Would you sell all/most of your OA to buy an engagement ring?

[Mephisto]

I just wouldn't get married. More than half don't work out. And then you're really .

[irchooker]

Of course YOU wouldn't, you're not buying one! The whole idea of an engagement ring that has to be so expensive you need to sell other assets to finance it is ridiculous! DeBeers has had a choke-hold on the diamond market since the late 1800s and has perpetuated this insanity.

 

If you have to bribe her with expensive jewelry to marry you, she's not the one. If you want to sell assets to start your life together with her, use it as a downpayment for a house. Get her a cheap ring and put the money in the bank, into a house or on the walls. Don't sell your art to give the money to an evil corporation that has more blood on it's hands than almost any other corporation still in existence.

 

Ruben

http://www.collectingfool.com

 

haha great post

 

Or buy a Canadian mined diamond.

 

Are comic books and comic art really that different an asset than a diamond?

 

If you want to sell your comics and art to buy a McDonald's hamburger, it's completely your decision.

 

I do see Ruben's point about the expense. Buy what you are comfortable buying.

 

[Brian Peck]

Of course YOU wouldn't, you're not buying one! The whole idea of an engagement ring that has to be so expensive you need to sell other assets to finance it is ridiculous! DeBeers has had a choke-hold on the diamond market since the late 1800s and has perpetuated this insanity.

 

If you have to bribe her with expensive jewelry to marry you, she's not the one. If you want to sell assets to start your life together with her, use it as a downpayment for a house. Get her a cheap ring and put the money in the bank, into a house or on the walls. Don't sell your art to give the money to an evil corporation that has more blood on it's hands than almost any other corporation still in existence.

 

Ruben

http://www.collectingfool.com

 

Buying a house is even worse than buying a diamond ring. Prices vary so much from place to place that I will NEVER own a house. What is $150K in Michigan (where I grew up) is $500K in the Bay Area (where I currently live). No other item changes so much in price for where it is sold. A car will cost basically the same (give or take a couple of %) if its sold on the east or west coasts,or a piece of comic art will be the same no matter where the transaction takes place (Donnelleys and SD Con are the exception).

[Bronty]

well I disagree there. part of what a house goes for is how much you can earn in that area. It makes some sense. Diamonds are just a cornered market and something every girl has to have because every other girl has one. Quite a racket.

[Brian Peck]

A price of a house has NOTHING to do with how much you can earn in that area. It has everything to do with who wants to live there, the more people who want to live in a certain place the more the house market goes up. "How much you can earn in an area" means nothing, it all depends on the job you have, alot of people out here can only earn up to a certain amount but they won't make enough to own a house here.

[Mio]

If my boyfriend wouldn't be willing to part with his comics for an engagement ring, I'd leave him. If she really means that much to you, then there should be no question about it. You can always get it back (maybe) or find better pieces down the line.

 

That's grim. If I needed to sell all my [favourite] stuff in some sort of 'buy me a nice ring or I'm gone' type ultimatum, I would find someone else, or, to answer the question... find another way.

[Bronty]

A price of a house has NOTHING to do with how much you can earn in that area. It has everything to do with who wants to live there

 

part of the reasons people want to live in a certain place is tied to the kind of job they can get there. Yes its not 100% correlation but at least its partly connected. And like anything else its supply and demand. But at least there isn't a corporation out there who's bought up all the land and only lets 10% onto the market!

[Bronty]

If my boyfriend wouldn't be willing to part with his comics for an engagement ring, I'd leave him. If she really means that much to you, then there should be no question about it. You can always get it back (maybe) or find better pieces down the line.

 

That's grim. If I needed to sell all my [favourite] stuff in some sort of 'buy me a nice ring or I'm gone' type ultimatum, I would find someone else, or, to answer the question... find another way.

 

from what the OP said there is no ultimatum, he is doing it on his own

[Mighty Hal]

The thing of it is, I do think a marriage can be forever. Not always, I understand that, but I wouldn't have stood at the altar if I didn't think we'd stay together.

 

Now, would I sell my OA for an engagement ring? Nope. Important note: My wife lost her first engagement ring. I'm okay with that because accidents happen.

 

Now, if she lost my favorite piece of OA....

[lscomics]

Of course YOU wouldn't, you're not buying one! The whole idea of an engagement ring that has to be so expensive you need to sell other assets to finance it is ridiculous! DeBeers has had a choke-hold on the diamond market since the late 1800s and has perpetuated this insanity.

 

If you have to bribe her with expensive jewelry to marry you, she's not the one. If you want to sell assets to start your life together with her, use it as a downpayment for a house. Get her a cheap ring and put the money in the bank, into a house or on the walls. Don't sell your art to give the money to an evil corporation that has more blood on it's hands than almost any other corporation still in existence.

 

Ruben

http://www.collectingfool.com

 

haha great post

 

Or buy a Canadian mined diamond.

 

Are comic books and comic art really that different an asset than a diamond?

 

If you want to sell your comics and art to buy a McDonald's hamburger, it's completely your decision.

