Wavering passion for collecting 5 5

[Buzzetta]

On 11/13/2021 at 11:06 PM, Duffman_Comics said:

Almost exactly 2 years ago, the bushfires (you may have heard of them) here resulted in a very close shave for casa Duffman.

Fire stopped at my back fence.

That's when I questioned my commitment to collecting anything at all.

I reflected a lot, sought wiser counsel and did not do anything rash. The uneasiness passed and I would not say I resumed with as great enthusiasm (I am a little more selective these days) but the "thrill of the hunt" is back.

Oh, and with regard to the originally posted question, I was in a similar position a few years ago. What I found worked was going after oddball titles. Harvey Thrillers, ACG  Magicman and Nemesis, Herbie, Archie superhero titles, you get the drift. Some wonderful "so bad they're good" comics

I think this is in the back of everyone's mind here on Long Island.

For everyone else, please do not make this an argument.  

The reality is that we seem to have more and more violent storms each year.  Basic rains are now torrential downpours and we are getting light tornados here on Long Island.  When I was a kid, I would have laughed if you told me we would get tornados one day.  That stuff is for the midwest like earthquakes are for California... 

Yet, here we are.

If the water levels rise with any significance and we get another "Irene" or "Sandy" I don't know what they would do as there is no real way to evacuate the shorelines of Long Island with any effectiveness if they had to out here. 

It would be a matter of kissing a lot of stuff goodbye. 

[MetalPSI]

On 11/14/2021 at 5:34 PM, Buzzetta said:

I think this is in the back of everyone's mind here on Long Island.

For everyone else, please do not make this an argument.  

The reality is that we seem to have more and more violent storms each year.  Basic rains are now torrential downpours and we are getting light tornados here on Long Island.  When I was a kid, I would have laughed if you told me we would get tornados one day.  That stuff is for the midwest like earthquakes are for California... 

Yet, here we are.

If the water levels rise with any significance and we get another "Irene" or "Sandy" I don't know what they would do as there is no real way to evacuate the shorelines of Long Island with any effectiveness if they had to out here. 

It would be a matter of kissing a lot of stuff goodbye. 

What's always got me, is knowing this, have any plans been entertained on relocating?

[followtheleader]

On 11/14/2021 at 5:55 PM, The Meta said:

What's always got me, is knowing this, have any plans been entertained on relocating?

I often wonder the same thing.

We are pushing to move soon.   The constant wildfires are one of the reasons. 

Patrick

[MetalPSI]

On 11/14/2021 at 6:09 PM, followtheleader said:

I often wonder the same thing.

We are pushing to move soon.   The constant wildfires are one of the reasons. 

Patrick

I'm sad to hear this

I understand it's a very complex topic, I honestly don't know how I would react in the same situation 

[rsouxlja7]

I evacuated from my home for around 3 weeks in 2020 due to hurricanes and I had to bring my valuable books. It absolutely sucked and is one of the reasons I am getting out as well. 

[followtheleader]

On 11/14/2021 at 6:11 PM, The Meta said:

I'm sad to hear this

I understand it's a very complex topic, I honestly don't know how I would react in the same situation 

I'm sure many, especially in California, have a more direct fire concern.  We do have a lot and some quite large.  But the smoke and ashes have been the larger issue the last 2 years.   Unfortunately, I'm not sure there is a solution with how dry things are and land mgmt. 

Our area has a different and scary hazard.  In the neighborhood next to ours, a house exploded as gas leaked from the ground into the home.  It ended up killing the husband and brother; the wife and kids on survived as they were upstairs.   Our area is heavily laden with fossil fuels which has made drilling highly prevalent.  The companies can't manage all of the ground tanks (unbelievable how many exist).  Another area exploded a couple months later but it was in a less populated area.  

Like Buzzeta said, the tornadoes here have picked up.  We filmed one near my house in the summer.  Very scary.  My brother-in-law had to evacuate as it went right next to their house. 

Patrick

[MetalPSI]

On 11/14/2021 at 6:20 PM, followtheleader said:

I'm sure many, especially in California, have a more direct fire concern.  We do have a lot and some quite large.  But the smoke and ashes have been the larger issue the last 2 years.   Unfortunately, I'm not sure there is a solution with how dry things are and land mgmt. 

