Pickin My Battles posted by bagofleas

[CSJournals-migration]

You win some you lose some...

 

Im not made out of money.

 

If bucks were molecules I would not be made out of hundred or thousand dollar bills. More like dimes in my case. I may be able to afford some really nice graded comics here or there but not the super valuable Golden or even Silver Age stuff for the most part.

 

Like most of the United States right now I am on a budget. That budget determines what I can go for and when. Not to mention how much I can spend of course. I happen to love old Harvey issues as most of you know.

 

This works out in my favor as these are the Silver Age comics that I can get my hands on for less money and more registry point value for my typical molecule... or dime that is... or whatever.

 

There have been numerous Harvey issues that have shown up on various websites and auction houses that I have been interested in. While I have been drooling over the possibility of getting most of these I HAVE to set limits on myself.

 

A lot of factors go into my decisions. How rare is it in the grade? Are there higher grades available? If so how many? What has it sold for in its grade in the past? How early of an issue is it? Does it help me enough towards set completions for the money? Does it have an extremely dark cover? And of course the biggest question of all... how much money do I have available at the time?

 

All of these things and more go into whether I will bid on it or not as well as whether I will even TRY for it in the first place. I have to PICK MY BATTLES very carefully. I take everything into account and determine how much I am willing to spend on the issue.

 

I WILL NOT SPEND MORE THAN I AM WILLING TO NO MATTER HOW MUCH I MAY WANT IT. Its really tough sometimes and I have had my share of moments where I cringe in frustration at being outbid. But I make myself adhere strictly to my prior evaluations on the comic and while I may have missed out on some I REALLY wanted I have also gotten some INCREDIBLE deals.

 

Pick your battles carefully. You may win some and you may lose some but you will be far more happy with the issues you DO get than the ones you missed out on.

 

If I was filthy rich I would not worry as much about the bills being paid on top of my hobby. But Im NOT rich by any stretch of the human imagination so I have to curb my collecting habits as much as possible. This is an extremely tough thing to do but I DO IT. It has the added benefit of ultimately making for better sets of graded comics in the long run.

 

Plenty of people out there have far more money than I will ever hope to have but money IS NOT everything. Its what you do with the money you DO have that makes the difference in the end.

 

I know not everyone out there agrees with this statement but God gives and God can take away. Are you using what God has given you wisely? Take care of your family. Take care of others. Pay your bills. Meet all of your financial physical and spiritual obligations. Be a responsible and caring person.

 

Once you have done all of those things then you have the chance to put the remainder of your money into the private hobbies or projects that interest you. Mine happens to be CGC graded comics. Most of you who read this share my sentiments to one degree or another.

 

Its wonderful to know that many others out there share my love of these comics. Their art storylines characters and history will NEVER die as long as there are people out there like you and me who endeavor to achieve and collect and appreciate the efforts of the creators of the past and present. Their creativity and dedication and inspiration are what drives us to work harder to be the better human beings that we are capable of.

 

We dont have to agree on political or spiritual or even financial subjects. But I still love all you guys out there on the CGC registry. You guys make this hobby interesting and wonderful!

 

Oooookay now that Im done waxing philosophical here is a scan of one of my recent Harvey acquisitions. An ABSOLUTELY AWESOME 9.6 copy of Hot Stuff number 32! A VERY dark cover sets this earlier issue apart as one of the few earlier issues of this series that will probably NEVER see a 9.8 copy.

 

Getting it for around a X5.3 RP/AP ratio aint bad either! Woo Hoo!

 

See more journals by bagofleas

[Tnerb]

I know not everyone out there agrees with this statement but God gives and God can take away. Are you using what God has given you wisely? Take care of your family. Take care of others. Pay your bills. Meet all of your financial physical and spiritual obligations. Be a responsible and caring person.

 

Well Said.

 

In my collection, hidden away are a handful of Harvey issues. These were read so much, the covers are gone. One is a Richie Rich book where his father bought him a haunted house. Him and Reggie were going through the house during a thunderstorm. Do you know of this book because this is a book i would love to purchase over again, graded or not.

 

Tnerb

[bagofleas]

Hmmm... no, I'm not sure about that one. I too had a number of richie rich issues throughout my childhood, but I don't recall the one you mention. If I DO come across it I'll let you know.