Question From An Eager Noob: Where to Spend $20,000?

[Matches Malone-migration]

Thanks, Mio and Comixcroz! So, is the consensus that an Amazing Fantasy 15 or something similar is the best move? If I were to split the money up, I'm leaning towards the following types books (in the best grade that I can get them in and still make it work):

 

Daredevil #1

Green Lantern (1960) #1

Early Detective Comics and Batman

(Affordable) Amazing Fantasy #15

 

What else?...

 

I'm going to also research and review the other book suggestions that you guys have suggested.

 

So, what is going to be the difference here between long term investments (5 years or more), and popular books that I might be able to get in at a good price and turn around and sell right fairly soon? Do my book choices change when thought of that way?

[Count]

You said your a long time lurker? What have you witnessed so far?

[Mio]

There are some gems in pre-code horror and to a lesser degree crime, too. Some of them have expansive audiences (Crime Suspenstories #22 for example). For real pop culture enthusiasts this stuff will be highly sought.

[Matches Malone-migration]

You said your a long time lurker? What have you witnessed so far?

 

Mostly learning the lingo and attitude of the serious comics collector. I've learned that condition and initial print run are the most important factors... and definitely still learning!

[Mio]

And if you are truly new to the hobby, take baby steps and do not dump all your money in at once. Spend some serious time looking into everything from books (which you are doing) to dealers/collectors you can trust.

[catrick339]

The reason I said to take the whole 20k and buy one amazing book is for long term investment purposes.

 

Spread the money around to at least 10 books, just like you would diversify a stock portfolio. Buying one single comic is like putting all your money in one stock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What he said.

 

And break in on some local one-day shows to get a feel for the market in your area, and to browse for bargains. Often smaller dealers set up at these shows while giving the big ones a pass, and you can find some pretty tasty bargains.

 

 

With cash money in hand you can do anything from bargain for half off or better to making an offer on an entire booth at midday, and selling at discount for the rest of the show after you have creamed any investment books you want.

 

A friend of mine has done this while I watched a couple times in recent times, boght a boothful for a couple grand, creamed a bunch of nice books for himself, and sold at half off or better for half a day and recouped his $2K and then some after bulking out the leftovers to other dealers. The two tricks seem to be having cash money in hand and finding someone bored or tired or having a bad show.

[Matches Malone-migration]

And if you are truly new to the hobby, take baby steps and do not dump all your money in at once. Spend some serious time looking into everything from books (which you are doing) to dealers/collectors you can trust.

 

Thanks, Mio. That's wise advice, for sure. So, are there certain dealers, websites, eBay sellers that I should buy from OR stay away from? Thanks!

 

PS If any of you guys run shops, websites, or are otherwise looking to sell some books, just holler at me and let me know that you are out there. I'd prefer to work in this community here and work my way out from here. Thanks!

[Drakeprimeone]

You will never go wrong with a Amazing Fantasy Fantasy 15. I just don't see this book ever taking a serious nose dive price wise. But buy what you really like. But remember for investment purposes. Buy the book's that others like as well. I would get two{2} or more mid grade keys. Or go with the nice upper mid range AF 15. Book's like FF #1, X-Men #1,

DareDevil #1, ASM #1, Hulk #1. There a part of Americana at it's best.

 

My personal opinion would to be to get the best AF 15 you can get for $10 - $12K. Then find a decent ASM #1 for $4k - $6k. Then go find yourself a nice mid to higher grade key. A book like X-Men # 94 or a GSXM #1. I would say without much doubt that these book's will get the best ROI you can find in comic book's.

 

As a side note. Stay away from books that have a Cream or worse PQ assignment. Collectors/investors really seem to frown on these PQ assignments.

OW, OW/White, White Pages are what most collectors/investors like to see on there books.

 

Restored book's are also book's that I would not invest in. While I can understand why most restoration is done. I personally don't believe they will appreciate in value as much as a un restored book in most instances. IMHO of course.

 

CGC graded book's will always get you that assurance as a buyer and seller as well. That will lead to a better buy and sell situation. CGC graded book's seem to sell for that premium sellers are looking to get as well. PGX graded books... Well, not so much, to put it mildly. Good Luck with your investment's.

