bagofleas

Should I? What do you think? Ok. Im having a REALLY tough time deciding something. Should I attempt to sell my more modern Civil War 9.8 SS CGC graded comics in order to have the money to upgrade my collection with FAR more registry point rich older Harvey issues? Im considering putting my 9.8 SS Civil War issues up for sell. They are mostly signed by multiple people including the late great Michael Turner. I have regular cover issues as well as variant issues. Check out my set to see what I have. I will NEVER be in the top rank of the Civil War set category although I DO like having these beautiful signed copies. I dont know. Its a tough call for me. On the one hand these are gorgeous issues. On the other they ARE more modern comics with less registry point values than the Harvey issues I could get with the money. I guess it comes down to what is more valuable TO ME. I could just put em up on Ebay for a price that would work for ME. Maybe a little pricey for some but if they sell then great and if they dont then oh well. Please let me know what you guys think. Your honest opinions DO mean a lot to me. Im also considering the selling of my Dark Tower issues as well although they wont fetch as good a price overall as the Civil War issues. Anyway let me know what you think. Thanks guys. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

You win some you lose some... Im not made out of money. If bucks were molecules I would not be made out of hundred or thousand dollar bills. More like dimes in my case. I may be able to afford some really nice graded comics here or there but not the super valuable Golden or even Silver Age stuff for the most part. Like most of the United States right now I am on a budget. That budget determines what I can go for and when. Not to mention how much I can spend of course. I happen to love old Harvey issues as most of you know. This works out in my favor as these are the Silver Age comics that I can get my hands on for less money and more registry point value for my typical molecule... or dime that is... or whatever. There have been numerous Harvey issues that have shown up on various websites and auction houses that I have been interested in. While I have been drooling over the possibility of getting most of these I HAVE to set limits on myself. A lot of factors go into my decisions. How rare is it in the grade? Are there higher grades available? If so how many? What has it sold for in its grade in the past? How early of an issue is it? Does it help me enough towards set completions for the money? Does it have an extremely dark cover? And of course the biggest question of all... how much money do I have available at the time? All of these things and more go into whether I will bid on it or not as well as whether I will even TRY for it in the first place. I have to PICK MY BATTLES very carefully. I take everything into account and determine how much I am willing to spend on the issue. I WILL NOT SPEND MORE THAN I AM WILLING TO NO MATTER HOW MUCH I MAY WANT IT. Its really tough sometimes and I have had my share of moments where I cringe in frustration at being outbid. But I make myself adhere strictly to my prior evaluations on the comic and while I may have missed out on some I REALLY wanted I have also gotten some INCREDIBLE deals. Pick your battles carefully. You may win some and you may lose some but you will be far more happy with the issues you DO get than the ones you missed out on. If I was filthy rich I would not worry as much about the bills being paid on top of my hobby. But Im NOT rich by any stretch of the human imagination so I have to curb my collecting habits as much as possible. This is an extremely tough thing to do but I DO IT. It has the added benefit of ultimately making for better sets of graded comics in the long run. Plenty of people out there have far more money than I will ever hope to have but money IS NOT everything. Its what you do with the money you DO have that makes the difference in the end. I know not everyone out there agrees with this statement but God gives and God can take away. Are you using what God has given you wisely? Take care of your family. Take care of others. Pay your bills. Meet all of your financial physical and spiritual obligations. Be a responsible and caring person. Once you have done all of those things then you have the chance to put the remainder of your money into the private hobbies or projects that interest you. Mine happens to be CGC graded comics. Most of you who read this share my sentiments to one degree or another. Its wonderful to know that many others out there share my love of these comics. Their art storylines characters and history will NEVER die as long as there are people out there like you and me who endeavor to achieve and collect and appreciate the efforts of the creators of the past and present. Their creativity and dedication and inspiration are what drives us to work harder to be the better human beings that we are capable of. We dont have to agree on political or spiritual or even financial subjects. But I still love all you guys out there on the CGC registry. You guys make this hobby interesting and wonderful! Oooookay now that Im done waxing philosophical here is a scan of one of my recent Harvey acquisitions. An ABSOLUTELY AWESOME 9.6 copy of Hot Stuff number 32! A VERY dark cover sets this earlier issue apart as one of the few earlier issues of this series that will probably NEVER see a 9.8 copy. Getting it for around a X5.3 RP/AP ratio aint bad either! Woo Hoo! