Infinite Marvel Picture Frame books 23 23

[Ghost Town]

 

It's pedigree JIM #1s in stereo! They're both really sharp looking books. If you don't have them already, you should get the Oakland, Western Penn and Winnipeg copies too. That would be a neat feat.

[MasterChief]

Sweet books, guys. And curse you for getting me psyched about them again. I need to have a big weekend at the warehouse packing glasses. Instead, I see myself bagging and boarding.

 

I know I've posted these elsewhere, but am shocked I never did in this thread.

 

The 158 is from Mile High. Got it for a song about 5 yrs ago during a sale (slabbed already, of course).

 

The 162 is from Al Stoltz. Sweet unpressed book from 2 yrs ago. I think both are still highest slabbed, which says something for their scarcity in grade. Sorry for the lousy pics--my scanner is even worse with slabs.

 

 

 

 

 

Yowza! You're books continue to be top of the pops.

Wish we could appreciate them in their full glory with better visuals.

 

Hey, I got an idea... send them to me and I'll scan them bad boys up!

Can't guarantee you'll get them back, though.

 

 

 

 

 

[MasterChief]

It's pedigree JIM #1s in stereo! They're both really sharp looking books. If you don't have them already, you should get the Oakland, Western Penn and Winnipeg copies too. That would be a neat feat.

That's a heck of an idea, GT. I just may have to do that.

[joe_collector]

You know what's funny about these Picture Frame books?

 

Back in 1996-2003 or so, when there was only a few maniacs running after these, and we hadn't even agreed on a term for them (let alone have it be a virtually universally-accepted one like PF) it was a lot of fun to collect these books.

 

But now that they've "gone mainstream" I haven't bought any in a while, and my interest is fading daily.

[underthebigw]

You know what's funny about these Picture Frame books?

 

Back in 1996-2003 or so, when there was only a few maniacs running after these, and we hadn't even agreed on a term for them (let alone have it be a virtually universally-accepted one like PF) it was a lot of fun to collect these books.

 

But now that they've "gone mainstream" I haven't bought any in a while, and my interest is fading daily.

 

Yeah, I started with them back in about '96 and like the variants, a lot of the fun was finding gorgeous, hard-to-find copies that no one else cared about.

 

I've gotten to a point in my life that, w/ three kids, two businesses, a mortgage and student loans, I no longer enjoy spending big bucks on books. A lot of the fun for me is finding an otherwise neglected book at a cheap price.

[MasterChief]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ghost Town]

And here I was wondering who had all the nice copies of Where Monsters Dwell. Killer stuff. You can't beat a comic with a caption like "I Am Googam -- And I Am Power!!"

[joe_collector]

I've gotten to a point in my life that, w/ three kids, two businesses, a mortgage and student loans, I no longer enjoy spending big bucks on books. A lot of the fun for me is finding an otherwise neglected book at a cheap price.

 

It's not really the prices, but the fact that these books have "gone mainstream" and it seems that every Tom Dik and Harry are trying to get a set.

 

Kind of like music - once an alternative band goes mainstream, it changes how you view them going forward.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

I've gotten to a point in my life that, w/ three kids, two businesses, a mortgage and student loans, I no longer enjoy spending big bucks on books. A lot of the fun for me is finding an otherwise neglected book at a cheap price.

 

It's not really the prices, but the fact that these books have "gone mainstream" and it seems that every Tom Dik and Harry are trying to get a set.

 

Kind of like music - once an alternative band goes mainstream, it changes how you view them going forward.

 

If by "gone mainstream", you mean there are 10 Pictureframe collectors when there were five before.

 

I started collecting Schomburg Nedors before they became "vogue" a couple of years ago....did that sour me at all that there were more collectors out there competing for the same books? No, not at all. In fact, it was nice to know that at least one or two of them started collecting because they saw the books I acquired and discovered how cool they were.

 

If this is a social hobby, which it is for me, where part of the fun is meeting, sharing, swapping, trading with people who share a mutual interest, then the more the merrier! Why let the fact that other people have made the same discovery of these great books that you did years ago turn you off to collecting them?

 

 

[joe_collector]

If by "gone mainstream", you mean there are 10 Pictureframe collectors when there were five before.

 

Hardly, and I guess since you sold most of your PF books off, you're not looking much either.

 

I find dealers and collectors using the term regularly, lots of books online using it to hype their sales, and the frequency of seeing "Picture Frame book" in eBay/dealer/consignment listings has increased exponentially.

 

If that isn't "going mainstream" then I don't know what is.

[joe_collector]

[Why let the fact that other people have made the same discovery of these great books that you did years ago turn you off to collecting them?

 

Because almost all my collecting life, I've gone by one motto (while sticking to BA books, obviously):

 

Buy where they ain't

 

I've done very well by that, and since it's *also* turned out to be a lot of fun, I will continue to follow it. I think it also comes down to me hating to be a "Johnny-Come-Lately" follower-type, and I'd rather blaze my own trails and find my own niche.

 

Currently I am looking for XXX, YYY and , but don't tell anyone.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

[Why let the fact that other people have made the same discovery of these great books that you did years ago turn you off to collecting them?

 

Because almost all my collecting life, I've gone by one motto (while sticking to BA books, obviously):

 

Buy where they ain't

 

I've done very well by that, and since it's *also* turned out to be a lot of fun, I will continue to follow it. I think it also comes down to me hating to be a "Johnny-Come-Lately" follower-type, and I'd rather blaze my own trails and find my own niche.

 

Currently I am looking for XXX, YYY and , but don't tell anyone.

