Jesse-Lee

Which also calls to question the idea that highest grade is always better - I see a lot of books that see higher overall percentage returns in mid- to mid-high grades. Of course hindsight is 20/20, but I personally like to spread my money across more books in a presentable grade than all in one high-grade basket because of that.

Not to keep hammering home the IH 181 comparisons, but I did find this post from 2010 (from these forums) interesting: yep but if you buy one copy today for a thousand dollars, the odds are it will still be worth a thousand dollars 5 years from now, the profit for this book is 9.6 and up. Same thing can be said for Giant Size X-men 1 and X-men 94, you can spend your grand on them now and only expect that same grand back after holding them for the next 5 years. They are great books but the profit has sailed on these if now bought at current market prices. In 2010, $1,000 would have probably gotten you a VF or 8.0 copy of IH 181. FMV on that copy today - 10 years later - is more than 4x that at about $4,300. That's if you're able to get a copy at dead-on current GoCollect FMV (which, if their FMVs of ASM 300 is any indication, is spotty at best). My point is that this same argument is always made about key books like this that start to catch fire.

I've never been fully on board with the comparison of overall census to value, simply because I feel like the true measure (or at least a large measure) should be current copy supply available for sale. I think if there are 23,000 in the census, but only a few hundred readily available copies at any given time, then the supply of copies vs the demand of people who want them is what will determine the market, not the total of all existing copies. That's why I made the comment that we're starting to see increased supply on eBay and other auction/sales sites, which to me signals that the price will soon level out or potentially dip. But I still see this as a longer-term hold personally.

Yeah, it's remarkable, but it's just like anything else really - I'd love to own a Mercedes, but I can't really afford it. But I still have a car. People buy what they can afford (hopefully), and there are a lot of people out there who can afford a lot more than others. And you can say that at any level really; I know a lot of people who would - and do - think I'm crazy for spending $400 on a comic for example.

I would've said Star Wars 1, but that Raiders book would be pretty sweet with those three sigs on it!

I also can't believe that a purple label 5.0 is set to sell for at least $350 two hours from now. Hopefully it's not a less-than-scrupulous buyer who plans to crack it and try to re-sell it raw...

Yeah, I was hoping to see a big run-up at the end, kind of a let down.

That's a sweet-looking book. Looks like it'll break $7k...

I'd do a chapter on Plop! and its crossover appeal in the horror and satire genres - DC horror books, MAD, etc. Basil Wolverton is already in there so it'd be a great segue, and "The Gourmet" story from Plop! #1 still haunts me - and that'd give Bernie Wrightson some due props too. This is a super cool book!

I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but I'm just saying that most (newer?) collectors would probably rather buy the first full Venom in a top grade than Hal Jordan's first appearance in a mid to low grade.

Another good rule is "buy the book, not the grade." I have books that I just want to have in my collection that present as nicely as possible, and I don't necessarily care about the grade. Take for example my recent Batman 244 purchase. I'd wanted this book for a while, and I saw an auction on eBay for a 6.5, but this is the book: There was some sun shadow on the back of the book, on the bottom cover and a bit on the side - apparently CGC knocks that down quite a bit, because it's seen as staining. But the cover presentation honestly looks like a 9.0. As it was, I paid easy 6.5 money for the book, and it's so much better looking in-hand, just a gorgeous copy. I was seeing 7.5-8.5 graded copies that didn't look as good on the front, and I was seeing raw copies going for $120-$140 that easily looked worse. I paid $99. This is one of my favorite covers ever, and the front looks beautiful. So to me, I thought, who cares what the number at the top says? I got a great looking copy at what I looked at like a deal price. And if I ever need to sell, I'm not going to get a blockbuster deal probably, but I should at least break even. So ask yourself if you want a gorgeous book to admire, or need to have the top-rated copy.

Very true - and I hope he's able to reach his goal - I really do think this is a unique book along the lines of a Hulk 181 and I'll hold to that. But the fact is that all grades are seeing increases and I don't think that can be explained by the fact that 9.8s are moving higher. Partially explained, sure - once 9.8 becomes unattainable for the general collector, they move to 9.6/9.4 and then those start to balloon. But the fact remains that this book is seeing an explosion in all grades that is a little crazy.

I read it like this, I didn't think you were implying anything - I think it just got lost in translation. Honestly, this book has been outpacing FMV for weeks or more now, almost to the point where I want to call "shenanigans" on places like GoCollect who haven't significantly updated their FMV listings in a while. When I bought mine (an 8.5) on 9/16, FMV was listed at $350 and I paid $380. But prices haven't been that low in a long time, and if you look at 8.5 specifically, they probably shouldn't have even been that low then. There were 8.5 sales of blue label CGCs of $455 on 9/6, $475 on 9/5, $478 on 9/4, etc. It seems I just got lucky, right place at the right time. Now though, there's a 2.5 (!) for a BIN of $250... If that one sells I think it's really an indication of the fact that people really want to own this book in any way they can. But for some reason I also see that listing as "jumping the shark" a bit somehow (sorry if it belongs to someone on here, and hey, get your money).

Just so I'm clear, I believe this book is a long term hold that has the potential to be a Hulk 181 type of book in its desirability, collectability and ultimately value. However, we're getting to a point on eBay and other sites where supply is starting to outpace demand. I don't think this upward trend can or will continue in the short term - I think prices will start to stabilize and maybe even dip a bit soon. I think it'll bounce back in the long term, but I think @jjonahjameson11 had it right a few posts back when talking about the plateaus and rebounds.

I can help you recoup those losses, I'll buy any of your remaining Thor 337s at $3 a copy...

