So many questions...

[shadow2026]

Ok, so I guess if you've read my post about how many comics fit in a long box, you know about the deal being offered by my LCS (which isnt very "local" but close enough to make a trip every now and again). I went there today, filled a long box with books, and now I'm lost

 

Well I got what I wanted, tons of books at a discount price. They were all selections from the $1.00 boxes, and I stuffed this box to no end. I was like a kid in a candy store, frequently trading books I thought were kinda neat for books I thought were cooler, trying to make the most of my seemingly limited space. But hey, for $50, I think I did pretty well; at least I'm happy with my purchases.

 

My line of questioning begins here

 

What now? A broad question I know, but should I read them? Off the top of my head I can tell you I got alot of Fantastic Fours, Detective Comics, Action Comics, some The Mighty Thor, some Captain America, I got a Wonder Woman #58 (which I thought was the coolest of them all It was even in a hard plastic bag instead of a flimsy bag hehe). Some spiderman and batman and superman... just a general cornucopia of comics. Alot are sequential (such as alot of the FF's and the Batmans and the Detective Comics), but alot arent, and some are the only one of the kind I bought. I even got a few miniature ones called "ashcan size" or something like that, some of those old Atari Force books... tons of stuff, havent even sorted through it yet, I was on a time schedule of about 2 hours and had about 15+ long boxes to sort through. Some of the comics arent bagged/boarded, but only a few and they're for the most part pretty modern. I want to start reading some for sure, but I also think I should sort them in some order or at least go through and pick what I want and such. I know I grabbed a couple of duplicates because the comics were in no particular order (sorted only by publisher), so I probably grabbed a few that I already had in the box. No worries. I'd like to make out a list or a catalogue of some sort of what I have. How do you guys go about doing this. I have about 200 or so comics, you guys probably have THOUSANDS! How do you keep track of what you have where?

 

I don't have a scanner unfortunately so I cant show you guys any of the cooler books I bought. They may not be worth a whole lot but they're cool and I'm happy to have them.

 

Ok, so, in short, where do I go from here? Sort first read later? List them somewhere and if so how and with what? A simple notepad document maybe? Perhaps theres special software devoted to this.

 

Another question I had, which I asked the dealer but I just need to double check, is that there were some books which had printed on their barcodes "Direct Edition" or "Direct Copy" or something like this, too tired to check for sure cuz I only bought a few of these, but the dealer said its because they were sold to comic book store as opposed to a 7-11 or something like that. Just double checking...

 

Anyhow, I've gone on enough about this. Any advice you guys have about what I should do with my hodgepodge collection please let me know, and as always, thanks alot for helping me out

 

Vince

[NewtSamson]

I usually put my new comics in order of lamest looking to coolest and read in that order...

[thanos_oftitan]

Read the Marvels 1st, then whatever's left....

[ultimatevenom]

Put them in order and read them, if you find a story you like find out if it was part of an arc.

 

I think the dealer was right about the Direct Edition and Direct Copy.

[sckao]

 

You were only able to get 200 comics into a long box? So that's empirically how many comics a long box can hold?

 

They're advertised as holding up to 500 (or usually 300-350 comics.)

 

Maybe I should empty some long boxes and see how many comics are in it...

[ultimatevenom]

Read the Marvels 1st, then whatever's left....

 

No, join the dark side (DC) you will love it, Marvels are nothing. I suggest you make your way over to the Infinite Horror thread on the Bronze forum, i am sure you could get some cheap DC horror from someone over there.

 

[shadow2026]

You were only able to get 200 comics into a long box? So that's empirically how many comics a long box can hold?

 

They're advertised as holding up to 500 (or usually 300-350 comics.)

 

Maybe I should empty some long boxes and see how many comics are in it...

 

Actually this is a blatantly random number. I have no idea whatsoever exactly how many I got in there, but Im positive it was AT LEAST 200!

 

And thanks for the advice guys, I'll sort them out when I get a chance and then start reading them. I think I want to start reading the FF's.

 

What about cataloguing them, Im sure you guys have some form of list or catalogue so you don't end up buying what you already have, and so you can quickly browse what your collection consists of without dragging out 30 boxes and searching through them all.

[Scarlet_Spider]

I just use a Excel spreadsheet generally with 3 columns.

Title, Volume and Number(s).

 

[Wally's Comics]

You were only able to get 200 comics into a long box? So that's empirically how many comics a long box can hold?