Our area has a different and scary hazard.  In the neighborhood next to ours, a house exploded as gas leaked from the ground into the home.  It ended up killing the husband and brother; the wife and kids on survived as they were upstairs.   Our area is heavily laden with fossil fuels which has made drilling highly prevalent.  The companies can't manage all of the ground tanks (unbelievable how many exist).  Another area exploded a couple months later but it was in a less populated area.  

Like Buzzeta said, the tornadoes here have picked up.  We filmed one near my house in the summer.  Very scary.  My brother-in-law had to evacuate as it went right next to their house. 

Patrick

Wow, that is amazing 

Wish you well in what you choose to do in the future. Are you making arrangements to vacate the area? I imagine it's difficult 

[troydivision1]

I am currently in my 2nd longest stretch of comic collecting since grade school and am actively planning my exit strategy.
After my father passed three years ago I quickly realized how much the things we collect become 'burdens' to your loved ones.
So, I consolidated 44 short boxes to 32 then 22 and now 16 through donation / gifting / recycling / selling.
I've also decided that I am only going to focus on a Top 50 CGC as my personal collection as it will be easier for my family to handle in the event of my passing.
When I sell books from the 16 short boxes now the funds can be used for a myriad of things: reinvesting in Top 50, a new computer, PS5, a vacation, or early retirement.
Originally from Fight Club, but it hit me hard sorting through my Dad's stuff - “The things you own end up owning you. It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything.”

[PKJ]

I have a few hobbies and have burnt out on all of them in the past, Comics for some reason have a different Nostalgia and I always am looking at adding something different, this year I focused on Magazines since everything else was going crazy. I think part of it is the span in which Comics played a part of my life. I collect toys but they had short windows whereas comics where something I collected at the same time as toys as kid but continued as a teen and adult when I certainly was not buying toys then.

I sold a Massive Vintage Star Wars collection in 2008 that included several one of a kind Prototypes and every Carded figure made on the release cardback and each following release. When you are looking for a cardback due to which offer it has on it you have really stretched expanding the search. Due to fear of bubbles cracking or yellowing I decided to sell the entire collection in 08 and put the money in real estate. Selling those I had no regret, great return although if I had held the return would have been probably 25x.

I did sell a ASM run, with 1-14 graded 5.0 better to buy a car I had always wanted about 3 years ago. At first I had no regrets but after a while I did regret selling it as that run has gotten completely crazy and I could still buy a Ferrari for just a little more than I bought mine for.

 

I agree with others, based on what you own set aside some and sell off from the back end of the run. Maybe even sell off a full run and get a higher grade issue 1 or key and reduce the amount of total books you have. 

Edited November 15, 2021 by PKJ

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 11/14/2021 at 7:24 PM, Troy Division said:

I am currently in my 2nd longest stretch of comic collecting since grade school and am actively planning my exit strategy.
After my father passed three years ago I quickly realized how much the things we collect become 'burdens' to your loved ones.
So, I consolidated 44 short boxes to 32 then 22 and now 16 through donation / gifting / recycling / selling.
I've also decided that I am only going to focus on a Top 50 CGC as my personal collection as it will be easier for my family to handle in the event of my passing.
When I sell books from the 16 short boxes now the funds can be used for a myriad of things: reinvesting in Top 50, a new computer, PS5, a vacation, or early retirement.
Originally from Fight Club, but it hit me hard sorting through my Dad's stuff - “The things you own end up owning you. It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything.”

Yes, we had an uncle pass and it wasn't a frenzy, but it did cause my cousin to move the stuff and then it was memories as well. Sorry for your loss

 

Edited November 15, 2021 by ADAMANTIUM

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 11/14/2021 at 7:25 PM, PKJ said:

I have a few hobbies and have burnt out on all of them in the past, Comics for some reason have a different Nostalgia and I always am looking at adding something different, this year I focused on Magazines since everything else was going crazy. I think part of it is the span in which Comics played a part of my life. I collect toys but they had short windows whereas comics where something I collected at the same time as toys as kid but continued as a teen and adult when I certainly was not buying toys then.

I sold a Massive Vintage Star Wars collection in 2008 that included several one of a kind Prototypes and every Carded figure made on the release cardback and each following release. When you are looking for a cardback due to which offer it has on it you have really stretched expanding the search. Due to fear of bubbles cracking or yellowing I decided to sell the entire collection in 08 and put the money in real estate. Selling those I had no regret, great return although if I had held the return would have been probably 25x.

