What's next? Did you ever consider...

[brasseye]

I like both

 

But which one gets your most attention

[heartened]

When I left the comic book hobby, I sent all my books to cgc for grading. What a suprise.... Not too much in the actual grades as I was pretty careful, but there were some doozies when it came to detecting almost undetectable restoration. I had unbeknowst to me, bought 'touched' comics from some of the finest and most reputable dealers and auction houses. Yes, one or two came from collectors. One of the dealers even admitted to me that his partner had added glue to the spine.... but no they wouldn't take the book back as I got a great deal anyway! Nice.

 

Great postings all around, guys. What's interesting to note is that a lot of you have cited the 'handling' or 'grading' or 'restoration' uncertainties as reasons for not going back to comics collecting. However, as technology advances, I think you will find more and more fakes/copies being sold as original artwork. It's already starting to happen and I'm wondering if you'll all be as put off by that in original art collecting as you were in comics collecting?

 

With regard to some of the comments about purchasing reprints because content is most import - I totally understand that point of view, but nothing is better than opening a vintage issue of your favorite comic and seeing all of those great house ads for upcoming issues (that you wish you had the forsight to buy off the racks) or the ads for Onion gum, 100 toy soldiers, Sea Monkeys, etc.

 

Those old letters pages were always fun to read and of course, we can't forget about all of those guys at conventions that opened the comics, put their noses really close to the pages and sniffed them as though they were sniffing a fine bouquet of wine

 

OA is one-of-a-kind, so although you can fake a copy, you'd better make sure that you're faking something that hasn't been seen in anyone's collection! If two people say they have the same thing, one person is lying. I would think it would be pretty easy to figure out who.

 

[MutantKeys]

I like both

 

But which one gets your most attention

Comics.... OA is extremely addictive and costly. Love it, but my pockets cant support to collect it strictly... I'll probably wait till the end of the year to buy another cover.

[mrpunch0]

I never understood the whole high grade book craze - especially when you guys started slabbing them in plastic. It's like collecting toys - but never opening the package to play with them.

 

I buy comic books to read them. I end up keeping a fraction of them to re-read. The rest I trade back to my LCS or give away. I'll often trade back a complete run of a book and use the credit to buy the TPB.

 

The only thing I'm ever selling off my art collection for is a black market kidney. And then only maybe.

[MONSTER]

...selling your original artwork and getting back into high grade comics or magazine collecting again? I was mulling this thought over the course of the weekend and basically surfing the 'Bay for high grade comics and I couldn't help but notice how many wonderful high grade Warren Mags (Vampi's/Creepy's/EERIE's, etc) and really cool bronze and silver age books one can obtain for mere fractions of what an original page now sells for.

 

I know a lot of art collectors sold a lot of their comics to get into original art, but I'm wondering if anyone's entertained the thought of selling their artwork to get back into comics?

 

So does this mean you'll be selling the cover to Hulk 377 soon?

[Mister Trent]

 

I totally understand that point of view, but nothing is better than opening a vintage issue of your favorite comic and seeing all of those great house ads for upcoming issues (that you wish you had the forsight to buy off the racks) or the ads for Onion gum, 100 toy soldiers, Sea Monkeys, etc.

 

 

I just picked up that 100 toy solider treasure chest at a garage sale for 25 cents. It is the size of wooden matchbook box and the toy soldiers,planes,ships etc are all flat not like what you imagined as a kid.

 

It would be cool to a gallery of all these products with the original ad next to the real product you would have recieved had you sent in your money. I have the x-ray vision specs too! The real prize would be that miniature sub.

 

I heard that the miniature sub was a huge disappointment. It had flat sides that folded out.

 

I used to look at that ad as a kid, and believed all the hype (thinking it was something you could take the local swimming pool to ride around in).

