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New to OA Collecting, Advice, tips?
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1,154 posts in this topic

This CAF intro is interesting:

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=46578

 

I don't agree with everything written, but it is true that newer collectors in this hobby should always have their guards up. There are some nice collectors and dealers in this hobby, but there are a lot of snakes out there that deal with OA too.

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My take on this hobby, after a year in it and more than 15 years collecting rare and signed books, is very simple. Reread this thread from the beginning. There's loads of good advice in it. Keep a budget, plan your purchases, and buy what you enjoy. Unless you're looking for a specific page or cover, there generally are plenty of excellent examples of your favorite artist's work. For those super rare items, like Infinity Gauntlet splash pages or Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon pages or Frank Cho's Liberty Meadows art, expect to pay for them. So if there is something on your list that you know to be super rare, have the funds set aside somewhere when you go looking because when you find it, you must be prepared to jump on it immediately. Some items will sit for years, but those rare and highly desireable pieces may not sit for even 30 minutes. When the chance comes, go for it.

 

It's about the fun of comics and the love of their art. Let it take you back to the days when you were 8 years old and reading Spider-Man in your pajamas. Good luck and enjoy this hobby.

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The first post's advice is terrible and clich'e.

 

Always "go for the gold".

 

Obtain artwork that the artist is famous for, then buy the best example you can.

 

Simple (example)

 

Todd Mcfarlane = Spider-Man

Neal Adams = Batman

Bernie Wrightson = Swamp Thing

Frank Miller = Daredevil

 

You get the idea. The buy the best shot of that character you can afford, If you can't afford a splash, go for a half splash or a great panel page with excellent shots of that character. (is he in every panel? Can you see his face? )

 

Yes it's expensive, But always buy quality and you can't go wrong. Who the inker is also matters. No one else should be inking Mcfarlane and no one else should be inking Jim Lee except Scott Williams. You get the idea.

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One thing that I make sure I do is read the story that the art comes from. There have been plenty of time when I see an incredible splash page, but then I read it in the context of the story and (1) it is the only decent page of art in the entire book or (2) the story is .

 

Some may disagree that story is important, but to me it is vital.

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One thing that I make sure I do is read the story that the art comes from. There have been plenty of time when I see an incredible splash page, but then I read it in the context of the story and (1) it is the only decent page of art in the entire book or (2) the story is .

 

Some may disagree that story is important, but to me it is vital.

 

I agree.

 

Buy OA mostly from books you've read (before is best).

 

I have done otherwise sometimes, but it's not as pleasant.

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Thanks again for all the advice, it's a big help to hear from folks who have been in the field. I know I've made my fair share of mistakes when diving into something new, so avoiding the pitfalls will make this a much more fun experience.

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I will offer a word of advice I wished I'd heard more clearly and still to this day wished I abided by...

 

Don't buy based on boredom or impulse, nor a perceived "it's cheap, it's only $##.##"

 

I've got so many pieces in my collection, both commissions and published pages that are a tad mediocre that I purchased because either I was bored and hadn't made a purchase in a while so was craving to buy something, anything... or it was a late night and surfing the web and finding stuff that was relatively cheap.

 

I will say this as an example... It's easy to say "It's only $100" ten times, then get 10 pieces you're somewhat not passonate about... or you could add those together, and get one single $1,000 piece that you'll appreciate and treasure. Heck, even 5 $20 pieces by unknown artists VS one $100 piece by an artist you like when it comes to commissions. Pace yourself out. Save up for when what you want becomes an available opportunity you'll be ready to afford to take advantage of it.

 

Quantity isn't always better than Quality, so if finances are of concern or not wanting to have a collection riddled with mediocrity, then just save up and stay focused to your collecting goals without deviating too far off the characters, art or whatever genre you collect.

 

It's hard to sell off junk or stuff not too many people want, so not only are impulsive buys sometimes hasty lapses in judgment, but are bad investments too.

 

 

 

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The hobby comes with many ups and downs. I try not to get frustrated about "the one that got away". The great thing about this hobby is that there will always be another great piece available if you wait patiently.

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The hobby comes with many ups and downs. I try not to get frustrated about "the one that got away". The great thing about this hobby is that there will always be another great piece available if you wait patiently.

 

And sometimes you don't even have to wait patiently. There is always something around the corner!

