UncleAnwar

On 2/26/2024 at 12:46 PM, RobHW said:

Comic book collecting is dead.  Dead, I said.  Today is a buyers market.  It may never be a seller's market again.  The comic book collector is an old dude.  There will be an increasing number just like you, dumping their collections because they can't take it with them.  Younger people have no fond childhood attachment to comics, no desire to put good money into a dead asset, and would rather have the cash then hold onto what was important to departed generations.

There are no new collectors.  Your buyers will be fellow old dudes; long-time collectors who already have much of what they always wanted.  Unmotivated buyers.

We are slowly swirling right down the drain.

Not what I wanted to hear, but I'm afraid you're dead-on.

When I go to cons these days, sure there are younger generations there (I'm 46 btw) but they're usually there for dressing up, or Funko or toys or other merchandise. Some are there for comics sure, but most likely newer stuff.

When I get to the long boxes of back issues it's always dudes around my age and older. Oof.

Probably time to start listing asap

So I've been a collector since the mid 90s and have finally come to the decision to move on and sell my books after all these years.  Not an easy decision, but I've realized that going to cons and the thrill of the hunt was a big part of it for me.  Now that I've crossed off most of the stuff I wanted, they've just been sitting in storage for years.

I've been strictly a marvel collector and have tried to be a completionist.  I've got big runs of many major titles, amazing spiderman 1-400, x-men 1-300, fantastic four 1-300, daredevil 1-200, and several other runs. The grades vary a lot, but most of the collection is raw with a handful of the big books cgc graded (x-men 1 cgc 3.5, ff 1 cgc 2.5, dd 1 cgc 4.5, st110 cgc 3.0, hulk 181 cgc 6.5.

My general question is, with the state of the current market would it be best to sell now or wait a bit (3, 5, 10 yrs?).  I'm in no real rush to move them quickly, so I'm fine waiting if it will net me more money.  I'm also learning that I'll definitely have to break them up in chunks to get the most bang for my buck.

But looking at GPA, outside of covid and the mcu boom, it really feels like prices are still correcting back to normal.  From GPA trends i've seen over the last 20 years, it feels like the market will still go down some over the next few years, but really who knows.  Just looking for general opinions of best time to sell and if you guys think the market is due for a rise any time in the near future, or if now is the time to sell before it drops even further?

Hey guys, selling my run of Cap books on Ebay, Issues 100-308 (+ 32 more issues under issue 400).

Link below!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/404329505765?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=HxXyi7kDQ3a&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=HxXyi7kDQ3a&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Oof. Heading to this con for the first time ever.  Disappointing to hear that it has become focused on pop culture, just like many other cons these days.  I get that these shows are trying to appeal to a broader audience (to make more cash), but it's sad when a comic convention pushes actual comic vendors down the list in order of importance for the event.

Although, from some of the info above, sounds like maybe it was out of their hands a bit with vendors backing out after the pandemic. Ugh.

I loved the Baltimore con the first time I went, but when I went back in 2021 it just wasn't the same. Felt like way less comic vendors and way more t-shirts, funko, toys, artists, etc.

Oh well, I'm sure I'll still enjoy myself, hoping to close out Daredevil 1-200 by picking up the 10 or so random (non-key) books I have left for the run!

Many years ago I bought this X-Men 1 already graded CGC 2.0.  Over the years I've been interested in upgrading to a 2.5 or a 3.0, but I keep seeing books in those grades that look worse to the eye than my 2.0 does!

I researched a little and I think this book is really being hurt by the subscription crease?  From what I've read on these boards, that automatically drops it to around a VG and it can only go down from there.  Curious if that still holds true (these were older posts I saw) and if it's worth rolling the dice and having a dry-clean and press on this one and re-submitting for a new grade?

