Should I dip my toe in the graded pond? 1 1

[poorcollector]

I do not own any slabs, and I am unsure of whether or not I want to start down the path. I know that some people love cgc books and some love raw book.  I understand there are a multitude of factors that go into whether someone does graded vs. raw books (cost, aesthetic etc.), but I want to get some of you all's opinions on whether I should start collecting graded comics. 

[Doctor Dositheus]

I did not buy my first slab until this year. I loved to gawk at them on the walls at the cons, but I never envisioned buying a book expensive enough to be on the wall, and the slabs not on the wall were what most here would call not slabworthy.

But then it got to a point where I just wasn't seeing the books I was looking for raw. I was looking for an FF 72 for my FF run and did not like the raw copies I was seeing.

Being impatient and wanting it now, I bought my first slab. Of course once I bought one, more were to come. My desire for slabs now rises and wanes. Except for keys I lean more toward raw copies now.

I'm definitely going to be sending some of my original owner stuff in soon to get slabbed. I expect to get a clearer idea of what I'm going to keep and how much of that will be slabbed as I start to get those back.

Generally speaking, if I can get a book I'm looking for raw in the 5.0 - 8.0 range for under a hundred bucks, I'll take that over a slab. But there are definitely a set of books that I would like to have in slabs for my "personal wall".

[Arkham]

Like any aspect of collecting, slabbed vs raw is a deeply personal opinion thing. 
 

Personally, I prefer slabbed books.
I still pick up raw books, but I usually don’t read them*, because I want to keep them in the best condition possible. *(I mostly read via ComiXology on iPad). 

General rules for me: I only collect slabbed books for my main collecting focuses. Also, I will not buy a signed comic unless it is CGC SS. 

So, what do you collect and what attracts you to collecting slabs? 

[Jesse-Lee]

3 hours ago, poorcollector said:

I do not own any slabs, and I am unsure of whether or not I want to start down the path. I know that some people love cgc books and some love raw book.  I understand there are a multitude of factors that go into whether someone does graded vs. raw books (cost, aesthetic etc.), but I want to get some of you all's opinions on whether I should start collecting graded comics. 

Like a lot of this hobby, and like you said, it depends on a lot of factors and variables - your goal, your collection philosophy, your budget, etc. As someone who "collected" comics as a kid in the 80s and early 90s (I use quotes because really I just bought to read, and a lot of the books I bought back then are either gone or super low grade) and then got back in recently (within the last few months), here's my outlook. I've been buying books on a few different criteria: raw books that I used to have and want again in as high a grade as I can accept and afford; books (raw or graded) that I always wanted, again in as high a grade as I can accept and afford; and "blue chip" books - books that are universally sought after, typically in the bronze/copper age because that's what I lean toward, that should continue to perform well because their status as a collectible is fairly cemented. These books are the ones I buy graded, and again, an intersection of affordability and grade is what I look for.

Personally, I don't chase 9.8s. A lot of people probably disagree with this, but I've looked at a lot of book trends, and I've noticed a pattern of books in the 9.2-9.6 range (and in some cases, lower) that are high performers, in that the percent gain on upward price mobility often outstrips that of a 9.8 on the same book. Meaning, in the same time a $1,000 9.8 sees a 20% increase to $1,200, the same book in a 9.4 at $200 might increase to $300, which is a 50% increase - these are hypothetical numbers of course and are an extreme example, but you can find real examples of this in a lot of books. Obviously there are advantages to 9.8s - owning what is practically the "top grade" in a book, relative scarcity, the ability to potentially set the top end of the market. However, if you're seeing a disparity in percentage increases, it allows you to diversify across titles - you could buy 5 $200 9.4 books for the same price as 1 $1,000 9.8 book, for example. To me that means if one title tanks for some reason, you're potentially protected by not having all your eggs in one basket.

I also  try to find deals below current Fair Market Values whenever possible in order to make my dollar go farther. Not through nefarious means, but just through targeting a couple of specific titles at a time and really watching sales on the auctions, eBay, etc. to hunt the best deal and find under-priced anomalies. So far the only graded book I've paid above FMV for is Amazing Spider-Man 300, and the upward movement of that book has been so fast-paced that the current FMV already adjusted to be greater than my purchase price, and I bought in only a few weeks ago.

I'm not saying my way is better than anyone's, and I'm sure many seasoned collectors here could probably argue against what I'm saying and poke holes in my reasoning. But so far it's worked for me and I've bought a number of CGC graded books in what I consider really nice grades that I'm proud to own, potentially display, and that should show gains or at least get me my money back if I ever decided to sell.

