Foolkiller is no Fool

[divad]

 

please send me your list of amazing spider-man comics below n°100 in mid-grade (or better high grade), would love to buy several dozens of them at a dime...or even at 2 dimes

 

Funny. I sold all my Spideys below #150 in San Diego though, except for a nice raw copy of #86 that I kept because I didn't think I'd be able to replace it later if I wanted to. That's a tough book in high grade and it's my favorite late silver age Amazing Spider-Man issue because it was one of the first six silver age issues I got as a kid when I traded away my 1978-79 Topps baseball card set for some comics at the beginning of my back issue collecting phase. Even if I stop collecting silver age books permanently, that's one book I'll always want to own in nice shape.

 

 

Right. You just think Black Widow is hot in her new skin tight leotard, ya perv!!!

 

I'm there! BW rules!

[Sharkey]

 

please send me your list of amazing spider-man comics below n°100 in mid-grade (or better high grade), would love to buy several dozens of them at a dime...or even at 2 dimes

 

Funny. I sold all my Spideys below #150 in San Diego though, except for a nice raw copy of #86 that I kept because I didn't think I'd be able to replace it later if I wanted to. That's a tough book in high grade and it's my favorite late silver age Amazing Spider-Man issue because it was one of the first six silver age issues I got as a kid when I traded away my 1978-79 Topps baseball card set for some comics at the beginning of my back issue collecting phase. Even if I stop collecting silver age books permanently, that's one book I'll always want to own in nice shape.

 

 

Right. You just think Black Widow is hot in her new skin tight leotard, ya perv!!!

 

I'm there! BW rules!

 

Not disagreeing, just pointing out the REAL motivation for keeping that book above all others....

 

That was one of the early spideys I read as a kid too. Could John Romita draw hot chicks or what?

 

It warped my fragile little mind.

[Aman619]

I think FFB has it right when he talks about getting into pre-hero GA as a "true" (i.e. non-manufactured) collectible. This week on ebay, I picked up a a nice VG Chesler funnies book, which rates as a Gerber 7 for $25. How can you beat that? I don't see those kinds of deals lasting...I think all these anxieties are going to swing the tide back towards GA, as folks start to look for genuinely scarce items as opposed to manufactured collectibles in the form of 9.6/9.8 slabs. That's not to say that highgrade will cease to be desirable; it won't. But a shift in priorities is, I think, coming. The sorts of anxieties and discouraging factors that we're talking about here, I think we might see widespread in the hobby in a couple of years.

 

It's time we all started looking more at what books we have in those slabs as opposed to what the label reads---and I'm not trying to damn anybody or call anyone out. I've been guilty, too.

 

whoa Nellie boys!! Sure its understandable right at this juncture post-FF3 etc to sit back and rethink things a bit... but dont go off on a serious knee-jerk over -reaction. By that I mean, the lesson learned in all this ha sbeen to be more careful about buying high demand, high priced books, not switch to low demand low grade/priced books. You will only solve one problem just to run into amother. You will avoid 90% o fthe scams, but lose nearly all liquidity.

 

for me, im just going to buy 'smarter' going forward, not change directions, or run for the exits...

[shrunkenhead]

No doubt, Aman, there should be a happy medium in there somewhere. I didn't mean to suggest that lowgrade is now the one and only way to go. I'm only saying that it's time to stop giving short shrift to rare books in favor of common highgrade books. I think the book should be the "thing," not the grade of the book, at the end of the day.

 

And while I will stick to what my interests as well, there are certain types of books with which I plan to run for those exits. At this point I only own one slabbed 9.8, and I'm looking to sell it. I'm in no mad dash to sell my 9.6s, but I'm not looking to buy anymore, either.

 

Apologies if I came on too strong earlier...but that doesn't seem an extremist viewpoint to me, does it to you?