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Which way do I go George? Which way do I go? Over the last few years of CGC collecting I moved up in the overall registry point rankings pretty fast. I got all the way up to number 143 before I ran face first into the rankings wall. There are far more registered collectors out there now than there were when I first got started so now it has become a constant struggle just to keep myself in the top 200. I generally stay in the 160 to 180 range. I always had a desire to start getting Harvey issues but there were so many other things I was far more focused on. Once I got down to having most of the issues I wanted that were immediately available I finally got going on my Harvey collection. What is so funny about this is that before collecting Harveys I was moving up the rankings like lightning. But since getting into the Harveys its been one step forward and two steps back. And Harveys are generally worth far more registry points in the higher grades than most of the other stuff I was collecting up to that point. Sheeesh... With that in mind I bring up the subject of quality versus quantity. With the more modern comics it is easier to find the higher grades so the choice is easy. But with comics from the mid 60s and earlier you eventually come down to whether you want to spend more for the quality or less to get the quantity. I will of course use Harvey sets as an example. Most of the top Harvey collectors out there seem to be willing to buy lesser grades in bulk in order to simply have larger or more complete sets and more easily acquired first place rankings. They have chosen quantity over quality in most instances. Thats cool. I understand. Many of these 50s and 60s Harveys dont show up that often in 9.8 or even in 9.6 in a lot of cases. I can see why some would choose to collect them in this fashion. I tend to be a die hard 9.8 kinda guy with most of what I collect. However I make exceptions down to 9.6 for a lot of the Harvey sets. I wont get them if they dont reach it no matter what the price. I have chosen to go with quality over quantity. Collecting them the way I do takes a BOATLOAD of patience. I see numerous Harveys at slightly lower grades that I drool over but I MAKE myself wait until at least a 9.6 copy shows up before I even consider putting up bids on them. The only reason I might go for a 9.4 is for a copy of number 1 or maybe number two. One way gets you to the top quickly. The other takes a lot longer to get there but when you do achieve that top ranking you will have far more quality in your set that you can be proud of. Dont get me wrong. Im not saying that you cant be proud of a set that doesnt reach the top rank. ANY significant set of Harvey comics is an astounding feat of CGC collecting IMHO. Im sure for most collectors the decision to go for quality or quantity comes down to available finances. I have had to pass up on some Harvey issues I really wanted because of price. Everyone has their comfort level when it comes to the amount you pay for a top graded beauty. As for me I have finally achieved my first number one ranking in a Harvey set. I picked up three 9.6 copies of Caspers Ghostland recently including a number 3 and a number 5 which is pictured below. I dont know if I will remain in the top spot for any huge length of time but it feels good to get there. Are there any older comic sets that you collect? Do you go for quality or quantity and why? Do you draw the line at a certain grade in any particular set or even at a certain number or earlier within the set? To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Going for the secondary sets. Im not sure why I feel this way but I am far more partial to the subsets of Harvey Characters than their main sets. So instead of Richie Rich I like to get Richie Rich Dollars and Cents or Richie Rich Millions. Instead of Little Dot I like to get Little Dots Uncles and Aunts. Instead of Spooky I like to get Spookys Spooktown. Instead of Casper I like to get Casper and Nightmare or Caspers Ghostland. Instead of Wendy I like to Get Wendys Witch World. Im not really sure why this is the case. Unless its because most people like to go for the main sets and not as many go all out for these subsets. That makes them more affordable and easier to get. But being that they are still worth a lot of registry points I dont see why more collectors arent trying to get some of these things. It is true that even some of these subset issues can go for good money when there arent many of a particular issue to go around but you would be surprised at the low amount I have paid for a lot of these things. Research and patience have yielded me many beautiful treasures in these sets. I hope for many many more. When it comes to the main sets of these characters I wont go for them unless they are 9.8 off white to white or better. Usually I cant manage to get em for cheaper prices in this condition but I HAVE gotten my hands on a few. When it comes to the subsets I will settle for 9.6 off white to white since these are more likely to show up and go for more affordable prices. Even in THIS grade they have nice Registry Point values and many of them are not even available in higher grades. Dont get me wrong. If I can manage to get my hands on 9.8 copies of these things I will not hesitate to try for them and HAVE acquired a couple. But I am perfectly willing to try for ALL the 9.6 copies that show up on these things. When it comes to Harveys I have said before in other journals that the darker the cover the more likely it is to have NEVER been graded in 9.8. I will ALWAYS go for those Harveys with really dark covers in 9.6 since probably 90 percent or better HAVE not and WILL not ever achieve 9.8 status. These Harvey subsets are just another version of my interest in the lesser collected series of popular characters throughout the comic universe. These Harveys however tend to be FAR more valuable in the Registry Point department because of their age if for no other reason. The image below is of Casper and Nightmare number 3. I just acquired this beauty and couldnt be happier! Super dark cover and NO 9.8 copies in existence! AWESOME! What do YOU like to collect that most other collectors dont normally go for? To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Everyone has a vice. Why not CGC comics? Its funny how people can latch onto different things for a feeling of purpose or meaning in life. Its even more funny how sometimes those things are nothing but fragile materialistic things that could be destroyed in an instant if something horrible were to happen. Yet here we are. Collectors of paper with printed images on them. They are only as valuable as what we are willing to pay for them and THAT is totally dependent on whether there are enough of us willing to put a high demand on a particular issue AND how many of that same issue there are available in the first place. Geez thats a long sentence. In other words the law of supply and demand is VERY prevalent in this hobby of ours and because of our fascination with the history and details of the hobby we just cant help ourselves but to keep pushing forward in our attempts to complete what we set out to achieve and sometimes that can change as we grow older and start seeing things differently. Geez thats ANOTHER long sentence. But the real point here is that the ideas and concepts and stories and characters and art represented in these images have captured our imaginations and given many of us the escape from reality we needed when times were really tough and inspired us when we just needed to be strong through a particular situation and THAT is what really matters to us. Geez thats........ never mind. Anyway have you ever really looked deep into yourself and wondered why you pursue so hard to acquire the items you do in life whether its comics or cars or baseball cards or stamps or coins or bottle caps or whatever it is you happen to have latched onto as the thing you want to not only collect but collect as much of as you can possibly manage in your lifetime? Geez that one is even longer! I gotta stop doing this. Sometimes I think that the Collecting Bug is not just a frame of mind but a real creature that goes around biting people on their rear ends and making them jump at the first sign of a possible addition to their already overblown collections. But then I fall right into the same category as the rest of you so I have no room to talk. We get this endorphin rush like you wouldnt believe when we spot something we have been waiting to show up and we cant move fast enough to buy it before someone else does. Did we have enough money in the bank for that purchase? We may not be sure but we will find a way to get the money if not because WE NEED THAT ISSUE. We just cant stand missing out on getting it. If we hesitate and someone else buys it before we can it is like the world just came to an end. We berate ourselves for not making the move fast enough. Why did we wait? We should have just got it while it was available. Why didnt we check the internet just a few minutes sooner? AAAARRRRHHHH! Ive had a moment when I was paying attention to the internet and took a twenty minute break before going back to check again only to find out that something I was dying to get my hands on had not only shown up in that time frame but had already been purchased! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Holy cow! You have got to be very attentive in this hobby sometimes or you just may miss out on THE ISSUE you are looking for. Luckily I was able to get my hands on another copy of that issue later on but at the time my heart just sank. I was SO frustrated I just wanted to scream! Sometimes I look back on times like this and think to myself that I must be crazy to make such a big deal out of this but I JUST CANT HELP MYSELF. There is no question that it is an addiction. However it is an addiction that is rooted in nostalgia and appreciation for the talents of the people involved in the creation of these awesome pieces of art and stories. I may have gone off on a tangent with this journal but Im sure there are others out there that feel this way as well and Im equally sure that when it comes right down to it most of us CGC collectors are ravenous collecting beasts that would buy every issue we could get our hands on if possible. Anyway heres an unusual image for all of you. This is the one and only graded copy of First Comics Graphic Novel number 2. Whats significant about it? Nothing really. Except that I DID manage to get my hands on it for a grand total of ONE DOLLAR AND SIXTY SEVEN CENTS!! Thats cheaper than the original retail price raw! This may not be the most sought after item on the face of the planet but for THAT price...... why the heck not? I have had this thing for quite a while now but it doesnt exist in the registry yet so this is the only way for me to put the image out there. Lets keep up the addiction everybody!!!!!!!!!!! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Its always neat to be the first Being the first to accomplish something is always a neat experience. I was the first person to put together the last eleven issues of G I Joe in 9.8 WP. a few people have managed to do it now but it was very cool to be the only one for a while. Its been over a year and a half since I got my 9.8 WP copy of Groo the Wanderer number 1. Since then I have always wanted to get the first ten issues. Partly because I just like em and partly because there are so few of these out there in ANY grade. Some were not graded at all yet. In fact even today most of the set has never been graded. I cant believe it but I have finally managed to put together the first eleven issues in 9.8 WP! First one to do it!! YES YES YES! I will never try to put this entire set together but I have also purchased a bunch of other numbers that have come up recently. I will try for the first fifty issues next and we will just see where it goes from there. Lets see how long Im the only one to have done THIS. Below is a scan of issue number 11. Go check em all out! Lemme know what you have done that no one else has accomplished yet. Are you still the only one to do it? Have others also now managed the feat? How did you feel when you finally got that last piece of the CGC puzzle you were looking for? To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Its a personal choice People get into this hobby for a variety of reasons. Some just want to make money by flipping comics. Some are just Collecting Nuts and want every issue of every series that they are interested in. Some want to collect just key issues. Some want just comics that give them a nostalgia from childhood. Some collect only certain artists or writers. Heck some actually want to READ the stories and gawk at the artwork on the inside. WHOA you mean there are stories in these things? haha. Anyway I happen to have a little of each of these qualities but am definitely in the Collecting Nuts category. I have my favorites just like each of you do. I tend to be a completist and strive to get all of a particular series. I also strive for strict 9.8 WP copies or better as many of you do. In the CGC side of comics however keys are graded in spades while many of the other issues in most sets are like trying to find that darn proverbial needle. Combine this