Also, here are the grader notes:

Grader Notes

heavy, multiple crease cover breaks color
multiple tear cover
split left top of spine
tape interior cover

 

For reference, here's a 3.0 that a friend of mine owns.  Looks to have a lot more wear/tears, BUT doesn't have a subscription crease

On 12/31/2022 at 8:29 AM, Ryan. said:

Contact MyComicShop. 

Thanks for the suggestion. I might try that although listing out every issue for them feels like it will be quite the undertaking...not sure I have any better options though

I'm not too familiar with modern books. I've been a collector for several decades, but I've only collected silver and bronze books.

A month ago a friend That I hadn't spoken to in years contacted me because her husband passed unexpectedly and she wanted help trying to sell his comic collection. I looked thru everything and it's over 3,000 books, 90% modern (the rest are mostly copper).

There aren't any real keys of note (no UF4, Walking Dead 1, etc). The collection looks to be mostly $1 to $5 books from what I can tell. It's a mix of DC and Marvel and Indie... some superman, flash, batman, Wolverine, x-men, punisher, thor, etc. Even though I don't collect modern, I think I have a pretty good idea of what the medium to bigger keys are and I'm not seeing any of them in this collection. 

No real runs either. It's mostly just random issues from various titles. 

Blows my mind that someone would spend that much money on nothing of real substance, but whatever, to each his own.

Anyway, any tips on how to move this many low $ books at once? Years back I tried to help someone sell 4 long boxes of modern stuff (similar titles) at a yard sale (with Craigslist advertisement) and we moved only about 250 books for around $300. So yeah they were priced super cheap, but we were stuck w the majority of the books left and honestly the $250 was barely worth the effort we had put into the whole thing.

My friend wants to get rid of all the books, but she also thinks they're worth thousands ($1 a book for 3k comics is $3k right!?? Lol). 

I know the reality of the situation though, a lot of these books will be hard to move for even $1. All about finding the right person or persons who wants all this stuff. 

So to summarize, she doesn't want them back, she wants them all gone. Do I just go the yardsale/ Craigslist route again and hope for the best? Any other suggestions or how to move low dollar modern books in this volume???

So we just found out we picked up some bed bugs from our last air bnb stay, and what was already an expensive problem is starting to become a bigger issue.  I currently have 7 long boxes of primarily silver age books under my bed!

I didn't think much of it, but when we called the bed bug treatment company he said that bed bugs can live in old books, paper, etc. Uh oh. 

Their recommendation is to heat treat our house which will kill all bed bugs, but I'm hoping this process doesn't hurt my comics as well!

I'm guessing I definitely need to buy all new longboxes (they could be living in the cardboard), but what else should I do as a precaution? These books are all bagged and boarded btw.

My worries are as follows:

1. I remove all my comics from the house and bring them back in after treatment and inadvertently reinfest the house w bed bugs

2. I leave the comics in the house to also get heat treated, and the books get damaged somehow

3. What about the bags? Will they "melt" or stick to the covers or anything like that?

Not sure how to best handle this and I don't trust the opinion of the random bed bug technician dude. Anyone in here ever go thru this before?  Any advice??

On 6/10/2022 at 9:00 AM, Jennifer F. said:

Hello,

Thank you for your message.  If you were just submitting to have the book put into a new holder and there was not post encapsulation damage to the book then it won't be regraded. Since it wasn't regraded it will not receive a new certification number.  The book information, including the grade,  will be under the original certification number.  

If you have any other questions, please let us know.  Thank you!

Makes sense, thanks!

Got a noob question here...

Submitted a cracked case st110 (blue label 3.0) last month.  Just saw it was shipped back today, but I don't see a grade listed.  

Is it assumed with reholder that there was no need to re-grade (no damage to inner well or book) so the grade remained the same?

I'm a frequent comic buyer on ebay and rarely have I had any issues. 

Today I received a st110 3.0 in the mail from an ebay buy.  The case wasn't just cracked, it was nearly broken in half!  The packing was questionable with a soft envelope and some thin bubble wrap.

