Advice for new owner of AF 15 2 2

[THE_BEYONDER]

4 minutes ago, kav said:

here we go....

[B2D327]

My condolences on your loss. Hold on to his gift until you absolutely need to sell it. If enough time goes by, the value (monetarily) will grow exponentially 

[kav]

Just now, PopKulture said:

For sure the Amazing Spiderman 50 and the Atom 1 are very solid books with widespread collector's appeal. The Space Adventures 33 is the first appearance of Captain Atom and a tough book to find. Brave and Bold 28 is the second appearance of the Justice League, so there is some great content here.

Condition plays a huge role in the value of comics, so arm yourself about how various defects affect condition - i.e., creases, tears, stains, loose staples, etc. Always look through the books to see if any coupons are cut and check to see if the centerfold is intact (and/or loose). 

Never, never take the first offer or fall for high pressure tactics!! 

also count the pages.  should be 32 in silver age books plus cover.

[JJ P]

9 minutes ago, PopKulture said:

For sure the Amazing Spiderman 50 and the Atom 1 are very solid books with widespread collector's appeal. The Space Adventures 33 is the first appearance of Captain Atom and a tough book to find. Brave and Bold 28 is the second appearance of the Justice League, so there is some great content here.

Condition plays a huge role in the value of comics, so arm yourself about how various defects affect condition - i.e., creases, tears, stains, loose staples, etc. Always look through the books to see if any coupons are cut and check to see if the centerfold is intact (and/or loose). 

Never, never take the first offer or fall for high pressure tactics!! 

Great info and advice, thanks!

[kav]

6 minutes ago, JJ P said:

Great info and advice, thanks!

If the spider man 50 is in really good condition we're talking serious money.  Maybe like $5000 for 9.2 and above.

[JJ P]

2 minutes ago, kav said:

If the spider man 50 is in really good condition we're talking serious money.  Maybe like $5000 for 9.2 and above.

It is not in good condition, bad spine roll, tears...its in the “hey buddy can u spare a grade”, if you check it out let me know your thoughts...im thinking 1.0-1.5?

[KCOComics]

I'm sorry for your loss. There is really nothing harder than losing a parent. 

What you do next will really depend on what you ultimately intend to do with the book. If you are interested in getting a reasonable price quickly there will be no shortage of buyers and I can make some suggestions on a few guys you could work with. 

If you want to really maximize the value and can wait, you may want to look into private insurance that covers shipping and possibly getting it pressed and graded. 

Getting that book graded and pressed will be expensive, but you will see a return on that investment. 

If you ultimately decide to keep it, proper storage will be key. You could even get it graded to protect it.  

I'm glad you caught the box before it ended up in recycling. Good luck and keep us posted! 

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

I too offer my condolences.  Lost my father 3 years ago. It is tough. 

I would also agree with what most of the others have said. I would definitely insure. Either through your home owners or CIS . Also as others have said these books have been growing value extremely well and if you do insure make sure to insure with replacement value or reevaluate every so often to make sure 100 percent of its value is covered( same for all of these books.) 

I also would agree to have this cleaned/pressed . That said it needs a professional.  Many books have been damaged or destroyed by a bad job. My personal recommendation is CFP @joeypost. He has always worked some magic for me . Plus on the up side he hand delivers directly to CGC. So if you are unable to do the walkthrough at CGC maybe you can take them to Joey. 

If you do intend on press/clean grade. I would take many pictures and would do your own assessment of what you believe the grade to be as well as take notes of all the issues you see that could cause a detract from the grade. Then once you get it back see what they have as notes and compare.  This will give you a better understanding of what to expect with the rest of your collection.  It will also give you an idea of the cost and time it takes to go through this process. 

When it comes time to sell. Educate. Educate. Educate.. I think I stated that enough the price can fluctuate, but one low sale or high sale does not make a trend. There are many nuances that can have some books sell high while others with the same numerical grade will sell lower. When in doubt ask more. If someone wants you to drop even lower, raise the price. Do not get me wrong fair is fair, but too many just want to flip it so they will do everything to negotiate a lower price. 

If you research it and the investment it takes to have this AF 15 pressed/cleaned and graded is more than you expected, know in the long run it is worth it. That said you can go with some of the other lesser books and use those as your learning experience with the process.  

You will also find a wealth of information and very helpful people here on the boards. 

Good luck!

[kav]

Plus if someone says this is their dream to own this book and their dog just died and they have a limited budget-RAISE THE PRICE.

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

Also another footnote, but of extreme importance.  Others mentioned safety deposit box. If you go that route make sure you talk with the bank and make sure the vault is climate controlled 24/7 and has or is tied into back up power. As well as what temperature and humidity they keep the vault .

I say this as many others have realized the issues that have arisen from improper storage. Which includes bank vaults. Although some of the biggest issues are from personal safes ( aka fire safes) these tend to cause staple rust as well as other issues. 

When in doubt ask the boards! Although be prepared for some snark.

