The first KEY book you acquired

[thehumantorch]

Picked up 2 Xmen 1 and a Avengers 1 in the mid 70s. Can't remember what I paid for them or where they went. They were probably $5 books back then.

[DeliBebek]

Is Strange Tales 135 a key? I bought a copy from Mile High Comics' yellow centerfold in the mid '80s.

[phoenixregina]

xmen 1 was the first real key i ever owned. had the whole run to 280 then my dad bought a comic shop when he retired and sold em off. but he basically paid for em all anyway so what could i say heh. the first one i bought myself was detective 225. but not a real big key.i did get a silver green lantern 1. im just starting to look for low amazing 1s .

[Stevenrams]

As a DC collector I think this was the first key I purchased in the early 1990s. I forgot what I paid for it but it wasn't much.

 

[Boboset]

Gorgeous looking Superman (thumbs u

[carguy8022]

As a DC collector I think this was the first key I purchased in the early 1990s. I forgot what I paid for it but it wasn't much.

 

 

Super pretty book

[SilverRich]

This is the first "key" book I ever bought... it's a key to me because I collected Mad before Marvel or DC

 

It was a raw eBay purchase from a curio-type seller who listed it as an "Old Mad Comic Book" in "very good condition" - and way back then I believe my winning bid was around $130. or so.

 

Ahh, I sure do miss the days when you could occasionally snag a good deal on eBay

 

 

[gadzukes]

I bought Xmen 94 right off the rack in the mid 70s.

 

It, and the Thor comic from the same month are basically the 1st 2 comics of my "collection". I had bought lots of comics before that (mostly Superman & Batman), but those two Marvels made such an impression on me that I decided to start collecting.

 

The Thor comic had the Absorbing Man and Thor defeated him by running into a toy store and grabbing a cardboard version of Mjolnir off the shelves. The Absorbing man touched Mjolnir to absorb it's powers and then when he punched Thor his arm bunched up like an accordian. It was great, I can still remember how much I loved those two comics.

 

I asked all my friends if they had any comics they wanted to sell me, and one friend had the 1st appearance of Dead Man from Strange Adventures 205. So in my 1st week of collecting I had 2 key issues.

[Silver]

First Bizzaro Mxyzptlk. Bought this in '78 for a buck.

 

 

Yes, this is a key!

[thunsicker]

The first true key I bought was an FF #1 in fair/good condition in the late '80's. I bought it for $100 if I remember correctly and traded it a few weeks later for around $300 worth of X-Men, Dark Knights, Miller Daredevils and other comics I could move in my store.

[KirbyJack]

Tales To Astonish 27 in 1988, for $75.

It was a transformative purchase, as I went from an FF only guy to a full-line Marvel collector.

[JesterSB]

When I first got into comics as a kid (1988) I bought what was the biggest key I could afford in my favorite character at the time, Wolverine Vol.1 #1 (actually got the whole Claremont/Miller 1-4).

 

When I got back into comics as an adult a couple years ago, the first real key I bought was Incredible Hulk #181. That was the first real "expensive" comic I bought.

 

The first silver age key I bought, and I suppose the first mega-key, was X-Men #1.

 

This is basically my story. Wolverine #1 in 1988 off the rack. My first real key was Hulk 181 (raw 9.4). My first silver keys were ASM 1, and FF 1 bought at the same time.

[fantastic_four]

Mine was an X-Men 94 in VF condition in 1983 for $25. I still own it, and I've still never sold or traded a comic I didn't already have a higher-graded copy of except for trading G.I. Joe 1 through 10 for a VG X-Men #2 in 1984. My first Silver key was this one bought in 2000--you can see that it's the ultra old-style CGC case without an inner well:

 

[parkinson]

The first key book i acquired was Strange Adventures #117 from a collector who bought it from the dealer who discovered the Bethlehem collection. The book was sent in to CGC and it came back 9.2 which is currently the highest graded. I decided after 13 years to send it in to Comiclink via a friend and it is listed in the upcoming November Featured Auction for those who want to see a scan (thumbs u

[vaillant]

I don't think I ever had a goal to buy duds. I always wanted the stuff that was significant.

 

I agree. What are "duds"?

[vaillant]

Tales To Astonish 27 in 1988, for $75.

It was a transformative purchase, as I went from an FF only guy to a full-line Marvel collector.

 

Wow!. In 1989 I got my first Overstreet and I DREAMED to have early Tales to Astonish – they definitely felt out of my range. My earlier one is probably a #39, I stopped buying them to concentrate on less expensive issues I wanted.

[conditionfreak]

Hulk 1 and ASM 1, off the rack.

 

Unfortunately I traded the Hulk for some other stuff. A move I regret. But hey. who'd da thunk back then that comic books would be worth big money someday?

 

Still have the ASM 1. Thanks to my grandmother who put my books in a box in the attic, for all of those years. Bless her little heart.

[KirbyJack]

Just recently I finished the 1-101 entire run!

I owe the Astonish thread a group shot.

[vaillant]

Still have the ASM 1. Thanks to my grandmother who put my books in a box in the attic, for all of those years. Bless her little heart.

 

My grandmother was the principal founder of my teenage comics collecting – when I started to collect 1930s italian Disney comics, which were very expensive for my wallet, she was the one giving me money to pick them.

 

@KirbyJack: Wow!

[Boboset]

Just recently I finished the 1-101 entire run!

I owe the Astonish thread a group shot.

 

 

And yes, group shot please.