Ah, the good ol' days...

[slym2none]

I was just pulling out some issues of UXM that I need to scan for a possible sale ( ) and I noticed how bad off some of my older issues really are. Not saying they are ragged, but when I was an early-teenager, stuff like a little rolled overhang, mis-wrap/bad centering, even stains on the back cover, they just didn't seem to matter. I was just happy having the books. (side note - my "Uncanny" X-Men #108 is pretty bad off )

 

How did this change of perception happen? When did these things start to matter to me, that I needed every book to be as close to near-mint as I could get? And I do not blame CGC, I started being this way long before they were a force, much less even in business - I know that I was pulling comics out of the delivery boxes for my personal collection when I managed a newsstand in 1992-1996 so they wouldn't get "messed up" by being in the spinner racks.

 

Does this happen to everyone as they get older? Is it a sign of responsibility, say the same thing as when you get a new car and want to keep it washed & waxed, and not have any scratches or dings on it? Or is this part & parcel of being a collector?

 

Opine here, please!

 

 

 

-slym

[Mark 1]

I always cared about grade. I just couldn't afford the HG SA books I wanted back then.

 

[Bosco685]

I was rebagging my X-Men run a few years back and was shocked at what I thought was Near Mint (9.4) back then. But I also didn't care, as I was enjoying the stories too much to worry about condition.

 

[jools&jim]

 

Does this happen to everyone as they get older?

I've been reading, accumulating, and collecting comics off-and-on for nearly 40 years. I didn't care much about "condition" back when I started, and even though I've owned (and still own) some nice books, I really don't care all that much about it today, either.

 

 

 

[Magneto]

Nothing better that going through your collection!

 

I thought many of mine were in better condition as well. Now I'm a little more picky... Only because I can afford to be so.

[DWL]

Hey slym, you're not the only one. I have found the same change in perspective.

 

The change may simply be a result of experience as you see more and more books in various grades, however, I do blame it (at least a bit) on this place and CGC.

 

I am an "old school" collector (a nice way of saying I am old). We used to get by with grades like "good", "very good", "fine", "nm", "mint".

 

Now when I look at some of my old books from the 1970's, books I would have considered "near mint" / "mint" in the past, I would now consider them an 8.0. These books are nice but they often have a spine tick or two, usually blunted corners, and dirty / scuffed back covers. The caveat is that these books were also read and enjoyed!

 

Don't get me wrong, condition has always been important, but I just don't seem to recall defects like the ones I described above being such a big deal in the old days.

 

 

[rodan57]

There was a time when I bought comic books for reading. Collecting and seeking out back issues simply meant that I then had the book to read.

 

I would scour the older books for house ads and record who fought who in all the older issues that I didn't have. Condition was not a consideration beyond having a cover and centrefold that were attached.

 

Then again I was twelve.

[catrick339]

Hey slym, you're not the only one. I have found the same change in perspective.

 

The change may simply be a result of experience as you see more and more books in various grades, however, I do blame it (at least a bit) on this place and CGC.

 

I am an "old school" collector (a nice way of saying I am old). We used to get by with grades like "good", "very good", "fine", "nm", "mint".

 

Now when I look at some of my old books from the 1970's, books I would have considered "near mint" / "mint" in the past, I would now consider them an 8.0. These books are nice but they often have a spine tick or two, usually blunted corners, and dirty / scuffed back covers. The caveat is that these books were also read and enjoyed!

 

Don't get me wrong, condition has always been important, but I just don't seem to recall defects like the ones I described above being such a big deal in the old days.

 

 

+1.

 

Old school here too. I don't turn my nose up at a really nice book should it fall into my lap, (and I do have a few true beauties) but neither do I actively seek out high grade books.

 

It's all about the stories, and if I can buy a couple dozen 2.0 to 3.0 Golden Age beauties for the price of an 8.5, then I do so. The 8.5 is for someone with deeper pockets than me, or someone building an investment portfolio.

 

 

[ChrisInBaltimore]

Yea this kind of stuff has happened to copies I remember reading off the shelf. I pulled some out recently for my daugther thinking they were in great shape from when I was younger. I was amazed how poor the condition was on the books. I think it was from me reading it like 10+ times as a kid though.

[gradejunky]

Some of my first books were a couple of Savage Sword mags. I don't have them in my comic boxes, but at my mom's house in a little roll-out wooden container. Those, along with a small stack of Mad's/Cracked, are read to ribbons. Some of my later comics are still in NM shape but others not so much. I know hate even having to settle for a NM- off the shelf due to the cover prices, and the fact that selling less than true 9.4 copies is hard enough even at a discount for most moderns.

