I just discovered this thread:
Underground/Newave Comix: Post Your Obscure, Undocumented or Rarely Discussed
Wow, very amazing and chock full of wonderful posts. I posted the following just now over there:
"I'm glad I discovered this thread, I've skimmed to lightly so far and find it fascinating. I have read and collected undergrounds since the 70s, but am the sort of collector who purges the collection with life's changes, and presently my collection is modest.
I have the opportunity to purchase a long box of undergrounds (bagged but not boarded). The collection is all books interesting to me and in fairly nice condition, 6.0 to 8.0 on average, presenting very well but most seem to have crunches or other defects that prevent them from grading higher. I offered an amount I was comfortable with paying, but they are holding out for about 50% more than my offer.
I do not really speculate on comics to resell, but only buy what I like, and frequently pay too much for books I really like. What I am wondering is what the market really looks like for undergrounds, which boils down to how many people are there out there who love these books and want to collect them? It seems to me that the market is small and somewhat stagnant for most run of the mill books, and even keys seem to be selling at or less than I remember a decade ago. I'm wondering if I pay the higher price, do I have any chance that they will appreciate in value over the next ten years? Any thoughts on this would be very welcome."
I came here seeking insight into the underground collector's market before spending a lot of money for a collection I am considering purchasing. Any advise you may offer will be gratefully considered!.