Waiting for the real deals...

You know when I started in this highly addictive hobby I didnt worry too much about what I paid for something I really wanted. That was partly because I had a huge influx of finances and partly because I was new to the hobby and wasnt as shrewd about my purchases.

My how things have changed. I now am willing to be VERY patient when it comes to my sets. I have even waited too long and let some things go simply because I just didnt want to pay THAT much for what I really wanted.

Doing this has resulted in me missing some key issues I need but also in getting some unbelievable deals. Some of these I have discussed in previous journals. One of the things I love to collect is 9.8 magazine size issues. Especially those from the 60s and 70s. These can be really tough to find in a lot of cases.

There are some characters that I really have no interest in when it comes to regular comics but am highly interested in when it comes to magazine size issues. Conan is one of them. I Dont care to collect the regular comics of the character but am VERY interested in the Savage Sword of Conan magazine issues. Many of those however sell for exorbitant prices in my opinion. I wait until I can get them under 40 dollars which is not very often. I have achieved this on at least eight of them so far.

Another example of this is The Spirit. No interest whatsoever in regular comic issues but love those Warren published magazine sized issues of Spirit Magazine. These however are extremely rare in 9.8 grades. There are only 16 total issues in the set and more than half of them havent even achieved 9.8 status.

I have managed to get my hands on a 9.8 White Pages copy of Spirit Magazine number 8 for a total of $59! It is worth 400 registry points. That my friends is a X6.8 RP/AP Ratio! This may not be one of my big top ranked sets but I am overjoyed about this particular acquisition.

Getting top graded comics from the 50s & earlier is a real treat. Getting top graded magazine sized comics from the mid 70s and earlier is an equally delicious treat! I have had a number of occasions to get my hands on some of these but wait due to the prices. As a result of my patience I may not be number one on many of these sets but I have certainly acquired mine for far less than others have paid.

Thats saying something in this economy!