Do you buy one big page of art or several lower price ones?

[batman_fan]

Just wondering what other people think they would do. If you had $10k to spend on art would you

 

1. buy one big page for $10k

 

or

 

2. buy several pages, say 1 x $5k, 2 x $2k, and 1 x $1k

 

 

[Brian Peck]

That question is impossible to answer since it all depends on what is out there. If there was a page that I really wanted on the market for $10K (and i felt is was worth it) I would get it. Though same thing could be said if a bunch of cheaper pages popped up that I wanted. It would all depends on what was out there.

[rsonenthal]

My thinking on this has changed over time, but I think Brian is right when he talks about the piece "I really wanted". I've been shifting over time to more expensive pieces, and I think as my knowledge of what's out there (and the costs) have grown, I've moved to fewer, bigger pieces. But, some of my favorite pieces were lower priced and have meaning for me. This is a wierd, wonderful hobby. There's an investment part of it, and a nostalgia part of it, and the thrill of the hunt. It's all in what moves you.

[Pirate]

I don't wait for the big page that might never come. If I see something I like, I'll go for it.

 

Your dollar amounts are unrealistic for me.

[Mighty Hal]

The dollar number doesn't matter. I've seen some overpriced pieces at $10K ("It's the artist's favorite and he just won't sell it for less" -- which is cool but doesn't make the piece work 10 grand to ME) and some beautiful pieces offered in the $1K and less range. Seen some It's not the dollars, it's the artist and artwork.

 

Although...like Pirate...I have to say, your dollar amounts are outside of my financial reality.

 

 

 

[AvengersFan]

I go for whatever page becomes available that I really want. I do like to buy lots of cheaper pages (relatively) by some artists like Sal Buscema and then one nice page by a great or hard to find artist like Adams/BWS/Starlin.

Jay

[batman_fan]

My question really is, would you rather have one more expensive page or several less expensive pages. I had this situation recently and I opt'd to pick up these

 

I had some cash from selling some books that I wanted to convert to art. I looked for a single page to buy because who knows when I would have that amount of free cash to spend but I ended up buying these pages. Don't get me wrong, I love what I picked up. They all fit into my collecting goals and have a long term home, but I am at that point again so I am thinking I want to wait and see if I can snag a big page this time.

 

 

 

[malvin]

In General, it all depends. If the piece is a buy, I'll buy it regardless of the dollar figure.

 

However, and Brian mentioned this on a different thread, I do have a psychological barrier (which has since grown, like most of us in this hobby)

 

so in the past, I could never spend $500 on a single piece, but if it was 5 pieces I could do it no problem.

 

Of course right now my individual limit is higher than $500.. help me someone =)

 

Malvin

[NelsonAI]

As many have stated, good art does not have to be expensive.

Buy what you like and what you can afford. (thumbs u

 

Cheers!

N

 

 

 

 

[Shootydog]

As many have stated, good art does not have to be expensive.

Buy what you like and what you can afford. (thumbs u

 

Cheers!

N

 

 

 

 

This...and if you can do this you will be happy and pleased with your collection. Who cares what others thing.

[Pirate]

depends. I prefer Kitson covers/splases, but there are plenty of panel pages that I think are great. Barry does these talking head pages where there will be multiple head shots of same character with different expressions. I like those the best.

[heartened]

I prefer to buy one great piece that I love than several good pieces that I like. Cost usually comes into it, but not always, as what is "great" vs. "good" and what one "loves" vs. "likes" is completely subjective and individualized.

 

 

[batman_fan]

I prefer to buy one great piece that I love than several good pieces that I like. Cost usually comes into it, but not always, as what is "great" vs. "good" and what one "loves" vs. "likes" is completely subjective and individualized.

 

 

That is how I see it as well. Sure, I can find some real nice stuff for $1k, but the art you can get at the $5k or $10k level is always more desirable to me. Again, must of my colelction has lower priced stuff, heck most of the Batman Animated stuff I have I paid less than $100 per page, but owning a nice Kirby page or Colan cover would be pretty cool.

[AvengersFan]

Greg, Those are all cool splash pages and fit your collection well. Good pickups.

Jay

[CollectingFool]

I prefer to buy one great piece that I love than several good pieces that I like. Cost usually comes into it, but not always, as what is "great" vs. "good" and what one "loves" vs. "likes" is completely subjective and individualized.

 

In theory that's a good idea. If in practice you have the ability to find what you "LOVE" and then be able to afford it as well, then you're a fortunate person.

 

For me, the stuff I LOVE is never available and if it were, well beyond my means. The stuff I like though, that's easy to find and I can afford it. So, I buy lots of stuff and every once in a while, a "bigger" piece makes it's way in. Nothing in the $10K range for a long time now but when I add up all the "little" purchases I'm surprised at how much I've spent. Hell, I just did an update and it wound up being 15 pieces. Would have been more but I was trying to cut back!

 

Ruben (tastes too broad for his wallet)

http://www.collectingfool.com

[batman_fan]

Greg, Those are all cool splash pages and fit your collection well. Good pickups.

Jay

 

Thanks Jay,

 

They do map into my collecting very nicely, but I think to myself, if I didn't buy a bunch of stuff and saved the money could I pop a real nice page like a McFarlane Spiderman page or something by Kirby.

 

Greg

[comicartfan]

Greg,

I think buying a big page, as opposed to a few smaller ones is always smarter. You can usually get something that is really impressive, either a great example by an important artist or a piece that has historical importance....

 

That being said, it's hard to be patient and not develop some sort of ADDHD when it comes to art....I find that I get "itchy" and end up buying something that catches my eye before a piece I really want comes by....

[AKA Rick]

The answer depends on the intent of if you're purchasing art for passion or investment. Either way however, it boils down to perceived quality vs perceived quantity. If for passion and fandom, then are you looking for diversification of your collection and examples of any kind for any characters or artists, or the one or two absolute favorite pieces you adore? As an art collector of passion, I'd probably say go for the quality over the quantity. If you're purchasing for investment, I'd speculate to say it's easier for smaller good pieces in the $300-$3,000 range to go up by higher multiples over the course of the years than it would be for a piece that's $5k-$10k+ to increase in value, and it's far easier to find buyers who can afford the $5k or under ranged pieces than the $5k and over, so buy purchasing lower priced (not to say common or what others refer to as junk $10-50 priced pages of random art) artwork of established characters by known artists, you'll get a far better return on investment and an easier time to liquidate it should you ever decide to go that route. ...in my opinion...

[GreatEscape]

Another consideration is that it's very common for OA collectors to sell multiple "lower priced" pages to finance a "big" page when it becomes available. Rarely do I see collectors selling big pages in order to buy a bunch of lower priced pages. Unfortunately, the opportunity to purchase that 'perfect' big page does not always coincide with available funds-- which accumulate gradually over time.

 

In GA comic collecting, I'd almost always go with one big purchase over many smaller ones....but art is different. For this hobby, I enjoy buying lower priced pieces until that grailpage comes along.

 

Besides, any unspent funds usually end up paying for everyday expenses (house, kids, vacation, etc)

[BaltimoreLauren]

I'm pretty new in this whole OA thing, but I try to go for as many pieces as possible at a good price. Thankfully all I want is Archie OA, so IMO all of them are "grail" pieces to my collection.