with the cost of acquiring CGC graded issues and the longer the series the more likely people are to just get keys and really cheap ones when they show up. The longer the series the more momentous it is when one of us Collector Nuts actually completes one. The decision to collect keys or sets is a purely personal choice and can vary not only from person to person but also from set to set for an individual. There are some sets that I only want the keys of and some I JUST HAVE TO HAVE ALL OF NO MATTER WHAT. I have a fairly large collection going now but so far have not completed a single set. Im soooo close on a bunch of them however. As collectors we all know that typically the closer you get to finishing the set the longer and harder it becomes to finally get those last pesky few. We also tend to be willing to pay more for those last few than we might otherwise just to finish the darn thing. Anyway one of my goals is to complete my Dazzler set in 9.8 and I recently acquired two more issues I needed. Im only nine away from the whole thing and some of them are OAKs. The image below is of my recently purchased copy of number 37. Its one of those lower print run later issues in the series and is currently the only 9.8 out there. What are your goals? Keys or sets? Which ones? How close are you? What did you have to go through to get there? To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

I just love tough Harvey issues! Back in September I got my hands on an unbelievable copy of Little Dots Uncles and Aunts number 2 in 9.6 condition. That thing will probably NEVER be found in better condition due to its jet black background. It is one of only two copies to ever reach 9.6 so far. Then I got a 9.8 WP copy of Little Dot Dotland number 16 in December that just BLEW ME AWAY! Dark cover and OAK OAK OAK! For some reason I have chosen to select specific series of certain Harvey characters to slowly collect. Some I will not get unless they are 9.8 while others I will settle for 9.6. However Im always on the lookout for those special or very rare copies that just cry out for purchase! This interest of mine probably stems from when I was a kid. I had come across some old Richie Rich digests in a used book store and decided right then and there to find as many of them as I could. They tended to be VERY used and not necessarily in the greatest of shape but HEY I was just a kid and as far as I was concerned just getting all of them was a tremendous feat. Those digests are ultimately what set the tone for my becoming such an avid comic book collector later. I remember watching Richie Rich cartoons on TV as a kid too. Anyway I wasnt completely unfamiliar with the various Harvey characters and the fact that many of them originated way back in the childhood of my parents. I remember thinking as a kid that these characters had been around forever so anything regarding them must be pretty valuable. Hey I was just a kid... Anyway here we are now and seeing these 50s and 60s and 70s CGC graded Harveys is absolutely jaw dropping to me as an adult. Having been in this particular hobby now for over 25 years and in the CGC part of it for a little over 3 years I can really appreciate what it means to get my hands on some of these things in these top grades. As you all know there are many things that can directly determine how many of a particular issue of ANY comic can achieve certain levels of grading. AGE. PRINT VOLUME. QUALITY OF MATERIALS. STORAGE CONDITIONS. And of course the fact that the darker the cover the more likely it is to show even the SLIGHTEST imperfection. I have come to learn that this quality alone is a HUGE factor in the amount of higher CGC graded copies. The more recent the issue the less likely it is to be a problem but the farther back in time you go the more effect it has. Blue Green Burgundy Purple or of course Black. The darker these types of colors are the harder to find in top grades. How many copies of Detective Comics number 27 do you think there would be in even 6.0 grade if the cover had been almost entirely black? I would venture to say almost NONE of the remaining copies would ever HOPE to achieve even THAT level if this was the case. I could be wrong but you get the idea. Anyway Harveys are notorious for having certain issues with solid dark colors as backgrounds making those particular comics EXTREMELY tough to get in the higher grades EVEN with the company having put aside a number of FILE COPIES that never saw the light of day for many many years. Many of these issues will probably NEVER see 9.8 grades and very few 9.6s. I understand that Harveys arent as sought after as most of the popular Marvel and DC characters are. Many of Harveys characters are lost to this generation. Felix the Cat and Sad Sack are a couple of examples. But some have endured even to today and definitely have their place in comic book history. IMHO they deserve far more respect from collectors than they currently have. You wouldnt believe the RP/AP ratios Ive gotten on some of these things! The image below is another example of the very subject I have discussed in this journal. Little Dot Uncles and Aunts number 8 in 9.6! Only 3 copies in this grade so far and I would be willing to bet NONE will ever show up in 9.8. Look at the dark Blue/Black cover on this thing! Gorgeous! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

At this rate Im gonna go Br-OAK! SO cool. SO dark cover. SO OAK! Nothing so so about this one! These dang Marvel Epic Groo issues are so hard to ever find graded. Except for number one of course. This may not be the most sought after series in the world but for you Mad Magazine lovers out there Sergio Argones is a legend. Besides you all know how much I love OAKs with dark covers. Having one fit right into one of my top ranked sets is even more satisfying. Check THIS one out! Only 9.8 issue number 50! From the Golden State Collection. Extremely dark background and cool looking cover with lots of action. Except for Groo that is who is apparently google eyed at the black beauty with the blade doing some uber fancy butt kicking! The way groo looks on this cover is the way I felt when I saw this thing. ooooooooooooooooo. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

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!

