ExNihilo

Didn't read through all 5 pages, but the shop I used to go to had a $0.50 bin and a $1.00 bin. $0.50 bin was not organized, nor bagged/boarded. $1.00 bin was not organized, but was at least bagged. Personally, I hated that the $0.50 bin was unorganized and that so many people pilfered through it that you were pretty much just left with reader copies. The worst was when you would recognize that there was some semblance of a run scattered throughout, but I would be too lazy to recommit myself to searching through the first 2 rows of books. I think books should at least be bagged because it does make it easier to quickly skim through the issues. I don't think one can expect the books to be neatly organized by title because they're just not worth the effort and customers can't be trusted to put books back in their proper place. Maybe it's easier to do if they're organized from the outset and the customers recognize this and maintain some order. But if it starts off a mess, then it's going to stay a mess. I think the suggestion of at least grouping by publisher is good idea.

I think @500Club hit the nail on the head when he says that this is largely attributed to none of the characters created by the writers really taking off. How much of this is a result of Lee being a big name and tied to low risk/established projects? Batman, Superman, All Star Batman and Robin, Superman Unchained, etc. Compare this against modern day keys. NYX #3, Ultimate Fallout #4, Edge of Spider-verse #2, Teen Titans #12, etc. The latter all being smaller titles with less well known creators who might possibly have more freedom for creativity whereas Lee has worked on AAA titles that generally maintains the status quo.

Looks like someone was ahead of the curve. I better pick up a raw copy before the book explodes like IH180.

You mean to tell me that I spent $75 on UXM266 and it's not even the first appearance of Gambit?!?

I collected Catwoman as long as he was on the title providing covers. The cover for Catwoman #4 is probably my favorite of the bunch because of the various easter eggs that were hidden in it. If you like Catwoman, I strongly recommend you take a look at Josh Middleton's Batman #50 variant. The contrast in the eyes and lips is mesmerizing in person.

We're talking about who should be credited for an individual issue, not for a character. Jim may have created the look of Gambit, but should that be enough to associate #266 with him? All I'm saying is that doing so would be like associating Stan with ASM #300 because he established the character elements for Spider-Man. I'm of the impression that Jim needs to be credited in the issue for his artwork to really label it a Jim Lee key.

For the sake of definition, I don't think X-Men 266 should be included in the list. If the basis for it being a "Jim Lee key" is that "Jim designed the look of Gambit", then it's just as much Stan's book because "he created the X-Men." The 2nd argument doesn't float, nor should the 1st. I am rather shocked that your list did not include Batman #608 given the popularity of the Hush storyline and the fact that it marked Lee's first ongoing work for DC. One problem I have with the modern day definition of "key" is the number of low print run variants in which there is nothing special about the plot. I think that makes the books "collectable", but I don't think they necessarily resonate with everyday readers. It's much easier to explain a book is "key" because of the relevance of what occurs within it's pages. It's harder to accept a book is key because it's "1 of 3000" or "1:100". I realize each persons definition will differ and I'm sure someone will post an example that rips my definition to shreds, but at least that's my .

There's nothing wrong with posters or prints. I like selecting a few pieces and framing them. The next thing I plan on doing is buying a few of my favorite Calvin & Hobbes strips (prints, can't afford OA) and framing them in the hallway. Probably something the kids can enjoy at the same time.

Is it not included on the back?

3,823 on about 12 IKEA length shelves. Plus 2 long boxes of slabbed books.

Not as bad as this one. Check out the current values they've assigned to these issues. Batman #0? $40? Ha!!! https://www.ebay.com/itm/huge-comic-book-collection/303571694340?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131231084308%26meid%3Deff08c110d184e4dac68ca6c4cb63c17%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D143738950128%26itm%3D303571694340%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DDefaultOrganic&_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109

Usually if you have an issue with the item, you should contact the seller first to see what they can do to remedy the situation. Jumping to "leave a bad review" is a bit of a faux pas.