[Aman619]

nope. not at all. I too see lots of esoteric and strange scarce older books and want them all too ... moreso in the past though. I ask myself "just who will buy it from me someday?" and if the answer is "Mr Nobody!" I take another long look, and pass on it. I find I can still appreciate a cool book without trading a few hundred dollars in my pocket to own it for awhile.....! whereas the high demand books are high priced BECAUSE they are desired by lots of people. That can change, sure, but If I had to pick a safe and sure way through the current quagmire, it would be somewhere between buying nothing right now, or only great key books at great prices. (which is circular logic since NONE of the great book ssell for less than crazy prices right now).

 

But, 'interesting' books off the beaten path with low demand scare me going forward. Especially GA examples.

[skybolt]

If you had to pick, which GA title would you collect?

[VintageComics]

I can understand his frustration, but why crack out books from the slab? if there is no SCS involved? especially one from Harry where there was no pressing involved?

 

I think searching for HG Raw books is more of a challenge (heck of alot more fun) than buying HG slabbed copies and not knowing if its been cracked, pressed and resubmitted. Thats enough to turn any HG collectors stomach away from "the game".

 

Dont get caught up in the "grading game" and this hobby (for me) still rocks.

 

 

I'll be there to scoop up all my favourite books in 9.6 when the crash happens!!

[Silver Surfer]

Dan,

 

A fantastic post that pretty much sums up how I feel at the moment. I am seriously reassessing my collecting goals as we speak but I don't want to make to quick of a move and regret it six months from now. I guess I will always have a few high grade slabbs in my collection but my confidence level in CGC is at an all-time low.

[Aman619]

If you had to pick, which GA title would you collect?

 

mainstream all the way: Batman, Superman, Cap. I'll get disagreeing posts for this , because there are many GA fans here, but any GA superhero who's last appearance was 50+ years ago is not a candidate for posterity. Cool, yeah. Historic, yeah. Increasing in demand? - - heck no! If you ask a dealer, really ask their honest opinion on this, he will tell you that most of these books are slow as molasses movers.... and will be even slower in years to come when you are a seller instead of a happy collector of them.

[Foolkiller]

My confidence was at such a low I asked Steve to give me a ring when he had a chance and I was able to speak to him this afternoon.

 

Everything Steve said to me made sense, and I can only wait and see what time will bring with regards to this issue. It really didn't inspire additional confidence in CGC, but rather was more of an attitude to keep doing the best that they can and reinstill confidence in the collector.

 

I want to see a resolution, but am patient to see the end play out. And hopefully, everyone will be able to walk away from this reputations in tact, except for those that deserve to be outed for any acts of impropriety they commit.

[BassGMan]

 

And as you taught me in Chicago, ANY book can be restored, it's not just the super high grade, the key books, or the rare books. Run of the mill Silver Age can be restored too. I just don't see any rationale in thinking of them as investments.

 

Same here, I surely do not consider comic books as investments. Not that they can't be, but buying and holding for the future to me is just speculation. Long term interest may dry up as the older guys die or sell off, not enough newbies coming in to take up the slack, and short to mid term anything goes, especially THESE days. However, this is not to say that we cannot make money with comics (IF that is our desire). Some people call it flipping, some call it just being a dealer (whether small or large). Just buy low and sell high. Many ways to do this. But that is not investing, it is flipping (or dealing actually). I'd rather buy a basket of internet stocks than take my chances on a basket of 9.4-9.8 Silver age slabs if I wanted to make an investment.

[Aman619]

Everything Steve said to me made sense, and I can only wait and see what time will bring with regards to this issue. It really didn't inspire additional confidence in CGC, but rather was more of an attitude to keep doing the best that they can and reinstill confidence in the collector.

 

unfortunately, sounds like "business as usual, hunker down til it blows over, what can we do???" stuff is all he could come up with, huh?

Not really the best answers we could want. They should be SMART enough to at least make some NOISE about changes in the offing!!! They cant even do THAt right now....thats scary for our confidence right now. They havent a clue WHAT to do... or see no compelling reason to change anything.... just plow on through "doing our best"

 

scary.

