Neatstuff Collection - :) or :(

[Racer-X]

For the record: I am currently collecting non-key hi-grade S.A. raw books. I've been missing the feel and smell of comics for all the time I've been collecting keys in slabs. So if indeed this collection is "average VF" then I'm going to have tons of fun going through it, grading it, keeping the books I want and selling the rest (lower grades). HOWEVER, I did not buy this to flip it. My dream would be for every one to be 8.0 and above and I could keep them all. Of course, this will not be the case.

 

The main question is: is this collection as advertised - is it indeed VF average?

 

The secondary question is: financially, will I do ok selling the books that don't fit into my collection, given I paid $20/book?

 

 

Maybe he just meant that it was your average VF for eBay, which should be about VG/F.

 

I am prepared to suck up the return shipping.

[rjpb]

What would have me worried is an average grade of VF with some books as high as 9.4, meaning there are books that will be no better than 6.0 as well, and judging from the pix, some of those aren't any better than VG+. I don't know about neatstuff, but in the past when I bought lots from reputable dealers with an "average" grade, the grade was frequently a median,not an average - meaning an equal number of copies might be both better or less than VF, but the lower grades might go a lot lower than the high grades went up.

 

A lot of it is going to come down to the shape of the earlier and potentially more valuable books, as some of those late SA comics will be hard pressed to fetch any more than $20 in raw 8.0 - 9.0 state when sold individually. It doesn't really look like any of the featured books are VF, more like 5.0-6.0 on average with tanning issues on many, so it's probably a safe bet any VF average includes less valuable books in higher grade.

 

My guess is if most of these are for your collection, and you're okay with books that might fall just shy of 8.0, then you probably saved money ( and certainly time) over buying individually or in smaller groups, but if you're looking to flip, the work involved might not feel worth it. I don't know if you added it up, but I'd have been hesitant to pay any more than 50% of 6.0 guide for the lot even if I planned on keeping most of them.

 

[Number 6]

For the record: I am currently collecting non-key hi-grade S.A. raw books. I've been missing the feel and smell of comics for all the time I've been collecting keys in slabs. So if indeed this collection is "average VF" then I'm going to have tons of fun going through it, grading it, keeping the books I want and selling the rest (lower grades). HOWEVER, I did not buy this to flip it. My dream would be for every one to be 8.0 and above and I could keep them all. Of course, this will not be the case.

 

The main question is: is this collection as advertised - is it indeed VF average?

 

The secondary question is: financially, will I do ok selling the books that don't fit into my collection, given I paid $20/book?

 

 

It's hard to get an accurate grade on all of these due to the small/group pictures. From what I can see, I don't think these "average" VF (that would mean some are above VF as well as below). My impression is that VF is probably going to be the top-out grade for these, the actual average is probably going to be more in the FN range.

 

Sorry, wish I could be more positive about it. From the pictures, it does look like there are some books that have the potential to be very nice VF. And it looks like there are some issues that if they're nice presentable FNs, they'll be good keeper copies too.

 

A lot of it will depend on the number of copies that are so low you'll want to sell them. That'll push up the per-copy price of the ones you want to keep. In the end, that'll determine how good of a "deal" this is.

 

I look forward to hearing how the books look in hand.

[Aman619]

seems to me the idea would have been to get a list of the books in the highest grade in order to estimate the retail value of the horde. Cause the midgrades and lower wont add up to much.

 

but, if bought for a collection, looks like a nice pile of books... and a better overall deal than buying at a convention from dealer stock.

[Bunky Brian]

VF "average" is hard to qualify, my worthless opinion is the earliest (most valuable) books will be FN+/VF- range, and the later 60's/70's on will be VF ish,

 

You should have fun with the complete load, IMHO

 

Bri

 

 

[Racer-X]

Thanks guys - yes - certainly expecting the early #'s to be the lowest grades. I'm ok with any grade distribution as long as indeed the collection is VF average, as advertised. What this means to me is if each book is given a numerical grade, the numbers are added up, and then divided by the number of books, the resulting # will be 8.0 (or very close to 8.0). I know my 8.0 is very close to the collecting community's 8.0 due to years of verification with CGC and other boardies.

[sassemble]

 

Over the past two years I sold a collection on consignment for a co-worker. The collection was in similar shape (a majority were 6.0-8.0 with a few higher) and size as the collection that you bought.

This collection featured 50-plus issue runs of ASM, FF, Avengers and Strange Tales from 1965 to 1970 or so. There were also small runs of Captain America, Captain Marvel and Silver Surfer. I had few books graded, including an 8.5 Avengers #57, 9.6 Silver Surfer #2 and a 9.0 Silver Surfer #4. This collection was missing a lot of keys, such as SS #1, and the FF and Spidey runs started just after key moments (FF#51 and ASM #44, but no #50).

