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Comics as an investment for retirement
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166 posts in this topic

So, I have a friend at work who has collected over the years, but hasn't really been keeping up with prices until recently.  When he noticed a few prices of comics being sold it piqued his interest again, so much so that he is now talking about buying some golden age books and keys and stashing them away as a retirement investment for the next 10-15 years.  His interest in doing so also got me to thinking, that it may not be a bad idea.  I mean, comic values have blown away anything my IRA and 401K has done over the past 10 years.  So maybe including some tangible assets wouldn't be a bad idea. I would think you couldn't go wrong with some Golden age classic covers and silver age keys in mid to high CGC grade over that time period.

Thoughts?

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56 minutes ago, Mr.Fantastic said:

So, I have a friend at work who has collected over the years, but hasn't really been keeping up with prices until recently.  When he noticed a few prices of comics being sold it piqued his interest again, so much so that he is now talking about buying some golden age books and keys and stashing them away as a retirement investment for the next 10-15 years.  His interest in doing so also got me to thinking, that it may not be a bad idea.  I mean, comic values have blown away anything my IRA and 401K has done over the past 10 years.  So maybe including some tangible assets wouldn't be a bad idea. I would think you couldn't go wrong with some Golden age classic covers and silver age keys in mid to high CGC grade over that time period.

Thoughts?

Sure, Golden age keys is the right way of thinking if your looking at 10-15 years. anything else could go haywire, even keys.

The issue is that many don't have the money to buy Golden Age keys. But yeah, if you can spend it, go ahead. Here are a few to look into that aren't over 100 grand yet

Marvel Family 1 (you should buy this one ASAP)

Whiz Comics 25

Captain marvel Adventures 18

Batman 1

Detective Comics 73

Detective Comics 62

Detective Comics 66

Detective Comics 68

Detective Comics 122

Detective Comics 140

Action Comics 23

Sensation Comics 1

More Fun Comics 73

Marvel Comics 1

Marvel Mystery Comics 4

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14 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

Sure, Golden age keys is the right way of thinking if your looking at 10-15 years. anything else could go haywire, even keys.

The issue is that many don't have the money to buy Golden Age keys. But yeah, if you can spend it, go ahead. Here are a few to look into that aren't over 100 grand yet

Marvel Family 1 (you should buy this one ASAP)

Whiz Comics 25

Captain marvel Adventures 18

Batman 1

Detective Comics 73

Detective Comics 62

Detective Comics 66

Detective Comics 68

Detective Comics 122

Detective Comics 140

Action Comics 23

Sensation Comics 1

More Fun Comics 73

Marvel Comics 1

Marvel Mystery Comics 4

Thanks for the list ! There a definitely some on there I will look into.  My intention is to get as many books in as high a grade as I can to complete a fairly substantial portfolio of books.  So, on many I will looking into acquiring mid-grade books with excellent eye appeal.  I would like to have a good mix of golden and silver age classic covers, first appearances, and key issues. So far, I have a list that includes several classic Action & Tec books under issue #100, some early Marvel mystery Schomburg covers, and possibly a few others including some 1st appearances of Scarecrow, Solomon Grundy, and others.  In the Silver Age I have a list of Avengers 1, JIM 83, TOS 39,ASM 1,TTA 59, and a few others. If anyone else has any suggestions I am open to adding them to my list.

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3 minutes ago, thehumantorch said:

Comics have been going up as long as I have been collecting - 40 years.  But there's no guarantee that that will continue.  My stock and bond investments have also gone up for a long time.  Which has done better, I'm not sure.

I don't think it's crazy to invest in comics based on past performance but I'd suggest you consider it a speculative amount that you could afford to lose.  A company like Apple or Microsoft generates billions of dollars in profits each year and that supports it's value  while a comic's value is based solely on what someone else is willing to pay for it.

 

I don't disagree with you.  Tangible investments such as coins, stamps, cards, and comics, have their place.  I have a 401K, IRA, and pension, so this will be part of a larger portfolio, not just a single retirement portfolio with comics.  

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I'm going to offer different advice. 

