Grief on my collecting habits.. posted by Tortoise

[CSJournals-migration]

.. and how I view it.

 

I get a lot of grief for the way I collect. I buy a book, decide I don't want it, and sell it (usually at a loss) a week later. I do that often. I don't really pay attention to the people who criticize me for it. Your free to collect however you want, and so am I. I enjoy the way I collect, and that's all that really matters. It ( the grief) has however, made me pause and think about what I collect, and have collected. When I first started collecting (1990) my grail of grails was "Sleepwalker 1", I had Tons of Predator books, Silver Surfer v3, and McFarlane ASM, but that Sleepwalker 1 always eluded me. My neighbor at the time had a copy of Sleepwalker 1, and we all stared at it like it was a copy of Detective comics 27. For years, I searched for a copy to no avail. I was 7 years old living in New York, so my searching capabilities were limited. To This day, I covet Sleepwalker 1(I have it now) as a personal grail.

Fast forward to today. I'm 28 living in Arizona, and the books I coveted as a child are the books I refuse to sell. My Sleepwalker 1,Predator 1-4, Batman Vs Predator, Silver Surfer v3 #50 and Amazing Spider-Man 375, are all coveted books to me.

When I became a "serious" collector Hulk became my focal point, with 340 being my grail. Eventually I would find a copy for $100. It was around Fine, I bought it for $85. and for years I would overpay for crappy books. Around 2002, I was an "adult", I understood the value of a dollar, and changed my collecting habits. I started working on ASM 1-100 Hulk 1-6 X-men 1-66. I got bored with X-men quickly, ASM wouldn't be far behind, but Hulk... Hulk eluded me. In all my years of Comic Shop hopping I hadn't seen many old Hulks. Hulk 1 became my grail.

What drives me as a Collector..? Nostalgia. Hulk 1-6 became a goal that I hadn't achieved until 2010. In 2010 in the span of a week I was able to purchase Hulk 1-6. Over the course of the next 6 months I would obtain 3 more Hulk # 1s. But I started collecting FF, and I sold all the Hulks. I quickly began to miss having Hulk 1. Prices were going up, and they were getting harder to find. Before Long FF would bore me, and I would got to TOS. 39 quickly became a favorite book of mine. for the next year, I would buy and sell, keeping very little for longer then 3 months. I upgraded my Tos 39, and started building that run before deciding I didn't really like it. Hulk was where I wanted to be. I sold off my TOS run (excluding 39) and started searching for another Hulk 1. I was able to find and purchase a 4.5. Again I find myself working on Hulk 1-6 and now TTA 59-101. But I' thoroughly enjoying it. I fully intend to sell my Hulk 1 (hopefully, sooner than later) to fund an Upgrade. But for right now I'm thrilled with my current copy.

Throughout the 22 years I've been collecting, I have owned every major silver Key, and to me that holds a lot of value. Today I own quite a few Silver Keys, but none for the sake of having. I own and buy what I like, I sell what I'm bored with. That's how I'm wired. and It's How I most thoroughly enjoy this hobby. To my knowledge there is no mandatory time limit I need to own a book before I sell it. I own it, It's mine, I'll do with it what I want. I've had sellers get angry at me for not keeping the book they sold me long enough and you know what? I'm ok with that.

 

-Mark (Tortoise)

 

See more journals by Tortoise

[surfer99]

No judgement here. If you ever get a TOS 49 that you're bored with and want to sell at a loss, PLEASE let me know! Seriously though, it's only a hobby so you should collect how you want to collect. For my two cents, the Hulk 1-6 is a smart choice. Hulk title never gets old and smashing anyone who gets in your way just rocks! I did like it better when there were only two hulks in the world though.

 

 

[Dr. Balls]

Collecting for nostalgic purposes is a great way to collect. I would imagine lots of people overpay for books - but as long as you enjoy them, it's not that big of deal. Life is all about overpaying for things.

 

I, too, have gone back and picked up loads of books from when I was younger, simply for nostalgic purposes. I'm still trying to track down books from my personal collection in the 90's when I had a comic book shop - I'd love to find a few of those books just to have again. I think that's the coolest way to collect...

[Calamerica]

.. and how I view it.

 

I get a lot of grief for the way I collect. I buy a book, decide I don't want it, and sell it (usually at a loss) a week later. I do that often. I don't really pay attention to the people who criticize me for it. Your free to collect however you want, and so am I. I enjoy the way I collect, and that's all that really matters. It ( the grief) has however, made me pause and think about what I collect, and have collected. When I first started collecting (1990) my grail of grails was "Sleepwalker 1", I had Tons of Predator books, Silver Surfer v3, and McFarlane ASM, but that Sleepwalker 1 always eluded me. My neighbor at the time had a copy of Sleepwalker 1, and we all stared at it like it was a copy of Detective comics 27. For years, I searched for a copy to no avail. I was 7 years old living in New York, so my searching capabilities were limited. To This day, I covet Sleepwalker 1(I have it now) as a personal grail.

Fast forward to today. I'm 28 living in Arizona, and the books I coveted as a child are the books I refuse to sell. My Sleepwalker 1,Predator 1-4, Batman Vs Predator, Silver Surfer v3 #50 and Amazing Spider-Man 375, are all coveted books to me.

