Question for the dealers: How to decide when to hold one back for you? 4 4

[Westy Steve]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to ask a question to the dealers here.  I imagine that you also collect comics.  Do you ever hold something back for your collection?  How do you decide what you're going to keep for yourself and what goes into general inventory?

TIA

[ADAMANTIUM]

[chrisco37]

I would think that (in most situations) once you become a full-time dealer, everything becomes inventory.  

I know Bob sold off his FF PC years ago.   Rich Evans @MrBedrock, I think still collects Timely's.  Maybe he can chime in?  

[blazingbob]

As I've posted before I live in my comic collection.  While it would be nice to have my collection back I prefer the roof over my head with heat and AC.

 

[gotpong]

4 hours ago, Westy Steve said:

Hey guys,

Just wanted to ask a question to the dealers here.  I imagine that you also collect comics.  Do you ever hold something back for your collection?  How do you decide what you're going to keep for yourself and what goes into general inventory?

TIA

Don't get high on your own supply.

[Bookery]

I don't collect precisely because of the conflicts that arise between what I might want and my customer want-lists.  I possess it for a time, and that's enough.  Though, sometimes I've made bad purchases and end up with a long-term "collection" whether I like it or not.

[kav]

I was telling my friend about how I was leaving all my comics to another friend in my will.  He said why dont you sell them all and do something fun?  I was shocked by this carefree attitude to just pee away all my books for a weekend in vegas or something.  I told him the funnest thing I can think of is reading my comics-

[Real Elijah Snow]

I was talking to another dealer friend of mine recently about pseudo collecting. I kind of do that a bit. Sometimes I'll pay more for a book that I like having in my inventory, so in a way I'm collecting it until the market decides it's worth paying me what I need to let it go. As far as books go, I eventually sell everything with a few exceptions. The Turtles 1 1st print that ended up getting a CGC 9.2 was given to me on the end of a deal. I haven't tried selling it. The fact that it was free rationalizes it to me that I can keep it without guilt. The books that have been given to me by creators that are friends I keep. I have a fairly large OA collection and the majority of that I keep, and only sell the occasional thing. I have a boxed G1 Transformers collection that I've grown attached to, and will probably keep. Beyond what I've mentioned, there are few random things I keep, but 99.9% of the books I've bought have been sold or will be sold at some point. I sell many many thousands of books a year, and don't really get too attached to any of it. I set up at my first show in 92, so I've been at it for a while. I'd say in the past 10-15 years I've gotten way more towards the "everything is inventory" mentality obviously excluding the examples above. 

[aardvark88]

If it is older than I am then hold 1 back:

[Grib]

2 hours ago, aardvark88 said:

If it is older than I am then hold 1 back:

Looking at the Kirby, Ditko and early Romita Daredevil my guess is that you are over 60? Good thing your not in your thirties

[MrBedrock]

7 hours ago, chrisco37 said:

I would think that (in most situations) once you become a full-time dealer, everything becomes inventory.  

I know Bob sold off his FF PC years ago.   Rich Evans @MrBedrock, I think still collects Timely's.  Maybe he can chime in?  

Only Timelys? 

[theCapraAegagrus]

Comics > $$$$$

[Krishosein]

13 hours ago, kav said:

I was telling my friend about how I was leaving all my comics to another friend in my will.  He said why dont you sell them all and do something fun?  I was shocked by this carefree attitude to just pee away all my books for a weekend in vegas or something.  I told him the funnest thing I can think of is reading my comics-

careful that pee might turn red or green in Vegas your probably better off reading your comics.....but then

[Krishosein]

1 hour ago, TwoPiece said:

Comics > $$$$$

comics > or = (set # of $ signs) as you need money to = comics … 

[theCapraAegagrus]

33 minutes ago, Krishosein said:

comics > or = (set # of $ signs) as you need money to = comics … 

Ahem...

Spoiler

≥

 

[Krishosein]

1 hour ago, TwoPiece said:

Ahem...

  Hide contents

≥

 

I couldn't get that symbol to show up so I typed it out  

[Robot Man]

I remember asking a major dealer this question once and his answer was “my collection is my current inventory”. This guy had owned just about everything from Action #1 down. 

I thought this odd and kind of sad. But then I realized I was only looking at it from my own collector’s perspective. 

I still think it is sad...

[MrBedrock]

Rule #1 - if you look at something and say "I can always get money, but I can't get that again" then keep it.

Rule #2 - keep anything else you like.

[blazingbob]

23 minutes ago, MrBedrock said:

Rule #1 - if you look at something and say "I can always get money, but I can't get that again" then keep it.

Rule #2 - keep anything else you like.

Logic like this results in a booth full of Rom Spaceknights #1

[Krishosein]

27 minutes ago, MrBedrock said:

Rule #1 - if you look at something and say "I can always get money, but I can't get that again" then keep it.

Rule #2 - keep anything else you like.

Rule #1 I think of it as you can almost in 99.99% of the cases can always get that book again as what you have does exist the only time that I can theoretically think of when you wont be able to ever get it again is if you sell something 1 of a kind to a crazy person and they take whatever it is and light it on fire or destroy it so no one can ever have it even the person themselves I bet its super rare that someone would take a 1 of a kind item for $$$$$$ and destroy it but you can always get something back with the right amount of resources. Unless they are crazy and destroy it.