Perfectionism and High Grade Collecting

[Paul_Maul]

Last night, I went to look at my copy of Amazing Spider-Man 136 after seeing the book discussed

on the boards recently. Looking at it, I was chagrined to see minute wear at both corners and a

small amount of surface wear.

 

I was pissed off for the rest of the evening. Looking at that one book made me feel my entire

collection was garbage books and that I wanted to sell everything.

 

This is the unhealthy side of perfectionistic collecting. Nothing is ever good enough. At least

once a year I go through my collection, each year selling off more and more books that used

to be "nice enough" and no longer are.

 

I had to look at at least 10 other really nice 20-25 cent Spideys to convince myself I

actually own some nice books.

[drbanner]

Last night, I went to look at my copy of Amazing Spider-Man 136 after seeing the book discussed

on the boards recently. Looking at it, I was chagrined to see minute wear at both corners and a

small amount of surface wear.

 

I was pissed off for the rest of the evening. Looking at that one book made me feel my entire

collection was garbage books and that I wanted to sell everything.

 

This is the unhealthy side of perfectionistic collecting. Nothing is ever good enough. At least

once a year I go through my collection, each year selling off more and more books that used

to be "nice enough" and no longer are.

 

I had to look at at least 10 other really nice 20-25 cent Spideys to convince myself I

actually own some nice books.

 

But at least it was well-centered with great color and white pages, right? Sorry...

[Paul_Maul]

But at least it was well-centered with great color and white pages, right? Sorry...

 

Who knows? Once I saw the corner wear, I probably would have chucked it into the fireplace if

it were still winter.

[drbanner]

But at least it was well-centered with great color and white pages, right? Sorry...

 

Who knows? Once I saw the corner wear, I probably would have chucked it into the fireplace if

it were still winter.

 

And we haven't enough rain around here this month for an available puddle either!!

[Darthdiesel]

Looking at that one book made me feel my entire collection was garbage books and that I wanted to sell everything.

 

This is the unhealthy side of perfectionistic collecting.

 

Some here would argue that you can't get rid of your collection fast enough. Every second you hold on to your books is a dollar out of your pocket...sell now...sell now!

[Paul_Maul]

Another pathological tendency:

 

Sometimes when I'm on the fence about whether a book is nice enough to keep, I get this urge

to crease up a corner just so the decision will be irrevocably made....

[Paul_Maul]

Some here would argue that you can't get rid of your collection fast enough. Every second you hold on to your books is a dollar out of your pocket...sell now...sell now!

 

Not sure, but that may be an all time record for quickest transition/highjack to a crash thread!

 

[Mr. Zipper]

Last night, I went to look at my copy of Amazing Spider-Man 136 after seeing the book discussed on the boards recently. Looking at it, I was chagrined to see minute wear at both corners and a small amount of surface wear.

 

I was pissed off for the rest of the evening. Looking at that one book made me feel my entire collection was garbage books and that I wanted to sell everything.

 

I think a lot of folks go through this phase when they begin reading these boards. I know I did.

 

You can't let anyone else make you feel that your collection is bad or inadequate. If these boards make you strive to collect higher grade books, that's fine. But don't let them make you feel bad about books that you were happy with before.

 

Bear in mind that this is a tiny percentage of the collecting community. For every NM freak here, there are 100 VG/F/VF collectors out there that are just as happy with their books as the NM perfectionist is with his. It's a hobby... it should be fun, not stressful.

[BassGMan]

Although I think spending 10X OS multiples and etc. is absolutely ridiculous, no matter what the rarety of the book is, I am sure glad that there are many people out there willing to do it. That is why CGC is so great. It allows us to prove these conditions so that the perfectionists can pay these outrageous prices. Me personally? I'd rather have an affordable and nice 9.0 with a few defects and sell my 9.4s, 9.6s and 9.8s to the perfectionists that will pay me these ridiculous prices. Unless you really have money to burn (and some people honestly do) I just can't understand it. But in all honestly, I'm willing to admit that I'll take full advantage of it on the selling side for as long as I can. Reminds me of the tech stock bubble of '98 to early '00. I just hope this bubble lasts alot longer. And if it isn't a bubble? All the better for us flippers. --------Sid

[Darthdiesel]

 

I'll try to get it back OT...

