What kind of collector are you? 1 1

[CollectingFool]

What drives you to collect?

 

Do you love the medium and just can't get enough of comic art originals?

 

Are you a "Prestige" collector and only looking to pick up some top pieces?

 

Are you really just a comic book collector that ran out of stuff to get and this seems the next logical step?

 

Are you interested because of the money aspect and if you're going to invest money, it might as well be something fun you're interested in.

 

Are you a full time collector just dabbling?

 

For me, I know I'm a compulsive collector. I'm starting to get things under control recently and the insatiable desire isn't as strong as it once was. That aside, I do love the medium and I enjoy some $500 pieces as much if not more than some $50,000 pieces. A lot of stuff I get I think I'm the only one willing to pay more than $10 for.

 

What category would you put yourself in? Do you think it's the same category others would put you in?

 

[Claudio]

I like collecting things as well and comic art is awesome because it can be put away easily. Comic books takes up too much room. I also like comic art more because it is one of a kind and I get a real huge thrill when I acquire a desired piece.

 

I am not a fan of the art itself most of the time. I'm more interested in the nostalgia.

[Pirate]

I used to be unfocused, now I have a narrow focus. I love to sell the comics to fund the art. Still read comics but don't collect them like I used too. Would rather have the only one of something.

[heartened]

I'm a fan of comic book stories and characters primarily, and I search out art from stories that I either remember loving as a child, or read and developed an affection for as an adult. I have no art just for art's sake... there has to be additional attachment for me to buy it, and that means usually a compelling story and almost always a great artist/writer collaboration. That, of course, is a very personal and subjective issue; in some cases many other collectors agree and drive up prices, whereas in other cases I'm one of a few collectors who like the material and prices remain modest. Either way, I'm happy when I get something that fulfills the criteria above.

 

[LordZarak]

I like collecting things as well and comic art is awesome because it can be put away easily. Comic books takes up too much room. I also like comic art more because it is one of a kind and I get a real huge thrill when I acquire a desired piece.

 

I am not a fan of the art itself most of the time. I'm more interested in the nostalgia.

 

I pretty much echo this 100%. I collect art from the comics I loved reading while growing up. The art may have its flaws, and may not be seen as top tier stuff to many, I love em anyways.

 

[oceans11]

Although fairly new to collecting comic book art, I think I would fall into the category of loving the medium and liking the aspect of getting original comic book art.

 

I remember reading comic books from around when I was 6 years old and I had a couple issues of Marvel Team Up (I would love to still have those issues, but alas they're long gone in one of several moves). From then onwards, I alway read comic books, even through High School years, where it was considered to not be "cool", and all my friend had stopped reading them years earlier. I loved the ability of the artists to tell a story sequentially in panels, conveying sense of movement and action, but also the quieter moments of character interaction.

 

Having a great appreciate for art (my Mom was an art teacher), comic books, and comic art, it was probably a natural sequence for me to turn towards collecting original comic book art. I have a small collection going but I've gotten some pages that I'm really happy with; including a couple that have great meaning for me.

[Rodey]

I'm into the nostalgia and one of kind feeling. "Awesome! You have a 10 Gem Mint of Comic X! Here is the original art DPS 2-3 of that comic!" Now I don't focus on the grade, but on what comics mean to me in my life. Which is what comics and comic collecting is really about. At least to me.

[Kevin76]

I'm the psycho collector...I buy one thing every 2-3 years but it costs $5000-$10,000+ a time.

[Brian Peck]

I am an avid collector of comic art. When I started out 24 years ago I was very focused, started out concentrating on one character I read growing up. As time went on I was able to get a good amount of what I was after for the character and started expanding and adding comics I read growing up from silver age to 80's and some early 90s. Most of my collection is driven by nostolgia either a particular comic book issue/story or art by a specific artist.

I loved Spy vs Spy growing up drawn by Antonio Prohas. I love collecting his art, no specific gag I am looking for just ones that are funny. Though I am not intersted in any of the artists who came after him as he is THE Spy vs Spy art.

