High Grade or Hard to Find? 0

[rjpb]

What gets your collector high going more, picking up high grade copies of books that aren't that tough in lower grades, or finding stuff you've been looking a long time for, with less regard for actual condition (meaning you may still have a minimum acceptable grade, but it's probably lower than you'd like, and finding any decent copy or even any at all is tough).

[Bomber-Bob]

I went through the high grade phase years ago but I have changed my ways. Finding a truly rare book is much better.

[marvelmaniac]

With the books I still need I am only looking for reading copies and they are still hard to find, especially hard to find at guide.

[FineCollector]

I don't care for high grade when a pretty mid-grade book will do. I also don't collect things that are so hard to find that I won't like the copy that turns up.

 

I guess it's drek for me.

[bhigg32]

Since I'm going for Modern and Copper, getting my grails are what do it for me. Condition is important, but value is also key...

[oakman29]

High grade is for speculating suckers.

[steveinthecity]

For the most part I'm perfectly happy with a lower grade book that's difficult to find so long as it's got a cover and the pages are in reasonable shape. Later than mid 70's I'd like a book in nicer condition, but then there are few that are hard to find from that point onward.

[goldust40]

HTF, all day long.

[Ken Aldred]

Hard to find and high grade. I like a challenge.

 

Many of the books I'm currently interested in aren't mainstream or hyped up price-wise by film speculation, though.

[Securitybob]

I like going to yard sells and finding a box of comics and buying them blind. That away when I get them home and start looking at them I am really happy when I find that gem. Also swap meets are awesome for finding early silver and golden age comics for next to nothing. I am talking like 25 cents a comic at a swap meet. Best place to make some money.

[1950's war comics]

love hard to find golden age comics even if considered drek

[Michelangelo]

hard to find and high grade together would be great... but that usually sees a hefty spike in $$.

 

between the two, I'd say hard to find for sure...

 

almost anything copper age onward can be easily found in 8.0 and up

 

 

[THEUSUSALONE]

I'll take HTF all day long. Something pretty cool about owning a book that most collectors don't have...

 

I once learned this lesson the hard way. About 5-6 years ago, I was at a small show back east. A dealer had some Timelys & I was interested. He had a Cap Weird Tales 74 (~3.0) for $300. He tried to steer me towards the Cap, but ultimately I opted for a higher grade Marvel Mystery for the same price. The MM is a nice book, but to say I'm kicking myself for passing on that one would be an understatement.

Edited April 18, 2016 by THEUSUSALONE

[Jeffro.]

Hard to find is much more satisfying for me. Finding something that's scarce and is also in high grade is the ultimate.

[ender]

Hard to find, and if they are hard enough to find, I will take them without a cover.  Gerber 7 and higher I will take coverless, probably partly because if they had a really nice cover on them I could not afford them.

[Readcomix]

On August 11, 2015 at 11:24 PM, oakman29 said:

High grade is for speculating suckers.

This. I'll give a rat's patootie (as a buyer) about 9.6 vs 9.8 when I start seeing 6.8, 5.4 etc. showing up in slabs. I collect comics; the better the grade it's in, the better, sure. Who doesn't prefer them as nice as possible? But I collect comics first, and in best possible grade second. To me, if the book is not inherently important, or for some content-based reason of interest to me, then a high-grade copy is just kind of, "Gee whiz, that's neat."

[oakman29]

31 minutes ago, Readcomix said:

This. I'll give a rat's patootie (as a buyer) about 9.6 vs 9.8 when I start seeing 6.8, 5.4 etc. showing up in slabs. I collect comics; the better the grade it's in, the better, sure. Who doesn't prefer them as nice as possible? But I collect comics first, and in best possible grade second. To me, if the book is not inherently important, or for some content-based reason of interest to me, then a high-grade copy is just kind of, "Gee whiz, that's neat."

I've got 8.5's that look like 9.6's, and 9.6's that look like 8.5's. It's really just a carp shoot, so why pay a premium for it. I would rather have a well presenting 8.5\9.0 anyway.

Edited February 17, 2017 by oakman29

[Black_Adam]

My comic interests are all over the map, with different grade desires for each area. For instance, I recently grabbed an issue of What if? Planet Hulk #1 because I think Skaar is a cool character. The comic is only ten years old. I wanted it in NM+ condition and that's what I found.

I also collect a subset of Harvey/Richie Rich comics from the seventies. I want these in at least VF/NM or better because every time I see them they unlock a treasure trove of childhood memories and I like them to look as if I just grabbed them off the comic rack (I doubt many books on the spinner rack were NM+ the way we would spin that thing and fight over them).

Finally, I have recently got into collecting Graham "Ghastly" Ingels Haunt of Fear covers. While I want these to be decently centered and hopefully clean of writing/marks, I actually prefer them to be down in the VG/FN range. The creases and folds to me are like a fine patina, reminders of an age when comics were bought to be read, not encased in acrylic, and when I look at them I can almost picture a kid in the fifties poring over the pages beneath his sheets with an Eveready flashlight, scared out of his wits!

 

 

[A-DONIS]

yes