Is quality really better than quantity? For people like us? 2 2

[nepatkm]

10 minutes ago, newshane said:

I'll never collect another (edit: graded) complete run as long as I live. Spawn with all variants broke me forever and ever. 

Now I have a much smaller collection of expensive books that are easier to manage and enjoy, and I love every one of them...they serve a greater purpose than filling a slot in a spreadsheet.

I know the feeling,

I’m in to deep to walk away. 🙃

[NoMan]

1 hour ago, nepatkm said:

I know the feeling,

I’m in to deep to walk away. 🙃

Cut the cord, bro. That's why that keep maken' sh*t without even trying

[oakman29]

1 hour ago, Robot Man said:

I like to pick up large quantities of quality books...

Now you're talkin'.

[Mercury Man]

I like collecting what makes me happy.  I have runs of Silver, Bronze, Copper and Modern.  I consider my collection to be a good reference for my young son, who hopefully will love this stuff as much as I do one day.  I have a few keys, but nothing crazy. I also like to keep up with the heroes, (but I gotta say, Marvel has been making it harder and harder), I still have 7 comics on a pull list every month, but my real joy is Silver and Bronze. 

[ADAMANTIUM]

10 minutes ago, oakman29 said:

1 hour ago, Robot Man said:

I like to pick up large quantities of quality books...

Now you're talkin'.

You red devils you! 

[nepatkm]

Edited April 27, 2019 by nepatkm
?

[WoWitHurts]

1 hour ago, newshane said:

I'll never collect another (edit: graded) complete run as long as I live. Spawn with all variants broke me forever and ever. 

Now I have a much smaller collection of expensive books that are easier to manage and enjoy, and I love every one of them...they serve a greater purpose than filling a slot in a spreadsheet.

What about the spawn run wrecked you? is there some impossible books in Spawn run?

[jason4]

4 hours ago, WoWitHurts said:

What about the spawn run wrecked you? is there some impossible books in Spawn run?

I forget which ones but i know some of the variants are very hard to find.

[marvelmaniac]

Speaking as a collector on a budget for 40 years I have a lot of "Well Loved" readers and my goal was/is to complete my runs not collect high grade keys, If I was at a con/show and had the chance to buy one high grade book I needed or 10 low grade books I needed for the same price I would have taken the 10 low grade books.

Now that I am getting up in years it just seems logical that only owning 5 -10 "High Grade Keys" would be easier for my family for liquidation after I am gone rather then them having to liquidate 2000 books. (95% are 10 cent/12 cent/25 cent annuals)

But I digress, I am still here, have no plans to get rid of anything and I am completely happy with my collection as it stands and would not have done anything differently.

[oakman29]

I'm one of those type of people who want it all, so I collect runs as well as big keys.

I have several runs completed,  but dont think I would pass on a big key that I want either.

[newshane]

12 hours ago, WoWitHurts said:

What about the spawn run wrecked you? is there some impossible books in Spawn run?

The part that wrecked me was my insistence on 9.8 copies. There are lots of DARK covers in the run...tons of them. That made it extremely difficult and expensive. Also, relatively low print runs on many of the issues. Throw in scores of variants, some of them ultra rare (print runs of 100 or less) and it was a freaking beast of a task. I checked 4 or 5 vendors every day for 7 years and spent a mountain of cash. 

Eventually, it became too stressful and cumbersome (400+ slabs) to continue. Every month, there would be at least 4 or 5 different variants to chase. Why continue when it wasn't fun anymore? Honestly, the variants were the nail in the coffin. It got ridiculous, and the variants weren't even COOL anymore. "Oh YAY! Another black and white cover!" 

The worst thing was having to pass on a number of cool books that I actually wanted...for those 7 years I bought nothing but Spawn. It took an incredible amount of time, money, cunning, and vigilance. 

AND...I never found a copy of 156. There was nothing special about it. Just a black cover with poor paperstock, released during the "low" print run era. No one cared about Spawn in 2006; indeed, many people didn't know Spawn was still going! Combine these factors and you have an impossible book. 

Get this! I had a SIX HUNDRED DOLLAR BOUNTY on that issue at one time, which is really just stupid when you think about it. I was literally the only guy on the planet who was so desperate for one. Some of the biggest dealers and hunters in the country couldn't track one down. Indeed, I couldn't even find a 9.6! 

I had everything but that issue...I even had the 185 Sketch (rumors of less than 60 copies)...but never 156. 

That book in grade is a true unicorn. 

In the end, it broke my heart to sell the collection. But now I am much happier in the hobby! 