Say you buy a FF1 or other key book and hold it for fifteen years- when you sell it you have a one time income boost. 

Use that same money to buy fifty above average books and in five years sell a few. Pocket the profit and re-invest your original cost. Repeat every month.

Now you have a revenue stream.  A couple hundred dollars a month in your pocket and a self-perpetuating income source. You won't get rich, but you won't have to be eating at 5PM to take advantage of the early bird specials either.

 

 

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5 minutes ago, shadroch said:

I'm going to offer different advice. 

Say you buy a FF1 or other key book and hold it for fifteen years- when you sell it you have a one time income boost. 

Use that same money to buy fifty above average books and in five years sell a few. Pocket the profit and re-invest your original cost. Repeat every month.

Now you have a revenue stream.  A couple hundred dollars a month in your pocket and a self-perpetuating income source. You won't get rich, but you won't have to be eating at 5PM to take advantage of the early bird specials either.

 

 

Hmmm, interesting idea. Another thing I have thought of is how are these sales reported as income?  If you sell a high grade key on HA do they report the sale to the IRS?  Seems like a good way to get around some potential tax pitfalls other investments have, not that I am recommending that mind you. LOL.

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4 minutes ago, Mr.Fantastic said:

I don't disagree with you.  Tangible investments such as coins, stamps, cards, and comics, have their place.  I have a 401K, IRA, and pension, so this will be part of a larger portfolio, not just a single retirement portfolio with comics.  

If you have those, add in SS and a small comic revenue stream and you'll be golden.  you want to have a diverse portfolio, but you also want to have diverse income streams each month. I strongly recommend a minimum of four, five to seven is where I'm at and living is easy.

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10 minutes ago, Mr.Fantastic said:

I don't disagree with you.  Tangible investments such as coins, stamps, cards, and comics, have their place.  I have a 401K, IRA, and pension, so this will be part of a larger portfolio, not just a single retirement portfolio with comics.  

And I'm in a similar spot with a pension and a house and stock and bond investments and a hobby that seems to have turned into an investment.  I'm probably a little further along the road as I'm now receiving my pension.

I will point out that stock market values seem insanely high, especially considering the impact of covid, but I think I could say the same about the values of back issue comics.

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keep in mind how you store them. Comics can really vanish in a flood or a fire, or from general climate conditions. Then there are mice as well.  This suggests to me that you don't keep them at home but at a site that will cost you money over the years.  I sold mine four years back and it's all in the market which has been reasonably reliable. even that can change. We're never going to get out of this alive. Selling stock is far easier than selling comics. Both have risks but not everyone has their beak in the water. 

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I never bought comics as an investment, I always bought them because I just like them.

Seeing the values of books climb as they have (especially keys) I can understand how someone would think of them as an investment.

The main difference is you must have a buyer for the comic.

While I like the idea of what was mentioned above I counter-offer and say it is far easier to sell one book over a whole lot of them.

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2 minutes ago, Artboy99 said:

I never bought comics as an investment, I always bought them because I just like them.

Seeing the values of books climb as they have (especially keys) I can understand how someone would think of them as an investment.

The main difference is you must have a buyer for the comic.

While I like the idea of what was mentioned above I counter-offer and say it is far easier to sell one book over a whole lot of them.

I like to keep between 75-100 books on sale at MCS.  When that number dips into the 60s, I send them another box of thirty or forty books. 

They do all the work.  I box the books, the PO picks them up, MCS lists them, I respond to any offers and I get a check every week. 

It's dirty work but someone has to do it.

Shipping thirty books in a box isn't all that much harder than shipping one, and most weeks i might field a dozen email offers.

I'm in training for the laziest man in the country competition and even I find it fairly easy.

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13 minutes ago, Artboy99 said:

I never bought comics as an investment, I always bought them because I just like them.

Seeing the values of books climb as they have (especially keys) I can understand how someone would think of them as an investment.

The main difference is you must have a buyer for the comic.

While I like the idea of what was mentioned above I counter-offer and say it is far easier to sell one book over a whole lot of them.

Well, here is where I am in the sweet spot.  I like them and I can see them as an investment. I suppose there is room for both.

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