I have in the last 8 years started to collect art that I never read like golden age or just because I like the art. I started in the last year collecting Rock and Rokk related art of such groups as Black Crowes, Pink Floyd and Rolling Stones. Its amazing the amount of art out there, I get surprised by what I find every year.

 

[Hey Kids, Comics!]

I'm a character collector who only buys Two-Face and Green Arrow art. The only pages I own are of these two and every con sketch I have ever gotten is as well.

[alxjhnsn]

As I say in my CAF Gallery introduction, I collect art that has a personal connection for me - artist and character, e.g., Cardy/Bat Lash, Infantino/SA Flash, Mayer/Sugar & Spike, Swan/Superman, Swan/Legion, Colan/DD, Kirby/Thor (need the lottery for that), and so on.

 

I don't have a particular timeframe. For example, a favorite piece is by Thom Zahler (Love and Capes #11 recreation). BTW, LnC is a must read. Go get the trades and have a nice couple of hours. I promise.

 

My most recent is a page from the first comic I ever read - 46 years old now. Sheesh! How did that happen?

 

Lots of great stuff on my "to get" list, but #1 with a bullet is a Swan / LSH with lots of Legionaires on it. One day.

 

[batman_fan]

I love these kind of threads! It is always interesting to hear peoples story. I started off buying original art when I was young because I loved comics and dreamed of being a comic book artist. I bought what was cheap but had good images. As I got older I focused mostly on comics but still snagged a page or two off ebay. Now I am much more focused. I only buy covers and splashes because I love the large images they typically have. Many of my panel pages have long since been sold. I try to buy a nice image of each major Marvel and DC character with some over exposure to a few characters (Batman and Black Panther). I like to find pages that have the character drawn by one of the primary artist.

 

I agree with one of the previous posters when they said they loved $500 page as much or more than a $50k item. I actually really love my Batman animated pages and many of these were less than $100.

[Baron]

Transition collector. Stopped collecting comics in the late 90s/early 2000s, sold off most of my toys collections a couple years ago. Focused on animation cel collecting the last 5+ years but the market pretty much dwindled in quality stock.

 

So here I am now trying out OA. Before this year I only had one piece of OA that cost me less than $30 I think (Darkstars). Now I'm checking out series that I enjoy.

[Murray Clack]

"What drives you to collect? "

At first, it was curiosity, to see 'what's all the fuss about original comic art'. Now I know

 

"Do you love the medium and just can't get enough of comic art originals?"

You could say that. I've bought more art than back-issues in recent years.

 

"Are you a "Prestige" collector and only looking to pick up some top pieces?"

Nah. I pick up what I like and what I can afford. Some day I might pick up a random 'top page' so that I have some bartering power for stuff I REALLY want.

 

I collect mostly Batman related pieces. I try to get pages from all eras, titles, artists, etc. that I can afford or appeals to me. I could save up and buy a nice 'grail' page, but I rather have some variety in my collection.

 

"Are you really just a comic book collector that ran out of stuff to get and this seems the next logical step?"

That's a small part of it. I have every issue of Batman and Detective Comics I want/can afford.

 

"Are you interested because of the money aspect and if you're going to invest money, it might as well be something fun you're interested in."

Nah. As I said before, I collect what I like and afford. No plans to 'flip' any of my pages.

 

"Are you a full time collector just dabbling?"

I have over 40 pieces in the last 5 years. Not sure what that makes me.

 

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=7684

 

[Brian Peck]

"Are you a full time collector just dabbling?"

I have over 40 pieces in the last 5 years. Not sure what that makes me.

 

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=7684

 

An Addict!

[artcollector9]

This is a great thread.

 

I think whenever one spends $500 or more, it should be a good investment. it isn't fair to my family if I 'blow' thousands of dollars that can't be recouped in the future if need be.

