I am 50 years old.... 2 2

[MagnusX]

That is half a century !
and with time come wisdom and questions.

I realize I have 10 or maybe 20 more years to live
in what condition? time will tell...

I still feel strong and aware
but I wonder what will happen when I dont have  that choose anymore
with my collection (OA. CGC. Books.)... 

sell? keep? give?

This is an open forum for mature collectors to share your thoughts ...

 

[visarspike]

i think that's a question you ask yourself when you get 65 or 70 (or when you get pretty sick), not 50, that's still young....anyway, i myself thought of it (i'm 45), and i'm pretty sure i'll sell almost everything when i get old (i might keep 2 or 3 things) because to be honest, kids don't read anymore, they're not interested in comic books or original art, and will probably sell your collection at some point, with the (high) risk of largely underselling it....so better sell everything and give them the money directly, they 'll have a better use of it

[jjonahjameson11]

1 hour ago, MagnusX said:

That is half a century !
and with time come wisdom and questions.

I realize I have 10 or maybe 20 more years to live
in what condition? time will tell...

I still feel strong and aware
but I wonder what will happen when I dont have  that choose anymore
with my collection (OA. CGC. Books.)... 

sell? keep? give?

This is an open forum for mature collectors to share your thoughts ...

 

Depends on your health and value of your collections(s).

if selling = life changing money, then I would do it and enjoy my retirement/semi retirement while I am still healthy enough to do so.

[gumbydarnit]

Hey watch a "then" and "now" episode of antiques roadshow and notice how many down arrows there are. The last one I watched pottery, furniture, jewelry you name it, they were down about 40-60%. This episode was shot in 2007 and the "now" values were 2020. When I see those shows, it makes me wonder about "the more you bid the more it's worth" mentally of our hobby. Like JJ says, if it's life changing money and you're considering selling down the road perhaps it is time to start thinning the herd while we are still at all time highs.

Me, I'm keeping it to the end : ) It brings me too much joy, more so than numbers in a bank account. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by gumbydarnit

[batman_fan]

I am a “little” older (56) and I am in the process of thinning the herd but only for stuff that I don’t really need to continue owning and feel okay with letting go. This is about six pieces of OA and maybe 7000 to 8000 comics. All of this stuff would be a challenge for my son to sell and whatever I keep I will make sure he knows who to contact to sell it at a decent price.

I think I will be left with just CGC graded books and higher dollar OA. No interest in selling any of that stuff just yet as the money from it isn’t needed and I still derive a lot of enjoyment from owning it. 

[exitmusicblue]

37 years old here, son is 6 months.  He already loves it when we "read" the X-Men Poster Magazine together... granted, he gets excited about pretty much anything except for the creepy arse moving/singing bird stuffed animal with eyes like a sleepy Chucky.

I've already been trading (up) and selling much of the lower- to mid-end portion of my OA collection that may not stand the test of time.  What's left, will gradually pass down to him with a proper education.  

The odds of everything going to zero are virtually nil, better are the odds of some pieces going ever higher, plus the sentimental value is priceless.

 

Edited March 1, 2021 by exitmusicblue

[Rick2you2]

I’m over 65, and I’m basically keeping all of it. I can pretty much do everything I did when I was younger, more so at a mental level (you don’t have to learn many lessons twice) less so physically (no more weight lifting, oh, those joints). So the art represents my happy memories and current pleasures I can still enjoy while bonding with other collectors. My kids will do fine, not worried there. But bear in mind that I simply will not spend a ton of money on OA (well, maybe in the aggregate). So, no great loss. 

[vodou]

6 hours ago, visarspike said:

i think that's a question you ask yourself when you get 65 or 70 (or when you get pretty sick), not 50, that's still young....

I disagree (hey, big surprise  )...why? Because if your collection is valuable because people in your age band put most of the demand on it, then...you want to sell BEFORE the rest of them stop buying  and that would probably be before they turn 65 or 70 and start selling themselves. Better to get out one year early than one day late  

[Aahz]

Same age bracket as yours and recently just got back into art.  I have been asking myself if spending the money on new acquisitions makes sense.  I vacillate, but generally I come down on yes it makes sense. Why? 1) I can afford it as a luxury now without taking away from other things; 2) The majority of what is now my "expensive" art was acquired 20+ years ago ... if I have another 20 years owning something, I will enjoy it.

I am starting to get rid of some things, comics, some art, but, generally, if you bought it because you liked it, don't get rid of it just to have the cash (unless you need it).  Outside of survival and taking care of your family, money itself doesn't bring joy.  Now if you no longer care about the art and your interests have moved on to other things, set it free.

[csaag]

7 hours ago, MagnusX said:

That is half a century !
and with time come wisdom and questions.

I realize I have 10 or maybe 20 more years to live
in what condition? time will tell...

I still feel strong and aware
but I wonder what will happen when I dont have  that choose anymore
with my collection (OA. CGC. Books.)... 

sell? keep? give?

This is an open forum for mature collectors to share your thoughts ...

 

being 57 myself I hope you're just greatly underestimating the time you have left!

My collection is just the books I bought a long time ago. I slabbed what I thought was worth it and the rest I'd rather not burden the rest of the family who have no interest. So I figure I have plenty of time to gradually move the "drek" them along via Ebay and where ever else. I figure that gives me plenty of time and I find it enjoyable moving them to new homes. I figure the majority of the slabs will be last and would be easiest to move whether it's me or even if the kids end up getting stuck with them.

[RBerman]

50 years is on the young side of this hobby!

My main contribution to the disposal of my earthly collection is to keep it organized, with a master list of what is where, who drew it, when I bought it, from whom, for how much, etc.