[slym2none]

Thanks for all the great responses so far, everyone!!!

 

 

 

 

-slym

[MK Ultra]

Does this happen to everyone as they get older?

I've been reading, accumulating, and collecting comics off-and-on for nearly 40 years. I didn't care much about "condition" back when I started, and even though I've owned (and still own) some nice books, I really don't care all that much about it today, either.

 

 

 

[Vagabond142]

I went from a care free teen to an OCD adult when it came to my collection of comics starting in the early 2000's. EVERYTHING in my collection, including issues that are worth maybe 25 cents, are bagged, boarded, and in long boxes. My short boxes are for my signed and/or valuable comics, and the really valuable ones I plan to submit to CGC and get some slabs so they're preserved in appropriate containers.

[slym2none]

If you are only worried about protecting them, you can do just as good (if not better) using Mylar 2s with a Halfback board, inserted in a 4-mil toploader.

 

IMHO.

 

 

 

-slym

[Vagabond142]

Well, the stuff I get CGC'd is both for protection and, should i ever decide to sell, it's slabbed

 

I do need to get some toploaders Any recommendation for a good brand of toploader? Keep in mind, I use silver size for my moderns, as it allows me to fit most TPBs in backs and boards too

 

For my standard bagging and boarding, I have Ultra-Pro silver sized acid free (these: http://www.ultrapro.com/product_info.php?products_id=673) with Vintage Collectible Accessories 24 pt acid free boards (one side coat)

[slym2none]

Yes, IMHO the only reason to get a comic book slabbed is if you are going to sell it. *ducks & dodges everything thrown/shot at him*

 

 

 

-slym

[Bio-Rupp]

Yes, IMHO the only reason to get a comic book slabbed is if you are going to sell it. *ducks & dodges everything thrown/shot at him*

 

 

 

-slym

 

I don't know about that sir. I have a F/VF Spectacular Spider-man # 60 ( the one with the cool Frank Miller cover) that my grandfather bought for me at the long out of business Transit Grill in old town Greeneville.

 

Will never sell that book because it is PRICELESS to me... and would like to get it slabbed for that reason.

 

Tell you what I wish... I wish that CGC has a UIS designation...

 

A "Unique Individual Significance" label where the person sending in the book could request (probably in two sentences or less) what the significance of the book is to the customer.

 

I would put something like "Bought for me by my Grandfather at the Transit Grill in Greeneville TN in Sept 1981."

 

These books would be worthless in the eyes of anyone else but the submitter.

 

Throw a distinct color on the label to denote it... or maybe even just a cool clear label to signify that there is no classification for a book that means so much to just one person.

 

Just a heads up to CGC... I would pay for that service

[Bosco685]

Just a heads up to CGC... I would pay for that service

 

Sounds like a unique way to make these books more personal for collectors.

[jools&jim]

Yes, IMHO the only reason to get a comic book slabbed is if you are going to sell it. *ducks & dodges everything thrown/shot at him*

 

 

 

-slym

 

I don't know about that sir. I have a F/VF Spectacular Spider-man # 60 ( the one with the cool Frank Miller cover) that my grandfather bought for me at the long out of business Transit Grill in old town Greeneville.

 

Will never sell that book because it is PRICELESS to me... and would like to get it slabbed for that reason.

 

Tell you what I wish... I wish that CGC has a UIS designation...

 

A "Unique Individual Significance" label where the person sending in the book could request (probably in two sentences or less) what the significance of the book is to the customer.

 

I would put something like "Bought for me by my Grandfather at the Transit Grill in Greeneville TN in Sept 1981."

 

These books would be worthless in the eyes of anyone else but the submitter.

 

Throw a distinct color on the label to denote it... or maybe even just a cool clear label to signify that there is no classification for a book that means so much to just one person.

 

Just a heads up to CGC... I would pay for that service

 

Brilliant! Count me in!!!

 

 

 

[Ken Aldred]

Buying from a bus station newsstand or indoor market stall in the 70s, I would only have one or two copies a month of each issue to choose from, and so I wasn't bothered about grade - I just felt lucky to be able to buy any American comic books at all in my provincial town. However, I've always been OCD, and so as soon as comic shops opened here in Britain or I could attend comic marts where large stacks of one issue were available, I would try to pick the best-presenting copy. That's been default mode, ever since.

 

But, I do understand and accept why the comics I bought in the 70s are all over the place, condition-wise. Couldn't have been any different, no need for 'what-if?' scenarios.