When I started a couple of months ago though, I tried to limp into the hobby with a really low budget and high expectations, and in doing that, you may find yourself unsatisfied or under-equipped. I'm sure if you looked at my earliest posts here you'd see I made a lot of mistakes and had a lot of bad preconceived notions at first. Since then I changed my philosophy, studied, and diverted investment dollars from some other areas I had money in (I'm a long-time domain name trader for example, and I sold off a few of those recently to re-invest in comics).

At the end if the day, like a lot of things I like to invest in or collect, I typically only buy/collect what I personally like, but with an eye toward also protecting myself from losing out. I also love the quality of a nice encapsulated book, especially when it's something I've always admired or have some kind of memory/experience tied to it.

Sorry, this was a longer post than I intended, but hopefully it helps in some way. And good luck on the journey!

Edited October 10, 2020 by Jesse-Lee
Clarity

[poorcollector]

9 hours ago, Doctor Dositheus said:

I did not buy my first slab until this year. I loved to gawk at them on the walls at the cons, but I never envisioned buying a book expensive enough to be on the wall, and the slabs not on the wall were what most here would call not slabworthy.

But then it got to a point where I just wasn't seeing the books I was looking for raw. I was looking for an FF 72 for my FF run and did not like the raw copies I was seeing.

Being impatient and wanting it now, I bought my first slab. Of course once I bought one, more were to come. My desire for slabs now rises and wanes. Except for keys I lean more toward raw copies now.

I'm definitely going to be sending some of my original owner stuff in soon to get slabbed. I expect to get a clearer idea of what I'm going to keep and how much of that will be slabbed as I start to get those back.

Generally speaking, if I can get a book I'm looking for raw in the 5.0 - 8.0 range for under a hundred bucks, I'll take that over a slab. But there are definitely a set of books that I would like to have in slabs for my "personal wall".

So you only buy graded books out of necessity?  Did you feel forced or are you okay with having those books slabbed?  Are you sending those books in for protection/keepsake reasons?

[poorcollector]

9 hours ago, Arkham said:

Like any aspect of collecting, slabbed vs raw is a deeply personal opinion thing. 
 

Personally, I prefer slabbed books.
I still pick up raw books, but I usually don’t read them*, because I want to keep them in the best condition possible. *(I mostly read via ComiXology on iPad). 

General rules for me: I only collect slabbed books for my main collecting focuses. Also, I will not buy a signed comic unless it is CGC SS. 

So, what do you collect and what attracts you to collecting slabs? 

I have recently shifted my focus of my collecting to silver age books (mostly marvel, but some DC) which kind of explains why I am asking this question now.  I realize that some of the silver keys are expensive even in raw form, and I can see myself buying graded books for the purpose of guaranteeing the value so I am not wasting money on a raw book that is in rougher shape than initially visible.  You said you pick up mostly slabbed books so can you explain your thought process and also explain what you collect?

[poorcollector]

7 hours ago, Jesse-Lee said:

When I started a couple of months ago though, I tried to limp into the hobby with a really low budget and high expectations, and in doing that, you may find yourself unsatisfied or under-equipped. I'm sure if you looked at my earliest posts here you'd see I made a lot of mistakes and had a lot of bad preconceived notions at first. Since then I changed my philosophy, studied, and diverted investment dollars from some other areas I had money in (I'm a long-time domain name trader for example, and I sold off a few of those recently to re-invest in comics).

I'm still in college and on a relatively tight budget, but I am not trying to amass thousands of comics right now I am just trying to enjoy the hobby as much as I can within my means.  When you made the jump to buying slabs did you think getting those books in a graded form was worth the extra cost that goes along with a slabbed book? I also feel that as soon as I buy one slab I will want every book of value to me slabbed. Did you feel this way, if so how are you adjusting your collecting style to it?

[Jesse-Lee]

1 hour ago, poorcollector said:

I'm still in college and on a relatively tight budget, but I am not trying to amass thousands of comics right now I am just trying to enjoy the hobby as much as I can within my means.  When you made the jump to buying slabs did you think getting those books in a graded form was worth the extra cost that goes along with a slabbed book? I also feel that as soon as I buy one slab I will want every book of value to me slabbed. Did you feel this way, if so how are you adjusting your collecting style to it?

I do think it's worth it for me - but to be clear, I don't own a ton of slabbed books or anything. There were a few key books that I really wanted, and for me, since I buy a lot online, it was worth it to have a copy that I knew was a 9.4 since it was graded instead of taking a chance on a raw copy. There are a lot of books that I've found where the slabbed price isn't really all that much more than the raw price when you consider the costs of grading, etc. And with a slabbed copy I feel like at least I know what I'm getting vs a raw copy listed as "NM" that looks more like an 8.0 once you receive it.

