1981- what did $400 buy in comic collectibles then? 2 2

[piper]

6 minutes ago, bronze_rules said:

Man, I thought I was the only one cutting grass for a pittance. I used to haul my Dad's mower around the neighborhood.  I got a paper route and would ride miles to a comic shop.

The store had 100 raggedy old comics for twenty dollars with a smurf stamp on all of them. I remember hauling that home in my paper route bag on my bicycle in a storm so strong, that telephone lines were lying battered in the streets. But it was worth it!

I like to think that taught me responsibility. I wish kids today could have a paper route but the business model has changed.

100 books for $20 sounds like a great way for a kid to spend a summer afternoon.

 

[s-man]

21 hours ago, snitzer said:

I remember seeing an X-men #1 for sale, mid-80’s for $100 at my LCS. Wanted it so bad. Might as well been a million to me though. It’s all relative.

I remember my LCS was selling one in ok condition for $1000, what a price gouger! I still wanted it very badly as well.

[alexgross.com]

23 hours ago, podochigae said:

That sounds really disappointing.  Did they have copies, but only in poor condition?  Did you and your dad get a 2nd chance at some other book, perhaps?  

You do have a good point, though.  I remember trying to buy X-Men #94 several times from mail-order places but they didn't have it.  Back then you had to list alternates, and I frequently wasn't able to get every thing on my order.

i only saw one copy of xmen1 that day, and it was in pretty rough shape. i definitely didnt want one that looked like that. i never pursued it again. back then, cons were not very often, and as a kid, i probably didnt hear about all of them either.

at torpedo con in los angeles in 2019, it seemed like every single dealer had xmen1 in 3.5 on their wall. i saw at least 8 copies. they were going for about 5k. i remember being surprised at how common it seemed to be in that grade. probably the copy i passed up all those years ago was also around that grade, maybe lower. 

[drdonaldblake1]

On 3/17/2021 at 3:20 PM, podochigae said:

Here's another catalog, this one from Maxwell Seeley (expired Mar 31, 1981).  ASM #1 ($300) was more expensive than AF15 ($275), IH 181 was $10.  I did buy X-Men #94 for $75 (not from this catalog) but that was about all I could afford back then.  I didn't realize at the time, though, that these prices are only for good, collectible condition (pre-1978).  For fine condition, you need to double the price.  It's mentioned in the 4th and 5th paragraph on pg. 1 (which I never saw until recently).  Not exactly sure what his "good" and "fine" grades would correspond to on our current grading scale, though - maybe Fine and VF/NM?

 

LOVE these old catalogs!  thanks for posting people

 

[David-Lance Roten]

Glory days. I was 11 in '81. Two really good places for back issues. Summerville Book Exchange. The owner had a whole, huge back room devoted to comics I bought most of my Nick Fury run there, and quite a few Caps there. Cap #110 among them. Still have it. Great book, probably a 9.0, 9.2. Paid $2.25 for it. The Green Dragon in North Charleston was comic heaven. Golden to current. Most of my Tales of Suspense run bought there. Typically .75 - 4.00 price range. Easily some of my favorite childhood memories.