MCJ

I started collecting back in the early eighties as a kid, and being a fan of Norse mythology made me gravitate towards Thor. The Walt Simonson run starting with #337 really shook up that title (I know, he did some art for Thor in the 200's somewhere). I think we're all wondering how many new collectors will begin seeking to complete runs of JIM. Will it be similar to the run up of Iron Man following those films? Maybe. I hope there will be a lot of new and renewed interest in JIM, but perversely, I hope it stays muted until *after* I complete my run That's all we need, is someone with "Oprah money" to make half of us overjoyed and the other half miserable...I enjoyed the boards' speculation that Charlie Sheen bought Avengers #1 9.4 for $100,000. I hope it was someone else--I have flashbacks of that Simpson's episode where Krusty was using copies of Action Comics #1 to light his cigars.

Yeah, my copy of 84 was a 3.0, and a British copy at that I doubt I'll have the discipline to complete a run with every copy rated 9.0 and above--unless I get a deal on a copy of 84 & 90...I've challenged myself to acquire an 8.5 or 9.0 of 85, but 83 & 84 I suspect I'll waver on price in the final hours of a high profile auction. From the reading I've done on this thread and elsewhere, an incremental approach is a tried and true method to complete a run (Korvac's storied undercopies would be my keepers) and I'm ok with having several 7.5 lows and 9.2 highs. I can't blame other collectors for holding on to the 9.4-9.8 copies. If I had the highest CGC graded copy in the run, I'd be like Scrooge McDuck in his vault. I imagine being at a bank with a safety deposit box...if I actually let slip out a "Muwahhahaha!" people might think I was robbing the place!

Congrats on completing the run! I doubt that I'll accomplish that for at least a few years. Acquiring a copy of 83 first was a great idea. I shudder to think how much it will cost if I wait too long! a run of 8.5 or 9.0 is going to get harder to complete. I can see a mid-grade thread entitled "See, that wasn't too painful." and later on (I hope) "9.0's not bad."

Good advice, thanks. It makes sense to try and find a balance of characteristics, and not just maintaining a focus on page quality. I understand how many collectors will pay a premium for white pages or for a pedigree. The turnover of the higher grade books is pretty low, so deciding what price to pay is more of an art than science. I decided to subscribe to GPA to delve down into the numbers realized, but with such a low turnover, particularly in the low census number books, it hasn't helped much thus far. Ultimately, the mid grade and higher grade collectors drive the market. My 6.5 purchase has already shown up in the GPA, (a 9.0 not yet). The prices we pay set the benchmark. In my observation, quality mid grade books are fetching near Overstreet, with VF-VF/NM a multiple of guide, 9.2 and above it's off to the races! For now, I will confine my aspirations to 7.0-9.0

Long time lurker, first time poster. As a rule of thumb, how important is page quality? OW/W pages is a standard for some, with white pages as the ideal, of course. How much do you discount the price for C/OW, and increase the price you're willing to pay for white pages? Now that I finally have a mid-grade (6.5) OW/W copy of JIM 85, I've been trying to acquire a higher grade copy, but the prices at 8.0 and above are becoming exorbitant. (Pause to bow in jealous respect to those of you that own higher grade copies of *any* of the early run of JIM books). A white pages copy of JIM 85 in VF- sold on Heritage 12/19/10 for $1015.75, and one dealer just told me he turned down an offer of $2,700 for an 8.0 w/white pages. I imagine it's a combination of the grade and the PQ that's driving the requested price of $3,600, but that seems like an unrealistic expectation. According to the dealer, the last white pages copy in 8.0 sold for $2,300 recently, and he hasn't seen another white pages 8.0 copy in over a year. What do you think? A 15% price premium for a white pages copy?