[Robot Man]

I’m a collector and reader of GA books. I prefer mine raw. If you are careful you can handle and read any high grade book. I seek out books I like in any grade I can find. If I want to, I can always upgrade later and sell my under copy. 

I have probably 25 slabbed books. These are expensive ones or ones I really only want for the cover only. I really don’t like them much slabbed. A very unfulfilling experience just being able to see two sides. Just yesterday, I cracked a slab because I wanted to read and enjoy the contents. 

The only reason I see to slab my existing books is when and if so decide to sell them. 

But to each his own...

[Arkham]

19 hours ago, poorcollector said:

I have recently shifted my focus of my collecting to silver age books (mostly marvel, but some DC) which kind of explains why I am asking this question now.  I realize that some of the silver keys are expensive even in raw form, and I can see myself buying graded books for the purpose of guaranteeing the value so I am not wasting money on a raw book that is in rougher shape than initially visible.  You said you pick up mostly slabbed books so can you explain your thought process and also explain what you collect?

I have that as a driver for my collecting too (buying graded for guaranteeing what you are getting).  I am located in a regional area of Australia. I don't have a "local comic shop" - so any purchase that I make will be made online... raw moderns I buy from my nearest LCS to support them as best I can. That shop is about 150kms away and, as a busy Dad/employee, I don't get to visit it often (let alone with Covid) and the VAST majority of my purchases for collecting come from the States or my buddy in Canada. 

The entire "hunt for a book yourself and then submit it for grading" is kind of rendered null by my location and buying graded gives me a sense of confidence in what I am buying - especially from eBay. I only really trust mycomicshop.com and fellow boardie @Wall-Crawler for grades of raw purchases of older books. (I am sure there are a TON of 100% trustworthy raw grades given by other sellers on these boards, I just haven't dealt with them to recommend any - as all my other board purchases have been graded). 

In terms of focuses - mine are fairly common really... with one or two that are perhaps slightly less common. 

I am just setting off on a journey to build high-grade competitive registry sets for The Joker (1975), Batman Who Laughs (Complete) and Dark Nights: Metal (Complete).  

I also collect 1st appearances of Batman villains... given I am average Joe, this means I am looking for things like 1st Silver Age appearances of existing characters, or actual 1st apps from Bronze or Moderns. For fun, I collect Joker covers, Cover Swipes (particularly Tec 31 cover swipes) and "classic covers"... And whenever I see a cover that has those Hounds on it, I'm in! (Batman #395, Dynamic Classic #1, Batman #227 and most Tec 31 swipes).  

I'm a DC guy... But I will buy Bronze Age 1st apps of Marvel characters and, generally, flip them later.. (That said, Wolvie is a hold for life). 

From that list, the Joker covers and Cover Swipes I'll happily collect raw, but I also pick up graded along the journey. Any registry competitive set, of course, must be graded and any 1st app book I will only collect graded. Finally, I won't buy a "signed" comic unless it is CGC SS. (The only raw signed books I have, I have had signed myself when travelling to a comic con).

Finally, I only buy CGC. 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Arkham
linking Wall-Crawler

[poorcollector]

7 minutes ago, Arkham said:

Finally, I only buy CGC. 

I think I will stick to cgc as well.  They have the best reputation from my point of view, and I think they look the best. Thanks for sharing your insight.

[Wall-Crawler]

If you want to get into buying silver age keys, unless you really trust the seller and/or are experienced enough to know what to look for, I would spend the extra money on graded.

I can see @Robot Man point with regards to raw as it seems the only way to actually see the content of some of those GA books is to actually read them.

I am trying to complete the ASM run.

I need something like 20 books but all of those will be graded (Lee/Ditkof books) with big goal being an AF #15,  but the "beauty" is that there are so many reprints, Omnibus, trades, etc. that you can still easily read the stories, unlike say, some of GA books where being able to read the content is not as easy to find and plus those GA books probably have some cool ads and such too.

Also, you mentioned being on a budget (aren't we all but some more than others), so I would say pick a graded key and save and focus on that. Get it.  Then repeat. It is so easy to lose focus with so much cool material and thats what happened to me when I got back into the hobby  until I decided to go for broke and complete the ASM run.  Since then so glad I did. Every time I can check off the book and get closer to my goal, super satisfying.  

Bottom line, whether buying raw or graded,  you can't collect "wrong" if you are buying what you actually like/love.

Also thank you @Arkham for the kind words!