I did sell a ASM run, with 1-14 graded 5.0 better to buy a car I had always wanted about 3 years ago. At first I had no regrets but after a while I did regret selling it as that run has gotten completely crazy and I could still buy a Ferrari for just a little more than I bought mine for.

 

I agree with others, based on what you own set aside some and sell off from the back end of the run. Maybe even sell off a full run and get a higher grade issue 1 or key and reduce the amount of total books you have. 

I've been tempted to do the same. As for my vehicle, it's seen better days. I'd settle for a used replacement. 😜

A car I could repair on my own. Those bigger purchases will eventually reveal themselves. I may have to fund them.

It's a work horse at the moment!

 

 

 

[Buzzetta]

On 11/14/2021 at 7:55 PM, The Meta said:

What's always got me, is knowing this, have any plans been entertained on relocating?

Not for another eight and a half years at the minimum and even that depends on where family is located.

Edited November 15, 2021 by Buzzetta

[MetalPSI]

On 11/14/2021 at 7:46 PM, Buzzetta said:

Not for another eight and a half years at the minimum and even that depends on where family is located.

Feel for you

It is something you are considering though?

[Buzzetta]

On 11/14/2021 at 9:47 PM, The Meta said:

Feel for you

It is something you are considering though?

 

Every single person paying taxes in NY considers it every single day they open their eyes. 

[MetalPSI]

On 11/14/2021 at 7:54 PM, Buzzetta said:

 

Every single person paying taxes in NY considers it every single day they open their eyes. 

Yeah I see your point

[Poekaymon]

On 11/14/2021 at 9:54 PM, Buzzetta said:

 

Every single person paying taxes in NY considers it every single day they open their eyes. 

I don't mind the NYS taxes that much, but the NYC city tax is a brutal cherry on top.  Here's the evolution of my residential history while commuting to my NYC office:

1. East 50th Street - 5 minute walk 

2. Park Avenue - 15 minute walk 

3. 125th Street - 20 minute train + 5 minute walk

Realize that while I like having a short commute, paying NYC rents + NYC city tax to live in a tiny, crowded box is untenable. Move to NJ.

4. Jersey City - 10 minute FERRY + 20 minute walk (by far the best commute to NYC if you can live near a ferry terminal.  Beats the LIRR to death (not that that's hard) and no NYC city tax while having a shorter commute than a lot of people who live in the city-- I now recommend JC to everyone)

Finally and currently: 5. Rural NJ - 80 minute train ride + 20 minute walk (Covid era so mostly WFH still anyway)

Moral is, I've been working/living in and around NYC for 10 years, and just go farther and farther out with each move.  Still dreaming of going farther out to an actual farm somewhere.  Montana.  Maine.  New Hampshire.  Dare to dream.

[CAHokie]

I have been on a two year break from collecting. The storylines of my favorite comics all started to turn me off. Plus I went full speed when I got back into collecting them the last time and have stuff that I have no idea why I bought.

Im thinking of trimming everything outside of my collection focus. They do no good sitting in boxes. The only good thing about going full board is that I had bought lots of keys before things went crazy. The prices I saw when looking lately are 

[mec3437]

My passion for the medium still exists.  I know that much.  I still love to sit down and read comics, but yes, the thought of getting out has crossed my mind.  I don't know about most collectors, but for me, I am struggling with the prices nowadays.  Don't get me wrong, I think it's neat to see some high prices for some nice real key issues.  It was cool to see my early X-Men, FF, Avengers, Spidey, etc books take a nice upswing on the value scale.  On the other hand, it hurt when trying to find some issues on the list and found I was essentially priced out of the market.  I considered selling the majority of the collection and only keeping my X-Men run.  I sold a few of the keys on MCS and realized I didn't miss the stuff that I don't care about.  At the end of the day, it is still just stuff.  Granted, I spent a lot of time and money on tracking down that "stuff". After I knocked out several of the runs I was working on, I started to look at UK and Canadian price variants.  I love late 70s through the 90s Marvel.  So, I started collecting random series that were surprisingly difficult to put together in high grade because people may not care about them as much as the big superhero books.  So I got into reading Thing, Dazzler, Spider-Woman, Nam, and all those random Marvel minis from the 80s.  Found out I enjoyed reading titles like that because they tended to be quirky and offbeat.  However, putting runs together became harder since any first appearance that occurs in the run is now a "key".  While I complain about some of the pricing, I'll be going to the LCS this weekend to buy one or two big books.  Then I'll step back for a bit and see how I feel after that on if I want to keep collecting, sell it, or just hold for a bit.  This is the longest stretch I've had collecting since I was a kid.  Started again in 2013 and have been going strong since then.  I have other personal goals that I think might interfere with some of the collecting so I may need to step back and refocus my priorities.  

