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THE AMAZING FANTASY #15 CLUB
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Started by HarveySwick,

14,484 posts in this topic

Sqeggs

Sqeggs

Posted
Posted
"Our buy prices for a copy with off-white to white pages or better".

 

The distinction between OW and OW-W is probably detectable only with an electron microscope. :D

 

I would hazard the guess that if that book were resubmitted 10 times, it would come back OW-W at least several of those times.

 

But wouldn't you rather have the label saying OW-W instead of OW?

 

Sure would!

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the_Greatest

the_Greatest

Posted
Posted

Did that week of posts really need to go "poof"?

 

doh!

 

I was hoping to respond to the post about the Extensive sale price being low compared to what other traditional extensive books would go for.

 

The highest sale I've ever seen for an extensive shows about $22,905 for a 9.2 in 2009.

 

Then in 2010 it shows the same certification number selling for $7,768.

I can't find any evidence of a real market for extensive in key books.

 

No matter who grades them.

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jstacko

jstacko

Posted
Posted

Hey guys, been lurking the site for a while, made my account a few months ago, but this is my first post on the site - I apologize if this is being posted in the wrong place.

 

A little about myself. I'm a 27 year old graduate student, been collecting ASM for about the past 15 years (although in a more serious mode for the past 10 years). Started off by picking up basically any issue, then started to move onto the more valuable stuff, and as the years went by I began to focus more and more on the lower number issues. Currently, my 'top' issue would be a 6.0 ASM 5, though I am proud to own a nearly complete issue 12-450 run.

 

The reason I am posting in this thread, is to seek advice from the members of the club I hope to someday be a part of. For about the past 5 years, AF15 has become more and more an obsession for me - while at the same time appearing further and further out of grasp. Between soon to be kicking in student loans, a wedding in the next year, and moving onto my PhD, the day that I have a spare $7,000-10,000 to pick up a copy is looking far away.

 

As of late, I have been contemplating if it would be wise to cash out a majority of my collection (or trade), for an AF15. While it would be hard to part with certain issues, I feel that financially it might be the best option. Any suggestions if this would be a wise move on my part?

 

The other, more crazy idea, that I have been contemplating is attempting to take out a personal investment loan, attempting to grab a copy for a good price, and flip for a small markup (then repeat the process, until I am able to repay the loan + purchase a book). Has anyone gone about getting into high end books like this?

 

Ending my long post, I am just looking for suggestions on what might be some reasonable ways to obtain this Holy Grail, given my situation.

 

Thanks for any suggestions,

Joseph

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Magneto

Magneto

Posted
Posted
Hey guys, been lurking the site for a while, made my account a few months ago, but this is my first post on the site - I apologize if this is being posted in the wrong place.

 

A little about myself. I'm a 27 year old graduate student, been collecting ASM for about the past 15 years (although in a more serious mode for the past 10 years). Started off by picking up basically any issue, then started to move onto the more valuable stuff, and as the years went by I began to focus more and more on the lower number issues. Currently, my 'top' issue would be a 6.0 ASM 5, though I am proud to own a nearly complete issue 12-450 run.

 

The reason I am posting in this thread, is to seek advice from the members of the club I hope to someday be a part of. For about the past 5 years, AF15 has become more and more an obsession for me - while at the same time appearing further and further out of grasp. Between soon to be kicking in student loans, a wedding in the next year, and moving onto my PhD, the day that I have a spare $7,000-10,000 to pick up a copy is looking far away.

 

As of late, I have been contemplating if it would be wise to cash out a majority of my collection (or trade), for an AF15. While it would be hard to part with certain issues, I feel that financially it might be the best option. Any suggestions if this would be a wise move on my part?

 

The other, more crazy idea, that I have been contemplating is attempting to take out a personal investment loan, attempting to grab a copy for a good price, and flip for a small markup (then repeat the process, until I am able to repay the loan + purchase a book). Has anyone gone about getting into high end books like this?