The guy keeps suggesting I send it to cgc under his account to have it reslabbed...

 I'm definitely not doing that. I would think that he could then update the book to be shipped back to him if he wanted.  I don't know the guy so I'm not accusing him, just saying I have to be wary and lookout for myself.

The problem is that the price was pretty good so I hate returning it. Would you keep and just take the time and effort yourself to re-slab, or return the book altogether?

** EDIT to say the seller ended up being very reasonable after a back and forth discussion, seems like an honest mistake w the shipping, he's going to offer a partial refund so all good!

It's definitely lower grade, a little beat up and a big piece missing on the back cover. Also a pence copy which I love. Grade?

On 11/12/2021 at 9:17 PM, KCOComics said:

I took a break about 14 years ago. 

I wasn't so much burnt out, but life got in the way.  I got married moved to Boston and eventually had two kiddos.  I still picked up odd books when I stumbled onto them and I would visit comic shops when I could, but it was an unnecessary expense at a time when I had allot of adulting to do. 

Two things really brought me back to the hobby. First, when I had to relocate my comics from my aunt's house and I got to go through the boxes for the first time in years. I started to relive the excitement that brought me to the hobby in the first place.

And second, when my oldest son was 4 or 5 he really took an interest and we started doing it together. Driving to shows and shops, hunting down books and unboxing purchases together.... 

Sadly, at the ripe old age of 9, he's outgrown comics and is more interested in Pokemon cards. 

I guess my advice would be two things: 

Step away for a period of time before you start selling.  You would hate to sell your ASM run and regret it, because at today's prices it would be hard to replace. 

And second, explore new genres. I always fall back on Marvel super heros, but I get allot of excitement out of science fiction, PCH, WWII books and even romance and crime books. There is allot of history to explore. 

I've got a 6 year old and 5 year old boys.  That factors in as well. Would be cool if they got into it someday and I was able to pass them down.

So far they couldn't care less about comics, but they're still really young so who knows.

Like I said in my original post, the best part a out all of it was the experience I think. My brother and I have had a blast buying and selling and trading and going to cons and shops. 

He also has a similar massive collection with a little different focus, he went avengers and hulk and iron man/tales of suspense for some of his runs.

We have both been obsessive about it for 20 or so years.  Getting the money to buy our books was part of the fun too, we would flip anything and everything.  Comics, toys, trailer hitches, camper toilets, electronics, chandiliers, everything under the sun, you name it. 

But we've both got families and little kids now, maybe that's part of it too. I don't have the time or energy to flip anymore and I can't justify spending my salary on comics with a family and a mortgage and all that these days.

Again, tons of good advice and stories on here.  Thanks guys!!

On 11/13/2021 at 1:54 AM, Beige said:

The markets red-hot right now.

If you have 100% had enough - sell up.

With the books you have, even in mid-grade, you could set your kids up in their own home, or if you are financially solid - travel for years.

Whatever floats your boat - you are sitting on so much money, that its nuts to keep what, $250,000 - $500,000 in boxes?

Maybe much more if they are high grade.

I'd grab a GPA sub for a month, add up what you have, and go from there. You could have god knows how much.

 

Put it this way - I just looked up ASM #1 - #10 on GPA - I used a 5.0 grade for each.

At 5.0 you are looking at over $40,000 for those books alone.

 

If the love has gone man - use the money for something else.

 

And good luck to you.

 

The grades vary, I'd say average mid grade range, mostly raw.

My 1st issues are graded but lower end, Ff1 2.5, dd1 4.5, X-men 1 2.5 etc.  I've got a couple bronze graded that are decent,  asm129 8.0, hulk 181 6.5.  But like I said they're almost all raw.

I love your dollar estimate haha but I don't think they're all worth quite that much.  $100k maybe? Idk, I haven't bothered to price them all out, I'd only do that if I got serious about selling. Still nothing to sneeze at obviously, worth way more money than I put into them up front!

