How do you collect and why? One and done? I'd rather have a run? And so on...

[dupont2005]

I love full runs. I'm primarily a reader but I do like tracking down floppies rather than buying a trade on certain series I like. And I tend to like some hard to find stuff too. Nothing too expensive, but sometimes stuff that simply isn't available on eBay. Starting to give up the floppies for nice hardcovers when I can though.

[Dr. Balls]

My collecting focus shifts from time to time. I just like comics and collecting them - I'm all over the board. I enjoy learning about certain eras/runs/characters, so I delve into that, and then at some point when I want to focus about something else, I sell them off and move onto something else.

 

I have a three drawer file cabinet - that's where I keep my books that aren't on display. I will not go beyond that cabinet, so I keep my collection trim.

 

I have precious few books that I consider my "permanent" collection of things I won't sell.

[Supa-Bad-Mofo]

I'm generally buying higher grades than I did in the early 2000's, but wondering if runs are a waste of time and money or if I should focus on keys/origins/grails?

 

I just about lost interest in this thread right there. Are you chasing after books because everyone else wants them, or do you want what you like?

 

I can tell you, isolated keys are boring. The thrill of the hunt disappears once you have it. You'll have a trophy hanging on your wall that doesn't relate to anything else, and that you'll barely notice after a while. However, if you slide that key in with the rest of the title, the run looks far more attractive than the sum of its parts, and every issue becomes important.

 

No! I tend to agree with you! I chase what I want and appreciate a full run! (thumbs u I I'm just trying to get an idea of the current trends in collecting SA/BA books. But, that being said, I don't want to sink a ton of cash into something that might be unrecoverable/unsaleable. What I mean is, if everyone is focusing on keys and there is little interest in books to fill a set, then I'll have a bunch of stuff I can't move if I need to liquidate. Keep in mind, I will never sell my lovelies unless I am forced to

[Brian48]

I'd rather have a run or "sub-run" (i.e. All Adams Bats or all Smith Conans). Something realistic without having the need to chase after drek that I don't really want, but need to fill gaps. I wish I was one and done, but I know that's not gonna happen. Still contemplating whether I want to chase after the Miller DD run in hi-grade or not.

[stanley1883]

So...I have a few questions for you fellow boardies, especially if you collect SA/BA graded books and aren't made of money. Feel free to answer all or one of my curiosities. I just want to find out if collectors habits trend one way or the other and how closely the align with mine.Thanks in advance!

 

If you collect graded books, why? Investment? Hobby? Both? Some other reason?

Hobby, makes a better display, like the sense of security

 

Do you only need keys/origins/grails or do you want a run?

All of the above

 

 

Do you collect graded runs?

Not at the moment, but never say never

 

 

If you do runs, do you spend everything on the run or do you stray and buy a single here and there?

I always stray, so I piece it together over time, it's more fun for me, the thrill of the search

 

 

Is the grade of each book more important than getting the run completed? (For example,would you complete the run more quickly with a mix of grades from 1.0 to 9.8 or take it slow and buy only 9.4 and above.)

I'd at least like them to be in the same ball park if possible

 

 

Would you buy a key/origin/grail in low grade, just to say you have it; or would you only allow a certain grade or higher in you collection, regardless of the significance?

If it displays well, and I can afford it, I'll get it now and possibly upgrade later on

 

 

Hypothetically speaking, a collector has the opportunity once a year to spend between $1000 and $1500 on books for the collection (specifically a run). Would you buy many books of mid-grade, a couple higher grades or one high grade to fill the holes in the run?

depends on size of run, but probably a couple higher grades

 

 

Given $1000-$1500 once per year, would you use it to fill holes in the run or do you upgrade keys/origins/grails within the set?

upgrade the keys, the regular issues should always be easier to find

 

 

Given $1000-$1500 once per year, do you save it for a few years to get a higher grade key/origin/grail?

I do not have the self control to completely not buy for a year, I'd probably save a large portion of it, and still use some of the $ to buy books regularly

 

 

When the run is complete, do you move on to something else or continue to upgrade within the set until it is as good as it can get (or you can afford)?

Why, can't I do both?

 

[FineCollector]

What I mean is, if everyone is focusing on keys and there is little interest in books to fill a set, then I'll have a bunch of stuff I can't move if I need to liquidate. Keep in mind, I will never sell my lovelies unless I am forced to

 

Again, you're answering your own question. Everyone's paying stupid money for high grade keys. Meanwhile, those same people are giving away beautiful material that just isn't in the spotlight. Do you wish to chase after these people on a limited budget? If so, you'll be out of the hobby in no time, but we'll be happy to buy back the handful of keys you've picked up.

[Westy Steve]

I'll play. I have a beer budget. So I buy very low grade keys, because I like to own them. I find I'd rather have a copy of X-men #1 in FR/GD and a trade paperback of the early issues of X-men than try to put together a set of them. For me, the low grade key is my "run", and I feel satisfied because I can keep working on getting other keys. My thrill of the hunt comes from getting a bargain.

