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The pros and cons of collecting CGC books

Started by Rune,

35 posts in this topic

Rune

Rune

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One of the more prominent members of Collectors Society once wrote to me that "smoking and drinking are probably better for you than comics! trust me I know". But is it really so bad to collect the Rosebud of our childhood and teenage years? Well, this author seems to provide further arguments in favor of not collecting comic books - so let us look at the cons before the pros this time, I selected a few:

 

THE CONS

 

1. You Will Become a Nerd.

Yes, you heard me. You will become a nerd. Try to invite a guy or girl over to your house for dinner and have to explain to them the gigantic collection of comic books you have. It doesn't really leave a good impression. If you remember the scene on the 40 Year Old Virgin where she comes over his house and he just has loads of action figures and comics all over the place. This will be you. Not really, but definitely take that under consideration if you are self conscious and what-not.

 

2. You Will Become Obsessed.

Just like collecting anything, you will easily become obsessed with comic books. Every time you see one you might like at a store you will buy it. It will bankrupt you. Just like if you are addicted to cigarettes, every time you see or hear someone reference cigarettes you want one. Same thing with comics. Someone will have one that you want and you will fight them for it. I am serious! But not really. In all reality, it will consume a portion of your life and you have to be prepared for that. See, I am already writing about them!

 

3. No One Will Understand You.

Once you become obsessed, you will begin talking about them like everyone else enjoys them too. The truth is, they probably don't care. You will annoy them and no one will truly understand you. You will either have to surround yourself with comic book fanatics or keep your obsession a deep dark secret that no one knows except you. I just picture myself in a dark basement jumping at any slight sound that might be coming from the world above. Okay, maybe not that serious but you get the point.

 

Source: http://mountainmanjake.hubpages.com/hub/10-Reasons-Why-You-Shouldnt-Collect-Comic-Books

 

I might even add that collecting ultra-high-grade CGC books may slowly, but surely, twist your mind into constantly evaluating the condition of things. Like "that table looked like a 5.5", "oh, no, my car just got scratched; now it's definitely no longer mint". And it may even generalize to include persons, you may start grading women (or men) like comics and everything else in this world. And do beware of very awkward comments, for example uttering statements like the following at large family dinners "hell yeah, those breast implants really got my wife looking like a 9.6 again, but of course that's a restored grade!".

 

To sum up, collecting CGC books may transform you into a bankrupt obsessed nerd, who nobody understands, unless you hide it well - but then again, many people live long lives with great secrets, and accepting this burden may make it easier to carry.

 

But are there really no great benefits to collecting CGC books?

 

THE PROS

 

First of all, it's the obvious, buying CGC books is a great way to get and preserve your favorite comic books - just holding it, knowing you won't bend any corners or in any other way damage the book.

 

05102013-1_zps381a573e.gif

 

But there are several more pros to buying CGC books.

 

After searching PubMed for a while, I found that there is evidence of elderly Japanese people enjoying better mental health provided they had a hobby - in short:

 

"Logistic regression analyses showed that physical exercise, daily intake of well-balanced meals and milk products, and the presence of hobbies were related to the absence of depressive symptoms among both men and women." (Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20455023 )

 

Searching the Web, my uncle Google and I found even more positive benefits of hobbies, although of a more anecdotal nature, since there were no proper references to original scientific research. But let us look at a few statements that may or may not be based on solid scientific evidence (but ok, same goes for the cons in this journal entry):

 

1. Collecting CGC books may provide stress reduction, and increase both quality of life and mental health:

 

"Find a hobby. Whether you choose stamp collecting or kickboxing, hobbies and extracurricular activities are necessary in the pursuit to enjoy life. Hard routines are counterproductive to spontaneity and surprise----leave a little flexibility in your schedule so that it doesn't become routine and humdrum. Do your hobby or activity because you love it, and because it gets you "into the flow", and not for reasons such as keeping up with other people or conforming to unrealistic social standards." (Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Enjoy-Life.'>http://www.wikihow.com/Enjoy-Life.)

 

"Research at the Mayo Clinic in the USA presented in 2009 found that engaging in a hobby like reading, quilting, knitting or even playing computer games could reduce the risk of developing memory problems by 40 per cent. At an older age, the same activities reduced the risk by between 30 and 50 per cent. [...] Other studies have found hobbies can reduce blood pressure, alleviate depression and reduce stress levels." (Source: https://www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/Health-worries/Stress/Improve-your-health-with-a-hobby/ )

 

"Stress Reduction -- Hobbies distract us from our worries and give us a sense of accomplishment. As our stress levels decrease, so does our blood pressure and anxiety. A variety of activities have been linked to stress reduction.

Fights Depression -- Various studies have shown that people who engage in a hobby feel more productive and happy than people who do not. Having a hobby gives us something to look forward to and will break up our mundane routines. Dr. Peter Lichtenberg at Wayne State University affirms people with hobbies are less inclined to suffer from depression". (Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/how-hobbies-improve-mental-health-part-i )

 

"We also have evidence that the enhanced quality of life that comes from enjoying a hobby can be effective in preventing and treating certain physical medical conditions, such as chronic pain conditions and autoimmune conditions. In fact, stamp collecting and other hobbies tend to reduce stress, which can result in lowered risk factors for heart disease and many other physical conditions." (Source: http://myhobbyport.com/hobbies-like-stamp-collecting-can-improve-your-health/ )

 

2. Visiting the Collectors' Society Forum or for example Comic Cons may introduce you to new friends and make you more sociable:

 

"Spend time with interesting people. It is well known that people with a wide circle of friends tend to live longer. Of course, birds of a feather flock together, and it's also been shown that your friends' behavior can actually have a big impact on yours. Make sure you hang around with positive, interesting people to inspire yourself to live a richer life". (Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Enjoy-Life )