 

They're advertised as holding up to 500 (or usually 300-350 comics.)

 

Maybe I should empty some long boxes and see how many comics are in it...

 

Let me know, about your count.

 

I know the long boxes that I own can hold more because I've been to some LCS's

that stuff the ever-living-dickens out of them and I know this can't be good for the comics inside.

 

I mean, some of these places you feel like king arthur just for being able to pull the first

comic out of there over stuffed comic boxes.

[deathlok]

Great job with the comics. Everyone handles their collection differently, do what feels best to you.

 

I use Excel to manage my collection. I assign a letter to a long box and then list the box, title, volume, issue #, and description/notes. The volume is very important in determining value, which is usually located in the indicia or generally the first page. In the description field it's important to note anything special about the issue, like important storylines, first appearances, or special wroters/artists. Also note is the issue is special in some way, like a variant cover, 2nd edition, or limited series.

 

I would suggest at the least you go buy regular sized comic bags and backing boards. Since thses aren't mint comic, I wouldn't spend the money on mylars, and acid-free boards. Although you can if you feel you want to maintain the higher quality stuff. You may need another long box though, becuase bags and boards take up room.

 

In my experience with long boxes the number of comics varies, depending on the type of comics contained. Typically I can fit 225-250 comics, bagged an boarded, in a long box. The number will go down if you have thicker books, like annuals, giant-size, or most one-shots.

 

Finally, enjoy reading your books, that's the best part. I would suggest filling in the holes in the runs. That will give you the collecting bug to finish a complete run. The Atari Force would be great practice, because they are inexpensive and it isn't a long run. The other titles you mention get expensive from value and number of issues. Oh and you might want to get an Overstreet Price Guide, if you don't have one already. Lots of useful information in tracking books.

[Jayman]

Shadow, you're well on your way now by buying a nice diversity of titles to read. Now you can start forming your own opinions about what you like and what you should collect. All the previous advice is sound. I also recommend Excel to start a list of your books. If you start now and add your comics to the list as you get them it won't seem like such a chore. I use the following columns in Excel:

Publisher / Title / Issue / Grade / Key / Comments

 

Lastly (or firstly) Just spread a bunch out on the floor and soak in your 200+ lot!

 

Oh and as Deathlok stated, Get yourself an Overstreet Price Guide. It IS worth the price not only for the prices but for the lists and runs of comics not to mention some grading guidelines.

[s-man]

What now?

 

Buy what you like..(but make sure you pick up Uncanny X-Men...Byrne and Adams especially!! )

[shadow2026]

Thank you all, very good advice!

 

Unfortunately I don't have excel on my computer, its Win XP home stock, no office of any kind

 

I'll do a quick search for some kind of database/spreadsheet program, maybe I can pick something decent up for free just to use for now!

 

I have off tomorrow (technically today, it IS 2am ) so I plan on sorting through most of them, hopefully getting them logged. 95% are bagged and boarded already, alot of my FF's arent tho But I got a REALLY old FF its like number 238 or something like that, its old, in pretty bad condition, off the tip of my head I'd give it a 2 or 3.

 

Anyone know what number Atari Force goes up to? I think I got about 10 of them, ranging from #2 (doh, couldnt there be a #1 there?) to #27.. Not sure how much higher they go, but thats a very good idea, trying to complete that run to start with

 

I've been resisting the urge to tear the lid off the box and spread em out all over and just love them for a little while because Im usually up late and I want to have a few hours to sort through them and such.

 

Thanks again for all your sound advice, as always, you guys are great!

 

Vince

[shadow2026]

.

 

I use Excel to manage my collection. I assign a letter to a long box and then list the box, title, volume, issue #, and description/notes. The volume is very important in determining value, which is usually located in the indicia or generally the first page. In the description field it's important to note anything special about the issue, like important storylines, first appearances, or special wroters/artists. Also note is the issue is special in some way, like a variant cover, 2nd edition, or limited series.

 

Ok, just got this prog called easyoffice, very nice office program, free for personal use, and I realized something....

 

I've NEVER used a spreadsheet before...

 

It's a little confusing. From what I can tell, this prog can read excel sheets, so if you would'nt mind sending me a sample of your sheet so I can sorta see what you did and get a feel for how to do this, I'd be much obliged

 

shadow2026@comcast.net

 

Thanks alot

 

Vince