bagofleas

Be patient or you may end up being a mental patient! All right, have you ever bought a graded comic and felt elated at your purchase, only to watch future equally graded copies sell for less and less until your purchase looks like you must have been drunk off your rocker at the time? Of course, you have. Pretty much all CGC collectors have faced this issue at one time or another. Why? No patience. We tend to think that just because this is the first copy of an issue thats been graded at it's level, there may never be another one or so few that the value couldn't possibly go down too much. Or maybe it because were trying so hard to put a set together that we are willing to pay almost anything for those last few issues we need to meet our goal. When I first got into this hobby about 2 1/2 years ago, I wanted Uncanny X-Men #212 so bad that I bought it for just over $400 (going price at the time). I thought, key issue, black background, wolvie vs. Sabretooth, only 25 copies in the grade at the time after 10 years or so of grading. This couldn't possibly drop too much below $400. Wrong, wrong, wrong. There are now 111 copies of this thing out there now and they generally sell for around $78 to $95. Why didn't I wait? Because I was new to the hobby and I made a bunch of assumptions, that's why. I now understand that there are MANY things to consider when determining what you are willing to pay for something. Don't drive yourself mad wishing you had waited just a little while before buying something you wanted. My recent purchase of a signed copy of Jonah Hex #92 (see my previous journal) is an example of my now-learned-patience. I almost went ahead and bought an unsigned one for $250 about a year ago but decided to wait it out. Now I've got the only signed copy of it's grade (out of 14) for $110. As an alternate example, I own the only 9.8 graded copy of Dazzler #42 (last issue/see image below) that I purchased for $150. Jet black cover and all! How will this pan out in the long run? We'll see, but for now, I'm a happy camper in this case. But that could change if everyone decides to suddenly send in their copies of this issue and some of them reach this grade. So what do we learn from all this? Be selective, be knowledgeable, be rich (HA,HA), and most of all BE PATIENT!!! There will almost always be future copies graded at the level you want, and the more that reach that grade, the cheaper you will get them for, unless current events cause the issue to skyrocket in demand for whatever reason. Once you've decided what you're willing to pay for something, don't back down off it. When it comes to auctions, wait until the last possible second to put in your maximum amount and hope for the best. Think before you buy or you'll drive yourself crazy wishing you had waited! So, as my teaser for this journal says, Be Patient Or You May End Up Being A Mental Patient!! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Jonah Hex #92! I can't believe it! I've been wanting to get my hands on a 9.8 copy of Jonah Hex #92, being that it's one of those Low-print-run-last-issue deals of a character that I like. So far, there are only 14 of these out there to get this grade, and they've always sold for over $100. When this thing showed up on Ebay the other day, I was blown away! 9.8, White Pages and SS signed by cover artist Klaus Janson!? HOLY ! This is currently the only SS 9.8 copy of this thing out there! Talk about one-of-a-kind! This thing has got to wind up going for for $200 or more, I thought. Yeouch!! But I had to give it a shot. So after doing some creative account balancing, I decided that I would try for it at no more than around $185 and hope for the best. Well I'll be a Hex's uncle if I didn't get the thing for a total of $110 with shipping! I don't believe it! I was pretty sure I was gonna miss out on it. This just goes to show you that you never know what something's gonna go for on Ebay. It just depends on who's watching at the time. I love uniqueness, and this DEFINITELY qualifies! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