 

 

[Mercury Man]

The encapsulation/third party grading came about for the obvious reason of taking out the second guessing between 2 parties. If you like owing raw books, then you can only collect raw books, or buy encapsulated books and crack them out.  

If you want to re-sell the books, then a 3rd party encapsulation will probably help you sell for a maximum price.  

I am of the opinion that CGC has gotten log jammed, with too many, mid grade/non-key books that don't warrant a 3rd party system.  If you want to argue about some random Bronze age being a 4.0 or 5.0, then have at it.  I gots more important things to do. 

[evilskip]

I dipped my toes in a few years ago buying slabbed books. Then Newton Rings came along and I did a 180 and am no longer buying slabs. My slabbed collection is down to 11 CGCs and 2 CBCS.

One of my all time favorite books, Hawkman 9, has surfaced in a CGC slabbed 8.5, and I'm passing on it.

[Glassman10]

Of the 950 books I had, four wound up graded and slabbed. The AF15 was just bagged for close to fifty years. When it was still not slabbed, a very small chip popped off on a corner while I was putting it back in the bag. I don't think it would have changed the grade it finally got but it would not have happened if it was slabbed. Of the 950 books, probably 25 of them had a value higher that 2K. In retrospect, I would still not have slabbed all but three since I sold to a private dealer, not on Ebay. All three I did slab got 9.0 and higher and were forty plus years old. 

If you are slabbing to protect the comic, I can see it since humidity, handling  and sunlight both can damage the things. If you're planning to sell, I can see it since it established graded value. Beyond that, now you can't read them. 

[Summydad1]

I didn’t read through everyone’s posts so sorry if I am repeating. 
 

Diversity is the spice of life. I like raw, graded, TPB’s, omnibuses. I just would only ever collect CGC graded books. Their cases look best in my opinion. 

My method is raws for all runs and modern keys under $300. CGC for older/more valuable keys. 

[poorcollector]

10 hours ago, Wall-Crawler said:

Also, you mentioned being on a budget (aren't we all but some more than others), so I would say pick a graded key and save and focus on that. Get it.  Then repeat. It is so easy to lose focus with so much cool material and thats what happened to me when I got back into the hobby  until I decided to go for broke and complete the ASM run.  Since then so glad I did. Every time I can check off the book and get closer to my goal, super satisfying.  

I just readjusted my collecting strategy and it was frustrating wasting my energy, money, and time on something I wasn't sure about.  That is why I am here trying to plan ahead before I regret buying something. I like your strategy of pick a key, save, buy, repeat. It leads to slower collection building, but being happier with your collection. 

[poorcollector]

8 hours ago, Mercury Man said:

If you want to re-sell the books, then a 3rd party encapsulation will probably help you sell for a maximum price.  

I am of the opinion that CGC has gotten log jammed, with too many, mid grade/non-key books that don't warrant a 3rd party system.  If you want to argue about some random Bronze age being a 4.0 or 5.0, then have at it.  I gots more important things to do. 

I disagree with slabbing everything too. It is unnecessary and those books that do not deserve to be graded also do not usually deserve the price that goes along with it. I would probably stick to keys or books that are important to me. 

[poorcollector]

7 hours ago, evilskip said:

I dipped my toes in a few years ago buying slabbed books. Then Newton Rings came along and I did a 180 and am no longer buying slabs. My slabbed collection is down to 11 CGCs and 2 CBCS.

One of my all time favorite books, Hawkman 9, has surfaced in a CGC slabbed 8.5, and I'm passing on it.

Have newton rings gone away yet? I have done some research and every where I look it says something different. I would love a concrete answer if you could point me in the right direction.

[poorcollector]

6 hours ago, Glassman10 said:

Of the 950 books I had, four wound up graded and slabbed. The AF15 was just bagged for close to fifty years. When it was still not slabbed, a very small chip popped off on a corner while I was putting it back in the bag. I don't think it would have changed the grade it finally got but it would not have happened if it was slabbed. Of the 950 books, probably 25 of them had a value higher that 2K. In retrospect, I would still not have slabbed all but three since I sold to a private dealer, not on Ebay. All three I did slab got 9.0 and higher and were forty plus years old. 

If you are slabbing to protect the comic, I can see it since humidity, handling  and sunlight both can damage the things. If you're planning to sell, I can see it since it established graded value. Beyond that, now you can't read them. 

Wow your collection sounds like a dream.  Maybe one day! I would be buying slabs to ensure value upon purchase, protection, and longevity in my personal collection.  Of course if I needed to sell I could, but I am not an investor I am a collector.