When I became a "serious" collector Hulk became my focal point, with 340 being my grail. Eventually I would find a copy for $100. It was around Fine, I bought it for $85. and for years I would overpay for crappy books. Around 2002, I was an "adult", I understood the value of a dollar, and changed my collecting habits. I started working on ASM 1-100 Hulk 1-6 X-men 1-66. I got bored with X-men quickly, ASM wouldn't be far behind, but Hulk... Hulk eluded me. In all my years of Comic Shop hopping I hadn't seen many old Hulks. Hulk 1 became my grail.

What drives me as a Collector..? Nostalgia. Hulk 1-6 became a goal that I hadn't achieved until 2010. In 2010 in the span of a week I was able to purchase Hulk 1-6. Over the course of the next 6 months I would obtain 3 more Hulk # 1s. But I started collecting FF, and I sold all the Hulks. I quickly began to miss having Hulk 1. Prices were going up, and they were getting harder to find. Before Long FF would bore me, and I would got to TOS. 39 quickly became a favorite book of mine. for the next year, I would buy and sell, keeping very little for longer then 3 months. I upgraded my Tos 39, and started building that run before deciding I didn't really like it. Hulk was where I wanted to be. I sold off my TOS run (excluding 39) and started searching for another Hulk 1. I was able to find and purchase a 4.5. Again I find myself working on Hulk 1-6 and now TTA 59-101. But I' thoroughly enjoying it. I fully intend to sell my Hulk 1 (hopefully, sooner than later) to fund an Upgrade. But for right now I'm thrilled with my current copy.

Throughout the 22 years I've been collecting, I have owned every major silver Key, and to me that holds a lot of value. Today I own quite a few Silver Keys, but none for the sake of having. I own and buy what I like, I sell what I'm bored with. That's how I'm wired. and It's How I most thoroughly enjoy this hobby. To my knowledge there is no mandatory time limit I need to own a book before I sell it. I own it, It's mine, I'll do with it what I want. I've had sellers get angry at me for not keeping the book they sold me long enough and you know what? I'm ok with that.

 

-Mark (Tortoise)

 

See more journals by Tortoise

To Tortoise,I am sad to see that you had gotten sorts of grief over the manner in which you collect.After reading your entire Journal, it is apparent( no color touch intended) that you seem well-balanced in your methodology keeping your emotions in check regarding the said grief. And at your young age( you are younger than my son), you also seem very mature and focused.Your love of comic books is what keeps you in this magnificent hobby, and you are willing to share your experiences as a comic book collector shows both pride and confidence in your abilities as a comic book collector.I must chime in here, to defend your one position: once you buy the item, it is YOURS to sell the very minute you get your hands on it. Any Seller has NO RIGHT to be angry with you if you sell the item they just sold to you. Think: if the Seller still has ties to the item, be it nostalgia, longevity, scarcity, possible breakout to the upside in value, that Seller should not sell the item! Easy, right?Maybe you do get bored a bit quick, but hey, your keeping some of them, so maybe you are not as Quick-Draw-McGraw as you think. I know that you and I have done at least one, maybe two transactions here, and you are TOP NOTCH! Good luck to you, and to all your future comic adventures! Your Journal was a great read.CAL (thumbs u

[telerites]

...Your free to collect however you want...

 

I think this says it all, Mark.

 

I always like seeing what you're after. Thanks for sharing. (thumbs u

[vaillant]

I’m not sure of the shades the word "grief" has in english (I’m italian), but it seems to translate with "deep sorrow".

Said this, if it’s just a pastime, albeit a cherished one, I believe if it’s a source of sorrow it should be considered, and reconsidered, to see the value it holds for you. Personally, collecting comics has become a lot more than a pastime, it’s an interest, and of course I am affectioned to the comics I collect (not only american comic books), but at the same time I continue to study them and set them in context to appreciate the qualities for which they strike me.

 

What got me into golden age, for example, was a research I started on italian publications of the same period. Now it has become a means to study properly twentieth century history (especially related to World War II and modernisms).

I see that comics collecting, as any other passion, can be excessively overwhelming so it‘s good to reconsider the values as I said above.

 

You say you keep the books you cherish most, so maybe it’s just a question to keep your "restlesness" in check. It‘s clear that no seller has to complain about if you decide to sell a book slightly afterwards, but it’s surely a book which meant something to you if you bought it in the first place, right?

In the end, I would keep the Hulk #1.

[Bosco685]

I get a lot of grief for the way I collect.

 

Mark, I think you should collect the way you want to collect. If you change your mind, so be it. They are your books at that point, and you can do what you want with them.

 

When you bought a Caliber Presents 1 from me at the request of a friend - who then bailed on you paying for the book - you still kept the book for a short while, and then turned around and sold it. It wasn't your collecting focus, and you were just trying to recover the funds you had invested in the book. Made sense to me.

 

 

Nick

[Kevin.J]

Mark, once you have bought a book then thats it, its yours and you can do what you like with it.

You shouldnt have to get any grief from anyone.

Incidently, I am the opposite I have been collecting for coming up 40 years and still have 99% of everything I have ever bought.

Its each to their own as long as you are enjoying it.

Enjoy it bud.