Trimming The Fat

[nik]

So what value would you guys consider a cut off point.

 

Over $200, $300, $400..... to keep.

[blue808]

So when can we expect your next sales thread?

[DrWatson]

I don't understand a value cutoff point. Some of my favorite books at the moment aren't worth even $100.

[nik]

This has nothing to do with favorite books Doc

[GACollectibles]

Lets say you have roughly two thousand books, raw and slabbed combined. Out of those books, roughly one hundred have a value off $500 or higher per book while the other nineteen hundred have a value of anywhere from $50 to under $500 each.

 

Would you rather sell the 1900 and purchase the more expensive book, or sell the hundred expensive ones and buy more of the inexpensive book.

 

This is just a quantity vs. value thing, so all you blue blooded collectors and purists take it easy

 

Sell the 1900....can I pick them up this weekend?

 

 

 

EDIT: I see blue beat me to it!

[DrWatson]

That's just silly. Why keep a book you don't particularly care for just because it's worth over X amount?

[brasseye]

So what value would you guys consider a cut off point.

 

Over $200, $300, $400..... to keep.

 

Is there much of a difference in the under $500 bracket.

It's a band that a large group of boardies seem to operate in, if they're buying slabs or HG raw material.

 

If not, it's just the under $100 bargain hunters, or the $10 or less per 20 'any conditon will do' classic reader collector.

[He11blazer]

I fantasize about selling off everything except my core runs. I need the storage space as much as anything else.

 

Then I hit the reality of how much effort it takes to sell off hundreds of low value books.

 

Also, I start going through a box and immediately it's a case of "Oh, I should just keep this one, and this one... and those three actually... and I've been meaning to read these..."

 

[Limited66]

If your trying to thin out the collection I would sell the less expensive books wiith one exception.

Keep in mind the potential growth/demand for some of the lower priced ones.

 

I think this is dead-on (thumbs u

[Jeffro.]

Lets say you like them all but want to go in one direction or other.

 

 

I recently decided to go in another direction and all those bronze superhero books I was so rabid about collecting 10-20 years ago now have to go to feed my new direction.

[Ogami]

Both/And

 

My collection began with my first book. (Peter Parker 99 for Superhero books, years earlier was reading Duck books)

 

It burgeoned to, at one point, close to 6,000 books.

 

Now, I'm around 3k, with plans to sell off another 500-1000 eventually, (but also, picking up around 300ish in that same time).

 

I want to eventually own complete runs of Spider-Man, all runs, Daredevil, Avengers, and Fantastic Four. Dr. Strange is on the fence. And this is not counting complete runs of TMNT, Usagi, Groo, Nexus, and other books.

 

And I want to own all of the major SA Marvel keys.

 

I own a complete run of ASM, PP, WOS, DD, and lack 100+ copies of Avengers.

 

I have ASM1, AVG 1, X-Men 1, ST 110, JIM 83, DD 1.

[Stronguy]

If those are real numbers you're using you have between $95,000 and $950,000 in just those 1900 books. Even if that's way on the low side of that range I would sell them and buy several nice, nice books.

[Ogami]

So what value would you guys consider a cut off point.

 

Over $200, $300, $400..... to keep.

 

I confess to not being able to understand this style of collecting at all.

 

I'm aware of it- there is a rich tradition of book collectors who only collected "valuable" books, but confessed to care nothing for the inherent value of the books.

 

True collectors in my opinion love their collection, regardless of "value".

 

Dealer/Collectors treasure the monetary value of a thing in and completely of itself.

 

I compare it to literacy. Why would I own a thing I couldn't read? Why would I collect a thing I did not love?

[alecholland]

Lets say you like them all but want to go in one direction or other.

 

Since when did you start worrying about focus?

 

At any rate, I wouldn't base your decision on price. Keep the books you love, sell the books you don't. That's my

[marvelcollector]

It's simple really....Collect what you like and/or can afford.

Only you can determine that matrix.

 

If you talking about it strictly from a monetary/flipping perspective....

 

 

.....so, obviously, I've been no help at all....

 

[marvelcollector]

I confess to not being able to understand this style of collecting at all.

 

I'm aware of it- there is a rich tradition of book collectors who only collected "valuable" books, but confessed to care nothing for the inherent value of the books.

 

True collectors in my opinion love their collection, regardless of "value".

 

Dealer/Collectors treasure the monetary value of a thing in and completely of itself.

 

I compare it to literacy. Why would I own a thing I couldn't read? Why would I collect a thing I did not love?

 

This is very well said. (thumbs u

 

I particularly agree with the third sentence.

[FlyingDonut]

Sell the books you can replace easily. Don't keep things that are relatively common at the expense of getting something that isn't.

[Ogami]

Sell the books you can replace easily. Don't keep things that are relatively common at the expense of getting something that isn't.

 

well see, this I understand.

 

I have been guilty at sacrificing the best at the cost of the good.

 

I've bought over $3,000.00 dollars worth of books since I came back into the industry in 2002. Probably closer to $5,000.00.

 

For that amount of money I could have bought a fantastic copy of my grail.

 

garumph,

[nik]

Sell the books you can replace easily. Don't keep things that are relatively common at the expense of getting something that isn't.

 

well see, this I understand.

 

I have been guilty at sacrificing the best at the cost of the good.

 

I've bought over $3,000.00 dollars worth of books since I came back into the industry in 2002. Probably closer to $5,000.00.

 

For that amount of money I could have bought a fantastic copy of my grail.

 

garumph,

 

Like I said from the start its a quantity vs. value thing, nothing more. An example would be similar to this.

 

 

Would you keep this book thats worth over $500

 

 

 

 

vs. this book that worth under $500

 

 

[Foolkiller]

I am thinning out stuff that I just don't find that desirable and upgrading/keeping many other books and putting it into less volume. I still love the keys -- and I've found I've acquired a lot of junk that is unfocused over the years and have sold it off.

 

What I've found I love are a lot of marvel titles in 8.0-9.0 with terrific eye appeal and page quality but minor defects... those I'm keeping. Keys, keeping. 10 cent HG DCs, keeping. BA Caps, keeping. all else... who knows.

 

I'd rather have fewer high quality books.