Wall-Crawler Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 (edited) A noble quest to build an Amazing Spider-Man collection Hello! As my board name suggests, I am a Spider-Man fan. I have been since I was a youngster. I started actually collecting at around age 14. Pushing 40 now - Where does the time go? I basically took 7-8 years off from the hobby though, from right after high school all the way through university and didn't start really again until about 2004/05. Once I got back into the hobby, I checked out a bit of everything but I also decided to start to collect the ASM's that I "missed"...Later, I also "discovered" CGC and this message board and wow, mind blown! I learned that I knew nothing but I think I have learned a lot since my time here and continue to do so. I learned about so many other cool books and I started to dabble in a bit of everything, mostly super heroes still, but I was a bit "scattershot" for awhile. I have discussed "collection focus" many times with fellow boardie and friend, dontfeedthemonkeys. One of the things I recently decided, was that I would like to "return to my roots" and try to build and complete a run of Amazing Spider-Man. I like to think that I have a pretty decent ASM collection, but I know it pales in comparison to the top registry sets. Most of my collection is raw though. To complete the run, as of this writing, I need: #1 - #38 #40 #43 - #45 #47 - #49 #55 By my count, a total of 46 ASM issues and obviously some of the most expensive ones. To accomplish this goal of getting the whole run, I will not be looking for uber grades, particularly with regards to non-keys. In the past, I have been too hung up on the grade. I have to get over this a bit for financial reasons if I want to have any hope of completing the run. My main criteria will be that they be complete (unrestored) and present nicely for the grade. For first appearances, I will likely be looking for slabbed copies and unslabbed for non-keys. This journal will detail my pick ups, set backs, purchases other than ASM that will 'take funds away' from accomplishing this goal (and I know there will be some) and general discussion concerning completing the series. If anyone cares, that is See more journals by Wall-Crawler Edited December 7, 2016 by Wall-Crawler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wall-Crawler Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 (edited) This was the first pick up of the year. Already accounted for in the list above. I should also note that I will SLOWLY be slabbing a few of my earlier issues. Edited September 30, 2016 by Wall-Crawler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakman29 Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Very nice! I just completed my ASM run a couple years ago, and man what an awesome feeling it was to finish it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzetta Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Good luck, and I look forward to seeing you join the club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 I hope you are able to complete that run, I have started doing it myself. Had a complete run minus variants from 200-700. But times got a little rough so had to part ways with it. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 All the best of luck and doable unless you're looking for certain grades it'll be harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wall-Crawler Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Good luck, and I look forward to seeing you join the club. Your set Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wall-Crawler Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Very nice! I just completed my ASM run a couple years ago, and man what an awesome feeling it was to finish it. I hope to have that feeling too! I should say that my ASM set does not presently "include" an AF #15 at this point...That is a whole other separate pipe dream. For me, if I were to own a AF #15, it would have to be a somewhat presentable copy, like a 2.0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wall-Crawler Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 All the best of luck and doable unless you're looking for certain grades it'll be harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndhandSmoke Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 That's quite the undertaking, but all the best to you. I am very new to the CGC game (just waiting for my first issues to come back to me, they are in the "scheduled for grading" category) but have loved and followed comics for years. As a vet I get a little perturbed at the whole Variant Cover game (Star Wars was INSANE!) but then of course I see the Campbell Variant Cover for Extraordinary X-Men 1 and all I can think is "I HAVE TO HAVE THAT!". Anyways, I'm going off topic, good luck on your collection. The Ditko and Romita covers POP so nice when you line them up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wall-Crawler Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Yes it is. I am not counting variant covers. One cover will suffice for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjbjheartman Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I have had a great time putting this set together. It has been over a 10 year quest but it is nearing completion. I bet that you will start collecting the variants after you complete the set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wall-Crawler Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 I have had a great time putting this set together. It has been over a 10 year quest but it is nearing completion. I bet that you will start collecting the variants after you complete the set. Maybe the odd cover that I like but I can't see me chasing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tv horror Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I am also on this journey and like yourself hope to complete the set without AF15. I just buy 4.0 to 6.0's and unslabbed. I am now down to issues 1,2,5,6,14,16,17. As I live in the U.K it has been a fantastic experience trying to find these gems and like Scrooge I love counting every issue. Although I am a comic fan I have only ever had the desire to complete The Tomb of Dracula series and Spidey's 616 appearances, yes I have them all. Good luck on your mission it will be a fun ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamlet Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I have the run from 4-365 or so. I don't remember exactly when I stopped in the early 90s. I'll get a #3 eventually (Doc Ock is a personal favorite), but I'm not sure I can make myself pay the money needed for AF15, #1, and #2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tv horror Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 To be or not to be that is a question we all ask, Hamlet I suppose that it depends on the grades you are looking but I think that the 2 and 3 can be got for reasonable prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FN-2199 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I have had a great time putting this set together. It has been over a 10 year quest but it is nearing completion. I bet that you will start collecting the variants after you complete the set. Maybe the odd cover that I like but I can't see me chasing them. Yes, I'm on the same journey. It's a long road. For my run, I collect at least the original cover. If I like a variant, like the New Ways to Die variants, I will get that but I only count the first prints for my run. Copper and Modern Age is complete while Bronze is missing a few pieces. I saved Silver for last because it is the most expensive. I'm trying to put together a NM run of ASM. I've since tightened my grading standards, so I've got VF copies mixed in and will have to re-grade whenever I get around to putting the whole thing in mylars once and for all. How are you going about picking which issues to buy? Since I have so many to go (100 or so), I work on one, 50 issue run at a time and look for the best deal rather than target specific issues which could be overpriced at the time I'm buying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tv horror Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I can answer you what I did to collect the set, first of all I was lucky that I was already getting them from just before 300. It was the British reprints of the Hobgoblin story-line that got me seriously interested again. I had been reading Spidey in the reprints since the beginning in the early sixties. As for my run I first started buying the issues down to 200 then I moved to issue 100, after that it was the keys. Funny enough I had just won a small amount on the U.K lotto and was able to afford a great copy of 129 while my nephew was holidaying in the U.S, this was the 80's. Now I am just chillin awaiting maybe another lotto win, well we can dream. Look into my eyes Amazing Fantasy 15 you will be MINE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wall-Crawler Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 So, channel surfing tonight...Stop on "Pawnstars" for a minute...Behind Rick in the background on a shelf is a copy of ASM #1...IN A FREAKING ZIPLOC BAG, the kind with the big while logo on them and looks like it is not supported very well ...How can one be "wasting away" there and I don't have one (yet) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfer99 Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 Even in low grade that's an expensive pursuit, but it sounds like you've planned well and I wish the best of luck. Looking forward to hearing which books you've added next. By the way, those non-Spidey books you have in your post signature...nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