 

Malvin

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The first post's advice is terrible and clich'e.

 

Always "go for the gold".

 

Obtain artwork that the artist is famous for, then buy the best example you can.

 

Simple (example)

 

Todd Mcfarlane = Spider-Man

Neal Adams = Batman

Bernie Wrightson = Swamp Thing

Frank Miller = Daredevil

 

You get the idea. The buy the best shot of that character you can afford, If you can't afford a splash, go for a half splash or a great panel page with excellent shots of that character. (is he in every panel? Can you see his face? )

 

Yes it's expensive, But always buy quality and you can't go wrong. Who the inker is also matters. No one else should be inking Mcfarlane and no one else should be inking Jim Lee except Scott Williams. You get the idea.

 

My advice would be more like "Always Go by the Golden Rule of Collecting". That Golden Rule, as you've heard from others, is "buy what you like".

 

I respectfully disagree that the "go for the gold" approach to buying art is the right approach for everybody. For some people, this might be the way to go. For investment, this is good advice. But this approach is not the right approach for every collector and it's certainly not for me.

 

Telling a collector to "only buy the really nice ones" is like telling a comic book collector to "only buy first appearances and keys, and only buy 9.8 or better." For some collectors, that approach works. Other collectors might prefer an entire run in 9.2 (or 3.0) to owning just a single book in 9.8. It's all a matter of collector preference. If everybody just went "for the gold", then Amazing Spider-man #2 in 8.5 would be selling for a quarter.

 

I decided in the mid-1990's that I wanted to own a piece from each of my favorite artists and characters. I bought what I could afford: I got a Starlin Captain Marvel page, a Smith Conan, an Adams GL/GA, a Watchmen page, etc. The pages I got were okay, but not prime examples. Sure, I would have loved a NICER Starlin CM, a nicer Adams GL/GA, and a nicer Smith Conan. Rather than buy all of the pieces I did, I could have held off and bought a single nice splash. However, if I had held out for only nicer pieces, my collection would be much smaller and I never would have acquired one of each of my favorites. Now my collection is complete. I don't buy original art any more becasue I accomplished my mission and I'm happy with what I have.

 

It is important to recognize that the really nice peices, with iconic images from top-name artists, are always more liquid that the lower-tier, less-expensive pieces. When somebody is buying solely for investment, "go for the gold" can be good advice (but still not the right advice for everybody in all situations). However, if a collector is following what I call the Golden Rule of Collecting, then future liquidity should not be as big a consideration as other factors.

 

 

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Here's the advice I recently gave to somebody who asked me a simliar question.

 

1) Buy what you like. For any potential purchase, ask yourself, "if the bottom of the market fell out tomorrow, wiping out any monetary value the art has, would I still be happy that I bought this art?". If the answer is yes, it's a good piece to buy. If it's no, keep waiting for the right piece.

2). Published original comic book art is nearly impossible to fake well. Sketches can be faked with relative ease. Let that inform your purchasing decisions. Personally, I rarely ever buy sketches.

3). Invest in some Mylars for art. They are not cheap, but they are essential if you plan on keeping your art for a long time.

4). Be very careful when having art framed. I paid that I thought was a reputable framer to frame my Bolland Animal Man cover, and I found out years later (after the framer was out of business) that they had glued the cover down to foam core board!

5) Read the "New to OA Collecting" thread on the boards, which has good advice.

 

Always get plenty of advice, which gives you lots of informed opinions from others who have been there. Then choose which advice is right for you. After a while, you'll have enough experience under your belt that you'll be able to offer advice as well.

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The first post's advice is terrible and clich'e.

 

Always "go for the gold".

 

Obtain artwork that the artist is famous for, then buy the best example you can.

 

Simple (example)

 

Todd Mcfarlane = Spider-Man

Neal Adams = Batman

Bernie Wrightson = Swamp Thing

Frank Miller = Daredevil

 

You get the idea. The buy the best shot of that character you can afford, If you can't afford a splash, go for a half splash or a great panel page with excellent shots of that character. (is he in every panel? Can you see his face? )

 

Yes it's expensive, But always buy quality and you can't go wrong. Who the inker is also matters. No one else should be inking Mcfarlane and no one else should be inking Jim Lee except Scott Williams. You get the idea.

