Great Condition Book vs. 2/3 Decent Condition Book to Start a Collection 0

[Brewcrewfan77]

Great Condition Book vs. 2/3 Decent Condition Book to Start a Collection

Hello,

I've recently reentered the hobby after a layoff since my teens (20 + years); and have a question.  I'm building up a collection not for resale but to enjoy and give to my nephews when they get older.  I want my first "buy" to be in the $200-$300 range and want to know if I should go for 1 great condition book (9.0+) vs 2-3 decent (3.0-5.0) bigish keys?  And what would I be able to get for my $$$.  Looking for mainly superhero books and some favorites are Spiderman, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Captain America, Iron Man (i.e. the biggies).  Could be from any era though I've been mainly grabbing Silver and Bronze Age books so far.

Thanks for the help and I appreciate all opinions.

[1Cool]

You have been grabbing books but not "buying" books?

[oakman29]

I have always been a fan of low to mid grade big keys,such as 3.0-5.0 for an AF 15, or an Incredible Hulk 1.

But at 200-300 you're not really talking about those books are you?

When it comes to anything in that range I would buy the highest grade possible.

So to answer your question it really depends on what your end game is! Do you want Golden age, Silver age etc,etc.

[Brewcrewfan77]

Well, I've been buying books for the past 2-3 weeks.  So, I have a small collection.  

The books I have been looking at were ASM 50 or or 121/122.  GL 76 or 87 so no huge debuts buy mid range keys?  (They'd big for me.)

 I'd be open to all ages.  I really don't box myself into one age.  Just good books.

[oakman29]

1 minute ago, Brewcrewfan77 said:

Well, I've been buying books for the past 2-3 weeks.  So, I have a small collection.  

The books I have been looking at were ASM 50 or or 121/122.  GL 76 or 87 so no huge debuts buy mid range keys?  (They'd big for me.)

 I'd be open to all ages.  I really don't box myself into one age.  Just good books.

Okay, with that said I would buy 1 high grade over 3 low grade books.

[1Cool]

The problem is those type of key books have gotten so expensive that high grade copies will be way over your $200 - $300 mark.  But if you are questioning getting one mid grade ASM 50 or a low grade ASM 50 and a low grade GL 76 then I'd agree with Oak - get one nice mid grade book rather then a couple low grade copies.  Prices definitely are not dropping for low grade keys but the mid grade books seem to be doing great and I don't see the demand dropping anytime soon.  Make sure your nephews have some interest in comic books before you envision passing them on to them.  They may look at them as a hindrance over just getting mutual fund money. 

[ADAMANTIUM]

Then there is always the question of do you buy raw with 2-300$ then use your next 2-300$ to get them graded, possibly SS'd; furthermore, do you save $2-300 and wait for more to invest/collect what you really desire.

That's assuming that your buying in increments of $2-300 at a time vs. saving multiple increments to buy what you'd want. That's basically what it comes down to is buying what you want vs what you can afford. Also I think that different places have paying by installments, you pay more but get what you want.

As far as suggestions you could go MA for an NM 87, NM 98, or ASM 300; or you could continue in BA and perhaps get a Jimmy Olsen 134 or Forever People 1 both of those have Superman and are basically the first appearance of Darkseid etc.

If it's just a matter of looking and the knowledge of books in your price range then there are too many for us to consider without knowing details etc.

[FN-2199]

Sounds like you are interested in Amazing Spider-Man and started collecting in the 90s.

$200-300 will get you raw and graded NM+ ASM 238 (1st Hobgoblin), 252 (1st black suit), 298/299 (McFarlane/Venom Cameo), ASM 361 (1st Carnage), or a mid grade ASM 300. You can buy these raw and not worry much about restoration. There have been a lot of ASM 50s that were tampered with and appear to be high grade.

Ultimately you should buy a character or title that you like not a book that is hot and will send your nephews to college (remember "death" of Superman). Key books and high grade get you the best return on investment.

Online auctions will get you the best price. Instead of targeting one specific book, make a short list of what books and what grade ranges you want to target. When one of those comes up for auction put in a bid. If you buy one at a fixed price, you tend to pay more but get exactly what you want. My list is so long, I let the books choose me: whatever is up for auction that week/month.