[paqart]

On 11/12/2021 at 4:15 PM, UncleAnwar said:

 

One thing that has put a damper on continuing is the ridiculous prices that even minor keys command these days. I can't imagine just getting into collecting now, it's so freaking expensive. I remember buying low issue ASM's for $50 each back in the day. Now those same issues would be several thousand dollars.  Nuts.

Anyway, anyone faced a similar situation?  Anyone sold and regretted? Anyone kept going and found the passion again?

In 1979, My mom forced me to sell my collection. She made me give her the money (though I secretly kept half of it) so we could move to Las Vegas. We stayed for maybe three months, then moved to California. When we arrived, my mom had no money or prospects. She and my sister went to live in a women's shelter and I was placed in a home for runaways. The collection that paid for all this included a full run of Avengers from #1-1979, near complete runs of FF, ASM, Daredevil, most of the Barks duck comics (including first issue and first appearance of Scrooge), Thun'da one, early DC's from the late 30's through the 60's, and much more.

Today, recreating the original collection would cost in the millions of dollars. I have chafed at its loss ever since it happened. It may be why I later became a comic book artist. I did try to put the collection back together again in the late eighties and early nineties. However, it was too expensive. I took a job in Hollywood and sold almost all my comics. For decades, I didn't buy any comics. I moved to Europe, got a PhD in London, and taught at university for twelve years. In 2018, I returned to the United States.

We moved to upstate New York. Within a week, I had to go to the town dump to throw away boxes from some shelving units I'd bought. While there, I had a chat with the superintendent of the place. I mentioned my long lost collection. At that, he went to the back of a shack and handed me a few comics that he'd saved from the trash. One of them was Giant-Size Man-Thing #4. I remembered the comic from my original collection. A little later, I found out that Western Publishing printed their comics (or had, until they closed) in a nearby town. Then, I ran into a bunch of inexpensive Barks duck comics in an antique store. With those experiences, I became interested in comics again.

I wanted to restore my original collection but knew it was out of reach. Still, I hunted for the issues I remembered at garage sales and flea markets. As I did so, I kept hearing about rare newsstand comics. I did some research, and decided to go after modern newsstands instead. The reason is that I could afford them and they were fun to collect because they were so hard to find. They also promised to go up in value much more than comics from my original collection, many of which had already peaked in value.

I know what it's like to lose interest but I also know what it's like to get it back, the interest anyway. Getting my original collection back is another story.

[Get Marwood & I]

On 11/18/2021 at 5:49 AM, paqart said:

I wanted to restore my original collection but knew it was out of reach. Still, I hunted for the issues I remembered at garage sales and flea markets. As I did so, I kept hearing about rare newsstand comics. I did some research, and decided to go after modern newsstands instead. The reason is that I could afford them and they were fun to collect because they were so hard to find. They also promised to go up in value much more than comics from my original collection, many of which had already peaked in value.

I enjoy reading your posts Paqart and you seem to have lead a very interesting life. The hobby is quite tough now. I watched an auction yesterday of the sort of silver age Marvels that have always been in reach and it became clear that those days are well and truly over. Only the very rich can now consider collecting early Marvels. The 'unremarkable' books that commanded a few pounds for so many years are now £500 each and the keys now command new car prices in mid to low grade, house prices in high. The things that got many of us into the hobby in the first place are now largely out of reach. If you have them all, that's great. You can look forward to a comfortable retirement. If you don't, or have gaps, you can find yourself out in the cold.

But it's not all bad news. The trick, as you say, is to find a new collecting avenue that has yet to catch fire to the same degree. Something that is interesting and manageable and with just enough supply to sustain long term interest. I mentioned before that it is the medium that I love. I have a fondness for Spidey and those old Marvel super hero books but I just can't afford them anymore, and I'm by no means on my uppers. I have found other titles, niche variations and other publishers comics to be just as enticing - if not more so - and now enjoy collecting and curating more than I think I ever have. If it's in your bones, you'll find a way to keep it going.