 

"So how exactly do hobbies like stamp collecting help a person's health, and what kind of health conditions do they protect against? The most tangible benefit of stamp collecting on a person's health is the enhancement of mental health that comes from becoming more social. Stamp collectors enjoy a vibrant social community, both in real life and online, and frequently attend stamp collecting conferences, swap meets, and gatherings, as well as participate in online forums and chats. Clinical evidence suggests that enhanced social opportunities are effective in preventing and treating depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues." (Source: http://myhobbyport.com/hobbies-like-stamp-collecting-can-improve-your-health/ )

 

3. Collecting may make you more creative:

 

"Do you collect anything? Coins? Stamps? Butterflies? Fine wines? Could your hobby potentially make you more creative? We think so! It is a poorly recognized fact that many creative people are collectors. Scientist Charles Darwin became interested in studying nature when he became a collector of bugs. David M. Lee, a Nobel laureate in Physics not only collected bugs but also railway time tables and meteorological charts. Novelist Vladimir Nabokov was a passionate collector of butterflies. Nobel laureate (Literature) Giorgos Seferis collected sea shells. Artist Joan Miró collected siurells, clay whistles from Mallorca, Spain. And the list goes on [...] In short, making a collection-a collection of just about anything-can provide the intellectual and sensual stimulation necessary to inspire your personal creativity. As with much creative endeavor, the key is to use collecting to develop skills and knowledge, and then to propel you from what you know to what you do not. So try to imagine how collecting stamps might provide insights into biology, sea shells into physics, wines into economics and who knows what kinds of enlightening leaps you may take!" (Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/imagine/201105/the-collection-connection-creativity ).

 

4. And of course for some persons, collecting CGC books may simply be a good investment:

 

(Ok, I know this is from the pusher's mouth, but there may still be some truth to be found ;-) "Zurzolo is convinced comic books are about the best investment out there. Here's why: [...]Comic books are recession-proof. The only time business growth slowed for Zurzolo was right after the dot.com bust, but it soon rose from its plateau. "When the economy is doing poorly, people are looking for alternative forms of investment," Zurzolo said. "When the economy is doing great they have more discretionary income and they buy comic books [...]Comic-book investments are often more liquid than real estate. Comic-book conventions around the world consistently draw crowds of 30,000 to 150,000. "People with very big bank accounts are showing up in costumes," Zurzolo said "Nowadays it's cool to be a nerd."

(Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-reasons-comic-books-are-the-best-investment-2013-08-14 )

 

Furthermore expanding markets in the Middle East (Dubai), India and China may drive CGC book prices up in the future -- maybe. And you may have to wait 30 years to get great prices, so buying CGC books just to make a profit may not be a good idea for impatient investors.

 

In short, responsible collecting of CGC books may be a great hobby improving mental health, quality of life, social opportunities and may make you more creative. And if you're lucky, you may profit on your books when selling them.

 

CONCLUSION

 

As with many other aspects of life, the outcome of CGC book collecting is in the balance of the pros and cons. Just as responsible drinking may provide health benefits, so may collecting CGC books, but be beware of the dark side! ;-)

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Rune

Rune

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I think we were nerds long before we were collecting CGC books.

 

Point taken, thanks, but intensive collecting may significantly boost your nerd factor, of course this may only be relevant if you want children (with an attractive wife) :grin:

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lizards2

lizards2

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One con is you will write lengthy discourses for those who are specifically wall-of-text-challenged, and who will never wade through those writings.

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Ryan.

Ryan.

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Word to the wise and with respect to Vincent... nothing is "recession proof".

 

Absolutely nothing. ;)

 

xxx ooo

 

Rupp

 

My love is recession proof.

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lizards2

lizards2

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Word to the wise and with respect to Vincent... nothing is "recession proof".

 

Absolutely nothing. ;)

 

xxx ooo

 

Rupp

 

My love is recession proof.

guns seem to hold value pretty well.
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conditionfreak

conditionfreak

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There is a lot of truth in that OP.

 

But each of us has our exceptions to all of it. For instance. I do not hide my hobby. I proudly profess it. But no one I personally know, cares. They are intrigued about the potential financial gains though, but would rather have the cash instead of the investment. But I in no way hide it. Everyone I know just doesn't care one way or the other, though.

 

Another comment I would like to make is that we do not "collect CGC books". We collect comic books. Many of us get some or all of them graded and slabbed. But we ain't collecting "CGC books". There is no such thing as a "CGC book". Not to my knowledge anyway. Show me one and I may add it to my collection.

 

They are comic books that may or may not be sent to CGC. They can in mere moments, be removed from the CGC records. That is what we collect. I have several hundred books in CGC slabs. But I have many thousand comic books. Mostly raw, and there is no intention to ever send them to CGC for evaluation and slabbing.

 

I prefer the slabs that PGX uses. But I prefer the trust that CGC has in the hobby. That is why I prefer CGC. Because in this hobby, trust is a huge factor. It is the difference between having the ability to make a good investment decision, and taking a shot in the dark. PGX is a shot in the dark. You may hit the target, but if you do. It was almost just luck.

 

Buy the book. Not the label, applies. CGC is not a book. It is a trust condition. Although they have and do make glaring mistakes sometimes. They are few and far between.

 

Just like me. :)

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comix4fun

comix4fun

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The Batman and Superman gif was more interesting...

 

 

The naked one?

 

There is a naked one...?

 

I mean the one in the OP's signature.

 

 

Given the size of the internet you should always assume that there is a naked one.

 

And....a Busey one.

 

busey_clapping.gif

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