[FineCollector]

I've rewritten my response three times now.  I've decided on "I don't think you'll be happy building a collection with your nephews in mind."

Everyone collects in their own way, or they may not collect at all.  I like runs of a title, so that I can see decades of history unfold in front of me.  Other guys in this thread would say "yuck, I don't have space for that."  We don't know what characters will resonate with them in 15 years, and things you like now may be completely irrelevant later on.  They'll appreciate your passion for a character if you share it with them, but tastes change.  Picture buying tons of merchandise of your favorite football team to give them, only to find out the kids lose interest in sports when they grow up.

My advise is buy what you'd want to be buried with, and nephews be darned!

[thehumantorch]

10 hours ago, Brewcrewfan77 said:

Well, I've been buying books for the past 2-3 weeks.  So, I have a small collection.  

The books I have been looking at were ASM 50 or or 121/122.  GL 76 or 87 so no huge debuts buy mid range keys?  (They'd big for me.)

 I'd be open to all ages.  I really don't box myself into one age.  Just good books.

All good books.  Unfortunately I never understand these threads.  Collecting is a very personal adventure and telling someone how to collect doesn't make sense to me.  But good luck finding great books.

[oakman29]

50 minutes ago, thehumantorch said:

All good books.  Unfortunately I never understand these threads.  Collecting is a very personal adventure and telling someone how to collect doesn't make sense to me.  But good luck finding great books.

Agree wholeheartedly.

[s14roller]

I personally found it easier to look into some cheaper books first, and then build up to more "key" books.

[shadroch]

Buy a couple of cheap Omni's.  More reading for the buck and your nephews can use them as paper weights.

Chances your nephews will want or care about comics in twenty years are fairly slim.

[nepatkm]

Great book.  Great centering with Great presentation or eye appeal, over the higher uglier looking grade.  Wish I knew this long ago, used to buy off center books on grade.

Edited April 19, 2017 by nepatkm

[kav]

Get the best GL 76 you can afford\

ps shouldnt this be purple label?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GREEN-LANTERN-76-CGC-6-0-FINE-CONDITION-TRIMMED-NEAL-ADAMS-1970-COMIC-KINGS-/162384939844?hash=item25cee58b44:g:rQEAAOSw4DJYl25E

Edited April 19, 2017 by kav

[Readcomix]

23 hours ago, kav said:

Get the best GL 76 you can afford\

ps shouldnt this be purple label?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GREEN-LANTERN-76-CGC-6-0-FINE-CONDITION-TRIMMED-NEAL-ADAMS-1970-COMIC-KINGS-/162384939844?hash=item25cee58b44:g:rQEAAOSw4DJYl25E

How did that fly? 

[kav]

Just now, Readcomix said:

How did that fly? 

I was hoping some boardie would know.  maybe I should start a separate thread?

[Readcomix]

Just now, kav said:

I was hoping some boardie would know.  maybe I should start a separate thread?

It's at least as interesting as the MP 15 in 9.2...

[Brewcrewfan77]

Well, when I say I want to pass them down to my nephews I'm not looking to finance college for them.  Back about 20 years ago my uncle gave me some of his old baseball cards and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.  Never thought about selling them.  Just thought it was a nice gesture.  Now, down the line I could see they have no interest in them and do something else but that was my intent.  

I have a list of books I'm currently looking at.  ASM 121, Silver Surfer 4, Journey into Mystery 89, Batman 222, Superboy 89, GL 76 or 85.  Guess, I want a good read and a cool cover to display.  My mind won't let me decide.  There is a cool ASM 121 signed by Stan Lee in a 2.5 on eBay right now for $275 or Best Offer but I have no idea if that's a decent price or what.  I'm trying to read as much as I can but feel I've been out of the loop for so long, it's hard to get back into the saddle.

[FineCollector]

If you want to be sure they'll be interested later, load them up with cheap comics now.  Doesn't matter what titles, doesn't matter what condition.  Give them a sampling of everything, and talk to them about which ones they like best, and why.  We need to groom more comic collectors!