Needs or Wants I have always gotten money back on my tax returns every year. This year however I am going to get the largest return I have ever received! We are talking well over five thousand dollars! Now I am definitely putting some into my only debt which happens to be a credit card. But I have to decide how much to put on the card and how much to spend on things I have REALLY ben wanting to get like an IPAD2 and of course CGC comics. I already have my eye on a few issues I will definitely be purchasing but Im thinking this is a great opportunity to finally send in some of the 150 or so issues I have been holding for sending in to CGC for pre screening. Most of them are Daredevils but I do have some other things as well. It's gonna be a financial balancing act to figure out how to maximize the full use of the money. What sucks the most is that I really wanted to go to Megacon in Orlando this year since I am so close but alas that did not happen. I would have definitely gone if I already had the tax money. Oh well... Have any of you done anything or plan to do anything for your collections off of YOUR tax money this year? Below is an image of a recent acquisition. An OAK and a really dark cover to boot!

Here's a beauty I've posted on other threads.

Are they or are they not? Alright everyone Im fairly new to CGC collecting being that Ive only been involved in it for about three years. There are many of you guys who have been collecting CGC graded issues for ten years or better. So Im still a rookie in that sense. I certainly dont profess to know everything when it comes to comics and CGC collecting in general but there IS one thing Ive often wondered. Harvey Comics is the only company Ive seen who has put comics aside in their warehouse or whatever and only very slowly released these issues to the public as FILE COPIES. I dont think any other publishing company has done this. If they did they have not released any of the copies they did this with if thats the case. At least Ive never seen ANY CGC graded comic with the FILE COPY attribute applied to it except for Harvey issues. There ARE plenty of Harvey issues that do not have the FILE COPY attribute assigned to them when graded due to the fact that they were owned by individual collectors like any other comic series. So here is my question. Would these be equivalent to any other Pedigree assigned to CGC graded comics out there? I mean wouldnt these be basically considered as a HARVEY pedigree? A pedigree is considered genuine by CGC if the collection is significant enough to warrant such a distinction. What more could be considered as a significant collection than issues put aside by the very company that published them decades ago in most cases? I understand that the same spot is reserved for multiple cover issues but why else would CGC assign this distinction in the same spot as they do pedigrees? The reason Im asking this is because Ive recently read a journal by David Swan which alerted me to www.pedigreecomics.com that is dedicated to creating a database of pedigreed comics. I have since added four issues worth of scans to the database myself to contribute to it. I urge all you die hard collectors out there to do the same. This is probably me just being anal about the subject but I AM curious as to how everyone feels about it. I have sent an email to the person who runs the site about it just to see where it leads. Im hoping it could open up the site to accepting ALL FILE COPY graded issues as PEDIGREES which would allow a lot of comics to be added to this database of scans. Anyway just throwing this subject out there. Hopefully Ive avoided any commas or whatever keeps these journals from being applied to the message boards. Lets discuss it folks. Below is a scan of an OAK issue that I own. Its the single highest graded Richie Rich Dollars and Cents number 56 in 9.8 and it has White Pages too!! FILE COPY of course. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Labels Labels Labels Im sitting at home. Ive had a few and Im looking through my collection and attempting to come up with a subject to write a journal about. How about this hobby of ours in general. It is a very niche hobby full of die hard collectors and nostalgia chasing grown ups. To be truthful this whole grading thing is not all that old quite yet. At first no one was sure if it would catch on or last all that long. I know I waited at least ten years before I considered getting into it. Even then I wasnt sure because of the high cost of these things once they have been encapsulated. Once I found out about the registry I was hooked. The element of competition always brings out the beast in a collector. But Ive always wondered about the longevity of these graded comics. I mean once a comic is graded how many years does it have to exist inside its plastic prison before the info on the label becomes wrong? This is especially true with the page quality. It might have been White Pages when originally graded but that could have been ten or more years ago and who knows if it still has that distinction. I wanna say it could have been stored improperly making for faster degradation but being that most of us are extremists in this hobby that probably isnt the case. Ive seen where CGC actually recommends having your graded comics reholdered every few years or so in order to keep them up to date in their labels but that would be inordinately expensive. I can see where you might want to get a graded issue with the old labeling system upgraded to a new label but again you are taking the risk that it might drop in grade or page quality. Speaking of which Ive seen that issues with the old labels seem to be passed over for copies with the new labels and often sell for less even though they are worth the same amount of registry points. The only time I dont see this is when the issue is an older SA or GA issue. Then it doesnt seem to matter as much that it has the old label. I understand that the new labels look better and are easier to make out the grades and page qualities but why would that translate to more valuable? Sorry. Getting off track. Anyway Ive only had occasion to have one comic reholdered and it came back the same grade and page quality as when I sent it. Ive heard of plenty of other experiences however where drops in grade or even in page quality occurred when this is done. Getting a graded issue signed is always a risk too. It all depends on who is grading it when you send it in. Ive heard you could literally get three or four different grades for the same comic. That seems ridiculous but I guess it wouldnt be impossible. We all see things differently. My idea of perfect may not be yours but this grading system is supposed to remove most of that difference of opinion by making the grade UNIVERSAL. The truth is they have a number of graders working for CGC down here in Florida who could also see things differently. The fragility of these cases is also a subject of concern. You have to be very careful with how you handle these things or you just might cause a crack or scratch or busted corner post. Then you have to consider whether or not to send it in for reholdering. Sorry folks. Im rambling on here. Ultimately as long as all of us extreme collectors continue to fall all over ourselves for these unarguably BEAUTIFUL pieces of art and history CGC collecting will probably continue as a hobby for years and years to come. Where it stops nobody knows. Hopefully it never does. P. S. Check out this cool image of my favorite New Mutant Sam Guthrie AKA Cannonball. Got this out of my loose copy of Marvel Fanfare number one.