 

I personally love it all..I'm still thrilled by a great sketch, be it by Frazetta or Wrightson or Kirby or any number of artists...

 

I love modest works as well as master works... I recently picked up a Wood cover and a Wood sketch the same week...

 

I collect deep, not wide...that is, I collect a few artists, and I want A LOT of their stuff, e.g. pencil sketches, ink pieces, finished colored pieces if possible, etc.

 

I've loved comics and the art that created them since I was a kid, and I always will...

[delekkerste]

"What drives you to collect? "

 

Nostalgia and an appreciation for the art, stories, creators and characters developed over the last 27 years of reading comics.

 

 

"Do you love the medium and just can't get enough of comic art originals?"

 

I love the medium, but it's not true that I can't get enough of OA. I don't think it's healthy to let your collecting pursuits become all-consuming. I also think that it's natural for collectors to run into the law of diminishing utility - I certainly experienced that in comics, where the acquisition of my 300th slabbed comic gave me very little incremental joy compared to my first, and led me to eventually give up that hobby entirely. I still enjoy getting new art, but that is because I am now very selective and only buy things that will enhance my collection and my enjoyment thereof. If I was on the prowl for new art all the time and just collecting for collecting's sake, I don't think I would be enjoying life, let alone collecting, very much.

 

 

Are you a "Prestige" collector and only looking to pick up some top pieces?"

 

I would say in the beginning that was definitely not the case - I didn't particularly care for prestige or monetary value if I liked the artist, subject matter and the quality of the art. "Buy what you like", as it were. However, I realize in hindsight that I was not selective enough and ended up overpaying for a number of pieces since I was focusing more on artistic quality than prestige (which is directly correlated with marketability/market value). Nowadays, artistic quality and nostalgia still drive my purchases, but that is balanced against selectivity and trying to buy the better examples. I like having nice pieces in my collection and will no longer buy something "just to have a piece by a certain artist or from a certain run", for example.

 

 

"Are you really just a comic book collector that ran out of stuff to get and this seems the next logical step?"

 

That was initially the case, but I have come to appreciate OA more than I ever did comics. And, despite the faults in the OA hobby (and there are many), I feel the comic book hobby has become such a fetid cesspool that I'm glad to be out of it.

 

 

"Are you interested because of the money aspect and if you're going to invest money, it might as well be something fun you're interested in."

 

The money aspect has played a minuscule role in my collecting. I have never made an art trade and the number of pieces I have ever sold you can count on one hand (all very low value stuff that I just didn't care for anymore; profit was never a consideration). I have never bought anything that I couldn't pay for immediately without the benefit of trade bait, time payments or relying on the sale of another piece.

 

I have never viewed my collection as an investment - investing is my day job and I would never want it to cross over into any of my hobbies! That said, as market prices and the value of my collection have increased, I have become more aware of it. I used to mentally value my collection at zero, but now I mentally value it at around what I think I could be confident of getting in a true fire sale liquidation (less than half of FMV). I'm not someone who counts on making a profit from my collecting or who thinks the market will always be so accommodating as to allow me to recoup all my costs (let alone reap a big profit) should I ever need to sell.

 

I consider the enjoyment I get from looking at the art, especially the many pieces I have hanging up around my apartment, to be "return" enough on my investment.

 

 

"Are you a full time collector or just dabbling?"

 

I was a full time collector for a while, but now I'm just adding incremental pieces when the opportunities arise. Something really needs to grab me and the prices have to make sense for me to pursue something these days. I'm very happy with my collection and, while there is more art out there that I would like to own, if I had to call it a day in the hobby here, I could still be very content with my collection as it is. I have other hobbies/pursuits that I am equally passionate about, so OA is definitely not crack to me - if nothing strikes my fancy, or if the price for a piece I want doesn't make sense to me, I'm happy to find other ways to spend my money!

[alxjhnsn]

I forgot to directly answer the question!