 

Ending my long post, I am just looking for suggestions on what might be some reasonable ways to obtain this Holy Grail, given my situation.

 

Thanks for any suggestions,

Joseph

 

Advice: Don't get married. It would make getting the money for the AF15 impossible... especially if you add kids on top. The AF15 will never let you down or give you a chore list.

 

Selling or trading your collection to go all in on one book might work. Depends what you have and what the value is.

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Andahaion

Andahaion

Posted
Posted
Hey guys, been lurking the site for a while, made my account a few months ago, but this is my first post on the site - I apologize if this is being posted in the wrong place.

 

A little about myself. I'm a 27 year old graduate student, been collecting ASM for about the past 15 years (although in a more serious mode for the past 10 years). Started off by picking up basically any issue, then started to move onto the more valuable stuff, and as the years went by I began to focus more and more on the lower number issues. Currently, my 'top' issue would be a 6.0 ASM 5, though I am proud to own a nearly complete issue 12-450 run.

 

The reason I am posting in this thread, is to seek advice from the members of the club I hope to someday be a part of. For about the past 5 years, AF15 has become more and more an obsession for me - while at the same time appearing further and further out of grasp. Between soon to be kicking in student loans, a wedding in the next year, and moving onto my PhD, the day that I have a spare $7,000-10,000 to pick up a copy is looking far away.

 

As of late, I have been contemplating if it would be wise to cash out a majority of my collection (or trade), for an AF15. While it would be hard to part with certain issues, I feel that financially it might be the best option. Any suggestions if this would be a wise move on my part?

 

The other, more crazy idea, that I have been contemplating is attempting to take out a personal investment loan, attempting to grab a copy for a good price, and flip for a small markup (then repeat the process, until I am able to repay the loan + purchase a book). Has anyone gone about getting into high end books like this?

 

Ending my long post, I am just looking for suggestions on what might be some reasonable ways to obtain this Holy Grail, given my situation.

 

Thanks for any suggestions,

Joseph

 

I can't really speak to any debt you should take on, primarily because I don't know anything about you and your financial habits/history. I also think that should be more a discussion between you and your fiancee than random members of this community. At any rate, I'd guess that most here would recommend you not take on debt, which can be good advice, but again not knowing your financial background prohibits me from making any real comment in that regard.

 

What I can do is tell you that finding a copy for a "good price" (for flipping purposes) may be difficult given the seemingly relentless rise in price the book commands. However, I also don't know what your "must haves" are for the book. For example, what grade are you looking for (I'm assuming something in the 1.5-2.5 range given the dollar amount you quote), would you buy a copy that has restoration, tape, chipping, detached cover, etc? These all factor into a good answer to your questions.

 

When I began my quest I looked back at auction results from about 2002-2014 and found that copies in the grade I eventually bought (CGC 2.5) had risen from roughly $1,500 in 2002 to roughly $5,500 in 2014 (disclaimer: these numbers were primarily from one auction house). I ended up paying $7,500, so your flipping plan might not work as you lay out.

 

So, to make my long winded non-answer have some semblance of advice...you may want to contact some of the sellers on this board who offer time payments. If you've lurked you likely know who some of those folks are. Selling your collection to offset the cost of the AF15 is also difficult to answer...I suppose it all boils down to how badly you want the AF15 and what kinds of sacrifices you are willing to make. In your shoes, I'd likely sell what I could to help offset because those books would generally be easy to replace. And AF15 prices continue to climb.

 

For what it's worth, I totally relate to you when you say that the book is more and more out of grasp. That's why I bit the bullet and bought, but again I'm just about to enter into my prime earning years and have a pretty lucrative job, so everyone's situation is different. It certainly sounds like you have a lot on your plate, so maybe waiting until you're financially stable is prudent.

 

Hope some of that makes sense and is of at least some value to you.

 

Cheers and best of luck. It's a great book to own and is certainly the jewel in my collection.

