Comic Keys 0

[oakman29]

Investor?

Collector?

I'm so confused.........

[thehumantorch]

1 hour ago, oakman29 said:

Investor?

Collector?

I'm so confused.........

Collestor?

Invector?

[Die_hippie_die]

http://jasonbeam.com/500keys/

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=6748214

Edited February 22, 2017 by Die_hippie_die

[the blob]

you guys are such meanies.  he wants to know what to buy right now that will be a good investment for 10 years from now... in the interim he will love them and cherish them as a collector..

the answer is, i have no frigging idea.  it's like whatever i look at has popped in the last 3 weeks.  I was curious about superboy 89, 1st mon-el, as they are pushing him in the supergirl show (which means they will probably kill him off)..and an ok copy sold for $20 last month..now the cheapest one listed is $75!  and it's not like he just popped up either, he's been on the show a while.

I would try to find a copy of Doom Patrol 99, 1st Beast Boy.  Within the last 4-6 weeks some copies have sold that don't look too bad for $75 or less.  it is a 1965 1st appearance of a popular character that is on TV all the time.  I suspect you might be able to find it at a shop or a show for a decent price. 

Similarly, TOS 57, 1st Hawkeye...decent copies are out there and no horrendously expensive.  1964 1st app. of a character in the movies..sure, he is a green arrow ripoff, but marvel is mostly that anyway... compared to #52 (1st black widow)..wayyyyy cheaper.  Would have exploded if they could have done the Old Man Logan from the comics with him in it, but alas...

Disclaimer: I own a few Doom Patrol 99s, but I sold all of my TOS 57s wayyyy too early.  I also watch the Teen Titans cartoon with my kids and we all love Beast Boy.

 

Edited February 22, 2017 by the blob

[the blob]

Is it so wrong for a collector to want to buy something that might gain in value over the years?  I have 25,000+ comics that I have been accumulating since 1977. I sell maybe 25-75 a month and often buy more than that.  I look for value in my purchases...whether current or long term.  Does that make me a collector, investor, or both?  Yes, everything is potentially for sale.

[Patriot6]

2 minutes ago, the blob said:

Is it so wrong for a collector to want to buy something that might gain in value over the years?  I have 25,000+ comics that I have been accumulating since 1977. I sell maybe 25-75 a month and often buy more than that.  I look for value in my purchases...whether current or long term.  Does that make me a collector, investor, or both?  Yes, everything is potentially for sale.

I believe that that makes you a knowledgeable collector. 

[the blob]

It's very expensive and poor timing to be thinking about entering the key comic book market for those on a limited budget.

-------------

Such a negative attitude.  He needs to research and know the market.  Not every "key" has exploded and there are deals to be found "in person" where the seller may not fully grasp where things are on ebay.  A couple of years ago I snagged a vg/fine copy of ASM 129 from a shop..he had it priced at guide, which I think was $50 at the time..I got him to knock 25% off because I was buying a big pile of other stuff.  Within 24 hours I had sold it for $125.  Don't need to sell it, of course, but that was a "key" worth $125 that I bought, from a professional, for $40.

Also, what is he diverting money from?  A lot of 20 year olds blow their money on booze and other unproductive recreational activities/products.  Maybe he isn't going to do that?  You can spend $50 going out to a movie..convince your girlfriend to stay home and heat up a dijorno pizza...  Stick within a budget...if this is your recreational spending, you need to adjust your other spending..etc.

 

Edited February 22, 2017 by the blob

[the blob]

8 minutes ago, Patriot6 said:

I believe that that makes you a knowledgeable collector. 

I dunno about that.  I have guessed right.  It is harder nowadays to see the cheap-o box "no brainers" (Black Panther 1s...5 or 6 years ago I bought plenty of them out of $2-$3 boxes... that seemed like a no brainer, for example, even if the ebay market for them didn't seem as obvious just yet) as dealers are getting smarter.

[Ricksneatstuff]

25 minutes ago, Patriot6 said:

I believe that that makes you a knowledgeable collector. 

