KCOComics

Wow!

This is why I've never over paid for a "highest graded copy". Truthfully, I would love to own a rare comic and show it off on these boards as "the highest graded comic". But there are so many undiscovered books out there that unless your buying some rare book in a 9.8, there is a good chance you'll soon own the second highest graded. And I likely can't afford an ultra rare book in a 9.8.

I hate flippers who buy comics, hold them for 40 years, adjust the price for inflation and then don't offer to sell them. I'm out to. You just lost yourself a cool $200.

Ha, i just watched this one close to. It will be interesting to see if more of these keep getting discovered.

That's how I am. I imagine when my kids are grown and if I'm not still enjoying this hobby I would sell most of my collection. But there are some books that are really special to me, I'll either die with or hope my kids will want to keep. My 7 year old is really into comics now so hopefully that keeps up!

With the looming recession I'm willing to pay you 2011 prices for that.... no good? It's a great book to have in your collection and I'm glad you've hung onto it for 40+ years!

I agree with all of that. The price increase I was thinking of was the lower end of the AF15 market. It was eye popping to see 1.8s going for 5 figures. The book shifted from "some day" to "well, that probably isn't going to happen". So I do wish I followed Mitch's advice and picked up a low to midgrade back in 2011. I would also prefer pep 22 to ASM1. Honestly, ASM1 isn't even on my radar. Don't get me wrong, if the right deal came along I would be all over it. It's just never been a "must have" for me personally.

His advice on AF15 was pretty good. That book went through a ton of growth. Maybe the recession will make one affordable enough for me lol.

I think this is key not only for collecting but for financial stability in general. Cash creates allot of flexibility. The flexibility to not sell stocks and collectibles when the market tanks, as well as the flexibility to buy cheap when others are selling. Its easy to write that, but life has a funny way of interpreting good plans. Job security and comfort with risk play a key role on deploying lots of cash during a recession. Comics tend to become lower priority when you've got little folks depending on you.

Axman - I hope I'm not included in slapping you around. I didn't mean anything negative by comments, only that's its very difficult to time the market. The risk of selling books with the expectation of getting them cheaper later is to great for me personally. Apologies if I was insulting.

+1 Maybe we need to start a new thread, but I love these stories.

The big books that day were X1, DD1, TOS39 and FF1. Then there were thousands of other SA books. The shop was selling them at pretty heavily discounted prices. Because of the discounts, they put in a rule that each person could only buy 1 mega key before others had a shot to buy it. I had gone a few days earlier to preview the books and decided I was going after the X1. He had a list a mile long. So I walked in, grabbed my comic and walked out smiling. I know he grabbed the DD1, but was buying more back issues when I left. The DD1 was highest graded book in the lot. The other big keys including my Xmen1 were in the 1.5 to 2.5 range.

I think it was easier to get amazing deals before Ebay really came into its own. When I was in high school in the late 90s me and my buddies would go to Cons in NYC and I had amazing buying opportunities... the problem was, I was in high school and was lucky to afford the train ticket into the city. The one I still think about the most was a mid grade journey into mystery 83 for $450. That would easily be a 5 figure book today. I also remember tables of early ASM for less than $100. I would say a crystal ball would have helped, but $450 mine as well have been $100k to me at that time.

Thank you for sharing. I think I stumbled onto your thread years ago but will revisit when I have time. I love reading other collectors journeys and stories!

Thank you for sharing this! Very cool part our hobbies history! Mitch - do you still have that AC1? How many people in your life gave you a hard time about wasting your $$?

Wait, wait wait, Mmhedy is that Mitch? I actually read your story about AC1 on these forums somewhere years ago. And I remember thinking how incredible it was that an $1800 comic book purchase was newsworthy. What's funny is, I'm sure 99% of the people watching thought "what kind of fool spends that kind of $$ on children's comic books". Fast forward to today, and we regularly see people spend 5 figures on these forums. To tell a quick story, years ago a local comic shop bought a collection filled with silver age keys in Massachusetts. I got to the parking lot at 6am and waited outside on a cold winter's day for the shop to open at 10 so I could have first pick of the collection. As it turned out, that was totally unnecessary, as only 1 other person showed up early. As me and that collector shivered in the cold together, he told me about when he bought Action Comics 1. He had an opportunity to buy one for $50k. He took out a line of credit against his house, cleared out his life savings and got it. In retrospect, I guess you could call it a good bet. That comic is worth 20xs what he paid for it today. I'm too risk adverse. The story made me queasy just listening to it, but I'm glad it worked out for him. And he obviously recovered because he still had it. As an aside, I walked out the door with an Xmen 1 that day!

I agree. As I say to my 7 year old, you can't control other people's actions, only your own. What others said on the forum are irrelevant, the seller should still be respectful. And look, I don't think it's probation worthy. My opinion is, if you are a seller you should be courteous to the audience you are trying to sell to. Call it, business advice.

It's very hard to predict what the market will do at any given time. I follow the old expression "it's not about timing the market, it's about time in the market" When the market started crashing, the last thing on my mind was selling. I was buying. Short term, I'll take some bumps, but you've got to play the long game. As for comics, I think most people do it for the love of collecting. Its not an investment, it's a hobby. It may make sense to dump them now from a financial stand point, but financial gain isn't why I collect.

If anyone is looking for or has an incomplete Action Comics 11 shoot me a PM. It is missing the centerfold and back cover. I'm willing to complete it if I can find parts or sell it to someone trying to finish a project. Updating 4/21/20 - this has been sold. Thanks guys

So I'm that collector who was never able to pay $2 for a MM12. My brother and I grew up loving comic books. We collected marvel cards and rushed home from the school to watch the animated batman and Xmen series. We road our bikes to "Grand Slam Comics" in Vernon CT and I use to marvel at the walls of silver age books. I started collecting SA and BA in high school. The days of picking up an AF15 for $0.12 or even $1200 were long gone. I would save every penny from job at kmart to go buy "big" books at shows and cons. Silver Surfer, wolverine and punisher were my favorite charectors and that's who I bought. My collecting would pause as real life responsibilities competed for funds and I've always hunted for bargains, but the only way I was ever going to get big books was through careful financial discipline. I'm sure if my friends or family knew what I spent on some of those books their jaws would drop. Maybe it is ridiculous and maybe no one will care for comics in 50 years, but I do get enormous joy from them. That joy is greatly enhanced because my 7 year old son loves it to and it's really become our thing. Now, as much as I love comics I'm extremely financially disciplined. I carry no debt outside of a manageable 15 year mortgage. I have 529 plans for my boys, 401ks and Roths, s diversified portfolio of index funds, mutual funds and stocks and emergency cash. While I recognize the value of comics, I don't think of them as an investment. It's a hobby I've enjoyed since I was a kid and my 7 year old and I can do it together. And yes, I get a little excited at the thought of the golden age market softening up. Maybe we'll stumble into some good buying opportunities that wouldn't otherwise exist.

Great books!

Thank you for the info! Very cool history.

I'm a little surprised with the popularity of superman, MC and Cap1 had similar print counts to Sup 1. What does 3 print runs mean?

I know my old shop is struggling. The owner emailed me looking to move some books. He's posting on his site and listing on Ebay. It won't be easy.