 

This is probably the best advice for somoene new to collecting but with the monetary means to pick up some nice stuff.

 

If your general knowledge of the comic world is not tip top then go with whats safe. 10 books (titles) or less that are proven and have never taken a dive in value. Amazing Fantasy 15, GS Xmen 1, Spiderman 1, Hulk 181, Ironman 1 etc..

The reason why these books are valued and withstood the test of time is because they are known to even the non collector.

 

The more titles and issues you decide to purchase the more you will have to expand your knowledge and keep up with new releases, listen to the current buzz, and the more time you will have to devote to the speculation market.

 

"Whats hot, whats not." "This is hotter because a movie is coming out but I gotta sell it after a certain amount of time" "there is a hot story line out which I must now follow" etc

 

Remember that there are those of us on these boards that would be comfortable dropping 20k on a multitude of titles and books because we have a knowledge of comics that have accumulated over a good portion of our lives. If you dont have that then I wouldnt recommend trying to clean out a dealer who's having a bad comic show.

 

If you decide to keep your issue selection small then the only decision you would have to make is how many to purchase. Do you want to keep a copy for yourself over the course of your life or would you like to buy two slightly lower grade copies (that will both also appreciate)... one to sell and one to keep.

 

 

[Limited66]

ROM #1 in 9.0 by the boatload

[Matches Malone-migration]

Thanks so much, Drake. You guys are making a lot of sense. I'm in awe of your expertise and selfless commitment to help a noob like myself.

 

Let me ask you this, since I'm a huge Batman fan, which issues (in addition to the pre-Robin issues mentioned by showcase-4) of Batman and Detective Comics should I buy? As far as them being ascertainable, affordable even on my semi-comfortable budget, prone to increase in value, well-known, etc? And what is a fair price for them? I'd love to start focusing on some of these issues. Thanks!

[pinball]

ROM #1 in 9.0 by the boatload

[Drakeprimeone]

Thanks so much, Drake. You guys are making a lot of sense. I'm in awe of your expertise and selfless commitment to help a noob like myself.

 

Let me ask you this, since I'm a huge Batman fan, which issues (in addition to the pre-Robin issues mentioned by showcase-4) of Batman and Detective Comics should I buy? As far as them being ascertainable, affordable even on my semi-comfortable budget, prone to increase in value, well-known, etc? And what is a fair price for them? I'd love to start focusing on some of these issues. Thanks!

 

Not a problem as its just my opinion, I think most of us are vicariously living through your comic budget.

 

The Key D.C. comics are older and harder to come by in High Grade so you may not be able to acquire as many DC Keys as you would Marvel.

 

In the case of Batman, your budget would allow you to purchase issues as early as #2 depending on its grade (or one really low grade Batman 1).

 

You'd also be able to afford Detective Comics issues as early as #30 again depending on grade.

 

I can tell you that the earlier issues are valued the most but I'm afraid I wouldnt be able to speak intelligently on which have the highest propensity for value growth. You'd need to get opinions from those of us that collect Golden Age Books.

 

I would recommend picking up an Overstreet Guide Book if anything to have a comprehensive list, summary description, and general price based on grade of the books you would be focusing on.

[HouseofComics.Com]

I've learned that condition and initial print run are the most important factors... and definitely still learning!

 

Maybe surviving print run is a better adjective.

[dekeuk]

 

Let me ask you this, since I'm a huge Batman fan, which issues (in addition to the pre-Robin issues mentioned by showcase-4) of Batman and Detective Comics should I buy?

 

 

I've collected Batman since 1975. If you are going to "invest", then focus on:

 

- pre-1975 issues

 

- key issues (as defined by Overstreet Guide)

 

- anything done by Neal Adams

 

- high grade, the higher the better

 

- avoid cream/tan/brittle page quality

 

Some great books are:

 

Batman 100, 121, 155, 171, 181, 189, 200, 219, 232, 234, 237, 251

 

Detective 225, 233, 235, 298, 300, 369, 400, 402, 404, 405, 407, 410

 

If you buy these in high grade slabs they will always be in high demand.