What If #28! I've seen some double and triple cover graded comics before, and while they are definitely interesting, I've always refrained from purchasing any of them. Why? Two reasons. 1)They are usually overpriced for my taste. 2)The individual covers are graded separately and I've personally NEVER seen them get 9.8 or better on each of the covers. That is until now! Reason #2 is the biggest requirement for me to even consider purchasing one of these comics but they also would need to have White Pages. I've been keeping my eyes out for key What If issues at reasonable prices(translated:I could afford them at the time.) and I've been able to pick up some of them. Then this one showed up and blew me away! What If #28 with not only double cover status but with BOTH covers achieving 9.8's! White pages on top of the deal and I just couldn't resist!! This is the first time I've seen one of these like this and it's a comic I was specifically looking for on top of it all! This thing is definitely one of a kind and seriously cool! I have officially made my first double cover purchase and couldn't be more pleased. I wish the best of luck to everyone else on YOUR searches for YOUR dream comics! STEPHEN To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Something to consider! Once Dazzler #1 came out in March of 1981, there were countless 80's issues that have two versions of covers. Those with the barcode on the cover(news-stand editions) and those with an image in it's place(Direct editions). They also vary slightly in the spot where the issue number and price are. A fellow collector, TNerb, recently wrote in a journal that he will pass up on any graded comic with the barcode on the cover. Personally, I agree with the choice on a purely cosmetic level. The direct editions are definitely prettier to look at, however, another thing to consider is the simple fact that if the comic was a news-stand edition, it was sitting on some metal rack in a convenience store or on a shelf in some regular bookstore. That means that countless people (mainly kids) would handle them or flip through them causing damage of some sort in almost every case. As a result, there are nearly NONE of the news-stand editions that could EVER reach a 9.8 or better grade. The art on the cover remains exactly the same between editions, so while I prefer the direct editions, I have no problem purchasing a news-stand edition since in my mind, it is actually A MUCH RARER THING TO POSSESS! I would never presume to say that because of this, news-stand editions should be worth more registry points than direct editions. This will more than likely never happen due to the difficulty of updating all the comics involved in the registry, as well as the fact that not everyone will agree with me, but I think it's worth at least talking about. So while my copies of New Mutants #17, Alpha Flight #10, Thor #374(in my Mutant Massacre set), and even my Star Wars #103 are news-stand copies, they are THE RARER copies of these issues in 9.8! I might get direct edition copies of some of these down the road, but a 9.8 is a 9.8 no matter which version it is. Hopefully this gives you something to think about and gets your mind working considering the possibilities. I've loved comic collecting for most of my life, and having a chance to express my views in a community like this is fantastic. Keep up the collecting everyone! Stephen To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

10 to go! Come on Registry Awards!!!! It's been a while since I've done one of these so here goes. I've been ever watchful for my beloved New Mutants issues and I've been slowly edging my way closer to my goal (all of them, of course!). I recently was able to get my hands on only the second copy of #51 to achieve 9.8 WP status! I am now only 10 issues away from the complete run! I was also going to put story summaries of each of the issues onto my descriptions. I started out quick with the first 6 but have since been entirely too busy to focus on it lately. I intend to rectify that soon and get back on it, so stay tuned. Since I am down to the wire on those, I don't see needed copies show up very often, so I have been getting other comics that interest me or that I am also trying to eventually get full runs of. My Booster Gold(1986) set has a great start at 11 of the 25 issues. These are nearly impossible to find so it will probably take quite some time to get the other 14. My Dazzler set also has a great start at 17 issues. I am currently #2 on these behind HITMAN1099, but I plan on breaking past him eventually. I wish I could have done it before this round of registry awards but alas, no. I do have some of the much harder to find later issues in this series. My Further Adventures of Indiana Jones set is slow go right now but this series was the second one I started getting when I first got into comics, so I will continue to be vigilant in my search for these elusive issues! There are some on Ebay but they are just too much $ for my taste. Warlord is a recent addition to my set building. I have always been a big fan of fantasy art, and just the covers of these issues alone have always interested me. I cant be too picky on a lot of these right now because many of them do not exist in 9.8, especially some of the early ones, but I am on the lookout for top grades on these. I have managed to get #82 and Annual #1 both in 9.9!! Marvel Fanfare is another one I'm working on. I really like these because of the CGC case's ability to show the full artwork of the front and back covers. This is another set that I hope to grab the top spot away from HITMAN1099. These too, however, can be very elusive. Most of all, folks, like many of you I am a lover of comic art and uniqueness. It doesn't have to be a series I'm wanting all of, but if it's a one-of-a-kind find then I'm all for trying to get it. Items like my Groo the Wanderer #3, Master of Kung Fu #69 SS, Richie Rich Millions #18, and all my difficult to replace SS issues are like landmarks to me every time I get one. I love this hobby! I also love being able to see what all of you have accomplished in your endeavors. It inspires me to keep pushing my collecting to new limits. Take the time and make an effort to properly catalog your comics with photos and descriptions. It helps others to really SEE what can be achieved with perseverance. Not to mention help you towards one of those Best Presented Set registry awards! Speaking of which, the registry awards are almost here, and I hope to have 5 or 6 top ranks by then. Wish me luck and good luck to each and every one of you out there with the same passion as me! Stephen To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Can he do it? I have been in talks with Tnerb for a little while now. Great Guy. Lofty Goals (like me). I wish him all the luck in the world with his goal of all the new mutants in 9.8. I currently have the same passion and am only 12 away from accomplishing it. By the way, Tnerb, I got my #1 Gem Mint 10 on ebay about a year and a half ago. I made an offer and the guy took it (probably still too much $$$$, but I'm happy!).Believe it or not, there are actually 2 copies in 10 now. As far as your #15 goes, there are currently 2 in 9.8 of which I have one. I hope you can get one, I'll be on the lookout for you on all of them, except of course the ones I still need (wink). It may be pricey, but it can also save you money and/or dissapointment if you save up your money and send in at least 50 of your issues at a time for pre-screening at whatever grade you want or better. They'll only encapsulate and fully charge you for the ones that achieve that grade or better. Worth considering. I'm working on doing it on a bunch of daredevil issues. Anyway, best of luck to Tnerb on his goal.