No more runs for me. That part of my psyche has been satiated and eliminated. It really can spin you off into a sort of madness. Highly NOT recommended!  

[newshane]

13 hours ago, nepatkm said:

I know the feeling,

I’m in to deep to walk away. 🙃

"I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er."

-Macbeth Act Three Scene Four

[Buzzetta]

I have a hard time trying not to laugh when someone asks me how I can afford $500 books every now and then when they spend $100+ a week on every modern that comes out. 

Dude... get a digital subscription and get your $500 book. 

[jason4]

You can always turn back. Don't feel too far in to do it. I was 13 issues from Amazing spiderman 1-200 and I have had no regrets and like my collection far more. I'm also not spending a dime anymore on books I really didn't want.

Instead of having the first white dragon, stegron, rocket racer, and the gibbon I have 1st appearances of Dr. Doom, Juggernaut, and Avengers 1/Giant size Xmen 1 to look at. Plus I kept my keys from Asm.

[Ken Aldred]

Quality but limited number - raw or CGC books.  Just the ones most significant to me

Quality and quantity - digital reading.  

[WoWitHurts]

4 hours ago, newshane said:

The part that wrecked me was my insistence on 9.8 copies. There are lots of DARK covers in the run...tons of them. That made it extremely difficult and expensive. Also, relatively low print runs on many of the issues. Throw in scores of variants, some of them ultra rare (print runs of 100 or less) and it was a freaking beast of a task. I checked 4 or 5 vendors every day for 7 years and spent a mountain of cash. 

Eventually, it became too stressful and cumbersome (400+ slabs) to continue. Every month, there would be at least 4 or 5 different variants to chase. Why continue when it wasn't fun anymore? Honestly, the variants were the nail in the coffin. It got ridiculous, and the variants weren't even COOL anymore. "Oh YAY! Another black and white cover!" 

The worst thing was having to pass on a number of cool books that I actually wanted...for those 7 years I bought nothing but Spawn. It took an incredible amount of time, money, cunning, and vigilance. 

AND...I never found a copy of 156. There was nothing special about it. Just a black cover with poor paperstock, released during the "low" print run era. No one cared about Spawn in 2006; indeed, many people didn't know Spawn was still going! Combine these factors and you have an impossible book. 

Get this! I had a SIX HUNDRED DOLLAR BOUNTY on that issue at one time, which is really just stupid when you think about it. I was literally the only guy on the planet who was so desperate for one. Some of the biggest dealers and hunters in the country couldn't track one down. Indeed, I couldn't even find a 9.6! 

I had everything but that issue...I even had the 185 Sketch (rumors of less than 60 copies)...but never 156. 

That book in grade is a true unicorn. 

In the end, it broke my heart to sell the collection. But now I am much happier in the hobby! 

No more runs for me. That part of my psyche has been satiated and eliminated. It really can spin you off into a sort of madness. Highly NOT recommended!  

I am still a run person. But I do not get into the variants thing. Before vol. 3 I had nearly all the ASM Variants and then it got real stupid. I sold almost all of the variants and just trying for a ASM 100-441 and IM 1- 332. It can be a little hard but I pick something up every month that I need. It sounds like your Spawn run was pretty fantastic.

[RockMyAmadeus]

4 hours ago, newshane said:

"I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er."

-Macbeth Act Three Scene Four

Tommy J. probably wasn't a big fan of Billy, who was fond of always using two words where one would suffice.

[bc]

Used to have dozens of long boxes of complete and semi-complete runs, but now have placed a limit of 5 short boxes on my comic collection (other than whats in the safety deposit boxes).

If I want to buy something new, another must be sold.

So given the space consideration, the quality seems to be improving while the quantity stays the same.

[Robot Man]

I have started doing the same thing. When a box got full, I just added another. Simple... But I have a specific amount of space for my collection. I have finally reached maximum capacity. 

I collect GA and SA. When I hit the point, I decided to weed out books by publisher starting with the fullest boxes. Over the years, when I would buy collections or piles of books, I would keep a lot weather I really wanted them or not. Just to see how many of the run I could get. For instance Superman 1-100. I have realized that the whole lot of them just didn’t interest me any more. So I pulled out all the issues I didn’t really care about, sold them off and bought a couple real good ones that I really did want. Got a lot more space and more books I really like. I plan to do that a lot more. Wished I’d done it sooner...

[James J Johnson]

On ‎4‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 1:03 PM, NoMan said:

Lots of readers, tho. 

Could have both quality and quantity. As in the case of Cal's unlimited supply of high grade IM/SM 1s. It's a minor key issue, and he has a gazillion of them.