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A "collector" in a world of investors
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72 posts in this topic

as an old time run collector i was mostly working on my 50's war runs when i first got back in the hobby 5 years ago and

i also decided to put together an early TTA run from 1-34, i knew that #27  (Ant Man) was going to be tough but i bailed when #13 (Groot) became way too expensive , i just missed out on getting a lower grade #13 for under a hundred a couple times, the good news is since i was no longer interested in that run i sold all my other early issues last year (had about 20 of them) and made a profit.....

Edited by 1950's war comics
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I have been collecting for over 40 years now, on the boards for ten years. I consider myself to be a collector first and foremost, but the reality is that there is value to comics. That creates speculators, no matter what the collectible is.

Unfortunately I am a run collector mainly, which means I do go after many run fillers. I have many completed runs such as a complete run of ASM from AF 15- ASM 1 to #700 , Silver Surfer 1-18, Vampirella 1-113, and currently working on Creepy and Eerie runs just to name a few. I also have most all keys from Silver, Bronze, Copper and Modern ages. Does that mean I'm a speculator too?

I am aware that my books have value, but I also like to read my books too! Does that make me a collector?

There is room for both the speculator and collector. Maybe one feeds the other inside us in a cyclical spiral.

Also I would like to take this moment and thank all the brilliant board members who have helped me mold my collection to what it is today. You have expanded my awareness of this awesome hobby.

 

Edited by oakman29
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I sold my collection to Bob Storms earlier this summer. It involved me going to the bus depot every third thursday with a five dollar bill in 1967 and bringing it all home. Many were never read at all.

When we were sitting at the table finalizing the sale, Impulsively I said I was keeping all my Journey into Mystery and Thor which went from 84 to around 225 when I stopped. I'm really glad I both sold and kept what I did. That was a mess of comics. The money went to a good cause.

Jane Foster dreaming about giving Thor haircuts and ironing his cape crack me up. Not one of these things are slabbed. 

Edited by Glassman10
demon spelling
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16 hours ago, oakman29 said:

I have been collecting for over 40 years now, on the boards for ten years. I consider myself to be a collector first and foremost, but the reality is that there is value to comics. That creates speculators, no matter what the collectible is.

Unfortunately I am a run collector mainly, which means I do go after many run fillers. I have many completed runs such as a complete run of ASM from AF 15- ASM 1 to #700 , Silver Surfer 1-18, Vampirella 1-113, and currently working on Creepy and Eerie runs just to name a few. I also have most all keys from Silver, Bronze, Copper and Modern ages. Does that mean I'm a speculator too?

I am aware that my books have value, but I also like to read my books too! Does that make me a collector?

There is room for both the speculator and collector. Maybe one feeds the other inside us in a cyclical spiral.

Also I would like to take this moment and thank all the brilliant board members who have helped me mold my collection to what it is today. You have expanded my awareness of this awesome hobby.

 

Sounds like you are a speculector, or maybe a collectorator.

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Years ago, I was a run collector. This was before CGC, before movie speculation, and most of the books were cheap.  It was fun, I don't regret it but motivated by storage issues,  I have long since gotten rid of these runs. I don't regret it. Today, I save my money for more selective purchases. Not always keys, but personal favorites or cool covers. I am much happier with my collection.

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18 hours ago, Glassman10 said:

I sold my collection to Bob Storms earlier this summer. It involved me going to the bus depot every third thursday with a five dollar bill in 1967 and bringing it all home. Many were never read at all.

When we were sitting at the table finalizing the sale, Impulsively I said I was keeping all my Journey into Mystery and Thor which went from 84 to around 225 when I stopped. I'm really glad I both sold and kept what I did. That was a mess of comics. The money went to a good cause.

Jane Foster dreaming about giving Thor haircuts and ironing his cape crack me up. Not one of these things are slabbed. 

Yeah. Thor ought to get a haircut. Seriously...

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I look at selling as the only way we can replace what used to be trading.

While the internet has made finding books so much easier, the days of trading books as most of us did back in the day are gone.

Most books have a certain value be it monetary or sentimental value. And the time we take in the hobby is certainly an investment of time. So people who talk about value are not always just about investing-- they are curious about what they should do to get the most out of the books.

Savvy traders when we were kids knew how to leverage deals that favored their interests. But since our buyers hardly ever live down the street anymore, that simply isn't feasible. I wish I could trade some of my books for ones that fit my collecting tastes now-- and that is best achieved through selling them and using the proceeds to buy the next one. Took a while for me to get that connection since I had taken many years off between involvement with comics. The pre-teen/teenager collector in me took some convincing that this is how it works now.

I do get a little annoyed by some of the approaches-- sort of avoid any thread that includes things like "What is the best book to invest in right now?" made by someone with less than 10 posts. Or someone who has bought something and requests free information from collectors about what the book is worth. Most of us know how to find that information or have a general idea.

But I would not want those investors/speculators to stop being interested-- some of them get the collecting bug. Others help find the books. It is mostly the approach they take on the message board that is annoying at times - but sometimes that leads to some funny back and forth too. And it sure beats the hobby floundering.

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The only thing that bothers me is when the hype machine drives up the price on that one random book you're missing in a run  that you didn't even realize was a "key" but is now a key because some obscure character in the issue is rumored to maybe be in a movie some day.

I'm definitely a collector of runs because I want to be able to read storylines without skipping around. Also it's just satisfying to see your  collection as being whole when you get the 1st 400 issues (or whichever ones are important to you. I usually stop caring by the 90s) of an old series.

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6 hours ago, The-Collector said:

I don't understand why money has to be a dirty topic. Can't it just be part of the broader discussion surrounding comics. Money has always been a part of the hobby; they've never (for the most part) been free...

They can always be free as long as you run fast enough.

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