How often do you ‘use’ your collection. 3 3

[BigLeagueCHEW]

Nothing like a bad day, or needing a moment away. Pull out your books and remembering the old days of the comic shops and being a kid again.

I miss the spinner rack at 7-11, and the old comic shops in town 

[MGsimba77]

5 hours ago, N e r V said:

I regularly see sticker shock in what I own and unless it’s safely slabbed which only a small bit of my collection is I’ve sadly become more reluctant to handle it as much. In some ways the high increase in value has hurt my joy of looking through books unless they are safely slabbed and with the sheer number of books I own that’s just not happening…

What about top loaders? The drawback is they do take little more space than bag & boards.

[Drummy]

Good question.  Every day I come downstairs to my office, sit at my desk, and occasionally turn my head to the right, where all my books are displayed.  I never get tired of looking at the collection, including the obvious 'holes' that remain to be filled.  I think finding some kind of way to display your stuff helps a lot in terms of the enjoyment factor.

Dan

[Pat Thomas]

I usually have comics coming in the mail all through the week from different sources. I enter them into 2 different databases, replace bag and board most of the time, and put them up when I finish with all the ones I receive in a day. I probably do that 3-4 days every week to keep from getting way behind, and most of the time I'll end up shuffling through some of the boxes I pull out. Having the collection organized, clean white boxes, new bags with no stickers, and everything lined up straight helps give me peace of mind, at least for a moment.

[fmaz]

This discussion is at the very heart of why, in the last 5-10 years, I’ve been selling down/consolidating my comics and using the funds to purchase original comic art. Because the art I can “use” daily.... since it all hangs on the wall in the room where my comics are in boxes in the closet.  Also? At some point my wife gets to reclaim at least a portion of the closet... so... there’s that. I’ll never sell out completely... just trying to get down to a manageable collection of keys/meaningful (to me) books that I can pass on to my son in a way that he will appreciate without them being a gigantic burden.

That being said? As many here have mentioned I too get a lot of joy from flipping through, reorganizing, even just rebagging/boarding books... it’s soothing.  But it just doesn’t beat the joy of having an original piece of art from a beloved artist and/or book to appreciate every day.  At least for me.

Oh and PS? Just because I’m “selling down?”... doesn’t mean I’m not sometimes in heavy buying mode.  As I have (repeatedly) said to my wife, normally when 2 or 3 large packages of comics arrive on the same day - “you can’t knock a Coke machine over in one push. You have to rock it back and forth several times before it finally tips over.”  I get lots of good eye rolls with that one!  

 

[Cat]

Hardly ever. If I want to read something I turn to my hardcovers, omniboo, trades, Absolutes, collected editions basically. Much easier that way, and much more convenient for me. 

[D84]

Naked with a smile.

[MGsimba77]

Well something like this on the bed when I have down time. Typically like right now on Sunday nights

[ADAMANTIUM]

19 minutes ago, MGsimba77 said:

Well something like this on the bed when I have down time. Typically like right now on Sunday nights

When will collectors call come back? Lol I don't even get to watch reruns, it's the silly Carol burnett show instead 

 

[MGsimba77]

8 minutes ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

When will collectors call come back? Lol I don't even get to watch reruns, it's the silly Carol burnett show instead 

 

The pandemic might of gotten in the way of that. Though I can't ever get enough of Ed Sullivan!!

[ADAMANTIUM]

2 minutes ago, MGsimba77 said:

The pandemic might of gotten in the way of that. Though I can't ever get enough of Ed Sullivan!!

Ya that is a step back in time for sure

Last I watched it, it was the Doors, almost trippy haha

[rexinnih]

Well I'm working out of the man cave now. I turn to the right it's movie posters. In front and around my desk is music memorabilia, behind me and to the left is my comic collection that I can stand up, walk around and peruse during meetings (without video on) or when I need a stand up break. 

[SkOw]

On 5/28/2021 at 2:49 PM, thehumantorch said:

I flip through my collection every day.  It's soothing

[theCapraAegagrus]

Not as often as I would like to.

[Jesse-Lee]

Bought a bunch of slabbed books recently and they just started to come in today. I pulled out my slab box to tuck them away, and spent about an hour just looking at books. I need to do that more often.

[grendelbo]

Everyday in some manner.

About 3.5 years ago I began photo-cataloguing my collection. It's nearly done besides the drek and worthless that sits in a few long boxes in the garage.

These pics I looks at every day. I'll just browse or make lists (Top 10, 15, 25, new, graded, signature, etc.) or collages.

I display about 12 comicbooks on a bookshelf in my bedroom. These get rotated out every 2-4 days and I see them daily. Those on display tend to get flipped through, maybe read, before they go back into their boxes.

I try to read 4-6 books from my collection each week and browse twice that amount.

I'm also rebagging and reboarding a few hundred issues. I chip away a little each week.

Finally, I'm very slowly grading everything. This usually amounts to a few copies each week.

This matters to me because with the current market I'm more or less done adding new books. I'm not going to start paying more now. I'm content to enjoy what I have.

[wiparker824]

It’s been interesting reading all these responses, particularly the general theme with many of it being cathartic to visit their collections. Must say I never truly appreciated the nature of that until recently... last year my 4 year old developed a very rare serious illness and I spent most of my days in a hospital room with her. For that entire duration never looked at a comic, bought a comic or even thought about them. Just wasn’t my priority in the slightest. Fast forward to a couple months ago when her situation improved greatly and I began looking thru my old books again. Just at first seeing which crazy books I bought for nothing that are now worth a ton due to some movie rumor. Then started buying some books, nothing major just  continuations of my current runs I stopped buying for the past year. Then came to just flipping thru them pretty much every night after my kids were asleep pulling out and reading some, or just doing things like reorg, note adding, rebagging, etc. And have to say it was all immensely therapeutic for me. I share all this for those that rarely visit their collections - if you’re ever going thru something, don’t underestimate the therapeutic nature of flipping thru your long boxes. 

[lizards2]

On 5/28/2021 at 9:18 AM, The lips said:

How often do you ‘use’ your collection? 

I no longer use my collection. My collection uses me...,  every day. Every time I have to walk through the cavern of neglect, it cries out to me like abandoned children that need a change of diapers and food.

Biggest GD horse collar of my life, that somehow I have to deal with before I die.

Hoarders? Those guys are pikers compared to me.  

[kav]

I seriously need to go through my collection.  I'm not sure even what I have anymore.  I just found out that Batman 251 is worth a ton.  This is a book I would have given away to kids a few years ago.  

[The lips]

3 hours ago, wiparker824 said:

It’s been interesting reading all these responses, particularly the general theme with many of it being cathartic to visit their collections. Must say I never truly appreciated the nature of that until recently... last year my 4 year old developed a very rare serious illness and I spent most of my days in a hospital room with her. For that entire duration never looked at a comic, bought a comic or even thought about them. Just wasn’t my priority in the slightest. Fast forward to a couple months ago when her situation improved greatly and I began looking thru my old books again. Just at first seeing which crazy books I bought for nothing that are now worth a ton due to some movie rumor. Then started buying some books, nothing major just  continuations of my current runs I stopped buying for the past year. Then came to just flipping thru them pretty much every night after my kids were asleep pulling out and reading some, or just doing things like reorg, note adding, rebagging, etc. And have to say it was all immensely therapeutic for me. I share all this for those that rarely visit their collections - if you’re ever going thru something, don’t underestimate the therapeutic nature of flipping thru your long boxes. 

Sincerely glad your daughters health has improved. Hope all that is behind you and the family now.