 

Most of my books in ultra high grade are ones that are still on the shelves of most LCS (1998 - present) which is what I enjoy mainly so I'm satisfied at this point, but since I carry books from other previous ages as well, I look back at my runs from the 80's and 90's and just think that they are great for reading and only very are WORTH getting a 9.8 slab of (IMO, only). Sometimes I just realize that the prices that ultra high grade bronze and silver are just beyond my means so I don't sweat it. But I can feel for you if this is where your collecting interest lies predominantly.

 

Sometimes I'm going thru my longboxes and find a book which I can't believe is in such great shape for it's age. Nothing key mind you, just a common 15 or 20 cent DC or Marvel in NM or better shape which I didn't buy off the shelf myself. Those are some good days

 

Nothing wrong with being a perfectionist when it comes to comic collecting. when you do find something "good enough" for all your issues, what is there left? Being a perfectionist keeps you active in your collecting. It can be frustrating at times but can also be your main source of motivation.

[delekkerste]

Another pathological tendency:

 

Sometimes when I'm on the fence about whether a book is nice enough to keep, I get this urge

to crease up a corner just so the decision will be irrevocably made....

 

This reminds me of an old Peter Sellers movie I once saw:

 

Dr. Strangelove (or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Sub-9.8 Comics)

[Paul_Maul]

You can't let anyone else make you feel that your collection is bad or inadequate. If these boards make you strive to collect higher grade books, that's fine. But don't let them make you feel bad about books that you were happy with before.

 

Alas, I have been this way for at least 10 years. It just seems to get increasingly bad as time

passes. Although, I must admit, it doesn't help seeing the "Pretty JIM of the Day" threads.

I collected from 1980-1985 and then 1992-present. Books that in the early 80's I considered

the beauties of my collection are now the absolute dogs (the few that are left).

 

It's a hobby... it should be fun, not stressful.

 

That's what I keep telling myself Any suggestions on how to make myself believe it?

[FFB]

You can't let anyone else make you feel that your collection is bad or inadequate. If these boards make you strive to collect higher grade books, that's fine. But don't let them make you feel bad about books that you were happy with before.

 

Alas, I have been this way for at least 10 years. It just seems to get increasingly bad as time

passes. Although, I must admit, it doesn't help seeing the "Pretty JIM of the Day" threads.

I collected from 1980-1985 and then 1992-present. Books that in the early 80's I considered

the beauties of my collection are now the absolute dogs (the few that are left).

 

It's a hobby... it should be fun, not stressful.

 

That's what I keep telling myself Any suggestions on how to make myself believe it?

 

Yeah, try reading your "reader" copies and enjoy the stories, and stop being such a drama queen.

[Paul_Maul]

Yeah, try reading your "reader" copies and enjoy the stories, and stop being such a drama queen.

 

Just making a point about how obsessive high grade collecting can make you. Thanks for the

tip though. Are you a professional therapist? Should I also "suck it up"?

[magelsa]

I understand exactly what you are going through. However, I think it is time to stop worrying once you start feeling that, as has happened to me, a CGC book graded at 9.6 is not up to scratch. You are not happy with the book, yet you know it is great, because CGC says it is. Sometimes this can put your other books in perspective. I got a raw magazine recently that was advertised as 9.8 condition. I was happy with it, although I did not think it was 9.8 quality because of some spine cracking/edge paper separation (whatever) which seems quite common on this book. Other than that, it had a perfect front and back cover and sharp corners. I would have said 9.4. Anyhows, I later bought a CGC graded copy (9.6) of the same issue, which had the same (a bit worse) spine egde flaw, but also had a quite substantial stress mark on the back cover. In other words, it looks worse than my raw copy, but hey, it's a 9.6 right? When I get despondent about my books, I look at this and another 9.6 CGC book that I am not so pleased about, and the whole thing takes on another perspective. After all, CGC are determining the sky-high prices people pay for books, right? The best thing I can suggest is to only, from now on, deal with reliable sellers whose grading you can trust. This way, at least you know that every book you add to your collection is as good as it can be. Good luck with your future collection.

[samurai007]

 

That's what I keep telling myself Any suggestions on how to make myself believe it?

Actually read the books instead of grading them. Think about the art and story, and will Spidey defeat Green Goblin/Mysterio/Sandman or whoever? Ignore the blunted corner and enjoy the actual story contained in the comic!