I didn't actively do this, I just lucked out by buying the right book at the right time, but I picked up an FF#48 several years ago and the book has gone up 4x since then. The difference between a Silver Age key and a Modern key is 40-60 years of time proving longevity of a character. There's no telling whether or not anyone will care about Rick's 1st appearance 40 years from now. Doom and Silver Surfer on the other hand have been consistently popular through the years so the likelihood of them still being relevant to readers in 2070 seem good. There's a separate thread that discussed this. It makes my head spin trying to figure out "first in shadow", "first cameo", "first full appearance" these days. Needless to say, I went out and bought Batman #92 since that is the first full appearance. I don't expect it to be valuable and I don't care much about the character, but for $2.99 (or whatever the cover price was) I might as well have a small slice of a characters history. In the end, buy what you enjoy and you can't go wrong.

My dad did the same thing for me and they'll always be two of the best books in my collection. You gotta be careful with eBay. Hopefully the seller isn't a scammer. Hopefully the books are shipped well packaged. Hopefully you don't fall into a trap of trying to overpay for a book.

Someone else can confirm, but I could have sworn if you have an unauthenticated signature and ask for a blue label, it's automatically a 0.5 or something. That's why pretty much everyone goes green qualified label on such books.

Curious, I know there are rumors that Sasha Banks could be Sabine, but am I the only one who hopes this isn't the case? For one, Sabine is half Asian in appearance.

If you're considering sending the books to CGC (or even CBCS), you need to consider the potential resale market. Graded collectors make up a small portion of the marketplace. And for those who collect graded books, they're more interested in "blue" or "yellow" labels than they are green. Thus the higher cost for such books. If you submit the book and request a qualified label, CGC will grade it as though the signature/artwork isn't there so you'll get a higher grade, but the notation will say something like "written on cover" or something like that. (As opposed to a blue label where the signature greatly negatively impacts the grade of the book). CBCS does have a red label service that basically just means "in their estimation, this is a legit signature." It's not nearly as trustworthy as a yellow label which has a more strict standard. This all said, you need to weigh the potential resale market value vs the cost to slab. If you're sending a book for a qualified label, it's your cost to ship the book, plus grading fees, plus shipping back. All said and done, it's like $50+ unless you send multiple books and can spread out the cost of shipping. Add that to your cost to buy the book (I think you said it was $30?) and that's how much you're looking to sell the book for, just to break even. If you don't think the resale market price is greater than the cost to you, then I wouldn't advise slabbing these books.

Are you complaining about a book you haven't gotten back yet? Or did you get your book back and can clearly see the signature placement wasn't what you asked for? Hopefully on the window borders you wrote "Sam sign here please" and "Mark sign here please" and hopefully the creators would see that and sign accordingly. Worst case scenario, it comes back like the WW2 treaty below where Canada signed on the wrong line and messed it up for everyone else (thanks Canada!).

It's a very niche marketplace where any of the really well known creators have done hundreds of signings and any of the lesser known ones have less buyer demand. If you want creator signatures, I think just get the ones that really mean something to you.

I use dcbservice.com (similar service to Midtown). Each month you pre-order the books you want. Most of the books have been received in better condition than I would have otherwise received at an LCS.

Which one? About still making a windowed bag? Yes, as I stated earlier in this thread, in my opinion, that should be the recommended procedure regardless of whether the book is raw or slabbed. Again, it's what I do when submitting slabbed books through 3rd party facilitators.

He wants the book removed from the case in order for a signature to be added. This refers to the second bullet point you provided from the CGC site. Books that are already certified by CGC, including CGC Signature Series books, can be submitted for this event. CGC will remove a CGC-certified book from its holder an additional $5 fee" The book will then be re-graded and encased in a plastic shell and is able to maintain the yellow Signature Series label.

raw = ungraded slabbed = graded OP is talking about a book that's already graded. It's a little more difficult to make a precise window for a book that's in a plastic case. That said, it can be done and a windowed bag should still be sent with the book imo.

I'm not sure what part of that answered OPs question about graded books and signature location.

I didn't send any books through CGC, but when I sent slabs to facilitators, I still provided a windowed bag.