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So I nabbed a ASM 194 CGC 9.4 with mixed emotions

Started by jbud73,

16 posts in this topic

jbud73

jbud73

Posted
Posted

Well there it was so I track bid it at around 73.00 figuring that it would hit 100 no problemo. The last 3 I tracked all hit 120 and up. So I'm out of town for a few days come back and whammo I won the book. 893scratchchin-thumb.gif and my first reaction was 893whatthe.gif thats cool I think I might have sniped that one..... of course then the realization hit that I paid 75 bones for a book I dont think is worth 75 bucks. tonofbricks.gif but then I thought for sure I could flip it and make a easy 50 thumbsup2.gif but hey Im a collector and for some reason when I was back issuing spidey a few years back I was way more concerned with the nightcrawler app. than the 1st black cat and my copy is a piece of cow dung.

 

I'm gonna keep the book, but this got me thinking again, about the whole bronze age thing (I mean MP#15 $710 flamed.gif) The fact is that there are alot of Bronze age books out there in nice raw shape that can be slabbed instead of paying the insane amounts of money. I think that I sadly am the example of why these books are fetching stupid money. people are lazy, I have about 12 slabs, but have never sent a CGC submission in. I always told myself that it was becasue its not cost effective from Canada for the books I have. Well I think that might be a tad rationalization for my laziness and now I live in the states, so the point is moot. I think the point is that BA is still a sellers market, if you are a collector like me sorry but you need to get off ur butt, go look at some books get some nice raw issues ...... 893whatthe.gif mayeb even read them I know a novel concept. Then if you decide to, send a few in. I think that I'm ready to take the plunge after X-Mas as I need to return home to select the books that are going to go in. 893crossfingers-thumb.gif

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awe4one

awe4one

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Posted

Great, honest, post......

 

Makes you wonder what those that have paid hundreds (and even thousands) for "common" HG Bronze think about their buys...... insane.gif

 

I'll admit that I've bought CGC books and, later, regreted the purchase. But, at least in my case, if you're collecting for the sake of having a nice copy for your collection then the outlay of cash is somewhat mitigated. The EBay waters (at least when discussing condition) are ripe with unfulfilled wishes.....

 

Jim

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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I'm in the same boat, but I don't actually run out and buy a ton of CGC each month.

 

When I really think about it, I come back to the old 1975 cut-off date for economical grading. Most of my faves are in the 20-cent range, and since it's outlandish to pay current rates for a book that Guides for $50, my collection remains unslabbed.

 

Another reason isn't laziness, but that when the subs "miss" and hit only a 9.2 or 9.4, you can often nab the book for less than Guide + Slabbing Cost, thereby getting a bit of a deal compared to the other method.

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awe4one

awe4one

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This a whole different collecting world than when when we were talking three years ago..huh...Vince?

 

Some of our greatest fears have materialized.....

 

But other than the extreme highest grades....has it had as much of an impact as was expected?

 

I say yes......and it's sad..........

 

Jim

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CosmicBob

CosmicBob

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I know how you feel I bid on an X-Men #12 in high CGC grade because I thought it couldn't possibly sell for $100 less than guide. Needless to say I now have a nice copy of X-Men #12 27_laughing.gif

 

Eric

 

That was how I ended up with a Superman 5 CGC 7.5. It sold for a bit under guide, even with the Heritage juice and shipping cost. Not much under guide, mind you, but still under guide. If I could get Superman 2 to 25 in 7.5 for just under guide, I would. I just didn't expect it.

 

Oh well, it's not like it's a bad book to have!

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted
I'm in the same boat, but I don't actually run out and buy a ton of CGC each month.

 

When I really think about it, I come back to the old 1975 cut-off date for economical grading. Most of my faves are in the 20-cent range, and since it's outlandish to pay current rates for a book that Guides for $50, my collection remains unslabbed.

 

Another reason isn't laziness, but that when the subs "miss" and hit only a 9.2 or 9.4, you can often nab the book for less than Guide + Slabbing Cost, thereby getting a bit of a deal compared to the other method.

 

Hey Joe-

 

Here is some money saving advice (maybe you are doing this). 893applaud-thumb.gif Go see your CPA or tax guy. If you are not set up as a business, make yourself a business. Then make sure you do some buying and selling each year, even if you only break even or lose money. Just like the stock market, you can always find a few losers if profits are going too high. Why do this? confused.gif

 

The IRS allows as deductions: Appraisal and grading fees are tax deductible smile.gif, shipping costs (postage & insurance) are tax deductible smile.gif. Buy yourself a safe for your valuable comics thumbsup2.gifwink.gif, it's tax deductible for your business. Need to go to shows and conventions to keep up with the current market? Save your receipts, the travel and cost to get in , as well as meals are all tax deductible. Need a better scanner, save the receipt as it will be tax deductible.

 

All of these deductions will be things you can write off against ordinary income, where state and local rates combines can approach 50%. You don't have to show a profit to write anything off. Just prove that a profit is ultimately your intent. Typically you get at least 3 years of losses, before the IRS may try to stop you as a hobbyist, not a business. All of this means keeping records, but look at all the benefits. 893scratchchin-thumb.gif

 

EVen in the lower tax brackets you probably save a third. So a book that cost 25 to slab suddenly has a true cost to slab of 16. A $450 scanner suddenly costs $300 in real money. A modern slab goes from 12 to 8. You get the point. makepoint.gifmakepoint.gifmakepoint.gif

 

I submit, no pun intended, that a quality silver book does not need to be worth $100 to get graded with economics like that. If you are in the highest tax bracket a 25 slab suddenly cost 12.50. A modern slab cost $6. At these rates you can slab even some very questionable comics. To me knowing the exact quality of what I have makes slabbing of many books worthwhile. The debate as to whether CGC is the best way to know that grade is not a topic of this post. For the record, I'll simply say, nobody has proven to me that anybody else does a good a job grading as consistently as CGC. I think the biggest backlash has been from dealers that can no longer get away with selling overgraded material as easily as they used to.

 

Look at this example. You buy a book for $10. You slab it for $12 more. You then sell it on Ebay for $10. 893whatthe.gifWhats the real damage? Your cost was $22 you sell at 10, losing $12. The IRS picks up $6. smirk.gifYou lose $6 real money. You probably would have thought the grade should have been higher blush.gif, or you wouldn't have sent it in. So what is the risk here on a very, very cheap book? $6! foreheadslap.gif That is a very small amount of risk to incur for being wrong. As the price goes up the difference becomes smaller. The dollar loss could be greater, but the CGC cost will always remain the same. Dollar losses past the small cost to grade are problems that the owner incurs for paying to much or for buying over-graded material. 893frustrated.gif893censored-thumb.gif893frustrated.gif That is not a cost of slabbing problem.

 

Bottom line, as much as we probably all despise the IRS devil.gif, if you can get them to pick up a large percent of the cost of maintaining your collection and commerce, slabbing a book is a relatively small price to pay! thumbsup2.gif893applaud-thumb.gif

 

PS- I am not a CPA or tax advisor. These are ideas I am sharing for the less "tax sophisticated" readers that my advisor has helped me with in the last couple of years. As a disclaimer I'll tell you that you should see your own advisor before making tax related decisions!

 

 

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THE_BEYONDER

THE_BEYONDER

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Here is one you can try to buy. It is one of the gems in my collection I own three of this quality. I collect high grade black covers when I can.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2206815357&category=33819

 

Is the discoloring on the right side of the Marvel banner on the book...or a product of the scan? 893scratchchin-thumb.gif

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