My experience with fractional ownership of comics: JIM #83 / $215,000 3 3

[theCapraAegagrus]

Just now, valiantman said:

Exactly, there are multiple posts on this board where it is claimed that people can't be a collector AND an investor.  Of course you can be both.

If it's possible for you to spend $1,000 on a comic book and have absolutely no thought toward its future value, congratulations.  You're not normal.  You can do that, but 99.9% of us can't.  Spending $1,000 - for most of us - involves thinking about alternative choices, possible way to recoup costs, and future actions beyond reading the book.

Spoiler

I disagree with your math.

 

[valiantman]

Just now, Angel of Death said:

I disagree with your math.

OK.  Randomly pick 1,000 people and tell them they need to spend $1,000 with no thought toward whether they'll ever see a penny of that $1,000 again.  Some will pick rent, some will pick meals or gasoline, some might pick travel, but if you think more than one out of one thousand will pick a $1,000 comic book because they just need to read it... I'll recalculate.

[theCapraAegagrus]

1 minute ago, valiantman said:

OK.  Randomly pick 1,000 people and tell them they need to spend $1,000 with no thought toward whether they'll ever see a penny of that $1,000 again.  Some will pick rent, some will pick meals or gasoline, some might pick travel, but if you think more than one out of one thousand will pick a $1,000 comic book because they just need to read it... I'll recalculate.

To conduct a proper experiment, we would need to poll only those with any intent of spending such an amount. I'm definitely in the minority of the group, because I'm not rich by any means. I acknowledge that. But I know that I'm not some 0.1%er, either.

Let's settle this in the parking lot...

[THE_BEYONDER]

8 minutes ago, valiantman said:

Exactly, there are multiple posts on this board where it is claimed that people can't be a collector AND an investor.  Of course you can be both.

If it's possible for you to spend $1,000 on a comic book and have absolutely no thought toward its future value, congratulations.  You're not normal.  You can do that, but 99.9% of us can't.  Spending $1,000 - for most of us - involves thinking about alternative choices, possible way to recoup costs, and future actions beyond reading the book.

What’s the correlation between being a collector and reading the books?  I still have all my childhood books, and often buy nice 9.6/9.8 upgrades to go with them.  I don’t need to read the upgrades, as that’s what my childhood copies are for. 

[valiantman]

 

1 minute ago, THE_BEYONDER said:

What’s the correlation between being a collector and reading the books?  I still have all my childhood books, and often buy nice 9.6/9.8 upgrades to go with them.  I don’t need to read the upgrades, as that’s what my childhood copies are for. 

So, $1,000+ comic books aren't for investing or reading... just "collecting".  Got it. 

[valiantman]

4 minutes ago, Angel of Death said:

To conduct a proper experiment, we would need to poll only those with any intent of spending such an amount. I'm definitely in the minority of the group, because I'm not rich by any means. I acknowledge that. But I know that I'm not some 0.1%er, either.

Let's settle this in the parking lot...

With what? Engine revving? Donuts? 

[THE_BEYONDER]

1 minute ago, valiantman said:

 

So, $1,000+ comic books aren't for investing or reading... just "collecting".  Got it. 

Why are we making collecting and investing mutually exclusive? 

[theCapraAegagrus]

1 minute ago, valiantman said:

With what? Engine revving? Donuts? 

I was thinkin' more along the lines of...

[valiantman]

Just now, THE_BEYONDER said:

Why are we making collecting and investing mutually exclusive? 

Because all these discussions about fractional shares of comic books are anathema to those who don't want discussions of collecting to also include discussions of investing.

Coincidentally, they're the same people that don't know the meaning of anathema.

[ygogolak]

3 minutes ago, valiantman said:

Because all these discussions about fractional shares of comic books are anathema to those who don't want discussions of collecting to also include discussions of investing.

Coincidentally, they're the same people that don't know the meaning of anathema.

 

Edited January 12, 2021 by ygogolak

[THE_BEYONDER]

3 minutes ago, valiantman said:

Because all these discussions about fractional shares of comic books are anathema to those who don't want discussions of collecting to also include discussions of investing.

Coincidentally, they're the same people that don't know the meaning of anathema.

I had to look it up. So that kinda ruins your hypothesis above.

[mattn792]

6 minutes ago, THE_BEYONDER said:

Why are we making collecting and investing mutually exclusive? 

I think its only a small subset of "we" that is actually arguing that.  And whether or not that small subset wants to acknowledge that collectorism and capitalism will always be intertwined, they will always be intertwined. 

[valiantman]

1 minute ago, ygogolak said:

 

 

[theCapraAegagrus]

I think that it's equally stupid to:

• Only buy comic books as an investment.
• "Invest" into fractional pieces of comic books.

If you want to buy comic books, and also think/hope they'll increase in value? I think that's 'fine'. I just hate the idea of "investors" artificially inflating the value of comic books by treating them as $$$$$.

[ygogolak]

1 minute ago, valiantman said:

 

Bro, I know what a curse by the pope is.

[THE_BEYONDER]

1 minute ago, mattn792 said:

I think its only a small subset of "we" that is actually arguing that.  And whether or not that small subset wants to acknowledge that collectorism and capitalism will always be intertwined, they will always be intertwined. 

Reminds me of the argument about whether or not acts of altruism truly exist.

[valiantman]

2 minutes ago, ygogolak said:

Bro, I know what a curse by the pope is.

Yes, because that's absolutely the definition that fits best with the discussion thus far. 

[valiantman]

4 minutes ago, Angel of Death said:

I think that it's equally stupid to:

• Only buy comic books as an investment.
• "Invest" into fractional pieces of comic books.

If you want to buy comic books, and also think/hope they'll increase in value? I think that's 'fine'. I just hate the idea of "investors" artificially inflating the value of comic books by treating them as $$$$$.

Good point.  We wouldn't want anyone to see comics as something worth more than cover price.  I'll send you 25 cents for two copies of Amazing Fantasy #15.  You can keep the change.

[theCapraAegagrus]

2 minutes ago, valiantman said:

Good point.  We wouldn't want anyone to see comics as something worth more than cover price.  I'll send you 25 cents for two copies of Amazing Fantasy #15.  You can keep the change.

The only copy that I have is in a hardcover collected edition.

I'll send you an empty envelope and we can call it "even".

[valiantman]

1 minute ago, Angel of Death said:

4 minutes ago, valiantman said:

Good point.  We wouldn't want anyone to see comics as something worth more than cover price.  I'll send you 25 cents for two copies of Amazing Fantasy #15.  You can keep the change.

The only copy that I have is in a hardcover collected edition.

I'll send you an empty envelope and we can call it "even".

So, you agree that comic books can be worth more than cover price, but you said "I just hate the idea of "investors" artificially inflating the value of comic books by treating them as $$$$$."

Where do you draw the line between Amazing Fantasy #15 selling for 12-cents and Amazing Fantasy #15 selling for $1,000,000? Because somewhere in there, people are treating it as $$$$$.