KEY ISSUES Comics

My comment is based upon my 15 years of buying/selling comics across a wide spectrum of venues from Instagram to conventions. Not everyone is a flipper, but there are a lot more than before the Movie Age of comics. It's like '88-92 again with an influx of speculators. And by "flipper", I mean people who flip, as in haggle and haggle and haggle with the hopes of getting a deal on the latest hot book so that they can make a quick profit. They are not the type of 'collector' who are good for the long-term health of this hobby most of us love so much. That is my concern. Like I said, it's just my opinion from my perspective. Frankly, I wish all comics were worth $100 or less so that they wouldn't be seen as such a commodity. #PipeDreams

Speaking for myself in my region only, I have to say that collections--complete collections of quality material--have dried up, or at least are more difficult to obtain due to increased competition. Everyone and their grandmother thinks they're a dealer these days. Flippers are everywhere now due to the increased awareness. Also, there are fewer collections being 'made' these days. Younger people with money are buying select keys and hype books that they in turn attempt to flip. They're not building runs and true collections like the generations that preceded them. Therefore, they have to much lose short term by selling to dealers because they haven't held onto these keys/hot books long enough for them to appreciate enough to the point where they are willing to settle for 50-70% of current FMV. Instead they sell them directly to the end user. Having said that, I think many small-time dealers will likely close-up shop in the years to come as the movie hype era dies down. Every character will have appeared in a movie and/or TV series before long and prices will reach a sort of equilibrium and there will be fewer opportunities for breakout issues for flippers to capitalize upon. That's just my gut instinct. I could be completely wrong about this. What do you folks think?

As a young child, my grandmother used to bring me home garbage bags full of Bronze Age comics from her weekly church bazaar/rummage sale. I fell in love with Tomb of Dracula, Godzilla, Werewolf By Night, Unknown Soldier an Sgt. Rock. Superhero books were surely present, but it's those war and horror books that hooked me. Later during my pre-teen years I started picking up whatever caught my eye at the local corner store; the monthly selection always varied. It consisted mostly of Sgt. Rock, Team America, Rom, Iron Man, Star Wars, and miscellaneous Charlton titles. Then one day I picked up Uncanny X-Men #202, and the rest, a they say, was history. From that day forth I became a Claremont X-Men junkie because--as a loner and bit of an outsider--I could relate to the problems mutants dealt with. I then scrambled to find back issues, whether they be in English or in French.

Those books fly out of my $1-$2 bins at cons. However, you're not likely set up for such an endeavour, so getting rid of the lot quickly for $25-50 is probably your best bet as per the comments above. Comics are NOT commodities. Some are, but only a minority of them. Most are entertainment like used DVDs and novels. Th only way to make money from these sorts of things is to put in the hours and work for it. It's not a get rich fast solution. Read'em and enjoy'em!

I'm sure I shall.

Thanks Jeff! My first board transaction in years... Welcome back me!

I'm sorry you had to experience this. There's no way I'd ship a graded book like that! What are people thinking?!?!

Thanks!

Hi, Can you put the FF #130 on hold? I'm also looking for #112, 133, and 138. Thanks!

Thanks for sharing!

That is correct. It's a common book and I, like many others I'm sure, have owned numerous copies with this manufacturing defect. I believe I've had a CGC 9.4-9.6 with it so don't worry or let anyone tell you it's low grade because of it.

Thanks!

Really? Now those tables are something I'd like to present to my friend so he could make the best-informed decision possible.

Thanks for all the feedback folks. It really isn't an easy decision. I for one would prefer the sig to be authenticated as a buyer, even if it is via CBCS for instance. Speaking of CBCS, why all of the hate? Back to the book in question. Ultimately, the seller would like to maximize his return. I know it'll be tough to sell, whichever option is chosen, but which route do you think will yield the highest price???

Wow, quite the complex system. Thanks!

Green for the "remarked" since the signature and "To Eric" cannot be verified. Please correct me if I am wrong because this has changed. I've received green labels in the past for unverified signatures.

Thanks gang. Decisions, decisions... Go straight to CGC, which is where I get all of my comics graded, and a get a green label, or go elsewhere and possibly get the sig verified but deal with the consequences of a grading service with a lesser reputation?

Well here's a question for CGC. Would you recognize and accept a CBCS book with a verified signature and label it yellow if submitted for grading?

I've always been concerned about the $100 limit too, but no one seems to have had issues with it as far as I know. I might be sending a $7K book to get graded, so I want to make sure I'm covered in the event of a 'problem.'

Thanks. "CPC?" Is that our postal service? Regardless, I always let CGC ship via their Fedex system. So, you've never had any issues using Fedex upon return without supplying any export papers?

Thanks for the input gang. That was my fear; covering it up would likely look bad. Fortunately, IMHO, the placement of the "To Eric" isn't that bad. It would have been much worse had it been placed over one of the characters or the text. As for the signature verification, I shall look elsewhere then. I was hoping CGC could do it. And yes, the book looks MUCH nicer than 3.0. I'd give it a solid 5.0. The main problems from what I recall are foxing along the top of the FC and a crease on the BC that would be 'fixed' by pressing. Any other input regarding what resto could do, if anything, before I inform my friend? Thanks.

Hi All, It's been years since I've submitted books with my own account. During that time the Canadian temporary exports paper work--and perhaps procedure-- has changed. I used to bring my comics to the customs office so that an employee could witness the items I filled out on the now defunct green forms. This guaranteed that there would be no duties to be paid upon return to me in Canada due to the "temporary export" nature of the items. I'd like to know what Canadians do to make sure they don't get nailed with a customs fee. Some tell me they ship the books normally and CGC takes care of customs matters upon return to ensure that we don't get nailed for fees we shouldn't have to pay. I'm doubtful that's the case because it sure wasn't the case back in the day. Thanks in advance!

Hello all, I'm hoping those of you more knowledgeable in the ways of restoration can direct me on the right course of action. Pictured below is a rather solid copy of ASM #1 belonging to a friend of mine. He is considering selling it--and the rest of his collection--in order to purchase something else. Sadly, there is a "To Eric" within a speech bubble. My friend's name is Eric. He worked with Stan at a con several years ago, which is when Stan signed it and wrote "To Eric." Eric was not exactly pleased. He had not asked Stan to add that 'bonus' scribble. Needless to say it has affected the book's value and desirability to those not named "Eric." Therefore, I suggested to my friend to have it restored by removing the "To Eric" and speech bubble, as well as having the autograph authenticated and then grading it. (Does CGC authenticate signatures without a witness?). So, my restoration questions are as follows: First, can it be removed? If so, what degree of restoration will it be assigned? (i.e.) SP, MA, etc. This is a pretty nice copy that cost my friend what is to him, a sizeable sum of money, which he would like to now invest elsewhere. It's therefore important to choose the course of action that will allow him to get the best return. Thanks in advance!

I'm currently watching it as well. It only gets better. It's definitely not for young children. I'd even say it's better than the 2 recent live action movies.