[Nexus]

OA or: How I Learned to Stopped Worrying and Love the Art

 

I have zero interest in collecting high-grade comics again for all the reasons already mentioned. Making the switch to OA liberated me from a way of looking at collectibles that I had conditioned myself to...at the expense of fun and joy. I'm having too much fun now and the thought of going back is about as appealing as going back from college to high school.

 

I will say that within the OA hobby, my focus is changing. As I've gotten published examples from most of my favorite works, and am most likely priced out of the others, I've gotten a lot of satisfaction from commissions/con sketches. Also, the wait for something really I want to turn up can be interminable, so this is a fun diversion in the meantime.

 

In fact, I can't wait to show off the great piece I'm getting from Jason Pearson

[Mister Trent]

When I left the comic book hobby, I sent all my books to cgc for grading. What a suprise.... Not too much in the actual grades as I was pretty careful, but there were some doozies when it came to detecting almost undetectable restoration. I had unbeknowst to me, bought 'touched' comics from some of the finest and most reputable dealers and auction houses. Yes, one or two came from collectors. One of the dealers even admitted to me that his partner had added glue to the spine.... but no they wouldn't take the book back as I got a great deal anyway! Nice.

 

With regard to some of the comments about purchasing reprints because content is most import - I totally understand that point of view, but nothing is better than opening a vintage issue of your favorite comic and seeing all of those great house ads for upcoming issues (that you wish you had the forsight to buy off the racks) or the ads for Onion gum, 100 toy soldiers, Sea Monkeys, etc.

 

Those old letters pages were always fun to read and of course, we can't forget about all of those guys at conventions that opened the comics, put their noses really close to the pages and sniffed them as though they were sniffing a fine bouquet of wine

 

But as the trend for slabbed books takes over, you don't actually get to see all those neat additions . . . or indulge in some 'paper sniffing' (if that's your thing).

[markseifert]

 

I heard that the miniature sub was a huge disappointment. It had flat sides that folded out.

 

I used to look at that ad as a kid, and believed all the hype (thinking it was something you could take the local swimming pool to ride around in).

 

 

 

[Mister Trent]

 

I heard that the miniature sub was a huge disappointment. It had flat sides that folded out.

 

I used to look at that ad as a kid, and believed all the hype (thinking it was something you could take the local swimming pool to ride around in).

 

 

 

 

Is that the actual sub, or something someone's father built for them as a substitute?

[KLNole]

Romans

 

This is a link to some of pics of the 2 D Roman Soldiers you would get. Also, you can go to my CAF and see the recreation Russ Heath the original artist for that and the Revolutionary War soldiers ads) did of the original ad for me. Much simpler times back then.

 

But to stay on topic, I used to collect high grade comics back in the late 80's. It got to a point where I was too worried about keeping them safe and wanting to read them. I sold them all to help pay my tuition to go to Film School. Now I buy reading copies that can sit on my nightstand or on a shelf and just enjoy the nostalgia and that wonderful old comic scent.

[dem1138]

I don't think there is any better example to illustrate the points being made here than the discussion in the General forum about the AF #15 CGC 8.0 White pages now for sale on CL for $66,000.

Due to the amazing wealth of knowledge on these boards, this book was almost immediately identified as having formerly sold for $12,000 two years ago as a CGC 7.0 White pages. This book had since been pressed into an 8.0 with an asking price 5.5 times what it originally sold for. This book already has an offer of $60,000 on it.

For me, I would never consider buying this book knowing its former grade/history. These issues simply aren't concerns with original art.

[jbud73]

I remember standing at the crossroads of HG comics and OA which began to occur when I got close to finishing runs like DD and X-Men, things I had been working on for years (and I'm not that old) It was probably X-men #1 that sealed my HG comics fate. Having obsessed about GSX 1 and X-men 94 (do I buy the 9.2, or the 9.4, raw or graded, is the .2 differential really worth 4x the previous grade when it may very well be a Nelson special and once a 9.0) all of that made me

 

So when I finally got around to X-Men #1 the decision to dump 5K into a 8.0 #1 just to complete a respectable run made me throw up my hands in "I give up" So I'm still 7 issues away on X-Men and about 25 issues on DD, sometimes I get the urge to buy a HG issue I need for around 300-500, mostly I don't.

