An Open Apology...

[ImageMask]

No, I'm not apologizing for debating...

 

I have come to the realization, slowly but surely over the last couple of years, that I made a big, big mistake in the early days of my collecting, and I'd like to apologize for it.

 

Instead of paying the "crazy high" prices some dealers had for the best, highest grade material they had, I always lowballed it. I settled for the "what would become" 9.4 Web of Spiderman #1s for $2, instead of springing...like I should have...for the one priced at $10-$15 but that was absolutely flawless.

 

For the VG Batman #200 that I lowballed for $15, and passed on the near perfect 9.4 for $75.

 

Granted, the breadth of my collection is pretty large. But....from 1980 back, it's composed of mostly an average of VG/F books. Had I paid that $65 for that what would have been a 9.8 X-Men #121, I would have been far better off than dickering for those 5 VF copies for $15 each.

 

So....even though most of those dealers have long since moved on...I apologize. I have seen the error of my ways, and you were right to price those pristine books at a premium.

 

Sells the the 98's at 9.8

 

I would have done the same thing if I were you.

 

(thumbs u

 

You just said you did. So whats is the point?

[RockMyAmadeus]

You're okay in my book Rocky. I consider you to be much like JC, a wealth of comic knowledge and a valuable contributor to these boards, provided you can look past the occasional personality defect.

 

+1, except he's nowhere NEAR as arrogant. Is ANYBODY on this board?

 

 

But is he both arrogant and dismissive.....,?? :think:

 

No, no, that's YOU...and a homophobe to boot.

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

No, I'm not apologizing for debating...

 

I have come to the realization, slowly but surely over the last couple of years, that I made a big, big mistake in the early days of my collecting, and I'd like to apologize for it.

 

Instead of paying the "crazy high" prices some dealers had for the best, highest grade material they had, I always lowballed it. I settled for the "what would become" 9.4 Web of Spiderman #1s for $2, instead of springing...like I should have...for the one priced at $10-$15 but that was absolutely flawless.

 

For the VG Batman #200 that I lowballed for $15, and passed on the near perfect 9.4 for $75.

 

Granted, the breadth of my collection is pretty large. But....from 1980 back, it's composed of mostly an average of VG/F books. Had I paid that $65 for that what would have been a 9.8 X-Men #121, I would have been far better off than dickering for those 5 VF copies for $15 each.

 

So....even though most of those dealers have long since moved on...I apologize. I have seen the error of my ways, and you were right to price those pristine books at a premium.

 

Sells the the 98's at 9.8

 

I would have done the same thing if I were you.

 

(thumbs u

 

You just said you did. So whats is the point?

 

Two different time perio...aww, screw it. Nevermind.

 

(thumbs u

[lizards2]

You're okay in my book Rocky. I consider you to be much like JC, a wealth of comic knowledge and a valuable contributor to these boards, provided you can look past the occasional personality defect.

 

+1, except he's nowhere NEAR as arrogant. Is ANYBODY on this board?

 

 

But is he both arrogant and dismissive.....,?? :think:

 

No, no, that's YOU...and a homophobe to boot.

 

 

[Hobo]

Voldemort!

[collector_bill]

I did much the same thing as you but I think I was very wise--

 

I paid off my house. It has gone way up too.

I didn't conflict with my family's desire for vacations, furnishings, nice clothes and restaurant meals.

I don't have to worry about the comic book market rising and falling and the right moment to sell.

I have lots and lots of runs.

I had fun finding them at comic conventions, ebay and local comic shops.

I don't have anyone bothering me today about selling them so that we can pay off the mortgage or put the kids through college.

I feel no need to part with them because of their liquid value.

I don't need an elaborate storage system involving safes and alarms.

The comics don't have to be in an air conditioned vault or put in water tight containers.

I can read them without first putting on white gloves.

I don't have to spend thousands more getting them graded by a third party.

I don't have to worry about having been taken by a dealer.

 

All together they wouldn't even pay for a car and I had just as much fun getting them as my friends with their expensive collections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brilliant post

[Hamlet]

The history of comic book collecting shows a steady and dramatic increase in the separation of values between lower grade books and higher grade books.

