First Long Overdue Journal STORMSHADOW_80

[STORMSHADOW_80]

I've been meaning to write a journal entry for some time now.

 

I've been a member of the CGC boards for a couple years now posting here and there. I know some of you guys already and hope to meet more of you in the near future. Some of my buddies already post so many journals, and this hobby has been so great to me, I owe it to all of you to start posting up some journals to share some experiences I've had with collecting.

 

My name is Art. I live in SoCal. I've been reading comics for as long as I can remember. Before my town had an LCS I rode my bike to different liquor stores around town to get the issues I needed. I started collecting when LCSs started popping up in the early 90s. Kind of more dabbiling now that I look at it in hindsight. However at 12 or 13 I did spend my Christmas money on books. Kinda funny looking back. Too bad many of those books were "Hot" 90s books. I did at least search out a couple good books like New Mutants 98 and Vengeance of Bane. Also got to meet Frank Miller. I still have a lot of love for copper age books as those were the ones I grew up on. Then the crash of the 90s happened...

 

After I was done being a cool teenager and while I was in the military I would start picking up books again at the BX. Mainly X-Men, Wolverine, and Deadpool,and Spawn. Just for the reading enjoyment. Selection was kinda limited though.

 

Fast forward to being a dad. Through my children I rediscovered how great and how much enjoyment I got out of comics. So I started collecting again a few years ago. A couple things I noticed with ebay being around was how cheap some books were compared to the 90s and this strange new thing called "CGC". That is what I'm going to do. I'm going to start recollecting right! The CGC way. Im sure glad I did too. I consider myself a moderate collector. I seek out keys that I really like. Sometimes buying multiples to achieve that 9.8 for the permanent collection. About 85% of my collection I've submitted myself. And while nothing is wrong with buying an already graded book. I do have a sense of pride getting a 9.8 on a book and being able to attach it to story of how I found it. I hope to get into some of those stories with you guys in the near future.

 

Thank You - Be sure to look me up on instagram

 

See more journals by STORMSHADOW_80

[surfer99]

What a great first journal! I'm glad you finally decided to jump in and it's been great getting to know you on IG. Family man like me, love it. I do enjoy submitting books to CGC myself and anticipating the grade. Problem for me is, if there is a certain book I want and it has to be in a certain grade for me to be happy with it, then I'm all about buying it already graded if I can find it at a good price. A lot of my X-men the Missing Years books are like this because I wanted them in 9.6...this is my target grade for all my books. In most cases if I find or submit a book that comes back 9.2 or 9.4 I'm still happy...and if it's 9.8 like that ASM 300 then I'm REALLY happy.

 

If you have a target grade you can't live without though, say 9.8 on a Copper book, I don't understand the logic of buying and submitting multiple copies. I know a lot of collectors do this, it's just to me it seems like you would spend more time, energy, and money doing it that way rather than just buying the book in the grade you want outright. I suppose you could always sell those that come back with a lower grade, but there's no guarantee you'll make your money back. Plus there are just too many other great books out there I'd want to spend my money on rather than buying multiples of the same book. I don't know, maybe I'll try it someday.

 

Keep those journals coming!

 

 

[STORMSHADOW_80]

What a great first journal! I'm glad you finally decided to jump in and it's been great getting to know you on IG. Family man like me, love it. I do enjoy submitting books to CGC myself and anticipating the grade. Problem for me is, if there is a certain book I want and it has to be in a certain grade for me to be happy with it, then I'm all about buying it already graded if I can find it at a good price. A lot of my X-men the Missing Years books are like this because I wanted them in 9.6...this is my target grade for all my books. In most cases if I find or submit a book that comes back 9.2 or 9.4 I'm still happy...and if it's 9.8 like that ASM 300 then I'm REALLY happy.

 

If you have a target grade you can't live without though, say 9.8 on a Copper book, I don't understand the logic of buying and submitting multiple copies. I know a lot of collectors do this, it's just to me it seems like you would spend more time, energy, and money doing it that way rather than just buying the book in the grade you want outright. I suppose you could always sell those that come back with a lower grade, but there's no guarantee you'll make your money back. Plus there are just too many other great books out there I'd want to spend my money on rather than buying multiples of the same book. I don't know, maybe I'll try it someday.

 

Keep those journals coming!

 

 

Thanks Surfer! I'm really glad to have taken the first steps to get more involved on the boards. Great getting to know you as well my friend. Your X-Men Lost Years set is killer! I really hope to find a set/series I can latch onto and collect it in its entirety. Kodos to all you guys who actively seek out those books to complete your sets. I love seeing the passion that goes into collecting.

 

Usually when submitting books to CGC I try to weigh the risk reward factor. The pre screen service helps a lot. For the most part a lot of the books I get on the cheap so luckily I haven't had to eat any of the cost. Sometimes I end up with multiple 9.8s. I'm more of a collector than a dealer, but I do sell books from time to time when I have extras. It helps offset the cost a little.

 

Lately I've been narrowing my collection down a little. I do love copper and moderns, but I'm starting to get more into bronze and silver age books. Which is pretty cool. Nice when grades don't have to be so precise as newer books.