Do you love low grade keys?

[Red84]

There are plenty of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5s that aren't falling apart.

[ttfitz]

I'm curious, how many of you love low grade keys?

 

It always makes me wonder when I see a really expensive (by my standards) and really low grade key book bought/sold. I'm not saying what I collect is better than what you collect, I just honestly don't understand spending 1000's of dollars, sometimes a lot more, on a book that's so beaten you can't even hold it without fear of damaging it further.

 

I love Spider-man, and I'd love to own an AF15 and an ASM1, but I would have no interest owning either book if it was visually unappealing and of such low quality that you would risk having the book fall apart in your hands. Don't get me wrong, if I new it was a deal and I could flip it for a profit I'd buy one and flip it, but that's something different entirely.

 

So are you in the camp that loves your CGC .5 grade and/or poor grade raw keys, or are you with me in that you'd rather not own a book than have a beaten copy?

 

EDIT for clarity: The 3.0 and VG- and up books aren't the types of low grades I'm talking about here. I mean the very Poor and .5-1.0 books that are beaten and holding together by a thread but still sell for thousands of dollars.

 

With your edit, I'd say no, I don't. For the most part, I don't upgrade books, once I buy a copy it goes off my list, so if it doesn't look good enough to keep forever, I won't buy it. Now keep in mind that VG is what I shoot for, and have bought many really nice 2.0s. I recently bought a book that MCS had graded at 1.8, but I think they grade pretty tight (at least in the range I look at) and I thought it looked nice.

[Ken Aldred]

No. I'm too obsessive-compulsive and I wouldn't be happy.

[rjpb]

Generally speaking < 2.0 books don't appeal to me, but there are exceptions. Given the price of major keys, I can see settling for flaws that still leave eye-appeal, like completely split spines, chunks out of back covers or non-story pages missing. I can also see holding a decent coverless copy in hopes of finding a cover to marry sometime.

 

What holds no appeal for me are heavily defaced, stained or faded copies with brittle pages and/or heavy tape holding them together. Even less so single pages. Maybe it's because I don't have a high dollar grail I truly covet, but there's a point at which a comic just isn't worth owning for me.

[Gem_Mint]

I love them. Do I want to pay $5,000 or $50,000... same book, one is just in better condition.

 

Grade doesn't impress friends and family when they come over.

 

I can't tell my AF15 1.5 has a detached cover when I'm sitting on the couch looking at it in the bookshelf.

[FineCollector]

I think the image of a book turning to dust in your hands is putting people off, but if the book is entombed in a CGC case, structural integrity is no longer an issue, and people are willing to buy. Not me, though... I keep my books unslabbed, so I need something flippable. I'll never own a mega key unless I find one in a wall.

 

I don't mind low grade copies of expensive books, depending on the defect. Missing back cover is my favorite Poor, which I prefer to a Fair with covers completely split at twice the price. Water and rust sucks, I cringe when someone buys a book that's been soaked to the point of being mostly spotted white with a faint image of what the cover used to be.

[Gem_Mint]

I do agree it depends on the defect as well.

 

I would never buy a faded book and I stay away from tape. I am also not a fan of pieces cut out of the FC.

[spidrvacc]

Always been a low grade key collector.my Hulk and FF1 are both coverless.i enjoy owning them as much as a person who owns a 8.0 FF1.

[spracknetch23]

I don't mind cheap low grade keys. However, I'm down to only needing AF 15, ASM 1, and Hulk 1 to complete those runs, and I can't bring myself to spend the money it would take to get halfway decent copies. I refuse to pay $2k+ for falling apart, .5 beaters. So, I've just accepted that I just won't get those books, at least not anytime soon.

[paperheart]

no

[David-Lance Roten]

2.0 - 2.5 is as low as I'll go. You can find some really nice eye appeal books in that range if you're patient

[Noodlez]

I say collect what makes you the happiest. Can't afford a 7.0 AF15, but you'd be happy with a 1.0 then by all means get the 1.0

 

My budget doesn't allow for either so I tend not to bother; I go after what I can afford and what satisfies my crave.

 

Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to own those low grade keys in a heartbeat. Reality quickly sinks in...

[Michelangelo]

If the books are keys, the first thing I ask myself is, "what am I willing to spend?"

I'll buy what I can afford.

 

There are a number of factors to consider. For instance, how KEY is the issue? What is the eye appeal? What price can I get it for? How rare is the book?

 

Also consider what era the book came from...

 

If this is a Copper/Modern key, then I'd go no lower than 9.4

 

If it's a Bronze Age key, I try to hover in the 8.0 and up range (unless it's Hulk 181; I'd take a mid-grade copy no problem); however, I do have an Iron Man 55 I got for pretty cheap in the mid-grade range and I'm equally happy with it because of the deal.

 

If it's a SA key, I'd prefer VG and higher, but if I can get a deal, I'd take 3.0 and up... I prefer mid-grade copies

 

If it's a SA Mega key (i.e. AF15, FF1), I'd be happy with an even lower grade copy that has good eye appeal.

 

[Michelangelo]

I love them. Do I want to pay $5,000 or $50,000... same book, one is just in better condition.

 

Grade doesn't impress friends and family when they come over.

 

I can't tell my AF15 1.5 has a detached cover when I'm sitting on the couch looking at it in the bookshelf.

 

+1 - good point

[BarryAllen]

Low-grade keys are awesome! They are the gate-way into the hobby for many people and many times the only grade someone can afford.

 

I started my collection with 1.0-2.0 graded keys and have built/upgraded from there.

 

[Michelangelo]

certain books are extremely hard to find as well. In many cases, take what you can get.

 

I'm not a dealer, no one is showing up on my doorstep looking to sell inherited collections. I also don't have the funds to spend 1000s on estate sales and auctions. I'm just a collector and there are keys out there I've never laid my eyes on; some I've only seen once and never again.

 

With so many people into the hobby, the huge superhero movie hype driving up interest and values, and this being the age of information, ultra rare keys aren't going to spring up that frequently.

[The-Collector]

 

 

Low grade doesn't necessarily mean that it's ugly or going to fall apart (even though it does on a lot of books). Would I want a brittle paged beater in my collection that's going to flake apart when I read it? Nope.

 

Would I take a technically low grade copy that looks good and that I can read? Sure. My Hulk 1 fits that bill. It's probably a technical 3.0/3.5 due to extensive water staining, but I'd take it over a lot of 6.0s I have seen.

 

 

I have similar requirements to October. I want the book to be readable, so brittle pages or story panels missing is not acceptable. I would prefer high grade but If the only tec 31 I can afford is a 1.0 that is fine by me.

[oakman29]

3.0-5.0 is my favorite grade for mega keys. Plus I can't afford anything higher.

[AGGIEZ]

3.0-5.0 is my favorite grade for mega keys. Plus I can't afford anything higher.

 

 

This!

 

I LOVE a low grade key...if it has eye appeal. I'm with October...just because it's low grade doesn't mean it's a rag. You can find some really nice looking books in the 3.0-5.0 range

 

 

 

[Tivo32]

I am not able to afford even mid grade keys. But beyond that, I love the low grade keys that show some "life" to them. I love watching American Pickers and seeing vintage pieces of rusty gold that have been loved and have lived a bit. I like my comics the same way. I want them to come with a story. I like imagining some kid giving money earned from delivering papers or painting fences to buy his Avengers #1 or Showcase #22. GIve me by keys low grade and well loved!