When I see a post like this, I'm always curious about the poster's own collection. What about it? Link?
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4). Be very careful when having art framed. I paid that I thought was a reputable framer to frame my Bolland Animal Man cover, and I found out years later (after the framer was out of business) that they had glued the cover down to foam core board!

yuck that gives me the heebie jeebies. Luckily most of what I collect is on thick illo board so hopefully no one would ever see any need to glue it down to anything, but yikes.

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I 100% agree with this posting, especially point #3

 

I find it odd that some dealers who are in the business of selling artwork don't even take the time to protect their inventory. As a collector, and those who collect comics, nobody puts raw books in boxes without mylars or bags, so why treat even more expensive items like art with any less respect.

 

It's fairly inexpensive. I've explained on several posts in the past the way I preserve my artwork affordably, all-in, about $2-4 to preserve artwork that cost you anywhere from $100 to $10,000+

 

If you have a small collection, buy mylars (don't shortcut by getting those mylite type bags with the adhesive flap) from Bill Cole or Bags Unlimited, they'll cost you less than $3 a piece (depending on the size and quantity).

 

Here's a link to the mylars for $2-3 a piece:

 

http://www.bagsunlimited.com/p-5164-polyester-mylar-sleeve-4mil-no-flap.aspx

 

Using mylars alone are also not good enough, in that there's an opening at the top that moisture or silverfish can enter through, plus handling mylars can cause aesthetic scratches to the mylar if you're nit picky.

 

What I do is buy a 3 mil (not the flimsy 2 mil, as the thickness of the bag is important for archiving and doesn't add to the cost that much) preservation bags from Bags Unlimited, then put the mylar into that bag, and then tape down the top flap, so the liklihood of having moisture enter or silverfish enter is minimized if not eliminated.

 

For the higher end artwork, or pieces done on thin paper or smaller paper, you can support them with backing boards that either fit in with the mylar or between the bag and the mylar too. Here's a link to those for about $1 a piece

 

http://www.bagsunlimited.com/p-3566-backings-for-original-comic-art-1138-x-1718.aspx

 

If you have a large collection, for $.20 to $.30 a piece you can order perfect archival bags to protect your art from surface wear, handling, moisture and silverfish.

 

Here's a quick link to the right size to get for modern art:

 

http://www.bagsunlimited.com/p-3077-original-comic-art-sleeve-3mil-polyethylene.aspx

 

If you're bagging your mylars, you'll have to go up a size to accomodate the fact that the mylar is larger than the original art, so it's an easy measurement depending on the size mylar you get.

 

Some art dealers should bag their inventory, then they can put the prices on the bags instead of the actual artwork itself, and it's easier to change pricing up or down too. It's amazing to see the neglect some dealers (and even artists) have towards their artwork. I've seen browsing customers flip through portfolios, lift out pages and manhandle 'em with their potentially greasy and dirty fingers all the time.

 

Condition isn't key for one-of-a-kind items per se as it is in the graded/grading community, but collectors generally like to respect their collectibles and it's always nice to keep them in the best possible condition and consider it investing in a measure of insurance and assurance in knowing you're doing your best to preserve the collectible from any accidents. Dang those silverfish !!!

 

I know for some collectors with large collections that are unprotected it may seem like a lot of money to pay up front for, and a lot of time to actually put the pieces in and tape the flaps down, but it's a worthwhile effort. Also, buy more than you need, so then when you get new art, you have the supplies paid for and conveniently available in front of you as your collection grows.

 

* As for framing, make sure your frames are sealed air tight, otherwise, as I'd experienced, silverfish can enter and nibble on the back-sides of the paper (you'll notice rough spots on the formerly smooth surface as indiciation) or the edges or corners. Plus, invest in UV glass, but still display them out of direct sunlight. If using mats, use archival quality acid-free scrapbooking tape if securing artwork with tape to the mat.

 

** Oh, and for mylars, if you have any pieces with heavy black india ink that's almost globbed on, even if dry, if it looks thick, you should use the polybags not mylars, since it's been my experience that the ink actually ended up sticking to the mylar and when you want to remove the art, it lifts the ink off and the ink sticks to the mylar due to pressure (if in a portfolio) or temperature (natual variance in heat where it's stored), whereas with the polybags, the ink does not stick to that surface.

 

 

3). Invest in some Mylars for art. They are not cheap, but they are essential if you plan on keeping your art for a long time.

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