high grade is not fun anymore

[sterlingcomics]

i personally have always been happy with nice looking VFs, but i do on occasion want perfect examples of my favorite books that can still be found perfect. I never really spent too much extra on high grade, so i don't feel much of a loss. Of course, if 9.4's actually sold for around guide on most of the books i want, i would probably buy more high grade.

 

I know how you feel man....I know how you feel...

[shiverbones]

oh if only i kept my 1st collection of high grade bronze horror i put together from 1985-1990 then sold....i want to cry!!!!!!

[Bronty]

I've felt this way for at least a year now! Buying high grade just isn't worth it, to me anyway, given what you have to pay. Maybe it's a coincidence, but I've been less interested in comics generally since that time.

 

Regarding the commodity discussion above, I disagree with the prevailing sentiment. Comics are more a commodity now than they ever have been. Want a NM+ copy of whatever your grail is? Just write a check. In the past, those NM+ copies were 'keepers' in somebody's closet. You simply couldn't find them. Now you just go on ebay or heritage, search for the item, pay and in no time its yours. All sorts of books that used to be locked up in collections have sprung out of the woodwork due to the higher prices realized.

 

Encapsulation definitely has pros and cons. It sucks a lot of the fun out, but it does make the hobby a safer place.

 

To my mind, the best use of the service is as a resto check. The first cgc books I ever bought were mid grades of ASM14 and Avengers 4. Bought them, cracked them, and read them. Only way to go. Spending stupid money on a 9.6 that you can buy in 9.0 for $20 is just silly IMO.

[joe_collector]

Comics are more a commodity now than they ever have been. Want a NM+ copy of whatever your grail is? Just write a check. In the past, those NM+ copies were 'keepers' in somebody's closet. You simply couldn't find them. Now you just go on ebay or heritage, search for the item, pay and in no time its yours. All sorts of books that used to be locked up in collections have sprung out of the woodwork due to the higher prices realized.

 

This is one reason I buy less now than at any point since I started collecting. There is really no "thrill of the chase" going on, as virtually any Bronze comic is available at any grade, with the only requisite ingredient being opening up the checkbook.

 

I think that's one reason I got a kick out of finding variants on EBay, as it brought back that old "hunting instinct", although lately, the specs have taken away any fun I used to get from this area as well.

 

The last thing that has really drained my high-grade excitement is CGC' continued insistence on giving horrible-QP books CGC 9.8 grades. That continues to boggle my mind, and tells me that CGC is really not a place I want to be sinking too much of my HG dollars.

[currincomics]

Very good thread, and I share many of the same feelings as many of my fellow forumites. To sum it all up, I collect comic books, the most important thing for me is to get the particular issue(s) that I need or want, and if at a later date I find or stumble into an upgrade, then I usually pick the book(s) up. I still love the hunt or the game of chance that goes along with the hobby. My best moment from '03 was a "game of chance" auction off Ebay. The seller had taken a digital camera picture of Conan 1-4 Vol.1 , and the image of the auction looked like 4 books at the end of a 40' hallway. I rolled the dice, bid $140, and won the auction. Well Conan #1 has come back from the slabbery already, and it brought home a nice vf/nm-9.0 with it, and #3 is there now and it is just as nice or nicer than the #1. The #2 and the #4 were defininte upgrades from my other #2 and #4(they are just as nice as the #1 and #3). So, it's moments like those that keep in the game, and most likely will for some time to come. Bottom Line-I collect comic books, and as long as there not litter box liners, I'll find a place for them in my collection.

[Lunartic-migration]

High grade comics are commodities depending on their owners. Apart from investment, an HG copy of a book, with its' fully glossed, unblemished cover, is an accurate representation of the way the book was originally meant to look. It's a sharper, clearer image.

 

It is an excellent snapshot of a moment in time and that's why I still collect HG, but I can not think of them as commodities or I'd be out tomorrow. Opening a GA book that still has bounce to it, where the pages still feel fresh and vibrant is like a drug.

 

It certainly is harder to do collect now with prices the way they are, but I crack my holders regularly. I have to experience the comic in 3-D or else it's a complete waste for me.

[goldust40]

I echo those sentiments.

[THE_BEYONDER]

WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!!!

[sterlingcomics]

Bronty,

 

Interesting point. I think technology and sites like eBay has made historically hard to find titles mere child's play these days. I think that is affecting the overall perception as well. Having access to information and connectivity to others in the hobby has made it easier as well.

 

Of course, there could be more sellers than buyers (supply/demand).

[joe_collector]

but I can not think of them as commodities or I'd be out tomorrow.

 

I think that's the crux of the issue, and for me at least, it's more the reality of the market than a personal choice of view.