 

• What drives you to collect?
  Nostalgia and a sense of connection to the creators whose work I enjoy. I suspect that I'd buy scripts from writers if they were sold.
   
  
• Do you love the medium and just can't get enough of comic art originals?
  I think that graphical story telling is an art and one that I really enjoy. Cameron's Avatar was an astonishing experience in 3D IMAX, but books and comics can be even more amazing when the reader's imagination is counted in the experience.
  I wouldn't say that I feel any particular urge to buy just anything though. I'm picky according to my own standard - my favorite creators, the characters I associate them with, and - when possible - contact with those creators.
   
  
• Are you a "Prestige" collector and only looking to pick up some top pieces?
  I collect what I want and I want what I collect. While I want a Kirby Thor at some point, I don't want it because he's the King. I want it because I really, really enjoyed those stories - Ego the living planet, Surtur the fire giant, Asgard, etc.Other Kirby art doesn't have the appeal to me because I don't have as strong an attachment.
   
  
• Are you really just a comic book collector that ran out of stuff to get and this seems the next logical step?
  I still buy new comics (too many), I've been collecting since about 1964 with only one minor gap so I pretty much have what I want. The OA collecting started because I found sources of artist/creator combinations that I enjoy.
   
  
• Are you interested because of the money aspect and if you're going to invest money, it might as well be something fun you're interested in.
  I buy what I like and I like what I buy. I have no expectation of selling in my lifetime. I do keep a list of what I've bought and what it cost for my wife and my daughters so that they have some idea as to what is valuable and what is not, but that's as far as I go.
   
  
• Are you a full time collector just dabbling?
  I'm a full-time software guy for a multi-national company, husband, and father of three 20 year old daughters. Time spent on OA is a very, very small part of the day. Though it hangs in the house and is on the CAF so when I need a fix it's easy to get.
  

[Greg_C]

Hey all

 

 

I collect G1 AFA-graded Transformers, but I managed to fill my man-cave with them so I needed something less space-intensive so I got into art thinking "Jim Lee was selling his X-Men pages for $100/pop when I was collecting comics, so they can't possibly cost more than $500 now". Ha ha ha, Noob! Anyways, I've been collecting for 2 years and have managed to pick up about 200 pieces, although I now focus on buying a $1000-2000 piece every month or two, instead of 5 or 6 $200 pieces when I started. I collect mostly pieces from the mid-80's and up, although I collect for the artist, as opposed to the comic. Not sure what category this puts me in.

 

 

Greg

[Brenmark]

 

 

Hi Ruben,

 

I guess if you were to ask what drives me to collect original art I would have to say the connection I feel to my favorite artists by owning something that they worked on personally. I was around in the heyday of cheap original art at SDCC in the early 70s, but it didn't interest me then. Many years later I bought a Reed Crandall page from Flash Gordon because I enjoyed his work so much in the Quality comic line of Blackhawk, Smash, and Hit comics. One page led to another and I seriously began to collect a very good representative example or two or three of all my favorite artists whether they were old masters like Hal Foster or modern artists like Charles Vess.

I wouldn't say I was a prestige collector. While it is not in the cards right now for me to get a Wrightson Frankenstein plate, a Smith Conan, or early Kirby Fantastic Four, I have been very fortunate and very happy to get other examples of artwork that I liked by these same artists and many others. For example, I recently purchased a Frank R. Paul painting from a Heritage auction. While it may not be an Amazing Stories pulp cover (which I rarely see for sale), it had incredible architectural design and space ships which appealed to me, a reasonable price, and I liked the history that this was the guy who did the cover to Marvel #1. It's these connections that often help me decide if I want to buy a work for my collection. Who is the artist? Does it appeal to me? Is there a history? Is the price within my means?

After 20 years of collecting original art, I still find this to be a fascinating and fun hobby. It's always a pleasure to see what's out there and what other people collect. It's especially nice to meet and talk with the very same artists that I admire. See you at SDCC.