This book is crazy. An 8.0 Newsstand auction just finished at $530. I paid $380 for my 8.5 just three weeks ago.

Yeah, I used to have the TPB of Son of the Demon and read that thing to tatters. This copy is really very clean overall - little bit of "crinkling" on the top of the jacket and a little color rub on the back, but overall it was kept really nicely! The dust jackets are super tough to keep in high grade.

Thanks @AnkurJ!

I do think it's worth it for me - but to be clear, I don't own a ton of slabbed books or anything. There were a few key books that I really wanted, and for me, since I buy a lot online, it was worth it to have a copy that I knew was a 9.4 since it was graded instead of taking a chance on a raw copy. There are a lot of books that I've found where the slabbed price isn't really all that much more than the raw price when you consider the costs of grading, etc. And with a slabbed copy I feel like at least I know what I'm getting vs a raw copy listed as "NM" that looks more like an 8.0 once you receive it.

Like a lot of this hobby, and like you said, it depends on a lot of factors and variables - your goal, your collection philosophy, your budget, etc. As someone who "collected" comics as a kid in the 80s and early 90s (I use quotes because really I just bought to read, and a lot of the books I bought back then are either gone or super low grade) and then got back in recently (within the last few months), here's my outlook. I've been buying books on a few different criteria: raw books that I used to have and want again in as high a grade as I can accept and afford; books (raw or graded) that I always wanted, again in as high a grade as I can accept and afford; and "blue chip" books - books that are universally sought after, typically in the bronze/copper age because that's what I lean toward, that should continue to perform well because their status as a collectible is fairly cemented. These books are the ones I buy graded, and again, an intersection of affordability and grade is what I look for. Personally, I don't chase 9.8s. A lot of people probably disagree with this, but I've looked at a lot of book trends, and I've noticed a pattern of books in the 9.2-9.6 range (and in some cases, lower) that are high performers, in that the percent gain on upward price mobility often outstrips that of a 9.8 on the same book. Meaning, in the same time a $1,000 9.8 sees a 20% increase to $1,200, the same book in a 9.4 at $200 might increase to $300, which is a 50% increase - these are hypothetical numbers of course and are an extreme example, but you can find real examples of this in a lot of books. Obviously there are advantages to 9.8s - owning what is practically the "top grade" in a book, relative scarcity, the ability to potentially set the top end of the market. However, if you're seeing a disparity in percentage increases, it allows you to diversify across titles - you could buy 5 $200 9.4 books for the same price as 1 $1,000 9.8 book, for example. To me that means if one title tanks for some reason, you're potentially protected by not having all your eggs in one basket. I also try to find deals below current Fair Market Values whenever possible in order to make my dollar go farther. Not through nefarious means, but just through targeting a couple of specific titles at a time and really watching sales on the auctions, eBay, etc. to hunt the best deal and find under-priced anomalies. So far the only graded book I've paid above FMV for is Amazing Spider-Man 300, and the upward movement of that book has been so fast-paced that the current FMV already adjusted to be greater than my purchase price, and I bought in only a few weeks ago. I'm not saying my way is better than anyone's, and I'm sure many seasoned collectors here could probably argue against what I'm saying and poke holes in my reasoning. But so far it's worked for me and I've bought a number of CGC graded books in what I consider really nice grades that I'm proud to own, potentially display, and that should show gains or at least get me my money back if I ever decided to sell. When I started a couple of months ago though, I tried to limp into the hobby with a really low budget and high expectations, and in doing that, you may find yourself unsatisfied or under-equipped. I'm sure if you looked at my earliest posts here you'd see I made a lot of mistakes and had a lot of bad preconceived notions at first. Since then I changed my philosophy, studied, and diverted investment dollars from some other areas I had money in (I'm a long-time domain name trader for example, and I sold off a few of those recently to re-invest in comics). At the end if the day, like a lot of things I like to invest in or collect, I typically only buy/collect what I personally like, but with an eye toward also protecting myself from losing out. I also love the quality of a nice encapsulated book, especially when it's something I've always admired or have some kind of memory/experience tied to it. Sorry, this was a longer post than I intended, but hopefully it helps in some way. And good luck on the journey!

Two of these left at a nearby LCS today. I grabbed the nicest of the two for cover price - looks 9.8 to me, which means it's probably 9.4-9.6. Looks like it's already selling on eBay for around $20, with new listings between $20-$30. If I'd realized that I would have just grabbed them both, but at least someone else can get a good find. (Not my scan):

A 9.6 went for an astounding $2,550 with 47 bids - that's a bit of an anomaly most likely due to the fact that it's a 9.6 in a really old CGC slab, so the winner is surely hoping to press and regrade into a 9.8. But it's amazing to look at sales in all grades and how this still continues to climb - not just in Buy It Now sales, but in auctions with a high number of bids.

Shared this in the "New in your collection" thread, but I thought people might like to see it here too - these are some really cool books. I've wanted that Son of the Demon LTD edition for a while, and I got an amazing deal on these in really nice condition! Batman: Son of the Demon 1st print Limited Edition, signed by Mike Barr and Jerry Bingham, numbered 535 of 1,700. First appearance of Damian Wayne? And Batman: Bride of the Demon 1st print hardcover, still sealed.

Yeah, that surprised me too because it really was hyped, but I just loved the Ross cover a lot. I think it seems pretty clear cut though, he's got about 4-pages of book time and he's named in it too...

Here's a recent personal example though - I just bought a three-cover package of Wolverine 6 (so the A,B and C covers issues of the same comic) for $8 + shipping, so like $12 total, three weeks ago on eBay. I just saw that same package sell for $28.50 today... But on the flip side, I have bought some higher-priced variants recently, but just because I absolutely loved the cover. I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it.