 

Now OA comes with its own set of Monsters, and I still have a soft spot for Peds (which I why I can relate to Jim, and why my WMs are mine )

 

The Yin Yang for me has been that OA is so much more expensive and there is more room for error both ways (not buying and buying the piece) coupled with acquiring fewer examples of art than you would comics and therefore doing less collecting overall. On the flip side once you buy that SA Marvel in 9.4, its usually in a slab, off to a box, never to be seen for years. At least in OA you can frame and display and get some enjoyment out of what you are collecting.

 

Maybe I'll finish the runs maybe I will sell them off, but one thing is for sure, if I ever did finish X-Men, Avengers would not be next. The want list has remained the same for 18 months and is not going to increase anytime soon.

 

Hope all is well with everyone,

 

Jason

[OldGuy]

No.

[jjonahjameson1]

...For me, I would never consider buying this book knowing its former grade/history. These issues simply aren't concerns with original art.

 

They're not concerns yet. But I forsee this happening sooner than you think.

[adamstrange]

I've been collecting comics and original art for about 17 years. I don't see any reason to give up either one as they hit different buttons. I enjoy reading the stories in their original form as reprinted stories are never colored the same and look different when they are printed on paper other than the original newsprint. Besides I'm color guy and there is nothing like the seeing art as it was intended to be viewed. I started collecting pre-CGC so encapsulation is no requirement for purchasing nor an impediment when buying as the books can be removed (mine are).

[/img]

 

Original art is great because you can, as folks have noted, hang it on the wall and have it more available for regular viewing. And, for the great artists, you can see it in it's full glory with all of the detail that is sometimes missing when reduced for printing. I'm definitely more of a comics collector than an art collector in terms of percentage of my collection, but I'm always looking.

 

[adamstrange]

Romans

 

This is a link to some of pics of the 2 D Roman Soldiers you would get. Also, you can go to my CAF and see the recreation Russ Heath the original artist for that and the Revolutionary War soldiers ads) did of the original ad for me. Much simpler times back then.

 

But to stay on topic, I used to collect high grade comics back in the late 80's. It got to a point where I was too worried about keeping them safe and wanting to read them. I sold them all to help pay my tuition to go to Film School. Now I buy reading copies that can sit on my nightstand or on a shelf and just enjoy the nostalgia and that wonderful old comic scent.

 

Beautiful recreation!

 

When I discussed that ad with him over 10 years ago he swore he would never do a recreation because of how much work it would be!

[Mister Trent]

Original art is great because you can, as folks have noted, hang it on the wall and have it more available for regular viewing. And, for the great artists, you can see it in it's full glory with all of the detail that is sometimes missing when reduced for printing. I'm definitely more of a comics collector than an art collector in terms of percentage of my collection, but I'm always looking.

 

 

That's a terrific Russ Heath splash!

 

. . . and, funnily enough, the flash reflecting off the area of the pilot's glasses has produced a neat effect!!

[markseifert]

 

I heard that the miniature sub was a huge disappointment. It had flat sides that folded out.

 

I used to look at that ad as a kid, and believed all the hype (thinking it was something you could take the local swimming pool to ride around in).

 

 

 

 

Is that the actual sub, or something someone's father built for them as a substitute?

 

That's actually it! click thru to the flickr page and the guy has a brief remembrance of playing with it.

[Mister Trent]

 

I heard that the miniature sub was a huge disappointment. It had flat sides that folded out.

 

I used to look at that ad as a kid, and believed all the hype (thinking it was something you could take the local swimming pool to ride around in).

 

 

 

 

Is that the actual sub, or something someone's father built for them as a substitute?

 

That's actually it! click thru to the flickr page and the guy has a brief remembrance of playing with it.

 

Looks better than I was led to believe!