Ok I will play copycat. Those of you out there who have kept up with my journals know that I have always been very proud of all my top ranked sets. None more so than my New Mutants set which has held the top ranking for the last three registry awards. Tnerb has slowly worked on his set as well and little by little has gained on me until this year when he finally managed to surpass me to reach the top spot. Congratulations Tnerb. I have lost top rankings in the past and its always a little aggravating. Especially when you are only barely being beaten out for the spot and are at the mercy of whether or not any issues show up for you to get so you can move ahead again. That is if you can afford them. Losing my top spot with the New Mutants set however is very disheartening. Im happy for Tnerb and he has continued to let me know when issues I need show up. We are all collectors in this hobby and having the registry has made it even more fun with the added effect of competition. Tnerb has managed to accomplish all this mainly because of his upgrading to SS copies. I have also worked on this but he has been far more successful with it than me. Especially in the New Mutants 85 to 100 Liefield set. There is probably NO way for me to get back to the top spot on THAT set by the next awards no matter what I do. Sheesh.... Having said all this here is the main reason for this journal. Recently Tnerb has decided to put his set into obscurity in order to work on its presentation and completion. I have also considered doing this with a few sets over the years but never did. So now I figure why not? It will be a new experience for me since Ive never done it before and it might make things even more interesting in this friendly battle for a top spot. So I will play copycat. As I said in the title of this journal .... Let The Mystery Begin. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Making exceptions We all want to collect comics that are popular. We all endeavor to try and get those special OAK issues that put our comic over everyone else's or put's our set just slightly ahead of anyone else's. Sometimes we pay a lot more for something that's highly sought after, hence more valuable, even if it's Registry Point value doesn't match up to the cost. Signature Series issues are often like this. You can wind up paying WAY more just for the sig that gives you just a few extra points in your registry. This, of course, often means a negative RP/AP ratio. But we, being competitive collectors, can look over that for what it does for us. Then there are those issues or series that are not worth many Registry Points at all, but which we personally remember with fondness. They bring a since of nostalgia and we want to get them for what they mean to us personally. These often are not hugely popular and we often have to pay much more for them because there are not many of them available because they are not sent in to be graded as often. Some may not even be available to put into the registry yet, meaning no points at all. I'm pretty sure that most all of us have a comic or series like this. Something we're willing to pay whatever price necessary to get just because it means so much to us. These constitute exceptions in our collecting, and our trying to get good value for our money with the series we collect. RP/AP ratios go right out the window. We are so proud to own what we have in these instances, even if no one else really cares. I have a copy of GOBBLEDYGOOK #1(shown below) that I remember having as a kid. It had two original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories in it and was my first glimpse at the Half-Shell Heroes. Because of this issue, I went out and got all the TMNT comics I could get my hands on. I got this thing even though it isn't listed anywhere in the registry because it means a lot to me. I've tried to get it put into the TMNT set category listing but so far no one seems to think it matters. That's ok, though. I'M GLAD I HAVE IT! We're comin' up on Christmas now, and I just want to say MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone. May you always be able to get the comics you truly want! I wish the seasons best to all of you and your families.

What a Harvey! If you've read any of my journals then you know by now that I like to refer to One of A Kind comics as OAK's. I just got my hands on an OAK to die for if you're a Harvey collector! I love getting graded comics with dark to black covers in top grades. Typically, the older the comic with a cover like this, the rarer it is to find copies in 9.6 or 9.8, and once you get into the mid 60's or earlier, 9.8's of these become holy grails. I recently acquired 1 of only 2 copies in existence of Little Dot's Uncles and Aunts #2 in 9.6 (see earlier journal: Reaching 60,000!!!!!). But when a copy of Little Dot Dotland #16 showed up, I couldn't believe it. Check these specs: 1) Published in January of 1965. 2) Jet black to the edge on about half the cover! 3) Dark image overall. 4) A MIND BLOWING 9.8!! 5) Can you believe, with WHITE PAGES!! 6) The ONLY copy ever found so far in 9.8! Oak Alert! 7) My RP/AP ratio on this was X 3.7!! This is my first issue from this particular series. Talk about kicking things off with a BANG! BTW, if you don't know what I mean by RP/AP ratio, read my earlier journal: Registry Point / Amount Paid Ratio's. CHECK THIS THING OUT!! UNBELIEVABLE!