 

 

 

 

[Drakeprimeone]

As a side note if you enjoy Batman in general as something you enjoy read and owning then I suggest that you have 2 separate collections

 

1. Your investment collection

2. Your personal collection

 

Your first dilemma will be deciding on which books to buy to ultimately sell.

Your second dilemma will be having the ability to ultimately part with your book as you may enjoy them so much that you dont want to sell them.

[Drakeprimeone]

I've learned that condition and initial print run are the most important factors... and definitely still learning!

 

Maybe surviving print run is a better adjective.

 

(thumbs u

[pinball]

One piece of advice that I could give you since you are relatively new to this hobby is to buy books that are already CGC graded!

 

Restoration can be very difficult to see and raw grading is very subjective.

 

Graded books are a sure thing!

 

Oh yeah... welcome to the boards!

[COI]

This thread is ball-breakingly hysterical.

 

If this guy is legit, and a noob, he isn't in a position to drop 20K on funny books. It's irresponsible for any of you to throw out advice that is obviously biased towards your own collecting habits and interests.

 

And to the OP: The best advice I or anyone else can give, is NOT to get financial advice from anonymous strangers on a message board. It's ok to ask for opinions, but put in the time to do research FIRST, before you start listening to anyone. Go deep enough, and you might find that you don't want to invest in comics AT ALL. It's really easy for people to give out advice, since it isn't their money to lose, and rarely does anyone hesitate to throw out their opinions, solicited or otherwise; generosity is NOT how I would refer to it.

 

There's a lot of money in this hobby, but it's an unregulated one driven by emotion. Everyone is going to tell you to collect what they collect, or want to collect. Just because someone's avatar matches the advice they're giving, doesn't make them right. Put the time in, do your research, and be sure this is what you want to do. Then you can ask for opinions to cross-reference with your findings, and make an educated decision.

 

If you're in a hurry and not willing to put the time in, you deserve to lose your 20K.

[Drakeprimeone]

This thread is ball-breakingly hysterical.

 

If this guy is legit, and a noob, he isn't in a position to drop 20K on funny books. It's irresponsible for any of you to throw out advice that is obviously biased towards your own collecting habits and interests.

 

And to the OP: The best advice I or anyone else can give, is NOT to get financial advice from anonymous strangers on a message board. It's ok to ask for opinions, but put in the time to do research FIRST, before you start listening to anyone. Go deep enough, and you might find that you don't want to invest in comics AT ALL. It's really easy for people to give out advice, since it isn't their money to lose, and rarely does anyone hesitate to throw out their opinions, solicited or otherwise; generosity is NOT how I would refer to it.

 

There's a lot of money in this hobby, but it's an unregulated one driven by emotion. Everyone is going to tell you to collect what they collect, or want to collect. Just because someone's avatar matches the advice they're giving, doesn't make them right. Put the time in, do your research, and be sure this is what you want to do. Then you can ask for opinions to cross-reference with your findings, and make an educated decision.

 

If you're in a hurry and not willing to put the time in, you deserve to lose your 20K.

 

Translation - Make comics a part of your life so you can formulate your own opinions rather than have someone tell you what to buy.

 

I'm making a leap of faith that the OP is taking this as advice and not gospel on what to buy. There isnt a person on this board that hasnt learned something about the comic book world through asking someone else. Yes you do make a point in saying this hobby is unregulated and driven by emotion and further dont rush to plop down your 20k, however you've managed to put a rather negative spin on the otherwise positive intentions of the people submitting replies.... good times

(thumbs u

[Matches Malone-migration]

As a side note if you enjoy Batman in general as something you enjoy read and owning then I suggest that you have 2 separate collections

 

1. Your investment collection

2. Your personal collection

 

I see what you mean. I don't mean to say that I'm looking to only go after what I personally like, it is just that if there is money to be made on a general group of comics, it might as well be my favorite character. But, for me, this is all a financial investment, so I'm sure that I'll go with whatever the surest bet is, whatever that is! Thanks again man.