Why are you a high grade collector?

[garthgantu]

Because I can afford to...somewhat. In those instances where I can't afford high grade, I'll happily 'slum' with a G or VG copy. And since many GA books are rarely available in high grade, low- or mid-grade is sometimes the best you can hope to acquire in the short term.

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

4 the giving or the getting?

 

Well, naturally for the giving, POV. No matter how much I spend on a book, I'm hoping I can spend more. The ecstasy I feel when blowing my milk money on a mid-grade, can't-find-have-to-have, over-priced ish is un-paralleled. Why, the very thought of getting a good deal on a comic makes me nauseous! If I could only find a way to spend every dime....

 

Can ya taste the sarcasm, POV?

 

Rick

[Red Hook]

Collecting high-grade comics.....

 

It's all about pretending that time has stopped still, and that our own flesh is not slowly rotting off our bones as we drag our chattering corpses towards that great bone pile which we must inevitably join. It's death-denial at it's most pathetically human.

 

Oh, and the covers look really cool!

[garthgantu]

Collecting high-grade comics.....

 

It's all about pretending that time has stopped still, and that our own flesh is not slowly rotting off our bones as we drag our chattering corpses towards that great bone pile which we must inevitably join. It's death-denial at it's most pathetically human.

 

Well, I dunno about you fellers, but I feel better!

[Red Hook]

[UnrulyAppendage]

I like seeing unspoiled covers with old dates. I am putting a run together of Action Comics and I am more partial to have fewer HG than more mid grade just to fill a gap.

 

Love sharp corners and bright colors through 2ml mylars.

[goldust40]

Collecting high-grade comics.....

 

It's all about pretending that time has stopped still, and that our own flesh is not slowly rotting off our bones as we drag our chattering corpses towards that great bone pile which we must inevitably join. It's death-denial at it's most pathetically human.

 

But they looks so nice........

[PovertyRow]

4 the giving or the getting?

 

Well, naturally for the giving, POV. No matter how much I spend on a book, I'm hoping I can spend more. The ecstasy I feel when blowing my milk money on a mid-grade, can't-find-have-to-have, over-priced ish is un-paralleled. Why, the very thought of getting a good deal on a comic makes me nauseous! If I could only find a way to spend every dime....

 

Can ya taste the sarcasm, POV?

 

Rick

 

Let me taste youtr sarcasm, Rick. Oh, the sweet and salty taste of Rick's sarcasm....yum yum.

[JohnBull]

I'm just anally retentive.

[goldust40]

I'm just anally retentive.

 

Ah, you had to come out and say it.

 

Time to organize Comics Anonymous.

 

I'm Andy, and.....and..... I like to neatly arrange old comics alpha-numerically in climate-controlled rooms and not let anyone else near them!!!!! Halp!!!!

[OldGuy]

4 the giving or the getting?

 

Well, naturally for the giving, POV. No matter how much I spend on a book, I'm hoping I can spend more. The ecstasy I feel when blowing my milk money on a mid-grade, can't-find-have-to-have, over-priced ish is un-paralleled. Why, the very thought of getting a good deal on a comic makes me nauseous! If I could only find a way to spend every dime....

 

Can ya taste the sarcasm, POV?

 

Rick

 

Let me taste youtr sarcasm, Rick. Oh, the sweet and salty taste of Rick's sarcasm....yum yum.

 

[Red Hook]

I'm just anally retentive.

 

Ah, you had to come out and say it.

 

Time to organize Comics Anonymous.

 

I'm Andy, and.....and..... I like to neatly arrange old comics alpha-numerically in climate-controlled rooms and not let anyone else near them!!!!! Halp!!!!

 

I actually wrote these up for a friend a couple of months ago.....feel free to edit and add to.

 

The Twelve Steps Of High Grade Collectors Anonymous

 

 

1. We admitted we were powerless over high grade comic collecting- that

our lives (and our filing system) had become unmanageable.

 

 

 

2. Came to believe that a power higher than ourselves (probably Galactus) could restore us to sanity.

 

 

3. Made a decision to turn our collection and our lives over to the

care of the Watcher as we understood him.

 

 

4. Made a searching and fearless inventory of our collection, and

revealed all restored items.

 

 

5. Admitted to our spouse, to ourselves and another member of the CGC

board the exact dollar value of our collection.

 

 

6. Were entirely ready to have Odin remove all the 5.5s and lower from

our collection.

 

 

7. Humbly asked Odin to dump the craap on Ebay.

 

 

8. Made a list of all persons we had made Paypal payments to and became

willing to offer positive feedback to all.

 

 

9. Sent direct emails to such people whenever possible, except when to

do so would expose them as shills.

 

 

10.Continued to inventory our collection and weed out all overpriced

mid-80's comics that were worth less than cover price (see Captain

Victory).

 

 

 

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious

contact with Ego the Living Planet, praying only for knowledge of his

will for us and the cosmic power (along with a surfboard) to carry that

out.

 

 

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we

tried to carry this message to other compulsive collectors and to

practice these principles in all our affairs.

 

[goldust40]

What happened to the step where you had to go to six people and apologize to them for being rude whilst under the influence of high grade OCD?

[chrisco37]

I'm nit-picking, but you need to change "cosmic power" to "power cosmic" in Step 11.

 

Chris

[Red Hook]

Will do, but I notice that when I edit posts, I always lose my line breaks and the spaces between lines (returns). Annoying!

 

 

[tth2]

Because finding low grade silver is too easy.

[COI]

I already summed it up before, but I'll do it again.

 

I collect high grade because I like Marvels from 1962 to todays books. Marvels are easy to find, and I would estimate it would only take me a couple of years, maybe less, to accumulate a complete S.A set in low/mid grade. And the Bronze/modern stuff is even easier. One problem with that is I don't want boxes upon boxes of stuff. I prefer to keep my collection low on quantity and high on quality. And I know myself well enough to know that the day I have a complete Marvel set, is the day I pretty much stop collecting. And if I'm not adding to my collection, I'm inevitably going to sell it. I'm 25 and I don't want to be done with collecting by the age of 28. It's a great hobby for me, and I want to keep it exciting. It's for that reason that I refuse to even get fillers. For example, FF #5 is one of my all-time favorite books, but I don't own a single copy. I'm not interested in buying a mid-grade until I can get that ideal 9.0-9.4 copy, because it will take away my motivation to go for the high grade. I may get one this year, or I may get one 5-10 years from now, but either way that's what makes the hobby fun and gratifying for me.

[JohnBull]

Yeah, but isn't it fun when you get to cross numbers off your bits of paper ?