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peewee22

peewee22

Posted
Posted
I'm married with 4 kids and have owned 100s of af15 lol

 

It's all relative. But it is generally a BAD idea to debt fund a comic purchase.

 

G

 

Debt funding an AF`5 is not a bad idea. Speaking from experience, I 2nd mortgaged a nice AF15 4 years ago. Low interest, paid off quite a bit, and the AF15 is now worth more. All this my spouse supported (she is very understanding).

 

But generally speaking, you are probably right. (thumbs u

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Vorpal

Vorpal

Posted
Posted (edited)
I'm married with 4 kids and have owned 100s of af15 lol

 

It's all relative. But it is generally a BAD idea to debt fund a comic purchase.

 

G

 

Debt funding an AF15 is not a bad idea. Speaking from experience, I 2nd mortgaged a nice AF15 4 years ago. Low interest, paid off quite a bit, and the AF15 is now worth more.

 

Sure, nobody's ever gotten burned by buying into a bubble market using borrowed money... :popcorn:

 

Be careful. The old adage is true for everything except housing: if you *have* to borrow money for something, you can't actually afford it. Why does housing get a free pass? Well, you have to have some place to live. That's non-negotiable. And renting is usually a losing proposition compared to purchasing.

 

Comics are totally discretionary, and discretionary items are the first casualties when economies go south.

Edited by Vorpal
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cloudofwit

cloudofwit

Posted
Posted

I only recently came to this conclusion, but my goal now is to NEVER go into debt again. Much less on a funny book. We're working our way out (wifey & I) and it's been exhilarating knocking out debt that had basically been a source of bondage for many moons.

 

And I am a stone cold AF #15 fan. As fate would have it, I picked up a lowly .5 back in 2010 for 1K--more or less the going rate at the time (G.A.tor, via a PM, gave me some wise counsel. :hail:) and then a few months later that CGC 9.6 sold for a million and the book seemed to go extra crazy in the past few years. (Not saying it was only the result of the million sale, but that didn't hurt things, I'm thinking.)

 

Now, if I had 1K in hand, I'd deliver a 1K punch to the balance of a certain Discover card. You never know. You might one day find yourself with a 10K debt on a credit card @ 20% interest, paying 200 per month minimum. Seems rather unpleasant, right? That ain't the half of it. You keep ONLY paying that minimum of 200 and it'll only take you about 36 years to pay off! :whatthe: I knew paying more than the minimum helped, but didn't realize the magnitude of bondage via the ol' compound interest. So, my 2 pennies: Double payments, get outta debt, and just say yes to debit cards. :preach:

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cloudofwit

cloudofwit

Posted
Posted
But it is generally a BAD idea to debt fund a comic purchase.

 

Try telling that to the Dentist who used credit to fund the bulk of his Mile High purchases when he first came out of dental school. :)

 

Work out alright for him in the end. (thumbs u

 

The exception proves the rule. :slapfight: But that was/is a wild story. No denying it.

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Sqeggs

Sqeggs

Posted
Posted
Hey guys, been lurking the site for a while, made my account a few months ago, but this is my first post on the site - I apologize if this is being posted in the wrong place.

 

A little about myself. I'm a 27 year old graduate student, been collecting ASM for about the past 15 years (although in a more serious mode for the past 10 years). Started off by picking up basically any issue, then started to move onto the more valuable stuff, and as the years went by I began to focus more and more on the lower number issues. Currently, my 'top' issue would be a 6.0 ASM 5, though I am proud to own a nearly complete issue 12-450 run.

 

The reason I am posting in this thread, is to seek advice from the members of the club I hope to someday be a part of. For about the past 5 years, AF15 has become more and more an obsession for me - while at the same time appearing further and further out of grasp. Between soon to be kicking in student loans, a wedding in the next year, and moving onto my PhD, the day that I have a spare $7,000-10,000 to pick up a copy is looking far away.

