Looking for advice on my first big spend 0

[Tcla75]

I have a small collection of a few hundred comics that I have collected over the years non graded. None of them are rare. The one that is probably valued the most is a wolverine #75. If it was graded it might be a 9.2 so probably worth $30. I've always wanted something rare and CGC rated. Living in Ireland there are very little CGC rated comics for sale so I'm going to buy online. I want to pay a price that is fair but a lot of the prices I see on ebay are way more over priced than a lot of the sites that list the value of comics. I don't really care about the resale value of it years down the line because this is something I plan on owning and displaying till the day I die. I'm a big fan of wolverine so a high graded copy of the first issue would be high up on the list for me. I've also started watching the invincible series on prime and would love a copy of issue one but all the variants are confusing and again the price seems overblown but then not being experienced in collecting valuable comics I could be completely wrong here. I'm willing to spend between 1 to 2k. A first issue would be ideal but anything that is a fair price and rare would be preferable. Do you have any advice on where I should go from here?

[Devin Colman]

Hmm, idk much about the Irish comic market but there are some general tricks when it comes to deal hunting. I'm Canadian and I find one of the biggest struggles is the shipping cost and import charges. When you're on Ebay, play with the settings, set the region to only your area, watch the buy it nows as well as the auctions. Auctions happening in your area could be a steal since you would save on the shipping compared to other bidders.

Check with local comic shops, see what they have raw, bin hunting takes dedication but if you know what to look for it pays off.

I'd also check this site:

https://www.cgccomics.com/services/DealerListing.aspx?state=ireland

It shows there's one certified CGC dealer in Dublin, contact that shop, see what kinda slabs they have for sale. Since they're a dealer, it means they can submit raw comics to be graded on your behalf, so if you have any luck with your bin hunting or you find a nice book on ebay raw, you can send it through them to be slabbed. Of course they'd charge you a slight premium, may still be a better deal than buying already slabbed comics.

Hope this helps and welcome to the boards!

 

[Tcla75]

5 minutes ago, Devin Colman said:

Hmm, idk much about the Irish comic market but there are some general tricks when it comes to deal hunting. I'm Canadian and I find one of the biggest struggles is the shipping cost and import charges. When you're on Ebay, play with the settings, set the region to only your area, watch the buy it nows as well as the auctions. Auctions happening in your area could be a steal since you would save on the shipping compared to other bidders.

Check with local comic shops, see what they have raw, bin hunting takes dedication but if you know what to look for it pays off.

I'd also check this site:

https://www.cgccomics.com/services/DealerListing.aspx?state=ireland

It shows there's one certified CGC dealer in Dublin, contact that shop, see what kinda slabs they have for sale. Since they're a dealer, it means they can submit raw comics to be graded on your behalf, so if you have any luck with your bin hunting or you find a nice book on ebay raw, you can send it through them to be slabbed. Of course they'd charge you a slight premium, may still be a better deal than buying already slabbed comics.

Hope this helps and welcome to the boards!

 

Thanks for the advice. That's really helpful. What's your opinion on buying comics here? After posting this thread I saw there is a sell section here and the prices seem better than ebay.

[Devin Colman]

13 minutes ago, Tcla75 said:

What's your opinion on buying comics here?

Honestly, I've never bought here, I try to get a lot of my slabs local or done myself, I'm rather new to the forums. I'm sure one of the vets may chime in and offer you a "great deal" at some point on this thread. Best advice though is know what it's worth so you don't overpay, ask how they'll ship it to you (walk away if they ship in envelopes, boxes only for slabs) and don't be afraid to ask for extra/better quality pics so you can get the best idea of what you're buying!! Goodluck mate!