 

Currently people are willing to pay immense amounts of money for ultra-high grade, in-demand books.

 

It seems to me that that trend is going to be hard to maintain for much longer without pricing pretty much everyone out of the market.

 

How many people are there out there that are willing to spend $1000+ on a comic book? Is that number increasing or decreasing?

 

How many people out there are willing to have $100k+ sunk into comic books? Is that number increasing or decreasing?

 

I feel a lot of confidence that I will be able to sell the $5 Fine copy of Thor 144 I just bought for about that much down the road. I don't have that confidence in the more expensive high grade books at this point.

 

 

 

 

No, I'm not apologizing for debating...

 

I have come to the realization, slowly but surely over the last couple of years, that I made a big, big mistake in the early days of my collecting, and I'd like to apologize for it.

 

Instead of paying the "crazy high" prices some dealers had for the best, highest grade material they had, I always lowballed it. I settled for the "what would become" 9.4 Web of Spiderman #1s for $2, instead of springing...like I should have...for the one priced at $10-$15 but that was absolutely flawless.

 

For the VG Batman #200 that I lowballed for $15, and passed on the near perfect 9.4 for $75.

 

Granted, the breadth of my collection is pretty large. But....from 1980 back, it's composed of mostly an average of VG/F books. Had I paid that $65 for that what would have been a 9.8 X-Men #121, I would have been far better off than dickering for those 5 VF copies for $15 each.

 

So....even though most of those dealers have long since moved on...I apologize. I have seen the error of my ways, and you were right to price those pristine books at a premium.

 

I would have done the same thing if I were you.

 

(thumbs u

[That Ron Dude]

Let's just say that there is a creepy dealer who looks askance at customers when they get down on their knees to look through his bargain books. He mocks them as they buy his lower grade cast offs.

 

Well maybe the lower grade books are what these customers can afford. And some will say that among the three for a dollar books, especially the ones made during the black and white boom, there are artistic triumphs.

 

Some people like buying comics to collect.Some also like them as an art form.There are actually collectors who rarely buy them just to resell. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that at all. Speculation is part of the hobby but it is not why everyone is in it.

 

Meanwhile this baboon of a dealer claims that he has a personal collection worth a quarter million. Well, it may be so, but it may not be what he will eventually get for it. Meanwhile, his wife wants him to sell the stuff so that he can pay off the house. Imagine the tense conversations at the dinner table. Let's say his kids are still young. The going rate for two university educations in Canada, to an honours BA with the kids, on campus is about $140,000 in 2010 dollars. I know, I put two through myself.

 

Perhaps, by the time his kids are of age, this imaginary excuse for a man will have found that his comics have become almost worthless and he will not only have to sell them for peanuts but mortgage his house so that the kids can learn something beyond high school. If so, he should have put his dough into a Registered Education Plan instead of into the Fantastic Four.

 

Perhaps allocating funds to comics is not the only poor financial judgement he has made over the years. Maybe it is symptomatic of generally poor financial management. Say his wife leaves him and the comic collection is part of the divorce settlement.

 

If an individual kicks himself in the posterior for not making enough money when reselling there might be no end to the bad feelings. He could be angry for not buy even high graded books, even earlier on.

 

There are many good reasons to collect. If you buy something and enjoy it, it is a bonus if a person can sell it for more than he paid (especially when inflation, cost of selling and potential interest on the money are factored in).

 

 

[lizards2]

This is the only comic strip that hangs in my comic cavern - a stern reminder. Replace "pigs and dumps" with "comic books" and you'll get the picture.

 

[lizards2]

Not a single comment from you hog-farmers out there?

[mrwoogieman]

I would like an apology for reading this thread!

 

[comicnoir]

Hi-grade is mi-grade. (most of the time)

[seanfingh]

I would like an apology for reading this thread!

 

 

You should apologize to yourself for inflicting this thread upon yourself.

 

 

[mrwoogieman]

I would like an apology for reading this thread!

 

 

You should apologize to yourself for inflicting this thread upon yourself.

 

 

That's okay. I made it up to myself by eating a bowl of ice cream with crumbled cookies on top!