On 11/12/2021 at 6:20 PM, rjpb said:

There's always something else to collect, so it sounds like you are burned out on the hobby if you aren't looking at new goals. Take a break for a while, and if you still feel a lack of interest in what you already have sell some of it off; later issues, runs that mean less, stuff that wouldn't be as expensive to replace should you have regrets. See how you feel about it and re-evaluate then. 

 

I've actually debated selling all my marvel collection and buying EC horror comics from the Golden age. Haha yeah selling my comics...to buy more comics!

I love all things horror, huge horror movie buff, but just never really pursued those books for whatever reason. 

They're definitely more rare and harder to track down in general, so maybe that would reinvigorate me...who knows.

But like I said above,  there's still the fear of regret in parting with all my hero books.

Lots of good advice on here, I think I'll sit on it for a while and see if my feelings change at all

On 11/12/2021 at 6:39 PM, Turnando said:

I'd sell out and invest the money.

I have a large vintage Star Wars action figure collection that I mostly lost interest in 10 years ago.  I'd love to get rid of it but I don't remember some important info about variants and other subtle factors that affect value.  I'm also totally out of touch with current values and I am not up to date on where the vintage SW guys are trading these days.

In short, sell it now while you know what you have.  The worst case scenario is you keep it forever and then your family has to deal with it.

I know people will probably disagree here, but I've always found you get the best return by selling on eBay at auction. 

Especially if you don't necessarily remember the details of what you have.  Trust me, the action figure market is huge on there and others will know and will bid accordingly. 

For stuff I flip, I always do auction listings, 99 cent start and no reserve...and in 20 years of eBay I have never really gotten less than market value, usually I get more than expected.  That's just with comics, I can't say if it's the same for all collectibles but I'd think it is ...unless you're selling something so obscure that there's not much of a market for it....which wouldn't be the case for star wars figures.

Just my 2 cents there if you're looking to sell!

On 11/12/2021 at 4:45 PM, The lips said:

You’ve reached a goal many of us can only dream of. Complete runs of just one iconic title is snacking but to do so many is mind blowing. 
How about Collecting original art perhaps ?

If you feel burned out which I totally get, I’d maybe just start reading them and enjoying them for the purpose they were created for 

That's fair.  I think it became solely about collecting for a long time.  I probably have forgotten what got me into comics to begin with...the stories and art.

On 11/12/2021 at 4:35 PM, Randall Ries said:

You have what collectors of my caliber dream of. Completed runs. I don't mean to sound rude when I say this: It almost sounds like you have enough - MORE than enough money to burn. Could it be you were always able to take for granted what a lot of collectors have to scrimp, save, battle with various girlfriends and wives, family members for?

I burned out in the mid 1980's. Got sick of all the crossovers and the "Number 1" fad that was going around then. Manufacturing because of the "Crisis On Infinite Earths" fallout which they then completely undid. A lot of the indie books just never panned out and I put my long boxes away.

In 2000, something rekindled. I bought a copy of Batman #9, replacing a copy my first wife ripped through the spine during an argument. When I came back to it, I determined to only collect what meant something to me. Not every issue of ALL the titles I like because  - you know - there's a lot of room between say Batman #244 and Batman #400. A lot of room for them to fall back and hire sucky writers and ruin a good thing.

So, yeah. I got burned out. Now I love it again. And the love of it springs from the fact I cannot have EVERYTHING I lay my eyes on. Simply have too many other financial obligations. And I really think that adds to it. I can probably have all the issues I want tat are special to me at some point, but it will take awhile.

A lot of the fun in collecting is the restraint put on us by outside forces. If it were left to me and I had a bottomless basket of hand battered shrimp, I would eat until I popped. I think we need limits. And if we don't have any, everything seems too easy.

The other day, I was burrowing through a closet and found a long box filled with 1970's House Of Secrets, Tarzan and Kamandi's. Brought me back to the day I bought that collection. Man, I had a blast going through that box and was grateful I had one left.

