Most modern books - Needs your advice to buy them OR NOT!

[rjrjr]

My view. Nothing from the last 15 years will go up in value with the exception of the outliers like Walking Dead 1. Buy modern books to read; not to invest in.

 

Everyone wants to make an exception for the Walking Dead...

 

 

I wasn't saying that the Walking Dead will go up in value. Just saying that there could end up being a handful of #1 issues that end up as a huge franchise and result in being worth money. But for the most part, anything from the time period where people were actively collecting as an investment (1990s to the present) was produced in such high numbers and kept in high grade to the point that very little of it will hold its cover price let alone increase substantially. That's my take.

 

That would be from the 1970s to the present.

[dupont2005]

True, but I don't think it really "took off" until the 90's. People weren't commonly bagging, boarding, and carefully storing their comics in longboxes back then. They were piling them up naked in milkcrates, the ones that weren't drawing mustaches and nipples on everyone and folding them. I think 70's comics in HG are uncommon enough, more uncommon than 90's comics for sure. Even though I like to think I wasn't caught up in the "speculator craze" because I only bought what I intended to read, I did buy some trendy things, and I bagged and boarded all the typical superhero from the time because Wizard said it would buy me a Maserati when I turned 21. Funny thing is I couldn't afford to bag and board everything, and the indy comics were left unbagged and got somewhat beat up. They weren't hyped in the price guide. In fact, they often times weren't even listed in the price guide.

 

Guess which ones would have appreciated in value if they were still in high grade?

[rjrjr]

True, but I don't think it really "took off" until the 90's. People weren't commonly bagging, boarding, and carefully storing their comics in longboxes back then. They were piling them up naked in milkcrates, the ones that weren't drawing mustaches and nipples on everyone and folding them. I think 70's comics in HG are uncommon enough, more uncommon than 90's comics for sure. Even though I like to think I wasn't caught up in the "speculator craze" because I only bought what I intended to read, I did buy some trendy things, and I bagged and boarded all the typical superhero from the time because Wizard said it would buy me a Maserati when I turned 21. Funny thing is I couldn't afford to bag and board everything, and the indy comics were left unbagged and got somewhat beat up. They weren't hyped in the price guide. In fact, they often times weren't even listed in the price guide.

 

Guess which ones would have appreciated in value if they were still in high grade?

 

I've been collecting since the late 70s, so I can attest that people were carefully storing their comics since at least then. Admittedly, the methods of storage might have been crude (my brother and I used large saran wrap bags to individual store our comics), but the attempt to preserve the comics in as good as condition as possible has been around for at least as long as I've been a collector. I'm guessing we used saran wrap bags because we saw comics stored in regular comic bags and we had no access to regular bags. I cannot really say when I first started using backing boards, but that had to have been early 80s. We didn't make up the practice, but just copied what we saw being done at comic shops and at shows.

[dupont2005]

I didn't start using longboxes until 2008 because when I was a kid I thought they were special boxes for shops only

[oakman29]

My view. Nothing from the last 15 years will go up in value with the exception of the outliers like Walking Dead 1. Buy modern books to read; not to invest in.

 

Everyone wants to make an exception for the Walking Dead...

 

 

I wasn't saying that the Walking Dead will go up in value. Just saying that there could end up being a handful of #1 issues that end up as a huge franchise and result in being worth money. But for the most part, anything from the time period where people were actively collecting as an investment (1990s to the present) was produced in such high numbers and kept in high grade to the point that very little of it will hold its cover price let alone increase substantially. That's my take.

 

Look at Chew as an example.

[shadroch]

This is a weird thread. Most people that ask for advice on buying comics do so on high value items an not dollar items. That aside, wouldn't the correct way to pose this question be to list the book you want and the exact price they are asking? How could anyone give advice on buying a book when there are no prices listed? Don't the total of these comics add up to like $20 or something?

 

I know that obviously. It is not hard to question this. Do you believe those books are worthy to buy or not?

 

I don't know why I don't get the easy answer from highly intelligent people here.

 

Can't tell if you're joking or being serious about being so undecided on these books.

 

That is why everyone got used to have jokes each other everyday in this forum. I am not joking but this is simply a stupid question.

 

I am very sure those are probably nothing. Those books were not picked up at all like all other unworthy books -- just wondered. I am sure anybody will know those books than I do. Just grab or not.