[Jesse-Lee]

1 hour ago, Tcla75 said:

I have a small collection of a few hundred comics that I have collected over the years non graded. None of them are rare. The one that is probably valued the most is a wolverine #75. If it was graded it might be a 9.2 so probably worth $30. I've always wanted something rare and CGC rated. Living in Ireland there are very little CGC rated comics for sale so I'm going to buy online. I want to pay a price that is fair but a lot of the prices I see on ebay are way more over priced than a lot of the sites that list the value of comics. I don't really care about the resale value of it years down the line because this is something I plan on owning and displaying till the day I die. I'm a big fan of wolverine so a high graded copy of the first issue would be high up on the list for me. I've also started watching the invincible series on prime and would love a copy of issue one but all the variants are confusing and again the price seems overblown but then not being experienced in collecting valuable comics I could be completely wrong here. I'm willing to spend between 1 to 2k. A first issue would be ideal but anything that is a fair price and rare would be preferable. Do you have any advice on where I should go from here?

Who are your favorite characters (I see you mentioned Wolverine)? Do you have any nostalgic memories of comics you read as a kid? Is there a character or title that you share a fond memory of with a loved one (your dad/friend/whomever loved Batman and turned you on to comics for example)? If you don't care about resale value but want a cool collectible, I'd target something that has meaning to you in some form. I can understand wanting a high-value comic as a showpiece, as opposed to an "investment," but it'll mean a lot more to you if there's an emotional tie.

It sounds weird, but hear me out - it's almost like getting a tattoo; if you want to spend a grand or two - which is serious money to many people - and you don't plan on cashing out on it anytime soon, you want it to be something memorable and meaningful. There should be a story behind it about the "why" that made you drop a couple grand on a comic - an emotional tie will make it that much more special.

Edited April 17, 2021 by Jesse-Lee

[ExNihilo]

39 minutes ago, Tcla75 said:

Thanks for the advice. That's really helpful. What's your opinion on buying comics here? After posting this thread I saw there is a sell section here and the prices seem better than ebay.

You can definitely find some great prices from dealers in the Selling subforum.  Because there aren't any eBay, ComicLink, or Heritage auction fees to deal with, you can often find books cheaper than you would online.  Sometimes it just takes patience, and a little bit of luck.  (Luck in the sense that you spot a book for sale before someone else snaps it up).  If you know what you want and what you're willing to pay for something, you can even post in the WTB section.  If you do that though, do some due diligence to see what the fair market value is (plus whatever costs might be incurred having to ship to Ireland) and then post and see what offers people make.

[Tcla75]

9 minutes ago, Jesse-Lee said:

Who are your favorite characters (I see you mentioned Wolverine)? Do you have any nostalgic memories of comics you read as a kid? Is there a character or title that you share a fond memory of with a loved one (your dad/friend/whomever loved Batman and turned you on to comics for example)? If you don't care about resale value but want a cool collectible, I'd target something that has meaning to you in some form. I can understand wanting a high-value comic as a showpiece, as opposed to an "investment," but it'll mean a lot more to you if there's an emotional tie.

It sounds weird, but hear me out - it's almost like getting a tattoo; if you want to spend a grand or two - which is serious money to many people - and you don't plan on cashing out on it anytime soon, you want it to be something memorable and meaningful. There should be a story behind it about the "why" that made you drop a couple grand on a comic - an emotional tie will make it that much more special.

My favorite character would be wolverine so I'd guess hulk 181 would be at the top of my list but getting a graded copy would be well over 2k. I also like the modern classics like walking dead, invincible and preacher. I'm also looking out for non graded comics from the 1940's. My family originally come from the US so I have a lot of extended relatives that live in the US. My Dads aunt used to send the latest comic books to him when he was a child. As the only kid that got the latest comics from the US he was a very popular child in school lol. They had this weird system where they would write their name down on the back of the comic and whoever was next on the list would be the next to take it home and read it.  He really believes that he had the very 1st batman issue but at 83 he would have only been about 2 when that came out so I doubt his aunt would have been sending comics to him at that age but a lot of the comics he was sent back then probably would be worth a pretty penny if he still had them today minus the list of names on the last page lol. Anyway I know he doesn't have many years left on this earth so I would love to surprise him with a comic he might have had as a kid. He was into batman obviously but he loved the weekly serials like flash gordon  the lone ranger and so on.

[Jesse-Lee]

That's really cool - and while you're right that 181 is out of your range, you could definitely get something like a Hulk 340 and have some left over to get some lower grade books that your dad might have owned. Keep in mind that you may be just as happy with a mid grade CGC book like a Hulk 340 as you would with a 9.8 as well, and you could find good value for your money. I personally don't chase 9.8 in graded comics, and I'm as happy with a 9.0-9.4 in something I really want to own as I would be with a 9.8 - maybe you would be too. Good luck!

