but to expand their collection. That dosen't make them any less of a collector. Most of us don't fit into one specific definition, so these terms are basically useless.

 

[Rip]

Advice to live by.

1. Sell the books that mean the most to you.

(If they mean a lot to you, they must mean a lot to someone else... right??)

 

2. Set records by spending the most ever on a book.

(You just set the new going rate, now you dictate the price,... right??)

 

3. Sell your rarest books first.

(These are worth the most, so get lots of money for em. Don't worry you'll get em again)

 

4. Buy lots and lots of all the latest "hot books". The larger the print run the better.

(Higher print run means more people like em therefore they go up in value)

 

5. Don't collect what you like, collect what other people like.

(Who cares what you like? What matters is who you can impress.)

 

6. Store your comics in your hot garage or leaky storage shed.

(Comics love heat, it keeps them hot and fresh, they also love extreme tempature changes)

 

7. Never send books through the mail with a backing board or cardboard support.

(Do you know how much money that adds up to?)

 

8. Never pay more than what Overstreet says.

And, if you can find a book for less than guide, buy it FAST

(Overstreet prices are never wrong and are very scientific. Never mind the first 1/4 of the book)

 

9. Don't read your books EVER!

(You might damage them, but if you do happen to have that craving, then buy it slabbed first)

10. Don't question a dealers grading system.

(He's been doing it a lot longer than you, so take notes)

[Kevin76]

Advice to live by.

1. Sell the books that mean the most to you.

(If they mean a lot to you, they must mean a lot to someone else... right??)

 

2. Set records by spending the most ever on a book.

(You just set the new going rate, now you dictate the price,... right??)

 

3. Sell your rarest books first.

(These are worth the most, so get lots of money for em. Don't worry you'll get em again)

 

4. Buy lots and lots of all the latest "hot books". The larger the print run the better.

(Higher print run means more people like em therefore they go up in value)

 

5. Don't collect what you like, collect what other people like.

(Who cares what you like? What matters is who you can impress.)

 

6. Store your comics in your hot garage or leaky storage shed.

(Comics love heat, it keeps them hot and fresh, they also love extreme tempature changes)

 

7. Never send books through the mail with a backing board or cardboard support.

(Do you know how much money that adds up to?)

 

8. Never pay more than what Overstreet says.

And, if you can find a book for less than guide, buy it FAST

(Overstreet prices are never wrong and are very scientific. Never mind the first 1/4 of the book)

 

9. Don't read your books EVER!

(You might damage them, but if you do happen to have that craving, then buy it slabbed first)

10. Don't question a dealers grading system.

(He's been doing it a lot longer than you, so take notes)

 

 

Thanx for the advice...i'll be sure to keep this list in mind

[Rip]

Hey that's what I'm here for. I'm the arbitrator of taste and value.

 

 

[lyriacomicexchange-migrati]

Keep this in mind, an early price guide from the late 1960’s reporting the Amazing Fantasy comic book issue #15 is trading hands among collectors for the paltry sum of $5.00. According to the Overstreet Price Guide, the standard within the industry today, the same comic book is commanding $48,000 from interested parties and collectors alike. Now, I won’t claim to be a math genius but according to my primitive calculator and feeble brain that’s an incredible 479,505% increase in the last 30 years. I’m having trouble finding a stock that can boast such returns.

[Illiterati-migration]

Holy shizzle, nice website! (And a fellow Kansan, no less!)

[uclapeterg]

For every AF15, there's Dazzler 1, Secret Wars II 1, Man of Steel 1 etc etc. you get my drift.. it's essentially a crapshoot.

[PovertyRow]

For every AF15, there's Dazzler 1, Secret Wars II 1, Man of Steel 1 etc etc. you get my drift.. it's essentially a crapshoot.

 

Only problem is that the Dazzler 1 (love the book), Secret Wars, MOS etc etc are easily found in NM grades. Now easily finding an AF15 in the same grades as Dazzler 1, Secret Wars, MOS etc.......nah!

[Dr_Neff]

New Collectors:

 

Read :

 

Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide

Gerber Photo Journals 1,2,3,4

All in Color For a Dime

Heritage Comic Auction Catalog(s)

 

 

Attend:

 

Any metropolitan comic book show; with the understanding that you are there to observe, and have lunch with a veteran dealer or other comics professional.

 

 

View:

 

These chatboards and similar fanboy sites

 

 

Buy comics from:

 

HCA

Harley Yee

Mark Wilson

John Verzyl

Nadia Mannarino

Gary Dolgoff

Midtown Comics (NYC)

Paradise Comics (CAN.)

Investment Collectibles

The Mint

and anyone on EbaY with over 4 years, 100+ pos. feedback, 98% rating, and NO negatives in the past month on their account.

Many CGC Forumites are AWESOME sellers, and they have a dual feedback system, in which not only to they get rated on EbaY by feedback, but also BERATED by the other voracious velociraptor forumites if they screw anything up.

 

PLAY:

 

Heroclix

[mrwoogieman]

Don't tug on Superman's cape; don't spit into the wind; and don't, don't, don't mess around with Jim!