 

I do see Ruben's point about the expense. Buy what you are comfortable buying.

 

I believe they are much different than a diamond. Comics & art tend to appreciate in value considerably more and at a faster rate. Anyone here ever try taking jewelry to a pawn shop?

[bocaratondefense]

I was broke in graduate school, so I had to sell a group of collectibles in order to afford an engagement ring. I never replaced those things, but no big deal. There will always be good stuff that you can buy down the road when you have more discretionary income.

[Lebowski]

I believe they are much different than a diamond. Comics & art tend to appreciate in value considerably more and at a faster rate. Anyone here ever try taking jewelry to a pawn shop?

 

Ever try taking comics to the pawn shop?

[comix4fun]

I believe they are much different than a diamond. Comics & art tend to appreciate in value considerably more and at a faster rate. Anyone here ever try taking jewelry to a pawn shop?

 

Ever try taking comics to the pawn shop?

 

 

The Dude on "Pawn Stars" last week got $70 for a short box of 90's junk. AKA about 5 times what anyone else (who knew better) woulda paid. (thumbs u

[justin]

Just so everyone is clear. She has no idea I am considering getting a ring now. She has NEVER given me an ultimatum and has told me she would never ask me to sell my collection of comics and OA because she knows what they mean to me. This is all on my own and in my own head. I don't want anyone to wrongly assume anything about her.

 

Now that I've been thinking, I can see myself unloading pieces I won't miss but I don't think I'll get rid of the pieces I love. Half the point of my collection is to pass it on to my kids one day. So If I have to sell it would be at the most crucial time in my life.

 

Thanks for the input everyone!

[Mac Man]

If my boyfriend wouldn't be willing to part with his comics for an engagement ring, I'd leave him. If she really means that much to you, then there should be no question about it. You can always get it back (maybe) or find better pieces down the line.

 

Well, hold on just a second. Flip the situation around.

 

Would you sell some of your beloved Archie comics to pay for his wedding ring? What if he demanded that you do just that or else he would leave you?

 

Yes, I wouldn't think twice about it. I know I won't keep most of my collection around once I start having kids. Really, they're just comics.

 

I've started having kids and my collection gets better every day!

 

I'd see if there isn't a way to work around the engagement ring aside from having to sell off stuff (unless this is the only option). If you think there is a good chance you might want to get married, pull $100-250 or so out of each paycheck (or whatever your budget is), set it aside, and within a year you should have enough for a nice ring. (thumbs u

[pinupcartoonguy]

Half the point of my collection is to pass it on to my kids one day.

 

Thanks for the input everyone!

 

I wouldn't bank on my kids wanting my collectibles. My son has little interest in comic books (Simpson's comics being the exception), and obviously, there's no nostalia value. Now if you're saving it so they can sell it one day, that's another story--then again, who are they going to sell it to if all the other collectors who have a nostalgia attachment have also kicked the bucket? . . .

[CollectingFool]

Just so everyone is clear. She has no idea I am considering getting a ring now. She has NEVER given me an ultimatum and has told me she would never ask me to sell my collection of comics and OA because she knows what they mean to me.

 

Don't worry, those comments are in direct response to another person's post. No one is making assumptions about your girl.

 

I think there's a factor here that we aren't taking into consideration. There are people who are COMIC ART COLLECTORS and there are people who think they are but just have a passing interest in the hobby. There are people here that (to me) are true collectors and others that did it on a whim, find the excitement of a new piece exciting and like the (sometimes phony) praise they get when they talk about their "new acquisition" but aren't committed. When you ask a question like "would you sell all of your collection for..." the people to whom this hobby is a fad in their lives aren't going to react as passionately as those who eat, think and breathe this stuff every day for years. For them, the end of that sentence better be something like saving a loved one or protecting your family because anything short of that isn't going to cut it.

 

Now, the argument about a house not being a good investment because the same house would be valued differently in different parts of the country has to be the most absurd thing I've ever heard about real estate. Were you planning to buy a house in Hollywood, move it to Kansas and resell it? Of course not! The market has taken a hit lately and now is a good time to find a decent value. The old saying is "the one thing they aren't making any more of is LAND". If you want to start a life with someone I'd think the benefits of using the money to purchase your marital home and the place where you'll possibly raise your children is MUCH more important than some fancy bauble you're buying just to conform to society's expectations.

 

Ruben

http://www.collectingfool.com

 

 

 

 

[MutantKeys]

I'm so happy I never bought a ring for my ex

 

My advice would be to make sure she's the right one. I lived with mine for almost 3 years and I didn't know everything about her.

[Spider-Variant]

If I thought this was the woman I would spend the rest of my life with and raise a family with, then yes, I would sell the art. With the caveat that this was the only/most reasonable way.

 

The last time I sold a peice of art was to finance my 16th wedding anniversary trip to a show on Broadway. We had a wonderful time and I'll always have that memory.

 

 

I love my art but I'm not attached to it. There are more important things to me that I would trade it for.

 

 

 

[mrpunch0]

If I sold off all my art to buy an engagement ring I think my wife might get a little suspicious.