Gettin' closer, people! Well, if you've been following my progress for the last year, you'd know that I'm only 14 issues away from completing my New Mutants set in 9.8 WP or better! New Mutants was the first comic book I ever started collecting when I was a kid. The first issue I got was #32 and It sucked me into the whole comic universe and I've never really looked back. I will always have a special fondness, however, for this series. I'm currently in the process of putting a few different sets together but this is the one I'm most interested in completing. I see that Tnerb has decided to start his New Mutants collection as well, and I wish him the very best of luck (darn that #47!). Many of these are hard if not impossible to get your hands on right now, and some of mine are single highest graded copies (darn that #47!). I am currently in the process of putting story summaries on all of the issues in my registry. This will obviously take some time, especially since I am such a busy guy, but I will get there. Check my set periodically if you like and watch my progress (darn that #47!). The issues I'm missing are : 11(mine's OW to W), 17, 47(darn that #47!), 48, 51, 55, 58, 59, 70, 81, 89, 95 and Annuals 2, 4 and 5. I'm SO CLOSE! Anyway, best of luck to everyone in their collecting goals (that includes you, Tnerb. Darn that #47!), and may you someday own that dream comic you've always wanted. Stephen

YES!!! I'VE DONE IT!!!!!! I've finally done it fellow collectors!!! I am now the only person who has managed to put together all 11 of the last issues of GI Joe in 9.8 WP!!! I finally managed to get that elusive #151 (see pic below). I saw that one popped up on comiclink,com a few weeks ago for $201, but someone had already bought it. I was so upset!!! But then one showed up on Ebay a week ago and I set my sights on it! Not only did I get it, but I got it for a cheaper price than the one on comiclink!!! I also managed to get my hands on some other later issues along with this one! I now need only three more issues to have the last 20 issues in this grade (#'s 139, 141, and 144)!! This is my next goal

Only one more to go!!! This is great! I now have a 9.8 copy of #150! All I need now is #151 and I'll have #145 thru #155, all in 9.8 WP!!!!! I never thought I'd be this close. These things are so hard to come by. The price was great! I got #150 and #154, both for the same price as a #154 I could have gotten a couple months ago, so that's pretty good! I'll put it out there as soon as I get my #151, so stay tuned fellow collectors!!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah,baby! 9.8!!!! I had an opportunity to get this about two months ago but wasn't ready to pay the price, so I waited. I'm so glad I did!! I got it for a lot less and I'm ecstatic about it!! I was also able to pick up #146 in 9.8 along with this one! I've got a chance at #150 in 9.8 and if I get it, I will only be missing #151 to have the last 11 issues, all in 9.8!!!! Wish me luck!

I don't believe it! Holy , I just got my hands on the rarest 9.8 gi joe in the very last issues. There are only two of these puppies in the world! I don't frikin believe I got one! I am on cloud nine right now. No, make that cloud 152, because that is the issue I just got, #152!!! This thing is absolutely gorgeous! I love the cover! I should be able to get #'s 150 and 154 soon as well which means that I'll only be one away from having every single one of the last 9 issues in 9.8! The one I'd be missing is #151, but I'm keepin my eyes open!!!!

9.8 WP!! I'm doin' my best to try and get issues 150-155 of GI JOE in 9.8 WP's. So far I managed to get the hardest one (mainly due to price!) #155. I saw a 9.6 copy of #153 on ebay throughout the last couple of weeks, but really wanted to hold out for one of those 17 copies of 9.8 out there. Well a guy who I just got another comic from a couple of days ago put one up on ebay just in time for me to add it to my order, and he only charged me an extra penny in shipping! Hallelujah, baby!! I also have something brewing that may lead me to a 9.8 copy of #154, but I'll save that for another entry later on once I see how it turns out.

9.8!! With only 13 of these actually available in this grade, I didn't think I was going to see one available any time soon. Then a few days ago one of them shows up on Ebay for auction w/ no reserve! I've recently come into some cash and am itching to spend it on some of my more desired acquisitions, so I focused on this beauty. Eventually I won it for just over $600!! Pricey, but worth it to me. G. I. Joe is one of my favorite 80's franchises, along with transformers, any x-series and Star Wars. I'm really looking out for a Star wars #107 in 9.8. Here's to hope!