Arkham

Totally get what you mean mate. While some of the drek I collect seems to be calming down, big books still seem bonkers. 

I hope you can land that big fish without letting any of your PC go! 

Beautiful new books mate! Looking forward to seeing more of them back from the slabbers!! 

Congrats on the early sales from store too. Some great issues listed there - I'm not surprised they flew out the door!! 

What are your thoughts on eBay vs other mediums for selling? For example, have you had much interest in books you've posted up on your IG? 

Yes - what @thehumantorch says... I like that.  You can keep your current grind of acquiring, grading, selling and saving going while you sort out what you want to do. If you could snag a low grade AF15 and still keep that run? That sounds like a damn fine outcome!

3 hours ago, 1950's war comics said:

i would never buy big ASM keys at todays crazy prices... even if i was assured of making my money back 

“Even if you were assured”? That reads (or at least I read it) like you wouldn’t pay those prices out of principle. 

There is no doubt that the prices are crazy... Last sale of an AF15 3.0 was almost double the 2019 AVG. But, barring a record-breaking recession or some other kind of calamity, I can’t see it going back to 2019 prices now. It might go down a few K. But it might not too. If you want the book in your collection isn’t it almost a buy now or pay more later scenario? 

It’s a fairly major crossroads to be at mate. 

Based on today’s market, selling the run will be a decision that would be very hard to reverse in the future without major expense. 

As you know, I’ve sold many of the books in my collection over the years. I’ve sold some keys because I needed to fund stuff for the family and I’ve sold books to consolidate a larger collection into a smaller one full of books that are truly special to me.

I am completely happy with the decisions I’ve made. I’d rather have a smaller collection of 1st appearances, classic covers and novelties like homages of covers I love, than a big collection that I will flick through and look at less often (but still need the space to store). 

That said, I really miss having some books that I’ve sold in my collection - which is probably amplified by the price rises and general feeling that I am unlikely to have them back in my collection in the future. But, I also only sold books that weren’t my key focus. So I am wistful but overall happy with the decision and would do it again.

You’ve been on this journey for a lifetime. Like my experience, I think that if you let the run go you will miss chasing it a little even if you would make the same decision again. 

FWIW - I personally would want the AF15 over a completed run. I’d probably look to keep all the books that are truly special to me from the run (1st apps of characters I love, covers I love) and then put the rest up for sale to get that AF15 before it is unobtainable for mere mortals. 

But that’s only what I would do and collecting is such an intensely personal hobby. Despite the market driving prices up quickly, it also sounds like a decision you can’t rush. Is the crisis new or has it been bubbling away for some time? What decision do you feel yourself leaning towards at the moment? 

On 2/25/2021 at 12:07 PM, Wall-Crawler said:

Awesome initial entry and it is so good to have you rejoin the collecting fold!

I enjoyed the story of how you came to be a Batman guy...Didn't know you were into the Phantom.

Now go get that Batman #189 😉! 

Thanks mate. It’s good to be back after the hiatus! Yeah - my old man got me into the Phantom as it was what he enjoyed when he was young.

Full steam ahead on that Bats 189! I’ll send you some candidate pics as I get closer.  

There needs to be a post "reaction" for "love" for those moments something is so much more than "like"! 

Nice pickup!! 

It's completely outside my focus, but I'm pretty interested in one of your Spawns when you start flipping buddy.

I only flipped mine because it was CBCS and not CGC and that made me go like this whenever I saw it in my collection: 

Love your latest haul mate... As I was saying in that other comms channel, I have no idea why Spider Gwen #0 2nd printing has gone full Hansel...  I can’t find any info on this from a couple of the sources that I have been relying on recently (keycollectorcomics.com and GoCollect.com)... what’s the goss? 

Fun to see a video with your nephews mate. Thanks for taking the time to make the video. Bring on that lottery...

On 9/17/2020 at 12:42 AM, Wall-Crawler said:

I still have it...

Hehehe. Well, you know me - I love a classic cover!!  

On 9/13/2020 at 8:58 AM, Wall-Crawler said:

I just wrapped up my Spawn ebay auction...I have doubles or triples of most of what I sold...45 books from the lot...I was pleasantly shocked by the results. I knew later issues of Spawn had a fan base, but yeah, wow. Shocked. I want to move the rest but don't want to flood the market 

Congrats on the auction mate. My one CBCS book was a Spawn #1 9.6... I picked it up very cheap and sold it for more than I paid... but now I kind of want to have a Spawn #1 CGC 9.8 in the collection... That and the McFarlane 230... That cover!