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How many is “too many”?
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93 posts in this topic

The entire sum of my collection is:

  • 1 x Long Box containing What If Vol 1 and the various Phantom Stranger Series and Appearances.
  • 6 x CGC Boxes filled with more valuable books (a mix of raw and slabbed comics and magazines). 

This all happily fits in a hall closet and an adjacent book case.

If I ever have to sell, it will be a lot less work.  I really enjoy the clutter free existence.  Let's not talk about the trades and Omnibuses that I'm purchasing right now.

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5 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:

Amazing Spider-man...

That's it. 

Now, that works out really well... but then once ever decade it doesn't.  So when my LCS asked me if I wanted my Edge of the Spider-verse 2 since he has known me since I was 14.  (He retired last Christmas) I read it in the store behind the counter while he took a cigarette break and put it back in the register pile for him to sell for someone else. 

BUT!!!

If I bought say 5 titles a week... how much am I spending over the course of a decade to get that ONE single issue that will become huge?    I may get it but I believe you come out a loser in the end with the money spent and the amount of dreck at your feet as well as the space you have used up.  

Me too.  In fact, I regularly clear these out and give to a friend who sells sets at local shows.

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I give a vote for quality over quantity. I have purged once a year the last four years and I’m down to 4 short boxes and 2 CGC boxes for slabs. I have also gained an appreciation for Omnibuses in the past couple years. I probably had 2500-3000 at my peak. Now maybe 300-400 at the most and 25 Omnis. 

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I'm going to guess that I am somewhere between 3000 - 4000 comics. I have been purging my collection of collected editions, because I know that I am not going to ever read them again. I have used some of the proceeds to purchase Hulk #1, Giant-Size X-Men #1, 7 Avengers comics between #3 - #16, all at CGC 6.5 or higher, and Showcase #56 CGC 8.5. My books end up other readers' hands, and I can purchase books that I want.

Edited by Joe Ankenbauer
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9 hours ago, Old_Man_Adam said:

That being said I think 3,000 is the low end  number for collection 

I've been collecting since 1976 and only have 1200 or so books (which I think is a good amount).  I don't believe a collector is based on quantity but on what each love to collect.

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48 minutes ago, JazzMan said:

I've been collecting since 1976 and only have 1200 or so books (which I think is a good amount).  I don't believe a collector is based on quantity but on what each love to collect.

I agree. I’ve always had a very broad-based, unfocused interest in reading comics, and that unrestrained eagerness led me to accumulate far more over the same four or so decades.

Now, due to digital availability, that same level of hoarding would be unnecessary for me.

Edited by Ken Aldred
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1 hour ago, FineCollector said:

I despise the phrase "quality over quantity".  I built a run of Tales of Suspense 58-99, and Captain America 100-454 some years ago which still makes me very happy.  According to you experts, how much of that is quality, and how much is quantity?

I agree.


Kirby, Steranko, Romita, Byrne, Colan, Zeck, Garney, Lee, DeMatteis, Waid, Englehart, Gruenwald, to name just a few that quickly come to mind.

Plenty of quality reading there.

I’m sure that many of the comics I enjoyed reading in the past might be considered drek by other collectors with differing tastes, and I have many more in total than on your list there. So, they have positive qualities for me, same as for your Captain Americas, regardless of quantity.

Edited by Ken Aldred
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I probably have around 20K + , but I'm very discerning with what I buy. Quality over quantity. 

You dont see me purchase hardly anything,  but when it's really good how can you not.

Edited by oakman29
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This coming from the millionaire who makes like 20 million a year and probably owns tons of huge houses with tons of wasted space and cars and boats.

I never counted anything I have, but I have to have 2000 comics at least, 1500 records, easily a thousand pulps and old magazines, 1000 books, hundreds of 16mm and 8mm films, countless old toys and other things.

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1 hour ago, FineCollector said:

I despise the phrase "quality over quantity".  I built a run of Tales of Suspense 58-99, and Captain America 100-454 some years ago which still makes me very happy.  According to you experts, how much of that is quality, and how much is quantity?

When I say quality over quantity I am not judging anyone for what they love and what they collect. I mean “quality” as in quality of choices made not just hoarding tons of books so you can have a massive collection. That is of course just how I do it. And by the way your quantity of TOS and Cap is definitely quality.

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