Collections drying up? 4 4

[1Cool]

29 minutes ago, jsilverjanet said:

Not to mention what's really left if he's gone through most of the boxes and pulled out all the main books

ill take long boxes of quarter books all day if they are cheap but I usually only do that when I've picked up some semi keys along with them. 

Seems like a lot of work espeically at $40 a long box. The going rate is usually $20-$30 and  that's way too much volume

what the hell is left if there are 250 boxes still 

Probably 50 long boxes of $15 per long box books like Valiant and crappy 90s books.  There is 100 long boxes of 80s books like Alpha Flight, Kazar, X-Factor, Marvel Two In One.  But the last 100 long box is nicer books like New Mutants, Justice League of America, Flash, lots of Conan, Wonder Woman and Flash.  With all the 80s books it seems like a decent deal for $0.10 a book ($30 a long box) but you would of course be able to move a ton of books at $1 a book.

[kimik]

48 minutes ago, Artboy99 said:

I know there was 5 copies of Iron Man #1 as per the list ( as an example )

Did Marc snag them first?

[01TheDude]

14 minutes ago, kimik said:

It's only cheaper if you are paying full retail price for the TPBs. You can land most of these for $5 - $10 (or less) either on the secondary market or discounted by stores at conventions. I dumped my Conan and Savage Sword collections, except for the keys, way back when Dark Horse started to reprint the issues. It was easy to see which way the common issues were heading.

This may be different for those collecting copper age and later--- but I will disagree with your point .....

what the TPB don't have are the letters section, the ads, the old comic book smell, or the wonder of the history of the book itself.

Sure- if all you are concerned about is reading and looking at the artwork-- fine-- you can take the shortcut and get that set of TPBs. Getting the actual original copies has value for those of us who collect SA/BA (can't speak for GA but I'd assume they appreciate it too). When the original books are keys and beyond my reach financially-- a good reprint of that story will work but sometimes I do have to pick up the Masterworks or other TPB type of reprint.

[oakman29]

36 minutes ago, kimik said:

I have been commenting on this for a while now. Keys and hot covers are where the action will be in the future for the hobby (just like it is for sportscards, stamps, coins, etc.) Due to the various reprint formats available to readers, there is no need to fill runs any more with more expensive back issues. Instead, collectors will just buy the key/hot cover book and read the rest via reprints. It is the way all hobbies evolve. 

Gee I hope not, that would be a shame.

[kimik]

15 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

This may be different for those collecting copper age and later--- but I will disagree with your point .....

what the TPB don't have are the letters section, the ads, the old comic book smell, or the wonder of the history of the book itself.

Sure- if all you are concerned about is reading and looking at the artwork-- fine-- you can take the shortcut and get that set of TPBs. Getting the actual original copies has value for those of us who collect SA/BA (can't speak for GA but I'd assume they appreciate it too). When the original books are keys and beyond my reach financially-- a good reprint of that story will work but sometimes I do have to pick up the Masterworks or other TPB type of reprint.

Your style of collecting is becoming more scarce. I see more people now that just buy keys than common issues. There are a lot of people with lists that just have 1st apps/keys/hot cover books on them instead of issues needed to complete runs.

I am at the point now that when I do buy a collection most of the books, including low to mid grade 50s, 60s and 70s common issues just go straight to my dollar bins. I would rather get my money back fast from dumping the common issues and sitting on the keys for a couple of years than vice versa.

Tomorrow I will have a couple of long boxes with SA and BA low to mid grade books at $1 to clear up space (some of the Dells/Gold Key are earlier) no need to keep dead stock.

Edited June 11, 2017 by kimik

[kimik]

10 minutes ago, oakman29 said:

Gee I hope not, that would be a shame.

Why? Ten years from now when everything will be available digitally there is less need for common floppy issues that take up space.

[01TheDude]

9 minutes ago, kimik said:

Why? Ten years from now when everything will be available digitally there is less need for common floppy issues that take up space.

some people like having the real thing-- not some digital screen shot. I don't care if that is not the way it is for newer collectors. And how you handle books you get that you consider "common" is your business. But to downplay those books simply because they don't have a high dollar "key" value and to assume that those non-key books are somehow irrelevant smells more like a speculator's viewpoint than a collectors. Most of us (well those of us who are not dealers to be more accurate) here collect books that we love. We don't care if others think that those books are worth something later or even if we overpay in others opinions. It is a hobby-- not a 401K - to us.