 

When I see current prices, I just have to shake my head. There is no way "collectors" are supporting this insanity, and if I am prepared to take part in the same commodity-based madness, then I try and keep both eyes open.

 

If the majority of people buying CGC comics think of them as commodities, then that is the opinion that will be reflected. Closing your eyes doesn't change it.

[joe_collector]

Of course, there could be more sellers than buyers (supply/demand).

 

That definitely has something to do with it, especially if you look at some of the serious, long-term collections that have been sold off since CGC started up, and the number of long-time collectors who pop up on EBay with a virtual mound of comics and the usual 'I'm getting out" spiel in their auction description.

 

When prices are out of whack with long-term reality, this is what happens, while it was the exact opposite when dealing with 1980's "lowball Guide prices".

[blowout]

What it really boils down to is when one becomes more worried about a number on a label on a plastic case than whats inside that well its time for me to go onto other things.

 

[joe_collector]

What it really boils down to is when one becomes more worried about a number on a label on a plastic case than whats inside that well its time for me to go onto other things.

 

 

[Illiterati-migration]

What it really boils down to is when one becomes more worried about a number on a label on a plastic case than whats inside that well its time for me to go onto other things.

 

 

 

[Drummy]

I have been thinking about this issue a lot lately, especially with the $$ I'm spending on HG and the problems involved - CGC's reliability and long-term market influence, various forms of restoration/"not" restoration, buying while many collectors are selling at a high point on the cycle, etc. I have bought and sold more HG comics than I care to count at this point, and have basically broken even. Many times I have woken up thinking it's time to sell the whole shebang, but then something good happens and I keep the faith, as it were.

 

The most important thing for me as a collector/HG buyer was to find a balance. I recently picked up a great super-low-grade run of '60's Marvels (missing several issues and a few keys, but most are there). It's been great to read through some of these; it brings out the fan in me who used to read the Marvel Treasury Editions and Origins of Marvel Comics TPB's as an enthusiastic kid in the '70's.

 

The low-grade stuff balances my HG love, which has diminished to one title: Fantastic Four. I can't afford several titles and Marvel key issues in HG these days (although I would like to), and need to focus on my "first love" in comics. Finding FF #1-90 in high grade is still a big challenge, since they don't pop up on Ebay and other venues every week, and thus I still get the thrill of the hunt. I realize I'll be paying high prices to get them, of course, and I hope they won't lose my monetary "investment" over the years, but who knows. At this point everything I've put into my run has been discretionary income, with about half the run to go. So far, so good. Although I'm a competitive and impatient collector, I know what comes first with regard to my money - and it ain't comics.

 

What I love about HG collecting is the sense of going back to the past, of having a treasure of a story straight from 1964 in my collection looking brand new. The thrill of seeing, say, the Northland copy of FF #17 pop up on Comiclink (now lost in another collection), or the purchase of a beautiful FF #X reminds me that there is always more excitement ahead.

 

Dan

[blowout]

The last thing that has really drained my high-grade excitement is CGC' continued insistence on giving horrible-QP books CGC 9.8 grades. That continues to boggle my mind, and tells me that CGC is really not a place I want to be sinking too much of my HG dollars.

 

This and the recent clean and press saga have really put me off buying HG slabs right now. Its definately a good time to sit back and watch the market for a while.

[Illiterati-migration]

The last thing that has really drained my high-grade excitement is CGC' continued insistence on giving horrible-QP books CGC 9.8 grades. That continues to boggle my mind, and tells me that CGC is really not a place I want to be sinking too much of my HG dollars.

 

This and the recent clean and press saga have really put me off buying HG slabs right now. Its definately a good time to sit back and watch the market for a while.

 

CONSPIRACY THEORISTS!!!!! Get'em Scouts, and don't forget to use your claws!

[fantastic_four]

This and the recent clean and press saga have really put me off buying HG slabs right now. Its definately a good time to sit back and watch the market for a while.

 

YUP! Time to sit back and let supply rise while demand drops. Hope Matt Nelson and Susan Cicconi are crankin' at least 40-60 hours a week so that 9.6 prices drop sooner than later...

[joe_collector]

Its definately a good time to sit back and watch the market for a while.

 

That's what I've been doing for a bit now, and since you'd have to be a crack-baby to think that current inflated CGC price levels will spike yet again, patience is definitely a virtue.

 

I wonder if it'll be similar to me popping on EBay after a hiatus in the mid-90's and seeing NM copies of ASM 129 selling for $30-$40?

[blowout]

Hope Matt Nelson and Susan Cicconi are crankin' at least 40-60 hours a week so that 9.6 prices drop sooner than later...

 

Good luck with all your future 'purchases.'