Marvel Sticker Album Remember back in the mid-80's when different companies would come out with sticker sets and then have comic-shaped albums that you could stick them into in order to display your collection? I don't specifically remember which franchises did this, but I DO remember seeing quite a number of them. None of them interested me until Marvel took notice of the phenomenon and decided to copy the trend. The Official Marvel Series Sticker Set came out in 1986, along with (go figure) a comic book that you could stick them into. There were 77 stickers in the set and they came in packs just like baseball cards or whatever. The organization of these packs was completely random. This was before Magic: the Gathering had ever come out. From what I understand, they made the same number of each sticker, but who knew what stickers would come in a pack? Anyway, I DID manage to put together a whole set of all 77 stickers AND the Sticker Album to put them in. I went ahead and actually stuck each sticker into it's rightful place in the album, which by the way has other background artwork in it as well. Below is a scan of the actual Album. I wonder if I sent it in to CGC, how would they handle it? I KNOW it won't get a 9.8, but it might manage a respectable 9.2 or 9.4. Would it get a Qualified Grade since items were added to it from it's original state? Would they put on the label that "All 77 stickers are included"?? Would they base the grade on the condition of each and every sticker? How would they do this, I wonder? What do you guys think?

Life, Desire.......... and one of a kind(OAK) comics. I often wonder why I feel the way I do about certain graded comics that show up from time to time. Sometimes it's just because I'm trying to put together a complete set. Sometimes it's because I'm just wanting to own a one of a kinder (OAK). Sometimes it's because of how it causes nostalgia from my youth. I'm always seeing issues that I would like to bid on, but I'm very careful and selective with what I go after. Otherwise I would literally spend thousands and thousands of dollars in no time at all. I might have some extra money from month to month but I'm not rich by any stretch of the imagination. There are many different reasons why I would focus on any given issue, and when a couple showed up for auction that caught my attention, I just drooled over them for a few days.......... then bid on them.......... then won them! One was because I'm putting together a set of Dazzler, so getting the OAK 9.8 copy of Marvel Graphic Novel #12 was a no-brainer. But it was also signed by the great Bill Sienkiewicz!!! OH YEAH! But there was also a copy of Marvel Graphic Novel #8, ALSO 9.8, ALSO signed by Sienkiewicz, ALSO OAK!!! Now, neither of these are necessarily highly sought after, or super valuable, or major movers and shakers in the grand scheme of comic history. But they ARE issues that I need in order to get closer to a complete set of Marvel Graphic Novels, and both are OAK issues. The sigs sealed it for me, so I went for 'em and got 'em! Remember everyone, this collecting community is about getting what you're interested in and talking about it with others who understand your feelings and desires when it comes to this great hobby of ours. It's so great to be able to communicate with others who share your love of comics and stories and life in general. You guys are all great, and make this hobby more and more wonderful every day! Thank you everybody. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Been waitin' on this one I got into CGC collecting about 3 years ago. I started with New Mutants and slowly branched out in my collecting habits. Transformers was a set I wanted to work on but they were far too expensive for what I wanted to pay for them. So I waited. Issue #1 was originally selling for around $400 in 9.8 back then. So I waited. Around a year and a half later, I got a 9.8 WP copy of #1 for $104 total! I've seen it sell for more than that just recently thanks to the new movies. Issue #80 in 9.8 was selling for an astronomical $800-$900 3 years ago! So I waited. I have finally acquired a 9.8 WP copy of this rarer last issue for a mind-blowing $189 total!!! Holy cow! I don't believe it! And I know not everyone agrees with me but in my opinion it is an even rarer copy due to its being a news-stand copy! There were fewer of these sent out as news-stand than there were to dealers and those same news-stand copies would not have been treated as well as the direct editions, making THIS copy even harder to come by. Say what you like, but I AM ONE HAPPY CAMPER right now! :) Keep up the collecting folks! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Two more One of A Kind (OAK) issues! As usual I'm always on the lookout for what I like to call "OAK" (One-of-A-Kind) issues. Graded comics that are either single highest graded copies or the only SS copies of such. I love to own rare & unique things and my comic collecting is no exception. Lately, I've been on a Harvey Publications kick, but I've taken a quick break from it to acquire not one but TWO 1980's OAK issues! While I'm not the biggest Wonder Woman fan out there by any stretch of the imagination, I DO like Perez artwork and these two are fine examples of such. 2nd series Wonder Woman issues #4 & #6(shown below), both in 9.9 White Pages!!! Both are the single highest graded copies in existence! While both have darker covers, #6 has a VERY dark background. I don't normally have an interest in collecting issues from this set, but to get copies like this are so rare that I just can't help but at least give it a shot.I was very lucky to be able to get these. Have you ever acquired something that you normally wouldn't be interested in just because it was an OAK issue?