( @kav) 

Edited December 29, 2020 by onlyweaknesskryptonite

[KCOComics]

8 minutes ago, onlyweaknesskryptonite said:

I too offer my condolences.  Lost my father 3 years ago. It is tough. 

I would also agree with what most of the others have said. I would definitely insure. Either through your home owners or CIS . Also as others have said these books have been growing value extremely well and if you do insure make sure to insure with replacement value or reevaluate every so often to make sure 100 percent of its value is covered( same for all of these books.) 

I also would agree to have this cleaned/pressed . That said it needs a professional.  Many books have been damaged or destroyed by a bad job. My personal recommendation is CFP @joeypost. He has always worked some magic for me . Plus on the up side he hand delivers directly to CGC. So if you are unable to do the walkthrough at CGC maybe you can take them to Joey. 

If you do intend on press/clean grade. I would take many pictures and would do your own assessment of what you believe the grade to be as well as take notes of all the issues you see that could cause a detract from the grade. Then once you get it back see what they have as notes and compare.  This will give you a better understanding of what to expect with the rest of your collection.  It will also give you an idea of the cost and time it takes to go through this process. 

When it comes time to sell. Educate. Educate. Educate.. I think I stated that enough the price can fluctuate, but one low sale or high sale does not make a trend. There are many nuances that can have some books sell high while others with the same numerical grade will sell lower. When in doubt ask more. If someone wants you to drop even lower, raise the price. Do not get me wrong fair is fair, but too many just want to flip it so they will do everything to negotiate a lower price. 

If you research it and the investment it takes to have this AF 15 pressed/cleaned and graded is more than you expected, know in the long run it is worth it. That said you can go with some of the other lesser books and use those as your learning experience with the process.  

You will also find a wealth of information and very helpful people here on the boards. 

Good luck!

This is excellent advice and I also recommend working with Joey if you go that route! 

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

5 minutes ago, kav said:

Plus if someone says this is their dream to own this book and their dog just died and they have a limited budget-RAISE THE PRICE.

If that is the route you are going then we should also post an advisory about anyone who reads AF15s on the toilet or is an

" Overstreet Advisor "

But sure.. Raise the Price..

[BigLeagueCHEW]

Get it graded, at least you will know the value.

Selling as is, if you are, could be a loss to you.

I would fly to CGC and do a walk thru. You can't loose, the book will pay for the trip. 

[James J Johnson]

3 hours ago, JJ P said:

Wow!  Overwhelmed!

Oh, what the heck do you know with all those J s in your name! 

And BTW: 

 

[Summydad1]

A little late to the party but I would send to CCS/CGC for press and grade. They have always done a good job for me. Yeah, it’s a little pricey but it’s worth it and CGC tends to give very fair grades to books they press themselves. Then I would keep it till I retired. Odds are it will continue to climb in value. It will also be fun to track the value of your book over time compared to similar copies. 
 

Keep the other books and start collecting comics. It can be really fun and give you another chance to remember your father through one of his hobbies. 

[Whizzer]

8 hours ago, Motor City Rob said:

Sorry for your loss. Excellent book. Definitely get it cleaned, pressed, and graded. If it comes back 4.0 to 5.0, you are looking at a value of $22K to $30K+. What you do is really up to you. Chances are this will keep increasing in value over the years. If you want the money now, sell it.....if you don't care about the money, keep it.

But absolutely get it fully insured when sending to CGC for grading. 

Firstly, i'm very sorry for your loss.  As to your original question; this post is very good advice and exactly what I would do in your circumstances.

[carter3175]

My condolences to you and your family.  I would insure it, clean it, press it and have it graded even if you are going to keep it or sell it.  The longer you have that book out of a slab the greater chance you have of damaging it. If you get it graded there will be no questions about the grade and condition. You remove all guessing. Just my opinion. I wish you the best of luck. 

[mrc]

8 hours ago, THE_BEYONDER said:

I’m in the minority here, but I wouldn’t have CCS (CGC In-house pressing services) monkey around with the book. 
 

Play it where it lies, and just straight submit for grading. 

This would be my advice if you plan on keeping the book long-term. Sorry for your loss.

[Jayman]

Sorry for your loss. So glad that you decided to get the books and your mother did not throw them out! Best of luck on whatever you choose to do!

[MatterEaterLad]

I'm sorry for your loss. Your dad left you a wonderful comic.

The key thing is, don't be in a hurry to do anything. Time is on your side. If you decide to do nothing and leave it in a safe for a year it's only going to increase in value. 

I would have it pressed, cleaned, and graded. As others have said, having it in a slab will keep it from being damaged. A few small dings could take a 5.0 to a 4.0 and cost you thousands of dollars in value, so buy a cheap reprint for reading and get this one in a protective case. 

An unrestored 5.0 sold for $6200 in 2006.

Last I checked there was a 5.0 on Comic Connect going for $45,000. So if you can hang onto it for 10 years you'll see solid increase in value. 

But if there's a chance your mom's health could decline in that time, I'd sell it sooner rather than later and take her on a cruise or something.