[johny myman-migration]

What a bunch of BS everything I , have read said Cgc brought back life to comic book collecting and it was a dying hobby.Go ahead if you want and crack open your slabs and read your books(again) but I can gurantee you in the future you will be sorry you did.To me Foolkiller =Fool

[Foolkiller]

I'm willing to give Steve the benefit of the doubt. Look, there isn't much they can do without conclusive proof, and there isn't anyway that they can do anything more than their best. What can I say?

 

I'm still on track to reconfigure my collection. This whole situation troubles me, and I want to remain a comic fan. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

[shrunkenhead]

What a bunch of BS everything I , have read said Cgc brought back life to comic book collecting and it was a dying hobby.Go ahead if you want and crack open your slabs and read your books(again) but I can gurantee you in the future you will be sorry you did.To me Foolkiller =Fool

 

Can you go please make silly trouble in a thread of lesser importance? Thanks.

[Foolkiller]

Well, Johnny, I respect that point of view. If you believe that cracking my slabs and getting away from high grade is a mistake, that's fine. I'm not trying to change yours or anyone else's mind or persuade you to believe anything. I can tell you one thing: I won't be sorry -- why? because I can always reslab them. So... it really doesn't matter. And I'm pulling my money out -- whether you or anyone else keeps money in is their business.

 

What a bunch of BS everything I , have read said Cgc brought back life to comic book collecting and it was a dying hobby.Go ahead if you want and crack open your slabs and read your books(again) but I can gurantee you in the future you will be sorry you did.To me Foolkiller =Fool

[johny myman-migration]

What a bunch of BS everything I , have read said Cgc brought back life to comic book collecting and it was a dying hobby.Go ahead if you want and crack open your slabs and read your books(again) but I can gurantee you in the future you will be sorry you did.To me Foolkiller =Fool

 

Can you go please make silly trouble in a thread of lesser importance? Thanks.

 

Can you please go [embarrassing lack of self control] yourself.Just giving my opinion?

[squidmo2000]

Great thread,I never understood why 9.4's sell 3,4,5 times 9.2's anyway.Greed exists in this hobby,just like all hobbies. Remember when silver jumped to $50 an ounce in 1980,because some greedy person_who_is_obnoxiously_self-impressed cups tried to corner the market? I was selling silver coins my grandma gave me a year before($500 face value)getting $50 a pop for a Morgan dollar(any grade).Now I would be lucky to get $10.What I think we are going to see in the near future is a major corrective adjustment in HG CGC books(9.4,9.6,9.8)because the risk is too high(pressed,FF3's,SCS,padded HG CGC census books).Do You really believe everyone who cracks a slab returns the label,especially if it come back higher? I know I'm not gonna take a chance on 9.4's and up, when all it takes is one doped up UPS driver who caught his wife banging the Fed Ex guy to turn my 9.6 beauty into a 9.2 dog.........and I worked at UPS for 7 years,so I know what goes on.....

[Silver Surfer]

What a bunch of BS everything I , have read said Cgc brought back life to comic book collecting and it was a dying hobby.Go ahead if you want and crack open your slabs and read your books(again) but I can gurantee you in the future you will be sorry you did.To me Foolkiller =Fool

 

Can you go please make silly trouble in a thread of lesser importance? Thanks.

 

Can you please go [embarrassing lack of self control] yourself.Just giving my opinion?

 

Look Johny Boy we understand your point and if I cracked my ultra high grade slabbs I'd probably regret it as well but you crossed the line when you finished with the insult. If you want it can be open season on you really quick.

[shrunkenhead]

Look Johny Boy we understand your point and if I cracked my ultra high grade slabbs I'd probably regret it as well but you crossed the line when you finished with the insult. If you want it can be open season on you really quick.

 

Thank ye, comrade.