 

Unless they're $1 or less, I wouldn't touch them. Even at $1 I would be hesitant.

 

Sometimes, $1 or less can turn few hundred dollars. Fifteen years ago, I remembered Strange Tales #110 was in $5 bin. I regretted that I passed it.

 

Few years ago, I bought all 84 the 'NAM issues which are in NM condition for only 50 cents each. Last year, I sold them for $175.

 

Please don't feel offended or give me some lectures about this thread. Never know that anything can be valved from $1 bin.

 

 

 

 

You've been collecting for 15 years or more, but you need validation from strangers to drop $10 or so on a few books?

[shadroch]

Every era since I've been collecting, EVERYONE thinks modern books will never go up because people are hoarding them.

These experts laughed at people buying Spidey 252. They laughed at people buying X-Factor 1, they laughed at people buying Spider-Man 361, Teen Titans 44, and many others.

[kav]

They laughed at people buying Peter Parker #1-uh.....

[dupont2005]

Every era since I've been collecting, EVERYONE thinks modern books will never go up because people are hoarding them.

These experts laughed at people buying Spidey 252. They laughed at people buying X-Factor 1, they laughed at people buying Spider-Man 361, Teen Titans 44, and many others.

Fish Police, Howard The Duck, Deathmate, Youngblood, Skullkickers, Stumptown.

 

There was a speculative boom and crash in the 80's regarding the black and white TMNT ripoff indies.

 

There was a speculative boom and crash in the 90's regarding Image and Valiant and other indy superhero titles, as well as deaths and reboots of popular mainstream characters.

 

Not too hard to believe, eventually when every comic property has a movie or show in development, that the early speculators on anything-with-a-TV-deal will be feeling like the guy that bought a crate of Jim lee X-Men #1's. Gimmicks fail, TV show speculating is a gimmick in my eyes.

 

That does not mean that there won't be valuable comics coming from this time. I just don't think they're going to be the ones anyone thinks they are. Have they ever been? When Hulk 181 came out, was it instantly hoarded by speculators? When Batman Adventures #12 came out? I think the main reason something has the potential to become valuable is it went unnoticed at first. Not snapped up the day it came out because snapping up every comic Image publishes with a #1 on the cover is guaranteed profits.

[shadroch]

They laughed at people buying Peter Parker #1-uh.....

 

Yep, Those 20 copies I bought back in 1976 for 16 cents each. Horrible investment.

Seeing how I could double my total investment by selling just one of them if I still had them, I'll settle for that hard line drive single. A better player could have turned it into a double.

[shadroch]

Every era since I've been collecting, EVERYONE thinks modern books will never go up because people are hoarding them.

These experts laughed at people buying Spidey 252. They laughed at people buying X-Factor 1, they laughed at people buying Spider-Man 361, Teen Titans 44, and many others.

Fish Police, Howard The Duck, Deathmate, Youngblood, Skullkickers, Stumptown.

 

There was a speculative boom and crash in the 80's regarding the black and white TMNT ripoff indies.

 

There was a speculative boom and crash in the 90's regarding Image and Valiant and other indy superhero titles, as well as deaths and reboots of popular mainstream characters.

 

Not too hard to believe, eventually when every comic property has a movie or show in development, that the early speculators on anything-with-a-TV-deal will be feeling like the guy that bought a crate of Jim lee X-Men #1's. Gimmicks fail, TV show speculating is a gimmick in my eyes.

 

That does not mean that there won't be valuable comics coming from this time. I just don't think they're going to be the ones anyone thinks they are. Have they ever been? When Hulk 181 came out, was it instantly hoarded by speculators? When Batman Adventures #12 came out? I think the main reason something has the potential to become valuable is it went unnoticed at first. Not snapped up the day it came out because snapping up every comic Image publishes with a #1 on the cover is guaranteed profits.

 

When joe public is buying, its time to sell. When he sells, its time to buy.

When every 14 year old male on the planet was scooping up Valiants, Image and such,

the wise money was buying up SA Marvels for pennies. TOS, and especially TTA were found in bargain boxes at every show I set up at. To this day, I kick myself everytime I think of Mike Carbonaro( X-neatstuff) offering me an almost complete run of Batman from around 200 to 380 for thirty cents a book.

[shadroch]

Look at what 9.6/9.8 Spiderman 361s are going for. They sold a boatload of them when it came out, but its still selling for crazy money.