Edited April 17, 2021 by Jesse-Lee

[thehumantorch]

11 minutes ago, Tcla75 said:

My favorite character would be wolverine so I'd guess hulk 181 would be at the top of my list but getting a graded copy would be well over 2k. I also like the modern classics like walking dead, invincible and preacher. I'm also looking out for non graded comics from the 1940's. My family originally come from the US so I have a lot of extended relatives that live in the US. My Dads aunt used to send the latest comic books to him when he was a child. As the only kid that got the latest comics from the US he was a very popular child in school lol. They had this weird system where they would write their name down on the back of the comic and whoever was next on the list would be the next to take it home and read it.  He really believes that he had the very 1st batman issue but at 83 he would have only been about 2 when that came out so I doubt his aunt would have been sending comics to him at that age but a lot of the comics he was sent back then probably would be worth a pretty penny if he still had them today minus the list of names on the last page lol. Anyway I know he doesn't have many years left on this earth so I would love to surprise him with a comic he might have had as a kid. He was into batman obviously but he loved the weekly serials like flash gordon  the lone ranger and so on.

Since this is a showpiece don't settle for anything but Wolverine 181.  You'll look at it a thousand times.  Save up, find a way to make some extra money, and buy the book that you'll appreciate.

And this place is a pretty good place to buy.  There are lots of ebay sellers with crazy prices on keys.

[WolverineX]

2 hours ago, Tcla75 said:

I have a small collection of a few hundred comics that I have collected over the years non graded. None of them are rare. The one that is probably valued the most is a wolverine #75. If it was graded it might be a 9.2 so probably worth $30. I've always wanted something rare and CGC rated. Living in Ireland there are very little CGC rated comics for sale so I'm going to buy online. I want to pay a price that is fair but a lot of the prices I see on ebay are way more over priced than a lot of the sites that list the value of comics. I don't really care about the resale value of it years down the line because this is something I plan on owning and displaying till the day I die. I'm a big fan of wolverine so a high graded copy of the first issue would be high up on the list for me. I've also started watching the invincible series on prime and would love a copy of issue one but all the variants are confusing and again the price seems overblown but then not being experienced in collecting valuable comics I could be completely wrong here. I'm willing to spend between 1 to 2k. A first issue would be ideal but anything that is a fair price and rare would be preferable. Do you have any advice on where I should go from here?

I think u should pick up a Wolverine 1 Limited series or Wolverine 1 regular series.  Try to go on facebook to see if Ireland has a comic book sale thread.  

[WolverineX]

classic MIller cover.  Love it. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CGC-Graded-9-0-Wolverine-Limited-Series-1/194034142175?hash=item2d2d560bdf:g:TeQAAOSwc29gc5OQ

[WolverineX]

If you want to go big and buy something for 2k, either save up and get a low grade hulk  181 OR use the 2k to  buy a low grade copy of  hulk 180 now.  

[KCOComics]

2 hours ago, Tcla75 said:

Thanks for the advice. That's really helpful. What's your opinion on buying comics here? After posting this thread I saw there is a sell section here and the prices seem better than ebay.

The forums here are great. I have bought allot of books on here the last few years. 

It's really just collectors helping collectors. 

You may want to check with the seller about shipping to Ireland before buying. I know some sellers have been reluctant about international sales with Covid.  I did ship some books across the pond and they arrived fine,  though it took several weeks. 

As for what books, I agree with @Wolverinex 

 I would save and go for 181.  Maybe you could even do time payments?   I know a seller who has a raw lower grade one. I think he was looking for a little over $3k. 

If that's unrealistic, 180 is a great great book or the Wolverine mini series #1. 

Good luck and welcome to the boards. 

[ExNihilo]

1 hour ago, thehumantorch said:

Since this is a showpiece don't settle for anything but Wolverine 181.  You'll look at it a thousand times.  Save up, find a way to make some extra money, and buy the book that you'll appreciate.