[Jayman]

@Sqeggs Thanks for the Crippen info! 

[fastballspecial]

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 8:15 PM, HouseofComics.Com said:

 

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 3:26 PM, Von Cichlid said:

Blob and yourself must have come from a different era than me I guess.  When I was first into comics from the late 80's to around 94 or so nearly everything revolved around the X-Men.  The three friends I had that were serious fans knew all about the bronze to copper age X-Men universe, the characters origins, etc.  Even the two LCS owners that I visit with since I got back into the hobby about 6 months ago are able to reminisce with me about those issues.  

How do you not remember Nightcrawler almost being burned at a stake in Germany or Storm flying around naked in Kenya, Wolverine resigning by slicing his CO's tie, and Colossus smashing that tractor when Professor X recruited them?  These were the origins of characters that were the focal point of the Marvel Universe for over a decade.

Maybe I am wrong in projecting what I consider to be key eras in the comic universe onto everyone else.  Like I say, I've only been back into the hobby about half a year and the friends I used to collect with moved on long ago.  The only people I have to discuss this stuff with are the LCS owners and they are roughly the same age as me.  There is a convention in my city coming this fall.  I will probably get a better feel for the industry if I attend that.         

I'm more with you.  While I haven't read that story in decades (I probably page through 108-137 every year or two though) I remember main gist of the story and when you mention those origin panels I can picture them all, right down to the general's tie.

Not sure it matters about the stories after 150 considering 94-150 are pretty much the best mainstream comics of that period. A few years ago multiple board members including myself said that X-Men basically ended with 175. Great stuff up to 175 and then starts repeating itself, becoming even more soap opera, etc. And I can't tell you how disappointed I was with Annual 7 after how tremendous annuals 3-6 were. Annual 8 was probably even worse.

 

Yep add me too. My brother and I read Teen Titans and Uncanny X-Men with Avengers thrown in. I wouldn't say the X-men ended at 175, but that was where it went south. After the Mutant Massacre it was out of gas until Lee showed up for a few issues. 

Its almost tragic how great the X-Men books were until then. I wonder if readers today even think that. I still read good stories today including Old Man Logan 66-72(A must for any X-Men fan.) and Jupiter's Legacy an also must read. Its just harder to find a monthly book that is good every month. Maybe I am just older and I want that feeling as a kid waiting for the next monthly issue.

Either way is saddens me today what comics have become. It seems the joy of the adventure a comic can offer is gone. I still enjoy the hobby and buy and sell quite a bit, but its just not the same as when the X-Men were king. I keep hoping someday it will be again. I enjoyed ASM and Avengers in the 80s as well, but the X-men were king and in my mind still are.

 

 

 

[lizards2]

3 hours ago, porcupine48 said:

4 hours ago, 1950's war comics said:

Wow even my few thousand comics takes up way more space than i like ... i cant even imagine 30, 40 long boxes or more

I'm up to about forty mag boxes(regular longs are just too skinny for many books,esp.in mylar)  and it's way in the way.Gotta get rid of like half!

You need to buy a bigger washing machine box.

[lou_fine]

3 hours ago, Artboy99 said:

4 hours ago, lou_fine said:

My thinking is that there was most probably not a single Marvel SA key book in terms of a first appearance in the entire lot. 

I know there was 5 copies of Iron Man #1 as per the list ( as an example )

Confirms my thinking exactly if this was the best they had, as IM 1 is a late SA book and not even a first appearance at that. 

Now, if you had seen a TOS 39, TTA 27, or a JIM 83 on your initial list, then that would have been different. 

[Artboy99]

Just now, lou_fine said:

Confirms my thinking exactly if this was the best they had, as IM 1 is a late SA book and not even a first appearance at that. 

Now, if you had seen a TOS 39, TTA 27, or a JIM 83 on your initial list, then that would have been different. 

nothing like that

[lou_fine]

2 hours ago, Lazyboy said:

4 hours ago, lou_fine said:

Based upon your description here, this basically confirms that this is definitely not an original owner collection.  An original owner collection is one which is compiled by a collector buying his books fresh off the newsstand, as opposed to buying them second-hand from used book stores. 

Most collections probably have at least a few secondhand books, even if the majority were bought new. Didn't Edgar Church have some secondhand books?

Well aware of that. 

From his description, however, it sounded as though a substantial portion of the earlier or better books were actually brought second-hand, as opposed to just a small fractional portion which was indeed the case with the Church collection. 

[thehumantorch]

5 hours ago, lou_fine said:

On 6/6/2017 at 7:18 AM, Fan Boy said:

On 6/5/2017 at 7:12 PM, thehumantorch said:

They are out there.

In a way ... yes. They would have to be either 2nd or 3rd generation GA collections in smaller sizes. Forget the original owner status - this day was long gone.  Maybe finding one of original owner SA collections is possible.

Well, as a couple of boardies have already mentioned, there are at least a couple of OO collections dating as far back as the early GA time period.  I guess time will tell.

As for SA OO collections, I believe they are most definitely still out there waiting to be uncovered.  Especially if you are talking about Marvel SA books since these were the books that spawned much of the comic collecting industry that we have to this day.

Doesn't Joe Krolik still have a complete pristine Marvel SA original owner collection since the Winnipeg pedigree books were apparently only his under copies? 

I think it's fair to say there's thousands of OO Silver Age collections, big and small, still waiting to be discovered.  I hear about them quite often whether it's offered to me or a local store picks it up.

[lou_fine]

1 minute ago, thehumantorch said:

I think it's fair to say there's thousands of OO Silver Age collections, big and small, still waiting to be discovered.  I hear about them quite often whether it's offered to me or a local store picks it up.

Now, now, don't say that so loudly or you'll have boardies like Jaydog pounce on you claiming that all of the HG SA books must have already been graded by now, with only an insignificant small fractional amount left to be slabbed. 

[Fan Boy]

1 minute ago, lou_fine said:

Now, now, don't say that so loudly or you'll have boardies like Jaydog pounce on you claiming that all of the HG SA books must have already been graded by now, with only an insignificant small fractional amount left to be slabbed. 

I disagree... I am still discovering HG SA books untouched being stabbed. I'm doing my best to rescue them safely into my collection in pure raw taste. 

[thehumantorch]

4 hours ago, lou_fine said:

Based upon your description here, this basically confirms that this is definitely not an original owner collection.  An original owner collection is one which is compiled by a collector buying his books fresh off the newsstand, as opposed to buying them second-hand from used book stores. 

I guess this is why I had a hard time time thinking this was an original owner collection when I first saw your scans of the books.  Especially since OO collections are generally always minty fresh as they are brought right off the newsstand and generally kept in that same high grade condition by the original owner. 

I guess our definition of an OO owner collection differs.  He wasn't the original owner of all the books but the majority were purchased from the newsstand and later LCS.  I'd think this collection is pretty typical with the collector starting to buy comics at a certain age and continuing to buy new issues while searching for back issues printed before he was reading.  Certainly if we're talking an OO owner GA collection this isn't it because I'd guess the owner was born around 1950.

[lizards2]

3 minutes ago, Fan Boy said:

I disagree... I am still discovering HG SA books untouched being stabbed.

 

[thehumantorch]

13 minutes ago, lou_fine said:

Now, now, don't say that so loudly or you'll have boardies like Jaydog pounce on you claiming that all of the HG SA books must have already been graded by now, with only an insignificant small fractional amount left to be slabbed. 

 not a chance.

[SteppinRazor]

1 hour ago, 01TheDude said:

some people like having the real thing-- not some digital screen shot. I don't care if that is not the way it is for newer collectors. And how you handle books you get that you consider "common" is your business. But to downplay those books simply because they don't have a high dollar "key" value and to assume that those non-key books are somehow irrelevant smells more like a speculator's viewpoint than a collectors. Most of us (well those of us who are not dealers to be more accurate) here collect books that we love. We don't care if others think that those books are worth something later or even if we overpay in others opinions. It is a hobby-- not a 401K - to us.

I think he's referring to the market as a whole, and certainly not downplaying the content.  I don't think I saw him make a judgment about it, just stating the current approach.  And as a seller, he has to look at what the market is.  The majority of buyers in the market are looking for keys, and only a small percentage are looking to collect the filler issues, so as a business, there is little point to putting in effort in stocking them or seeking to buy them wholesale.  The majority of buyers choose cheaper alternatives to read the stories.  It's a change both of the market and a change in who is buying comic books.  New buyers may not have ever smelled old comic smell, now being young enough to have only read new and digital comics.  I do think it's an overstatement that this is how all hobbies go, but it seems accurate for comics and cards.