Sell it or keep it - generally with flying-high movie 'spec' books? 1 1

[grebal]

When you see a comic market price in what you think is 'stratosphere' or a must-sell price do you sell or keep?

Of course it depends on the book, but the point is if you thought this (whichever) particular book is cruising for a bruising (can replace later, or don't care enough about letting it go, no sentimental value, etc.)?  I mean your last or only copy, in particular.

 

Question is posed to collectors, of course; I would've included a poll but there are a lot of dealers active on the board so poll would be even more meaningless than most other RL polls.  [edit, turns out I figured how to add poll] Dealers don't have the emotional aspect that I'm after in this question, for most of them it's more a question of market timing - when they think they can do better if they had cash (or lock in return, other opportunity cost or business reasons like taxes or something).

 

I've got a few dupes like ASM 101 I'll be selling eventually, and two copies (one my "collection" copy) a low and a mid grade of the MSH 13 - the book that prompted me to ask.

 

Curious about both the specific book (movie out soon) and in general (like the MSH 18 back in the Guardians day).

Edited January 30, 2019 by grebal

[ADAMANTIUM]

I'm new to it and I don't know if that matters ....

Rai 0 glossy in 9.6  do I sell or do I hope that it makes me a million?  supposedly they're rare(ish) but 

LOL for all this should be a easy choice, but the noob that I am idk

It's the emotional: I got this cheap, i like the idea of a movie, I could get 3 times what I got for it...

But it's another thing to keep it for the same reasons...

Nose diving Nose diving! Pull up pull UP!

Edited January 30, 2019 by ADAMANTIUM

[Jaylam]

If it's a book I worked hard to find and I have a sentimental attachment to it, I will usually keep it. Case in point, Avengers #55. I have a 9.6 white page copy that I kept, even after some copies hit almost $2,500 leading up to the Avengers/Ultron movie. I just couldn't let go of it as Avengers #55 is the 2nd Avengers I bought off the rack myself back in 1968 (this 9.6 is not my original copy, that one is long gone). Of course the value has dropped back to around $700-800 now, but I'm still glad I kept this particular copy. 

However, if it's a book I have no sentimental attachment too......then.....

Edited January 31, 2019 by Jaylam

[Xenosmilus]

1 hour ago, Jaylam said:

If it's a book I worked hard to find and I have a sentimental attachment to it, I will usually keep it. Case in point, Avengers #55. I have a 9.6 white page copy that I kept, even after some copies hit almost $2,500 leading up to the Avengers/Ultron movie. I just couldn't let go of it as Avengers #55 is the 2nd Avengers I bought off the rack myself back in 1968 (this 9.6 is not my original copy, that one is long gone). Of course the value has dropped back to around $700-800 now, but I'm still glad I kept this particular copy. 

 However, if it's a book I have no sentimental attachment too......then.....

Thats good to know.  I just bought Avengers #47 9.8 for $800 because I heard the Black Knight may appear in End Game and now it's selling for around $2000.  I think I may sell it after the Captain Marvel movie comes out and hope the more rumors come out to drive the price up...

[1Cool]

10 hours ago, Xenosmilus said:

Thats good to know.  I just bought Avengers #47 9.8 for $800 because I heard the Black Knight may appear in End Game and now it's selling for around $2000.  I think I may sell it after the Captain Marvel movie comes out and hope the more rumors come out to drive the price up...

You sure are a gambling man.  I'd take the $1,000 profit (after paying the 10% fees) and call it a good day.  Unless the book is extremely rare or you think Black Knight will be a break out character (doubt it myself) then holding onto a book after a 2.5x price increase jump is just begging for a correction and you will have missed out.  Very nice speculation by the way.

[Xenosmilus]

3 hours ago, 1Cool said:

You sure are a gambling man.  I'd take the $1,000 profit (after paying the 10% fees) and call it a good day.  Unless the book is extremely rare or you think Black Knight will be a break out character (doubt it myself) then holding onto a book after a 2.5x price increase jump is just begging for a correction and you will have missed out.  Very nice speculation by the way.

Point taken. I just received it today so I’m thinking now put it up on eBay Sunday evening. I heard there is a new Avengers Endgame Trailer then to generate some more excitement...

[Kramerica]

I would sell sell sell. That's a nice profit! The only "surefire" investments in my opinion are the Silver Surfer & Miles Morales. 

[Turnando]

I'd sell because the movie association doesn't mean anything to me in terms of what makes a book special.  The book would actually loose some if its luster for me because it had become an object of desire for the masses.

For me, the importance of a book lies in other factors.  

[oakman29]

I guess what you really need to ask yourself is . Am I in this hobby to make money , or am I in this because I like to collect comics for their enjoyment. 

Personally I would rather enjoy my comics.

[grebal]

2 hours ago, oakman29 said:

I guess what you really need to ask yourself is . Am I in this hobby to make money , or am I in this because I like to collect comics for their enjoyment. 

Personally I would rather enjoy my comics.

Yeah, I think I'm going to keep one (re MSH 13), the 5.5 copy probably.

[Xenosmilus]

If there is money to be made...you take it!  Hobby or not, if you see an opportunity, take it!

Edited February 1, 2019 by Xenosmilus

[the blob]

14 hours ago, oakman29 said:

I guess what you really need to ask yourself is . Am I in this hobby to make money , or am I in this because I like to collect comics for their enjoyment. 

Personally I would rather enjoy my comics.

You can always sell and use the $ for Comics you like more? I sold an eternals 1 I did not care that much about and turned it into a vf our army at war 151, which I do. I had $1 invested in the eternals 1.

Edited February 1, 2019 by the blob

[miraclemet]

If it's a book you don't care about, sell it.

if it's one you care about, hold it (especially if it will be hard to replace either in terms of finding one, or not wanting to lay out the new post-movie-inflation cost of the book)

Now if you had a movie hype 9.8 book and could sell it and pick up an affordable 9.4 copy and be just as happy that might be the move. You get some cash and still have the book...

[lizards2]

17 hours ago, oakman29 said:

I guess what you really need to ask yourself is . Am I in this hobby to make money , or am I in this because I like to collect comics for their enjoyment. 

Personally I would rather enjoy my comics.

I usually keep stuff, but then there are titles like Ms. Marvel, which I thought was garbage when it was published.  I'm thinking that now might be a good time to unload that series, since I look at that comic box labeled "Dumb Girls", and think the odds of me ever re-reading that series are negligible.

[thunsicker]

2 hours ago, lizards2 said:

20 hours ago, oakman29 said:

I guess what you really need to ask yourself is . Am I in this hobby to make money , or am I in this because I like to collect comics for their enjoyment. 

Personally I would rather enjoy my comics.

I usually keep stuff, but then there are titles like Ms. Marvel, which I thought was garbage when it was published.  I'm thinking that now might be a good time to unload that series, since I look at that comic box labeled "Dumb Girls", and think the odds of me ever re-reading that series are negligible.

This is where I am.  If it's a comic that I like and is central to my collection I wouldn't sell it.  But there have been a couple times that I either had upgraded a comic or changed my focus a bit and a comic I had was no longer central to my collection where I sold on a spike.