kav Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 (edited) Is there some basic boundaries that defines a collector vs say a reader? Or a speculator like that guy Justin who flatly stated he doesnt have any interest in comics, he just collects to 'make money on comics'? Are you a collector if you have a lot of old valuable books but have no interest in reading them or the artists etc? If you plan on eventually selling them all one day? If someone is a collector, do they become a non collector if they stop buying? If someone only buys new comics to read say in the last 10 years and keeps them, does that make him a 'collector'? Or just a reader? Do you have to actively buy back issues from older ages? If you dont really care about keeping condition of your books good, you just want to read them periodically, does this factor in? Edited March 1, 2019 by kav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dupont2005 Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 I would consider a speculator a collector if they have keepers, not just inventory. I would consider a reader a collector if they keep at least a portion of what they read. Basically you gotta have a box of comics you love. If it’s just half a short box of Archie’s your grandma gave you 30 years ago it still counts. kav 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunsicker Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 I define collectors. Oh you said what, not who. Sorry, carry on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FineCollector Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 I think all collectors are some blend of curator (buy to keep, sell to upgrade), and opportunist (buy to flip, sell when a better offer comes along). Everyone has a place in the hobby, you just have to be honest with yourself and with others about where you are on the sliding scale. oakman29, Jimbo749 and kav 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Liebl Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 4 hours ago, kav said: Is there some basic boundaries that defines a collector vs say a reader? Or a speculator like that guy Justin who flatly stated he doesnt have any interest in comics, he just collects to 'make money on comics'? Are you a collector if you have a lot of old valuable books but have no interest in reading them or the artists etc? If you plan on eventually selling them all one day? If someone is a collector, do they become a non collector if they stop buying? If someone only buys new comics to read say in the last 10 years and keeps them, does that make him a 'collector'? Or just a reader? Do you have to actively buy back issues from older ages? If you dont really care about keeping condition of your books good, you just want to read them periodically, does this factor in? I think you can do whatever you want but if you are reading this thread it is more likely you are a collector than not! kav 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brain Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 The desire to acquire. piper, archiecomicscollector, bc and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 What one collects doesn’t matter. If you acquire like groupings of things then you are a collector. In my opinion both the person who has 2 GA keys and the person who has the X-Force run are both collectors. kav 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aweandlorder Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 If u sell your asm129 for a buck you're not a collector kav 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 Just now, Aweandlorder said: If u sell your asm129 for a buck you're not a collector What if you buy something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aweandlorder Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 But if you have an infatuation with Chuck Rozanski, you are a collector kav 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvelmaniac Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 (edited) I consider myself a collector. I started as a kid in the 60's with my friends and when I restarted again in the late 70's my goal was to regain the books I had to leave behind from the 60's and complete all of the runs of the Marvel characters I fell in love with as a kid. Being a "Collector" on a budget I have/had no issue with lower grade books (FR 1.0, FR/GD 1.5, etc) for the more expensive key/lower numbered books, fortunately books like Avengers 4, ASM 14, were purchased in the 80's for $10 - $15 and IH 181 was given to me for Christmas in 82/83. Once I accomplished the goal of completing the runs for the "Super Hero's" I moved onto other titles I liked from TV shows I watched as a kid and other funny books I enjoyed before super hero's. Most of my runs are now complete and all of my books are stored away in their Mylites/WBoards in their respective box and every once in a while I will take them out just to look at the covers and be nostalgic. I have absolutely no plans of ever selling any of them. Edited March 1, 2019 by marvelmaniac piper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capn17 Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 I think there are degrees to a collector. There are those who: collect an assortment of what they like to read and want to hold on to. Regardless of condition or value. Value to them is the "feel" they get from being able to read them time and time again. do similar to the above but also strives to maybe expand their collection to other areas (different genre, publisher, characters, etc.) want to get only GA, or SA, or Modern, or whatever want to collect only key comics (maybe specifically to a particular age) want to collect comics that remind them of their childhood, while looking out for opportunities to get additional books (whether to keep or sell) that interest them for whatever reason I don't think there is a clear description when there can be so many variations on how someone "collects" something. Anyone can be a collector when they are accumulating a variety of versions of a specific item (coins, comic books, statues, beanie babies, sports cards, etc.). What one does with that collection is an outcome (keep, sell, upgrade) of the decision to collect the items in the first place. My .02 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Man Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 It’s a sickness I tell you... I consider my self a collector the first time I paid over cover price for a comic. (MAD #9 for $3.). After that, I was off to the races... kav 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidTheDavid Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 Hmm, just random ideas: collectors curate collectors selectively expand a collection collectors often seek out like-minded collectors collectors grow their knowledge about a topic kav, Bkd Reader and marvelmaniac 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