I agree with this. I had several years of experience with owning a store and doing shows in the early 90's. After being out of comics for 20 years I got back in 3-4 years ago by selling off about $5k worth of old stuff I had laying around with the intention of owning the 100 books I liked the most and buying a Schulz original strip again (I used to have several). With a $5k initial investment and maybe $2k more put in, over 3-4 years just through buying and selling and trading I have a Schulz original strip (worth around $18k) and a collection worth around $40-50k of stuff I really like (most of which is in flux and being sold to buy other things I like too). I have owned about 95 of the 100 books that were on my list and my list has evolved since then. I like the stuff, I like being around it, I like the art, I like the hunt, I like the sale, many of them I like to read. My method was not so much buy a book and hold it for years and years with an intention of making 10-20% a year from it. It was know grading, find unusual things, pay maybe 10-20% under market in finding a good deal and sell it for a 10-30% profit within a few months or even weeks and do it over and over and over again. From an investment strategy my thinking is more of a day trader mentality than a long term investor. BUT, I am only buying what I know and like. I could care LESS about New Mutants 98 or Batman Adventures 12. If I get "stuck" with something it is something I don't mind being stuck with at all. Some books find their way into a semi-permanent spot, where it is unlikely I will sell them, unless there is a premium.

I am reluctant to post this, as it subjects me to potential criticism, but I think most, not all, comic collectors seem to have some eye towards the investment side of it as well. Personally, I really like a lot of things, but love nothing. There is nothing I have ever owned, including homes and cars and collectibles, that I felt I could not part with. For me personally, that is a feeling of freedom. 

Edited February 22, 2017 by Ricksneatstuff

[Patriot6]

2 minutes ago, Ricksneatstuff said:

I agree with this. I had several years of experience with owning a store and doing shows in the early 90's. After being out of comics for 20 years I got back in 3-4 years ago by selling off about $5k worth of old stuff I had laying around with the intention of owning the 100 books I liked the most and buying a Schulz original strip again (I used to have several). With a $5k initial investment and maybe $2k more put in just through buying and selling and trading I have a Schulz original strip (worth around $18k) and a collection worth around $40-50k of stuff I really like (most of which is in flux and being sold to buy other things I like too). I have owned about 95 of the 100 books that were on my list and my list has evolved since then. I like the stuff, I like being around it, I like the art, I like the hunt, I like the sale, many of them I like to read. My method was not so much buy a book and hold it for years and years with an intention of making 10-20% a year from it. It was know grading, find unusual things, pay maybe 10-20% under market in finding a good deal and sell it for a 10-30% profit within a few months or even weeks and do it over and over and over again. From an investment strategy my thinking is more of a day trader mentality than a long term investor. BUT, I am only buying what I know and like. I could care LESS about New Mutants 98 or Batman Adventures 12. If I get "stuck" with something it is something I don't mind being stuck with at all. Some books find their way into a semi-permanent spot, where it is unlikely I will sell them, unless there is a premium.

I am reluctant to post this, as it subjects me to potential criticism, but I think most, not all, comic collectors seem to have some eye towards the investment side of it as well. Personally, I really like a lot of things, but love nothing. There is nothing I have ever owned, including homes and cars and collectibles, that I felt I could not part with. For me personally, that is a feeling of freedom. 

Well said! 

 

[Ken Aldred]

I’ve never had any interest whatsoever in flipping, so according to what’s being said here, I’m clearly an anomaly as it seems that ‘everyone’ is doing it.

 

Recently, someone asked me for a bit of advice on this matter, saying that he really enjoys this kind of dealing and wanted to do a lot of it on eBay.  I said the demand is there at present, but also I felt it was only fair to point out how the market has changed from a UK perspective; a poor exchange rate after last year’s Brexit decision, higher purchase prices as we’re now in a widespread speculator boom, and high USPS Air Mail rates from North America.  A very pricey hobby for domestic collectors.  I’m not too certain that the same opportunities are available in UK comic shops as the ASM 129 example that was described earlier on in the thread. Much rarer than they were back in the 90s here, I would suspect.

 

Then again, also going from what’s been said here, the general consensus appears to be that there’ll be a mug somewhere to sell a book on to.  

 

At least this particular fledgling eBayer will go in fully informed about both sides of the argument, and already with greater business acumen and motivation than I clearly possess.