Ira K

Initial goal was wolverine trilogy 9.8-9.6 was done awhile back after finally finding a 182 in WP which was elusive.
Was looking for an ASM 55 9.8 for years before finding it in 2017. Just found #70 9.6 in which I was searching for several years. I thought I'd never find it in a good wrap + WP but the stars were aligned that day!
Next is X-Men GSXM to #100, 6 out of the 8 in 9.8 other two in 9.6. I have 94 & 95 to go. Only a matter of time. I'll post my best group shot when it happens. Will be glorious!
After that or possibly before I'd be interested to do a favorite artist first ASM trilogy. ASM 39 (Romita) ASM 89 (Kane) ASM 125 (Andru which is best one imo) in 9.6-9.8. Only one I have left is #39 which I hope to find in 9.6 at some point. Will post group shot.
I love this hobby!!!
The 89 is being reholdered...  

Fresh plastic 

Got my Batgirl #31 Artgerm variant slabbed back today. May not be worth much but really liked the cover and happy with a 9.6 grade!

Without question there are a lot of speculators who entered the hobby strictly because they smelled $$$. I wouldn't argue that. 
But I would underline that a lot of us are collectors who also occasionally speculate and flip books in order to buy more stuff for our collections. I have been wheeling and dealing ever since I sold a couple of old toys at a flea market so I could buy a couple of new toys, when I was about 8 or 9. I've been hooked ever since. I am a collector with a great, long and abiding love for the medium and the hobby. I also buy hot books and sell them. Speculators and collectors don't have to be mutually exclusive, and in fact, I'd say they're often the same.
That being said, I've been doing it long enough to have a pretty good idea of when to jump in and out. I don't get left holding the bag very often...in fact, the opposite is often true: I jump too soon. Ah, well. It's part of the deal. So, I own books that have done well in the current bubble, and will likely see a decrease whenever the mania subsides. But I can weather that because 1. I didn't pay top of market prices for them, and 2. I love the books I keep. That's why I keep them. Buy what you love, and you will always love your collection.

I set a goal 6 months ago of getting GSXM1, X-Men 94, and X-Men 101.  I acheived that but got them all in slabs at 6.0.  Now I want a high grade for each and a lower grade for each.  GSXM1 might be out of reach for me.  That book is white hot right now.  101 has cooled down even before the next Phoenix movie.  Might be a good tme for that.

I finished off my Batman silver age villain 1st app run, I was happy with that. Only took me 3 years to do so, I’m now working on Batman adventures 1-36 with annuals, 90% done that. After that working in flash 105-150 

That is the strangest thing about the current market.  We went thru a near crash already in the 90s.  We saw what large scale speculation and unrealistic growth in prices for no reason other then a book being coined the hot book of the month (either by Wizard in the 90s or Bleedingcool now).  We saw how that played out and it just seems to be repeating again and nobody seems to be caring one bit.  I'm starting to do a lot more speculating in stocks then I do in comics just because I see a better long term outcome.

That might be the most ridiculous response I have ever read in my life.
Just because there are websites that track comic sales, does not mean that the majority of collectors are buying comics as some sort of 'investment'.
Most comic book collectors are not "in it for the money". Comic books happen to be worth money. It's not the same thing.
I never said that "nobody cared about the value of comics". That's what we would call a straw-man argument.
I am not wrong. "Brutally wrong", in fact, is a gross overreaction.

Gearing up for Fan Expo for stuff I want to eventually have on my wall.  A few of these were replacements for comics that "went missing" after a move as well.



 
Didn't include but also got Wolverine Mini 2-4 and Infinity Gauntlet 2-6 as well with the two below.

 
 

I have had it for for awhile, before all the hype . I would guess with all the movie hype some spikes have happened? I don't keep up with the speculation market very much, but it seems to me that many bronze keys are at an all time high. Perhaps this would be a good time to upgrade a few more of my SA with them. Although I am not very good at parting with anything  :P 
 

When did this book become a 4k book in 9.0? Did I blink?  What is it selling for in 9.8?
 
On an unrelated note here is my ticket
 

Thank you!  

This should move the needle a bit. 

Two of my nicest BA Spidey's. 


 

Raw and a slab...
Thanks to boardie @johnenock  for the pretty slab. Very nice 8.5. Should have been a gift grade of at least a 9.0 just because its so white...inside and out, lol. I think the tiny tear and Color-breaking crease right center is what kept it down. I posted a picture of the back cover, cause yea...it's that white. Bought the raw online from a nice fella from the UK...right about the time they really started to take off. Just got it and it's a beauty! Solid 9.6 IMHO, with a shot at 9.8.
 

I want to thank Monster-n-heroes aka Rich on here for sending this dream book my way! Low grade but that cover still presents amazingly well! Thanks Rich!
 
 

I just can't picture someone taking a CGC SS book across the street and saying " Please put my book in your case so I can make less money " 

Awesome!! 

I just can't picture someone taking a CGC SS book across the street and saying " Please put my book in your case so I can make less money " 

The nice thing about when a family member loses interest in comic books is that you get to cherry pick and low ball his keys!
 






 

Of course it is, cant believe it's even being debated here.

Alan Oppenheimer 

Kathleen Turner 

Jenna Jameson 

It cost me a pretty penny, but this one just arrived, and it is SO pretty.
Much nicer than the OW copy that I sold 10 years ago.