[oakman29]

Every era since I've been collecting, EVERYONE thinks modern books will never go up because people are hoarding them.

These experts laughed at people buying Spidey 252. They laughed at people buying X-Factor 1, they laughed at people buying Spider-Man 361, Teen Titans 44, and many others.

Fish Police, Howard The Duck, Deathmate, Youngblood, Skullkickers, Stumptown.

 

There was a speculative boom and crash in the 80's regarding the black and white TMNT ripoff indies.

 

There was a speculative boom and crash in the 90's regarding Image and Valiant and other indy superhero titles, as well as deaths and reboots of popular mainstream characters.

 

Not too hard to believe, eventually when every comic property has a movie or show in development, that the early speculators on anything-with-a-TV-deal will be feeling like the guy that bought a crate of Jim lee X-Men #1's. Gimmicks fail, TV show speculating is a gimmick in my eyes.

 

That does not mean that there won't be valuable comics coming from this time. I just don't think they're going to be the ones anyone thinks they are. Have they ever been? When Hulk 181 came out, was it instantly hoarded by speculators? When Batman Adventures #12 came out? I think the main reason something has the potential to become valuable is it went unnoticed at first. Not snapped up the day it came out because snapping up every comic Image publishes with a #1 on the cover is guaranteed profits.

 

When joe public is buying, its time to sell. When he sells, its time to buy.

When every 14 year old male on the planet was scooping up Valiants, Image and such,

the wise money was buying up SA Marvels for pennies. TOS, and especially TTA were found in bargain boxes at every show I set up at. To this day, I kick myself everytime I think of Mike Carbonaro( X-neatstuff) offering me an almost complete run of Batman from around 200 to 380 for thirty cents a book.

You've got it down. Why I've been buying Horror mags recently,just saying.

[dupont2005]

When every 14 year old male on the planet was scooping up Valiants, Image and such,

the wise money was buying up SA Marvels for pennies.

And I have a feeling the "wise money" these days is doing something other than buying up every Image #1

[shadroch]

We will see, in another twenty years.

[the blob]

When joe public is buying, its time to sell. When he sells, its time to buy.

When every 14 year old male on the planet was scooping up Valiants, Image and such,

the wise money was buying up SA Marvels for pennies. TOS, and especially TTA were found in bargain boxes at every show I set up at. To this day, I kick myself everytime I think of Mike Carbonaro( X-neatstuff) offering me an almost complete run of Batman from around 200 to 380 for thirty cents a book.

 

-----------

 

I predict Skullkickers 1 will again be a $25 book within my lifetime.

 

Shad, I think you're getting your years confused, SA marvel prices had exploded already by the time of the Image and Valiant boom, but they might have still been in the gutter during the indie B&W nonsense a few years earlier, I don't know what was available for "pennies" in 1992-1994 and I think we were probably at the same local shows. Sure, I picked up a lot of solid mid-grade TOA and TOS and ST for $2-$3 a pop (and a ton of the cruddy SA DC titles at $1 a pop), but honestly, at today's prices there hasn't been a real killing to be made on those other than the occasional high grade book that made it in there.

 

With that said, Carbo did offer me Sgt. Fury 1 - 100 for $200 at a show once. The issues that were worthwhile were around VGs. While I certainly wanted 1-14 at the time, I couldn't get myself in the mindset to pay $2 a pop for issues after that...dumb dumb dumb!

[the blob]

They laughed at people buying Peter Parker #1-uh.....

 

Yep, Those 20 copies I bought back in 1976 for 16 cents each. Horrible investment.

Seeing how I could double my total investment by selling just one of them if I still had them, I'll settle for that hard line drive single. A better player could have turned it into a double.

 

That's one that took a shockingly long time to be more than a $5 book though.

[dupont2005]

I predict Skullkickers 1 will again be a $25 book within my lifetime.

Come on Fish Police

[shadroch]

They laughed at people buying Peter Parker #1-uh.....

 

Yep, Those 20 copies I bought back in 1976 for 16 cents each. Horrible investment.

Seeing how I could double my total investment by selling just one of them if I still had them, I'll settle for that hard line drive single. A better player could have turned it into a double.

 

That's one that took a shockingly long time to be more than a $5 book though.

 

True, but within a great or three, it was a $3 book.

[Artboy99]

Buy them.

 

The amount of money you are spending is not enough to be worrying about. Maybe the books will increase in value over time, maybe they won't.