A great many of these books were in the 8.5 range and a lot were structurally 8.5/9.0 but I sold them as 7.5s due to tanning. Not all the books had tanning and some were clearly better than 8.5 but I sold them as 8.5s. I'm sure some of my customers who bought the books would testify for their awesomeness.

I sold a majority of the collection on the boards and wound up getting around $20 per book. And that's mainly thanks to the graded Silver Surfers.

Did you get a good deal? Who knows. If you keep and enjoy them, they it's difficult to argue that you didn't. To flip them for a profit would be difficult unless you have some high-grade semi-keys to sell.

My

[Sal]

Well, it sure will be fun to go through the package(s) upon arrival. Some of that enjoyment has to be worth something to you, by my way of thinking

[Racer-X]

Well, it sure will be fun to go through the package(s) upon arrival. Some of that enjoyment has to be worth something to you, by my way of thinking

 

For the past few years I've been collecting keys - and of course I love that moment when I open the package and look at that one book for the first time. Then from time to time I take the book(s) out of the box and look at them again.

 

But for me nothing beats going through a hoard of raws, flipping through them, smelling them, grading them, re-bagging them, picking out the ones I want to keep for my collection, etc. It's a really fun process.

 

But of course I'll be able to assess quickly whether or not the seller has described this collection accurately. If he has, I'm in for fun. If not, I'm out return shipping $.

 

For me it's as simple as that!

 

[roulette44]

makes perfect sense....

 

now, I want to know when the invitations are going out for "party at Rich's to open the box"

[Kevin.J]

I hope the grades hold up as VF

[Racer-X]

makes perfect sense....

 

now, I want to know when the invitations are going out for "party at Rich's to open the box"

 

Should I call Geraldo and do a Capone's vault-type TV special? I'm afraid the results may be similar!...

[ft88]

I'm not a big fan of these types of buys, I think you are simply going to be disappointed in the grades and as you get the spread sheet out they will likely add up to $10,000. And the point of buying something like this is to get them for 60-80% since you're buying the lot.

 

I think if you started a WTB thread right here and let everyone know you had $10,000 to pay and started to follow through, you'd spend that money in a month and have a double better collection.

[Racer-X]

I'm not a big fan of these types of buys, I think you are simply going to be disappointed in the grades and as you get the spread sheet out they will likely add up to $10,000. And the point of buying something like this is to get them for 60-80% since you're buying the lot.

 

I think if you started a WTB thread right here and let everyone know you had $10,000 to pay and started to follow through, you'd spend that money in a month and have a double better collection.

 

Did that and bought almost everything everyone offered! (thumbs u

[Point Five]

When you inspect the books, presumably with an eye towards whether to keep or return them, I'd definitely take a close look at the interiors of the key books too. From the sheer scale of some of the comic lots they sell, I find it very plausible that some grading-through-the-bags takes place.

 

 

[Racer-X]

When you inspect the books, presumably with an eye towards whether to keep or return them, I'd definitely take a close look at the interiors of the key books too. From the sheer scale of some of the comic lots they sell, I find it very plausible that some grading-through-the-bags takes place.

 

 

Always do - every single page

[Point Five]

(thumbs u

 

 

[G.A.tor]

When you inspect the books, presumably with an eye towards whether to keep or return them, I'd definitely take a close look at the interiors of the key books too. From the sheer scale of some of the comic lots they sell, I find it very plausible that some grading-through-the-bags takes place.

 

it is no secret that I have been trying to build my inventory so I have been keenly interested in some of the neat stuff lots. However, and I don't presume to want to rain on anyone's parade, I have been told by a few past winners that the books are only casually graded (one friend told me when he contacted Ross about the wide error on grading, especially interiors, missing coupons, back cover damage etc, Ross said he "obviously didnt take out each book of hundreds and grade, only a few random to get a feel of the overall condition"). This info has kept me from bidding so I am very hopeful racer x will have a new perspective, but my gut tells me disappointment awaits but I hope not

[comicdonna]

[Racer-X]

When you inspect the books, presumably with an eye towards whether to keep or return them, I'd definitely take a close look at the interiors of the key books too. From the sheer scale of some of the comic lots they sell, I find it very plausible that some grading-through-the-bags takes place.

 

it is no secret that I have been trying to build my inventory so I have been keenly interested in some of the neat stuff lots. However, and I don't presume to want to rain on anyone's parade, I have been told by a few past winners that the books are only casually graded (one friend told me when he contacted Ross about the wide error on grading, especially interiors, missing coupons, back cover damage etc, Ross said he "obviously didnt take out each book of hundreds and grade, only a few random to get a feel of the overall condition"). This info has kept me from bidding so I am very hopeful racer x will have a new perspective, but my gut tells me disappointment awaits but I hope not

 

Thanks Gator - I am prepared for that. Like I said, I decided to give this a try. It may very well be a "live and learn"-type deal.