Gone from the Top 500

[David Swan]

Well, that didn't take long

 

Four days ago I snuck back into the top 500 and already I'm bumped out. That was probably my final venture into that rarified air. Not only do I have a strict budget but I have the budget set to continually go down. My thinking is I've created a solid foundation for my sets and now I just need to hone them. Plus, this is an expensive hobby and there are other places my money may be better served. That's not to say I won't be adding at a healthy pace but not like I did the first three years. With CGC seeming to become more and more popular my expenditures just doesn't seem to be enough to be a top 500 collector and that's fine. I probably won't have a new addition for at least several months and maybe longer and by that point I'll have been pushed way down in the top 600. With the increased popularity of CGC I begin to question whether my dream of winning Golden Age set of the year will ever be realized. My Captain Marvel Adventure set is far from being ready but based on last year's winners two of the three were probably better than any set I could EVER make. In fact on registry points alone two of the three may have been more than one could even possibly accumulate collecting CMA even if money was no object.

 

In the meantime, while my set sits dormant for a short period, I have been reading CMA comics from Comic Book Plus's online site. The stories are silly and hokey but if anyone expects a Golden Age book to be intelligent and thought provoking they haven't read much GA. I would say these stories are better than most Superman stories from the same era. On the other hand if my funds were significantly deeper I would be buying Superman and Action comics (there I confessed it) but they are WAY more expensive for the same grade. My belief is I'd rather have a spectacular collection of a lesser set than a mediocre collection of a popular set.

 

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[bagofleas]

You're right, that didn't take long.

 

Sorry to hear about your drop. But I agree with your comment on the boon in popularity that CGC has been experiencing during the last year. It seems that they are finally being recognized more and more as the top notch way to collect comics, especially in the signature field.

 

The huge influx in collectors and registered members alone is an indication of this, but if you attend a show, it really becomes apparent. The booth is constantly swamped with people filling out forms, asking questions, waiting for witnesses, etc etc.

 

I am also in agreement on your last statement. I too would much rather have an elite set of a lesser series than a mediocre set of a super popular series.

 

This is made evident by my goals of finishing up my Marvel Fanfare, Dazzler, Booster Gold and Further Adventures of Indiana Jones sets. I don't include New Mutants here because I don't consider it a "lesser" series. That's me of course, but I'm sure my big brother and a few others on here would feel the same way.

 

Money is obviously a big reason why completing a set can be tough, but when it comes to the less popular series, it usually has more to do with availability, since issues from those sets aren't submitted as often. Heck, I want to have a full 9.8 set of Vigilante someday, but those are almost never submitted. Maybe with more and more collectors jumping onto the CGC bandwagon, we will start seeing more graded copies of some of these other series.

 

Good luck with your acquisitions in the future, and I hope you can complete your CMA set the way you want.

[Tnerb]

I think collecting a golden age set is the most difficult of goals, let alone graded by CGC. There are certain hiccups in focusing on a modern age set with having difficulty getting that non existant book. But when it does arrive, chances are the book won't top $100. I wish you luck.

[Rune]

Yes, just added books for about $4k the last month corresponding to 3900 points that normally would have pushed me a few steps up the ladder, now it merely helped me maintain my current position.

I would be careful focusing too much on such top positions, though, it's a one way ticket to ludomania and to start spending more and more money on books that you may buy just for the points

[David Swan]

Yes, just added books for about $4k the last month

 

Wow, that's more than my budget for the entire year. I feel like a small fish.

[PowderedH2O]

I am an even smaller fish. Ain't no big deal. Work at your own pace and enjoy it. Even Foghat will tell you that there's nothing better than a "Slow Ride". Take it easy...