 

Lately, I've been getting more interested in also trying to track down somewhat highgrade versions of Semi-Keys. 1st villian appearances. Hence my hunt for a VF copy of Tales to Astonish #62. Having a book from that vintage in high grade will be cool and having only one (instead of trying to put together a run) won't break my bank account.

[No Quarter]

So hard to try and only get the keys. I'm attempting an ASM run and am missing so many, like everything, so I figured I'd start really focusing on Silver and Bronze age, since that is where most of the high dollar keys are, but I have a hard time only getting keys.

 

I am having a good time looking through boxes of comics, looking for some ASM and get excited when I see a title at a good price and pick it up. Also like picking up stuff with awesome covers, so the hint has been keeping this interesting.

[dupont2005]

I'd rather have a run or "sub-run" (i.e. All Adams Bats or all Smith Conans). Something realistic without having the need to chase after drek that I don't really want, but need to fill gaps. I wish I was one and done, but I know that's not gonna happen. Still contemplating whether I want to chase after the Miller DD run in hi-grade or not.

If a series isn't awesome start to finish I don't bother with the good part.

[Quake1028]

Not sure if I am answering all the questions in the OP, but here is where I am right now as far as my collecting tunnel vision.

 

Priorities, in order, meaning funds will funnel down and the top item is more important than the bottom item:

 

1.Silver Age Thor CGC/Raw/both - Meaning starting in issue #126 when Thor moves from JIM to his own title and ending with the last issue from 1969 which is issue #171. So this is a 46 issue run. My preference is to have a nice CGC copy of each and a reader-ish copy of each raw. So far, I have 19 issues raw and 4 CGC, but 2 of those CGC are slabbed copies of a raw reader I have. So I am 21 copies of 46 into just having a copy at all of each book, and then filling in the holes between CGC and reader. This is going to take a while because of size, but something I want to finish off.

 

2.Archie's Pal Jughead #1-#10 CGC/Raw/both - This one is going to be much harder, or at least take a lot longer, to get a copy slabbed and a reader. So far I have just a low grade slabbed copy of #2. Some of these issues don't even have a copy slabbed on the census, so I would be the first one assuming I find a raw that is nice enough to send in. This one is going to be both time consuming and expensive.

 

3.Bronze Age Thor CGC - This is a huge amount of issues so this will never be complete, but for now I enjoy picking up high grade slabbed copies of the main Thor title as well as the Annuals from this period and Avengers issues that Thor appears in. Fun set, will never complete.

 

4.CGC SS Thor Sketches - Have 3 of these thanks to a boardie, and I love all of them. However, that's really the only means I have of getting them: second hand. I don't have the funds or patience to get involved in creating the things, but when ones I like are put up for sale, I am always tempted.

 

5.CGC SS Thor titles and various creators/series - This is my bottom priority right now, as again I don't have personal access/time/funds to do these, so I rely on others.

 

That's pretty much where I am at, currently. The top 2 on my list are both attainable and ones I would really like to see if I could finish in the next year or so as funds allow.

[vaillant]

Since I decided to return to Marvel SA books, I tried to locate what was significant in terms of stories, so keys are OK, but not necessarily what everyone consider a key.

 

For example, I consider Doctor Strange #183, Sub-Mariner #22 and Incredible Hulk #126 are more important than Sub-Mariner #34-35.

 

I am not fixated on grading, but of course I like nicer books when there is not an exaggerate difference in price.

 

I have collected since the beginning the Fantastic Four in full, the Defenders and Dr. Strange, and many other shorter titles which I cared more about.

Spidey, Daredevil, Thor, Captain America, all the other titles I try to identify the most relevant and meaningful/beautiful stories for each title and go for them.

 

But if I have to pay a lot for – say – Spidey #129 or Iron Man #55 I don’t even plan to get a copy. These books are not scarce by any means, they are just costly because there is a great demand.

[Jaylam]

A friend of my brother had amassed the entire run of Amazing Spider-Man issues 1-100 including Amazing Fantasy #15. He had spent years putting this together. Back in 1994 he decided he wanted to sell it. He was only willing to sell the whole lot at once and would not piece it out. He wanted $7,000 for all of them. He knew I was into comics so he offered them to me first, but at the time I just couldn't swing that much cash. I remember looking through them and was very impressed at their condition. It was the first time I'd ever even held a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 in my hands. Most of the early ones were in the 6.0-7.0 range, getting better and better until I bet the last 40 issues were in at least 9.0 to 9.6 condition. I could kick myself in the butt for not picking this up, I should have taken out a loan. This would have been the best investment I could have ever made, especially with the advent of CGC about 6 years away at the time, but who knew? If you can believe it, it took him about 6 months to finally sell them for the price he wanted, but this was just right before the advent of the internet and ebay, so he was doing it the old way: newspaper ads, going to conventions, comic shops and so on. I'll probably never have another opportunity like that one drop in my lap. Oh well, live and learn.