[ESeffinga]

I keep a spreadsheet as well. Not for 10-20 years down the line, but for right now. No guarantee any of us makes it through the current year.

I try to update my lists every year with more current data. Removing sold pieces, and adding newer ones. I include thumbnail photos, so it’s not just down to a text list. 
 

I don’t bother with what I paid, or who the art came from. In a lot of cases the current values are so far away from their start point it’s silly. And a lot of the sellers are gone from the hobby, or do t really matter anyway. And much originated with the artist anyhow. What I do include is current market value estimations real-world ranges so they know what’s “high” and what’s “fire sale” pricing.  Along with recommended sources of who to contact when selling. Names, numbers, email and/or social media info. I also keep a list of people that have shown serious interest in any given piece that are also known CAF players, so they can be contacted for potential direct sales. I don’t bother listing all the strangers, but when a serious collector sniffs around, I take note.

I do this so the Mrs (or whoever else in my family) is not left stranded with wondering what to do, or worried about being taken advantage of on comic or any other art sales.
 

AND maybe more importantly, I also have a list of OA friends and acquaintances that I trust, who I also list for purposes of getting up to date advice, should it be needed. Certain ones for certain things.  This is where all those friendships in the OA world with artists and other collectors really come into their own. I’ve been asked to do the same for a couple friends. We all just look out for each other, and all gain a little extra peace of mind. 
 

In essence my main approach is to look at everything objectively, and ask myself what I know that they don’t, and then try to create easy informative ways of answering questions that haven’t been asked yet.
 

That to me is the biggest goal. Some art will sell itself. Others you have to have a more focused pipeline for. Know which is which. 
 

I’ve been thinning down as of late. No other reason than it all just feels like too much sitting around. I for one think it feels great to pare down to personal “necessities” from time to time.

Edited March 1, 2021 by ESeffinga

[vodou]

31 minutes ago, ESeffinga said:

I don’t bother with what I paid, or who the art came from.

And you report your capital gain/loss how then?  

[Bird]

[sfilosa]

I look at it this way:

* Until I see a real decline over several years in "quality" slabbed comic books (and I admit I don't follow that often) like key issues in at least decent grades...

* I won't worried about the overall health of the OA market...

* Simply because OA is one of a kind and from what I can gather, more people move from comic book collecting to OA than the other way around.

And with the amount of money being spent on a "slabbed commodity", there is still plenty of room for OA to increase. Of course, if you buying art from non familiar artist from non familiar titles, then the chances are higher that the market prices could continue to go up while that art decreases. That said, my guess is that it didn't costs that much in the first place and hopefully you bought it for reasons other than investment. 

To the point of the question, I have a spreadsheet with all titles, issues, page #s, costs, who bought from, etc. and at the bottom it says let Heritage or ComicLink sell and what type of deal my wife or kids should try to get. As with most inheritance, most people are happy to get anything they weren't expecting and at least at a real auction house, they won't sell too cheaply (just pay a nice fee to avoid that). 

And when will I sell. When I don't want to collect anymore and I think there is better use for the money. A better use would not be "a different investment".

 

[stinkininkin]

1 hour ago, vodou said:

And you report your capital gain/loss how then?  

This subject seems to come up a lot in your posts. Methinks thou dost protest too much! 

[GreatEscape]

This thread is intriguing and, as someone 50+ myself, very relevant.  In fact, I've been thinking about my "exit strategy" quite alot lately.  Eric's comment that "Some art will sell itself. Others you have to have a more focused pipeline for" resonates with me, but I feel my family might need more grounding.  I've prepared a primer Flash Drive (stored with my Will and other estate planning documents) with specific directives as to disposing my art collection.  Recognizing the possibility that my wife might pass with me, the directives must be clearly articulated so as to be carried out by a relative/friend who have no idea what comic art is, what it might be worth or how to monetize a collection. 

They will need to understand:

1. The value of the collection and most significant pieces.

2. Location of the art (walls, closets, storage facility, portfolios, etc.) 

3. How to identify pieces, assisted by self-made labels and scans

4. Any "natural" buyers (with contact info) for specific pieces that I might identify in advance

5. My suggested division of proceeds to family, friends and select charities.

I already document my entire collection on two-sided laminated cards with est. FMV, cost basis, art type, source and scan filename.   By adding artist name, acquisition date and my personal grade/rank (derived from so-called Andy Robbins method), I get immediate use as a "Playcalling" sheet for deal-making or quickly sizing up potential acquisitions...similar to an NFL coach, I believe it helps me prioritize targets and assess potential offers/buys with extra speed and efficiency. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by GreatEscape

[ThothAmon]

The art is going to be the easy part for my heirs as it is fairly well organized (for the most part) in a bunch of large portfolios.   It’s the hundreds of comics/mags boxes that will be the real burden. Literally and figuratively. Lol. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by ThothAmon

[The Voord]

4 hours ago, ESeffinga said:

I do this so the Mrs (or whoever else in my family) is not left stranded with wondering what to do, or worried about being taken advantage of on comic or any other art sales.

Equals:   "Don't contact the brothers Donnelly".

    . . . I think.

[gumbydarnit]

3 hours ago, GreatEscape said:

I get immediate use as a "Playcalling" sheet for deal-making or quickly sizing up potential acquisitions...similar to an NFL coach, I believe it helps me prioritize targets and assess potential offers/buys with extra speed and efficiency. 

The GreatEscape sometimes hires me and a couple more collectors out as a sidelines assistants to block his trade partner from seeing what all is on his play chart: