Comics as an investment for retirement 2 2

[Glassman10]

A Mouse chewed up one Submariner. That was it. It all survived what could have been a disaster I never even thought about. Great sale. 

The tarot card of the fool, playing  the flute while looking to walk off a cliff has an interesting assumption that the fool will amazingly turn away from the cliff at the last moment never realizing the cliff was there.

  I can be like that.  

[Msgarmar]

On 1/23/2021 at 1:16 PM, vheflin said:

what if there was a service where you could buy SHARES of comic books

that way you could invest in comics just like stocks! 

I recently found a company/site that does that.  You can invest in shares of very high keys.  Right now they have DD #1 in CGC 9.6, X-men #1 in CGC 9.2, Incredible Hulk #181 in CGC 9.8, GSXM #1 in CGC 9.8 and a few others.  I haven't invested in any shares but I thought the idea was intriguing.

I'm not going to name the site because I'm a noob and don't want people to think I'm schilling for them.  I just stumbled upon it in a Google search looking for places to buy comics online.  

Edited January 27, 2021 by Msgarmar

[comicdonna]

5 minutes ago, Msgarmar said:

I recently found a company/site that does that.  You can invest in shares of very high keys.  Right now they have DD #1 in CGC 9.6, X-men #1 in CGC 9.2, Incredible Hulk #181 in CGC 9.8, GSXM #1 in CGC 9.8 and a few others.  I haven't invested in any shares but I thought the idea was intriguing.

I'm not going to name the site because I'm a noob and don't want people to think I'm schilling for them.  I just stumbled upon it in a Google search looking for places to buy comics online.  

 

[Msgarmar]

Wow, I hadn't heard of that site!  Thanks for posting.

 

The one I'm talking about is actually a different one.  I did a search on the boards and I didn't see that anyone ever posted about the one I'm referring to.  Am I allowed to post their name here?  Again, I have nothing to do with the site - I just stumbled upon it.

[shadroch]

5 minutes ago, Msgarmar said:

Wow, I hadn't heard of that site!  Thanks for posting.

 

The one I'm talking about is actually a different one.  I did a search on the boards and I didn't see that anyone ever posted about the one I'm referring to.  Am I allowed to post their name here?  Again, I have nothing to do with the site - I just stumbled upon it.

Absolutely, but expect some people to bring up a thirty year old Simpsons cartoon as proof the idea is stupid. 

[Msgarmar]

1 minute ago, shadroch said:

Absolutely, but expect some people to bring up a thirty year old Simpsons cartoon as proof the idea is stupid. 

I'd love that!  And I won't speak to the idea because I don't know much about it, but I think the disclaimer they put on the website says it all.

The site is https://www.withotis.com/

And here is the disclaimer (which IMO means run and don't walk away from this opportunity):

"Disclosure: There is currently no public trading market for our Interests, and an active market may not develop or be sustained. There is no guarantee that appropriate regulatory approval to permit such secondary trading will ever be obtained. If an active public trading market for our securities does not develop or is not sustained, it may be difficult or impossible for you to resell your shares at any price. Even if a public market does develop, the market price could decline below the amount you paid for your shares."

 

For me, I'll stick to buying the actual books I can afford...

[shadroch]

3 hours ago, Msgarmar said:

 

 

For me, I'll stick to buying the actual books I can afford...

That's almost un-American. Where would our economy be if people only bought what they can afford. The trick is to buy now, with low interest, pay only the interest, sell when the book goes up and reap the profits. Rinse and repeat.

[thehumantorch]

On 2/27/2023 at 6:18 PM, BallChrIstopher said:

Investing in comic books can be a great way to diversify your investments, and potentially see a great return too. It's definitely worth doing your research and learning the market so that you can make the best decisions when investing. It's also essential to keep in mind the potential risks associated with investing in comics, as with any other asset.

For the 45 years I've been collecting comics values have gone up but that's no guarantee of the future.  As an investment class I much prefer buying common stock in companies generating profits.  The joy of collecting and owning my collection is the payoff and any value when I sell is a bonus.  But I understand we all approach the hobby differently.

[shadroch]

There is nothing wrong with having comics as a part of your long term investing. 

If your only long term investing is comic books and lottery tickets, you might want to re-evaluate.

[Justthefacts007]

Realize that the 28% is the maximum tax rate that you will pay.  The rate will depend on what tax bracket applies to you.  For example let's say you are married,. retired and receive $50000 in SS benefits.  As long as you have no other income you could have a net profit of $19000 selling your comics and pay no tax.  Also like any other item that you inherit comic values reset that is if a book is worth $1000 when inherited and it is sold for $1000 no tax is owed.

[mintcomics1]

On 1/24/2021 at 5:29 PM, shadroch said:

It's not a job, it's a hobby and an adventure.  

Agreed. I recall a dealer telling me that after the 2008 financial crisis, it was very tough to move any quality vintage mid-level books.

If you had to invest what books or titles are the best?

[Dr. Balls]

On 2/27/2023 at 8:02 PM, shadroch said:

There is nothing wrong with having comics as a part of your long term investing. 

If your only long term investing is comic books and lottery tickets, you might want to re-evaluate.

 

On 3/21/2023 at 5:59 PM, mintcomics1 said:

If you had to invest what books or titles are the best?

Definitely agree with Shad. Before everything tanked last year, we took out cash and invested into GA Pre-code Horror key books a little bit with a 10-year goal of re-selling. Like any investment, there is risk, but this was a chance to enjoy the investment while it's on the wall even if the return is an unknown. The comic market could crash, but so could a lot of other investments. It's just a unique diversification.

As far as books to invest in, it probably depends on what you want to throw at it, money-wise and what you find interesting enough to buy with the intent on selling down the road - which requires research. I chose Pre-code Horror because horror is always "in" and there's an element of scarcity. Some major key PCH books only have 50-90 copies on census with loads of people actively looking and bidding on them when they turn up. For me, that's a decent indicator that they've stood the test of time, and if there are more people wanting them than what is out there, that's generally a good bet in my book. I believe that concept will survive over the next ten years. That's what we bet on.

Minor keys are subject to the ebbs and flows of any other era - I've sold off a few that I bought just to tweak the "portfolio" as a whole - I've taken a loss on a couple books that I didn't buy right, but I've made profit on a few, so as I get closer to my no-sell position on the books I have left, I feel good about it.

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by Dr. Balls

[shadroch]

On 3/21/2023 at 4:59 PM, mintcomics1 said:

Agreed. I recall a dealer telling me that after the 2008 financial crisis, it was very tough to move any quality vintage mid-level books.

If you had to invest what books or titles are the best?

Personal preference but recent books I bought were Daredevil 1, Dr Strange 169, Brave and Bold 28 and a few 12 cent Marvels. I'm only buying CGC slabs, not because I like the company but because it makes third party sales easier. I'm buying only to resell them. 

[ThothAmon]

On 3/30/2023 at 12:16 PM, Dr. Balls said:

Definitely agree with Shad

Don’t you think it’s a little hyperbolic to compare lottery tickets and comics?Personally I’ve only bought one of the above almost always with an eye towards resale. Guess everyone’s perspective is different and it might be a result of the timing of your entry into the hobby (1967).

 

[Forbush-Man]

My collecting/collection was just another way of diversifying my portfolio while making me happy & giving me something fun to do.  If I could go back and do it again, I certainly would. 

[mintcomics1]

On 3/30/2023 at 10:28 AM, shadroch said:

Personal preference but recent books I bought were Daredevil 1, Dr Strange 169, Brave and Bold 28 and a few 12 cent Marvels. I'm only buying CGC slabs, not because I like the company but because it makes third party sales easier. I'm buying only to resell them. 

I collect whatever is cool and high grade, with a bias towards the classics that I had as a kid. There are certain books that I want to own which I used to have in low or mid grade such as Silver Age Spideys and X-men, and other Marvel favs like Avengers, Conans and Caps.  I stopped caring about the market long ago and focus on what I really want to keep over the long haul.

[stephenlev]

Buy comics for fun. As for retirement, I highly recommend reading “The Simple Path to Wealth” by JL Collins and doing what he says. (You can also just read his blog)

[comicginger1789]

Personally, I feel lucky that a hobby I have enjoyed since I was 11 or 12 has turned into something that if I wanted to, I would cash out and put at least 1 kid through a decent school program. And all of it at a fraction of what I spent to accumulate it.

I think it is hard to be a collector and investor at the same time. I tried it and ended up just acquiring more books for myself that I did try to turn them into profit. It is a venture I might try again but it took the joy away from the hobby honestly. I am content right now just buying what I like when the price is right and not worrying about it. As long as I am getting a decent deal on a book I will enjoy today, I feel confident I can recoup its cost (and likely then some) down the road when needed.

I think now is a good time to buy though. Buy desired books that over the last decade have shown overall gains. Buy the best grade possible. By the biggest keys possible. And you should be fine. Playing the small game with weekly or monthly hot books can probably be done but requires a lot of work and time and potentially, more losses than gains.

[rsouxlja7]

On 4/18/2023 at 10:21 AM, stephenlev said:

Buy comics for fun. As for retirement, I highly recommend reading “The Simple Path to Wealth” by JL Collins and doing what he says. (You can also just read his blog)

This is the best advice OP, or any average person, can get. I started listening to the audiobook a few days ago and even though it is all material I already know it's written in a way that's easily digestible and highly informative to anyone just starting out. 

[Dalehamblin]

I buy comics I like and keep the ones I really like, I have bought comics in the past that I thought would make me a good profit and  it dident work out, but some have,That was mainly variants which I only have a very little left. Some I dident pull the trigger on and I’ve regretted it for instance I had the chance a few years back to acquire a very low grade AF15 and I dident that will probably be my biggest miss.