 

And when you're done, think of this... a person who owns a perfect 10.0 slabbed copy of the book wouldn't dare do what you just did. First, because he'd have to break open the slab to do it, and chances are he wouldn't win the "10.0 Lottery" again. Second, the slightest crease or fingerprint would definitely ruin his cherished multiples of book, even if he did want to pay another $25 to have it reslabbed. So all he can do is admire the pristine cover through the slab, and look at the description and the little number 10 on the sticker. How much fun is that?

[Mr. Zipper]

Books that in the early 80's I considered the beauties of my collection are now the absolute dogs (the few that are left).

 

I hear ya....

 

Revisting all the "beauties" I bought in the 80s and early 90s, I find a lot more F to VF- than VF+ or better. Apparently, I used to buy books more on gloss and eye appeal than strict grade. I overlooked small creases and spine wear if the cover was bright and glossy Books that I remember as being my gems are really 7.0s. Now, with the vast price differentials between even .5 grades, it has forced us to grade tighter and be more critical than ever. I don't know if that is such a good thing....

 

[Zonker]

It's a hobby... it should be fun, not stressful.

 

That's what I keep telling myself Any suggestions on how to make myself believe it?

 

If you're serious, try this on for size: Your 8.0-to-9.0-ish copies are likely much better than 95% of the books people bought brand new off the spinner racks back in the day of newstand distribution!

[samurai007]

I understand exactly what you are going through. However, I think it is time to stop worrying once you start feeling that, as has happened to me, a CGC book graded at 9.6 is not up to scratch. You are not happy with the book, yet you know it is great, because CGC says it is. Sometimes this can put your other books in perspective. I got a raw magazine recently that was advertised as 9.8 condition. I was happy with it, although I did not think it was 9.8 quality because of some spine cracking/edge paper separation (whatever) which seems quite common on this book. Other than that, it had a perfect front and back cover and sharp corners. I would have said 9.4. Anyhows, I later bought a CGC graded copy (9.6) of the same issue, which had the same (a bit worse) spine egde flaw, but also had a quite substantial stress mark on the back cover. In other words, it looks worse than my raw copy, but hey, it's a 9.6 right? When I get despondent about my books, I look at this and another 9.6 CGC book that I am not so pleased about, and the whole thing takes on another perspective. After all, CGC are determining the sky-high prices people pay for books, right? The best thing I can suggest is to only, from now on, deal with reliable sellers whose grading you can trust. This way, at least you know that every book you add to your collection is as good as it can be. Good luck with your future collection.

 

You know, I have a story from my childhood that taught me the value of enjoying the comic and not worrying about the grade... When I was young (8, 9, 10 years old), my dad would often surprise my brother and I by bringing home comics for us. He knew which series we liked, and he'd try to get those if he could. One day, he brought home an issue of Justice League of America for me, my favorite series at the time. I was really excited until I saw a fairly large tear in the cover (maybe 3/4 of an inch.) My dad didn't know or care about the grade of the books, he just grabbed them off the shelf because he knew that was the series I liked. I was just at the stage where I was beginning to take good care of my comics, and I made a big stink to my dad about watching out for the grade of the book he selected. This is called "looking a gift horse in the mouth"...

 

Well, my dad decided to drive me back to the comic store to try and exchange the book. The owner of the store was a complete jerk, and refused to trade it for a better copy (accused us of tearing it), so my dad bought another copy for me. I told him not to, that the tear wasn't that big, but he insisted because he wanted me to have a nice condition book for my collection. I thanked him, but inside, I felt terrible. We were a poor family, struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table. Instead of appreciated my dad's gift, I complained about it, and he ended up buying me another copy of the same book again. I never complained about the grade of a book he bought me again... I just read them and enjoyed them. I still own those 2 copies of JLA, and whenever I start obsessing about grade, I look at them to remind me... it is the enjoyment of the story that matters, not the grade of the book.

[garthgantu]

If you're serious, try this on for size: Your 8.0-to-9.0-ish copies are likely much better than 95% of the books people bought brand new off the spinner racks back in the day of newstand distribution!

 

Here's another quicky quack cure: go on eBay and look at all the detritus being offered (and bought!) as "high grade." This will quickly drive home the fact that many, many people still

- consider an 8.0 Bronze Age book to be quite nice/attractive

- can't grade worth a lick and would view your 'dogs' as pristine copies