Gettin' on up there. Due to some recent acquisitions of older Harveys, I've managed to finally break the 60,000 total registry point barrier! As you all know, I always look for really good deals on older issues that give me more registry points than what I pay for the comics. RP/AP ratios, as I refer to them, are key to my furthering of total ranking in the CGC collecting world. I also like to get those extremely rare if not one of a kind comics that show up from time to time. This beautiful copy of Little Dot Uncles and Aunts #2 (see below) is a fine example of this. Having a jet black background makes this issue extremely rare to find in higher grades, even among the file copies that are available. Only two of these things have reached this grade with none higher, and probably none to reach higher due to the extreme difficulty of attaining these high grades with very dark covers like this. I also added on a Spooky Spookland #2 in 9.6 for $76 total, and a registry point value of 750. There are a couple of these in 9.8 but with a nearly x10 RP/AP ratio, I couldn't pass up on it. What a great deal! It's so awesome to be able to get rarities like this for reasonable prices. :) Let's keep this hobby strong everyone. These comics we all collect are pieces of classic american stories and art after all. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

My second one! Believe it or not, the very first CGC graded comic I EVER purchased was my 10 Gem Mint copy of New Mutants #1! It was the ONLY copy of the issue at the time to achieve the top grade, and it was the issue that sparked my whole interest in collecting CGC graded comics! Three years later. there has been ONE other copy to achieve the grade now, but it has not diminished the soaring pride I have in owning a graded comic of it's caliber. After all, as of this journal's posting, there are 496 graded copies of this comic out there and mine is one of only two to reach this pinnacle of graded greatness. Being from the early 80's and earlier make comics nearly impossible to find in the top grade like this. After almost three years of dedicated collecting, I have had a few opportunities to get my hands on another Gem Mint 10 copy of a comic, mostly from the 2000's, but NOW I have officially gotten my hands on my second Gem Mint graded comic and it's from the 90's! X-O Manowar #0 regular edition, published in august of 1993(see picture below)!! This issue has 233 graded copies so far and 5 of them have reached this grade, so there are a FEW of them out there. But ANY TIME you can acquire a comic from the 90's and earlier in this top grade, it is a reason to celebrate in my opinion! I mean, it took me three years to get another Gem Mint graded comic so this is a momentous occasion for me. I hope all of you CGC collectors out there have the opportunity at least once in your life to get a Gem Mint 10 copy of any comic. There is no feeling quite like it. After all, YOU OWN THE BEST POSSIBLE COPY OF A COMIC BOOK AVAILABLE IN THE WHOLE WORLD! I pray all of you have this experience! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Getting MORE than your money's worth I have four main ways of collecting CGC comics. 1)Getting particular issues that I'm interested in owning. (Cap. America Annual #8) 2)Getting issues of series that I want to make sets of. (New Mutants, Dazzler, etc.) 3)Getting issues because they're JUST SO CHEAP. (see my last journal entry) 4)Getting comics that hit fantastic Registry Point/Amount Paid ratios. Part of the joy of CGC collecting is the gaining of registry points to slowly move you up the ranks of other collectors. When I first got into this hobby, there were just over 1100 registered collectors. Now there are over 2300 and as of this posting I am #172. I've been as high as #142 but there's been a lot of action over the last six months that has dropped me a little. Out of these four ways that I collect, #4 is one of the biggest things I take into consideration with ANY CGC buy, but most importantly with issues that I don't normally collect. The more registry points you can get compared to how much you are paying for a comic is vital to increasing your rankings. I look for a X3 ratio at the least when it comes to getting something I normally might not be all that interested in. But the higher the ratio, the better. If it's something that I particularly want anyway, so much the better! Some examples of this concept in my collection are: 1) Richie Rich Millions #7 9.8 (1100 points/$135) X8 2) Alpha Flight #51 9.8 (320 points/$95) X3 3) Infinite Crisis #1 RIE SSx4 9.8 (880 points/$125) X7 4) Tracy #111 9.6 (600 points/$135) X4.5 (see below) The ratios are approximations, but these are just a few examples of what I have acquired specifically to help increase my ranking. The Tracy issue is from 1957 and is the single highest graded copy out there. There are 2 copies of the Infinite Crisis #1 on Ebay right now that the sellers want more for than what I paid for mine, and their copies are not even signed! If your goal is to move up as quickly as possible in the total rankings, pay close attention to the issue's RP/AP ratio. In this economy, you need all the help you can get! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Ever get one just because? Have you ever picked up a cgc graded copy of a comic that you don't even collect, just because the price was so good? I've had a few occasions where I bid on and won an issue that I really wanted and because of combined shipping costs and cheap prices and apparently no one showing interest, wound up getting my hands on 2 or more extra issues REALLY CHEAP! I'm talking cheaper than it would cost for me to go out, find a great condition copy of the issue, and pay to send it in and get it graded myself, and maybe not even have it reach 9.8! I find it really hard not to take advantage of these opportunities when they show themselves, even when I'm not really that interested in the particular comic series. The most recent of these acquisitions for me is New Teen Titans #11 (shown below). I don't really have any interest in collecting this series outside of Annual #2 (1st appearance of Vigilante), but because of the cheap additional shipping cost, I got it for a grand total of $11.50!!! Heck Yeah! No brainer in my opinion. I also acquired my copies of What If #20, Further Adv. of Indiana Jones #33 and the one and only 9.8 graded last issue of Saga of Swamp Thing #171 this way. I just can't pass up on deals like this when they pop up! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.