 

But if you were one of the orginal Pictureframe collectors, how are you a Johnny-Come-Lately? Unless you bristle at the thought of bring Grandpa Pictureframe, I don't see the connection.

 

 

[joeypost]

[Why let the fact that other people have made the same discovery of these great books that you did years ago turn you off to collecting them?

 

Because almost all my collecting life, I've gone by one motto (while sticking to BA books, obviously):

 

Buy where they ain't

 

I've done very well by that, and since it's *also* turned out to be a lot of fun, I will continue to follow it. I think it also comes down to me hating to be a "Johnny-Come-Lately" follower-type, and I'd rather blaze my own trails and find my own niche.

 

Currently I am looking for XXX, YYY and , but don't tell anyone.

 

But if you were one of the orginal Pictureframe collectors, how are you a Johnny-Come-Lately? Unless you bristle at the thought of bring Grandpa Pictureframe, I don't see the connection.

 

 

Neither do I. Sounds like a complaint about all the "low hanging fruit" being gone and the digging getting harder.

[underthebigw]

I'm with JC on this. My "motto" has always been similar, and I throw it in the face of dealers and collectors who ridicule my purchases. "Go where the money aint".

 

Last year in NY, Jamie Graham was laughing and asked "Do you buy anything worth money?". I explained that I've been collecting 30 years, long enough to know everything is cyclical, so I decide what I like, and then pick out what I feel is undervalued and lacks demand.

 

Ten years ago, very few cared about picture frames, to the point they were difficult to find. Now they're on the market, and the prices are often inflated even for mid-grade copies. So I stay away unless it's a deal. Seven years ago, prices on even 9.4 BA Marvel and DC were ridiculous. So I began focusing on Archies and cartoon books until prices on Marvels and DCs began to return to earth. Now that I can find an increasing variety of non-key Marvel and DC in 9.4 and 9.6 at reasonable prices, I find myself returning to them if the price is right. Ironically, now truly HG Archies and Harveys are easily 3-4x what they were a few years ago.

Edited November 1, 2010 by silverandbronze

[joe_collector]

Neither do I. Sounds like a complaint about all the "low hanging fruit" being gone and the digging getting harder.

 

Hardly, and it's exactly like I said - I "buy where they ain't".

 

It's really not about the money or competition, but a feeling of exclusivity and being part of a niche market - once it explodes and the GP joins in, I'm gone.

 

If masses of rubes, specs and Johnny-Come-Lately's are flooding an area I collect in, I just move to another niche market - I'm not a fanboy, I'm not an anal completist, and I couldn't care less what I'm buying as long as it's 20-35-cents and I like it.

[Silver Surfer]

Neither do I. Sounds like a complaint about all the "low hanging fruit" being gone and the digging getting harder.

 

Hardly, and it's exactly like I said - I "buy where they ain't".

 

 

I couldn't care less what I'm buying as long as it's 20-35-cents and I like it.

 

The two statements conflict with each other?

[joe_collector]

The two statements conflict with each other?

 

How?

 

There are a TON of 20-35-cent books out there, with huge pockets of books with little or no demand.

 

A great example are the Li'l Kids books, especially the later Calvin issues - in the late-90's/early-2000's I used to search EBay regularly for them and bought a ton - low grade, mid grade, high grade, if it had Calvin in the title I was looking for it.

 

From my years collecting, and seeing tons of Li'l Kids books, I just *knew* that the Calvin books were pretty rare, at least compared to other Marvels of the same era, so it was fun being one of the only fools searching for these books - I won lots for opening bid, so it was a pretty weak market.

 

Then Li'l Kids started becoming more popular and the "scarce in high-grade" Calvin books began gaining some momentum, so I just moved on to something else.

 

I haven't looked lately, but they're probably dead again, right? Might be time to pick up a few more.

[namisgr]

Who cares where the money is going, or what books are being overlooked? How about collecting the books you think are cool?

 

My introduction to comic collecting came in the winter of 1971-72, and the first books I read and saved to this day were picture frames: Thor 200, Avengers 100, FF 123, Premiere 3, Conan 15, Hulk 153, Cap 153, Tomb of Dracula 2, Spotlight 5 and Spidey 110 the first month alone. What better month for comics was there in the BA than that? Now, I enjoy being able to read these books again, and find as many high grade slabs as I can. There's neither money nor a bandwagon in that kind of collecting.

[joe_collector]

Who cares where the money is going, or what books are being overlooked? How about collecting the books you think are cool?

 

The point is, that I think a LOT of BA books are cool, so I can move around at will and not lose anything.

[joeypost]

I'm with JC on this. My "motto" has always been similar, and I throw it in the face of dealers and collectors who ridicule my purchases. "Go where the money aint".

 

Last year in NY, Jamie Graham was laughing and asked "Do you buy anything worth money?". I explained that I've been collecting 30 years, long enough to know everything is cyclical, so I decide what I like, and then pick out what I feel is undervalued and lacks demand.

 

Ten years ago, very few cared about picture frames, to the point they were difficult to find. Now they're on the market, and the prices are often inflated even for mid-grade copies. So I stay away unless it's a deal. Seven years ago, prices on even 9.4 BA Marvel and DC were ridiculous. So I began focusing on Archies and cartoon books until prices on Marvels and DCs began to return to earth. Now that I can find an increasing variety of non-key Marvel and DC in 9.4 and 9.6 at reasonable prices, I find myself returning to them if the price is right. Ironically, now truly HG Archies and Harveys are easily 3-4x what they were a few years ago.

 

Still comes back to the low hanging fruit. Pick up what no one else is looking at. When you have to climb higher or spend more you simply move on to the next tree and pick what hanging low.