Whatever you do, don't get rid of your boxes. 20-30 years from now, you'll thank me for telling you this. Just put them away in a cool, dry location and forget them. You'll be glad you did and when you return to them, you will be one happy mamma jamma.

Ha yeah I'm far from rich, as hard as this may be to believe I bought probably 80% of my collection on side money I made flipping stuff (a ton of it was other books).  I used to buy and flip books all the time for cash and use that money to buy the books I wanted. 

And yes it was definitely an obsession for a long time.

So I've been a comic collector since the mid 90s, and have amassed a pretty sizeable collection over the decades.

I'm hoping the feeling will pass, but I've been feeling kind of burned out/over with the whole thing for a little while now.

I still love comics, but now that I've locked down all of my collecting goals I'm faced with the inevitable question of "what's next"?  

Ive only collected Marvel, and over the years I've managed to get to complete runs of Fantastic Four 1-300, X-men 1-300, Amazing Spiderman 1-400, daredevil 1-200, Strange Tales 101-160, Cap 100-300, and bunches of smaller titles like complete Web of, Spectacular,  Nova, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, Tomb of Dracula etc.

Just curious to hear from other collectors to see if you've faced burnout and what you've done about it. I've thought of maybe selling them all off but I still feel like I'd probably regret it someday. 

But on the other hand they just sit in storage now and don't so much for me anymore. Sure I read them here and there but I've realized that the joy for me over the years was the collecting aspect.  Traveling around to different city's for comic shops and conventions with my brother was what made the whole thing fun. The process of getting all those books was awesome and I'll always have those memories regardless. 

One thing that has put a damper on continuing is the ridiculous prices that even minor keys command these days. I can't imagine just getting into collecting now, it's so freaking expensive. I remember buying low issue ASM's for $50 each back in the day. Now those same issues would be several thousand dollars.  Nuts.

Anyway, anyone faced a similar situation?  Anyone sold and regretted? Anyone kept going and found the passion again?

On 8/28/2021 at 4:57 AM, KCOComics said:

This are some incredible runs! It must have taken lots of focus. 

That's always been my problem with run collecting. I usually start out fast, then lose focus. I'm currently working on a complete HOS run, with 81- 154 being higher grade. But I tend to get distracted and let my focus drift. 

Thanks man! I got lucky in the fact that I bought a lot of the big keys 10 or so years ago before prices went nuts. But I hear you on focusing on runs, I was all over the place for a while

On 8/28/2021 at 3:26 AM, Lightning55 said:

I don't know what other comics have the back cover you are looking for, but don't forget that the other side of the cover has to be correct, too.  I'm not sure if they interchanged ads, or all were set up the same. 

From my pdf copy of ASM Annual 1, I have pasted in what shows on the screen:

 

Good point, thanks man!

Only one I really still want but I know for a fact I'll never get is an AF15.  I could liquidate some big silver age keys and buy one, but then I'd have incomplete runs and wouldn't be able to sleep at night...

So I've got a super low grade ASM Annual 1 that has a detached front cover and is missing the back cover.

The price has jumped so much on this book that I'm just happy to own a copy at this point, but I'm planning on taping the front cover on and adding a back cover if I can find one.

It's the '100 toy soldiers ' ad on the back cover.  Does anyone know what books from that time frame have the same back cover?  I'm trying to find something relatively cheap since I'll be taking the back cover off of it to marry to my Annual 1. 

I'm pretty sure that I remember there being a Kid Colt book with that back cover but I can't find it for the life of me. Appreciate any info I can get, thanks!

Here's a pic of my book, and another one of the back cover ad in question.  

1 hour ago, grendelbo said:

If possible, please post a pic of the full comic, front and back. The other detail of the apparent flaws is great and very useful, but personally I need to see the whole thing for it's presentability.

Added a front & back