 

As of late, I have been contemplating if it would be wise to cash out a majority of my collection (or trade), for an AF15. While it would be hard to part with certain issues, I feel that financially it might be the best option. Any suggestions if this would be a wise move on my part?

 

The other, more crazy idea, that I have been contemplating is attempting to take out a personal investment loan, attempting to grab a copy for a good price, and flip for a small markup (then repeat the process, until I am able to repay the loan + purchase a book). Has anyone gone about getting into high end books like this?

 

Ending my long post, I am just looking for suggestions on what might be some reasonable ways to obtain this Holy Grail, given my situation.

 

Thanks for any suggestions,

Joseph

 

My guess is that you will have a lot of things to go into debt over in the next few years, so I would avoid borrowing money to buy a comic.

 

The buy and flip model is a tough one to pull off because of the transactions costs involved. Typically you will need at least a 10% increase in price just to break even when selling. That may seem like nothing the way AF 15s have increased in price over the years ... but there is nothing that ensures such price increases will continue.

 

I think a lot of the run up in AF 15 prices comes from the belief that it's a can't go wrong investment. Buy it now and you will always be able to sell for more! What happens if prices flatten out for a couple of years or begin to trend down? The people looking to invest in the book or buy it to flip it will head for the exits, leaving in the market only the people who actually want to add the book to their collections for the long term.

 

When that happens, where will prices be? Possibly higher than today, but my guess is that they will be lower. In either case, I would hate to be paying on a loan while waiting to find out.

 

My advice would be to fill in the other books you need in your ASM run now and wait a few years down the line to see how your financial situation evolves to judge whether you can afford an AF 15.

 

Best of luck with your marriage and your doctoral program!

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peewee22

peewee22

Posted
Posted
I'm married with 4 kids and have owned 100s of af15 lol

 

It's all relative. But it is generally a BAD idea to debt fund a comic purchase.

 

G

 

Debt funding an AF15 is not a bad idea. Speaking from experience, I 2nd mortgaged a nice AF15 4 years ago. Low interest, paid off quite a bit, and the AF15 is now worth more.

 

Sure, nobody's ever gotten burned by buying into a bubble market using borrowed money... :popcorn:

 

Be careful. The old adage is true for everything except housing: if you *have* to borrow money for something, you can't actually afford it. Why does housing get a free pass? Well, you have to have some place to live. That's non-negotiable. And renting is usually a losing proposition compared to purchasing.

 

Comics are totally discretionary, and discretionary items are the first casualties when economies go south.

 

I hear you and I was very careful. I'm 55 pushing near a pretty good retirement. I figured I'd never save 80 to 100k to get this book so that's why I utilized a generous (well earned) home equity credit. Very low interest rate. And I have no credit card debt.

 

More important. I still have the book. Worth all this? Hell yes. (thumbs u

 

 

 

 

 

 

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hal

hal

Posted
Posted

great post:

a little difficult to answer, but, here i go. if you are going to buy and hold the AF 15, then i would say it is a good idea to sell your whole personal collection for the one book in your target grade. it will be alot easier to buy a 200-300 dollar book one at a time until you can rebuild your collection. but, these prices on the AF 15 are only going to go higher and higher. actually, it is how i have managed to purchase my books. i build up a collection. sell it, and buy a high grade key. as i have gotten older, my collection has shrunk, but the quality of my collection has gone up. Now that i am 50--i am liquidating my collection to pay for my kid's college in 10yrs. otherwise, i would do exactly what you are suggesting. sell the whole collection and take that money to buy a super nice higher grade AF15.

Remember, your childhood is yours--no one can take that from you as long as you have the memories. Books are replaceable--but, sometimes finding one in the grade and for the price you want to pay is hard to find. I know i kick myself for not buying some things i passed on in the past. But, the search is fun and finding a book to help finish your collection is a real rush. When you start, just think as though you are starting new and fresh--but, you already own the big score!

 

cheers and good luck!

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