And this place is a pretty good place to buy.  There are lots of ebay sellers with crazy prices on keys.

While well within his budget, I'm not sure a Wolverine 181 is going to have the same appeal as something like...i dunno...Hulk 181.  

1 hour ago, Wolverinex said:

If you want to go big and buy something for 2k, either save up and get a low grade hulk  181 OR use the 2k to  buy a low grade copy of  hulk 180 now.  

$2k could get him a mid-plus grade Hulk 180 (I see recent eBay sales at $2k).  The international shipping might tip him over budget, but you never know.

[thehumantorch]

40 minutes ago, ExNihilo said:

While well within his budget, I'm not sure a Wolverine 181 is going to have the same appeal as something like...i dunno...Hulk 181.  

$2k could get him a mid-plus grade Hulk 180 (I see recent eBay sales at $2k).  The international shipping might tip him over budget, but you never know.

whoops, I meant Hulk 181

[Fisionbomb]

Maybe not the exact Wolverine #1 you're looking for, but I've got a sweet Wolverine #1 going up on the bay tomorrow... A LOT less than $2k! 😎

Edited April 17, 2021 by Fisionbomb
Added clarity

[The lips]

On 4/17/2021 at 12:55 AM, Tcla75 said:

I have a small collection of a few hundred comics that I have collected over the years non graded. None of them are rare. The one that is probably valued the most is a wolverine #75. If it was graded it might be a 9.2 so probably worth $30. I've always wanted something rare and CGC rated. Living in Ireland there are very little CGC rated comics for sale so I'm going to buy online. I want to pay a price that is fair but a lot of the prices I see on ebay are way more over priced than a lot of the sites that list the value of comics. I don't really care about the resale value of it years down the line because this is something I plan on owning and displaying till the day I die. I'm a big fan of wolverine so a high graded copy of the first issue would be high up on the list for me. I've also started watching the invincible series on prime and would love a copy of issue one but all the variants are confusing and again the price seems overblown but then not being experienced in collecting valuable comics I could be completely wrong here. I'm willing to spend between 1 to 2k. A first issue would be ideal but anything that is a fair price and rare would be preferable. Do you have any advice on where I should go from here?

Hi

Silver acre comics here in the UK are currently selling a Hulk 181 for £1700. 
it’s the iconic Wolverine to have and if you spend big on something else then chances are you’re still going to want to own that book. 
mid certainly look into mate 

[The lips]

15 minutes ago, Testinadicalicious said:

I would not buy an expensive book from Silver Acre. They have a bad reputation and have ripped off people before 

https://www.google.com/search?q=silver+acre+beware+seller&oq=silver+acre+beware+seller&aqs=chrome..69i57.11209j0j7&client=ms-android-sprint-us-revc&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

You can only speak as you find and they’ve always give a great service whenever I’ve used them. 

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 4/16/2021 at 7:55 PM, Tcla75 said:

1. I want to pay a price that is fair but a lot of the prices I see on ebay are way more over priced than a lot of the sites that list the value of comics.

2. A first issue would be ideal but anything that is a fair price and rare would be preferable. Do you have any advice on where I should go from here?

1. Supply and demand dictate "a price that is fair". Nothing else matters.
2. What exactly are you looking for? First appearance? First cover appearance? First self-titled issue?

Edited April 19, 2021 by Angel of Death

[Tcla75]

1 hour ago, Angel of Death said:

1. Supply and demand dictate "a price that is fair". Nothing else matters.
2. What exactly are you looking for? First appearance? First cover appearance? First self-titled issue?

After spending the weekend looking at the sell forum and watching all the rare books that have gone up for sale and in some cases sold within a minute I think I know about ten time more now than when I joined this forum Friday. I've seen a few x-men 12 issues go for sale over the weekend that I would have claimed if my wire transfer from Apple shares had cleared. I'll probably have to wait until Wednesday for that. I did pick up some spiderman and fantastic fours ungraded over the weekend so what I think I might do is rather than spending a couple of grand on a book I'll keep an eye out here and pick up a few titles every now and again. I might still try to start off with a 9.6 Wolverine 1 but ya I have a bad feeling I've just become addicted to a new and expensive hobby lol.