Experienced Collectors...... 1 1

[Big Barda]

What is one thing you wish you would have done when you first started collecting comics?  TIA

[COI]

Go after the most expensive and/or hardest to get books on my want-list first. 

[Axe Elf]

On 6/9/2022 at 8:50 PM, COI said:

Go after the most expensive and/or hardest to get books on my want-list first. 

I'm not an "experienced collector" or anything, but there is wisdom in this--as exemplified by Steven Covey's principle of "Big Rocks"...

And to the extent that I AM a collector--of Warren mags--I did get the 3 "big rocks" first (EERIE, CREEPY, VAMPIRELLA), and now I've gotten most of the pebbles (1984/1994, The ROOK, The SPIRIT, etc.) and am currently filling in the rest of the sand (short runs and special editions)--so it's worked for me!

[KCOComics]

I would echo to focus on your bigger targets early.   My regret is spending so much time and energy chasing runs,  rather than focusing on books like AF15 when they were more reasonably priced. 

I also wish I got into GA books earlier.  

[ExNihilo]

On 6/9/2022 at 6:50 PM, COI said:

Go after the most expensive and/or hardest to get books on my want-list first. 

On 6/9/2022 at 8:46 PM, KCOComics said:

I would echo to focus on your bigger targets early.   My regret is spending so much time and energy chasing runs,  rather than focusing on books like AF15 when they were more reasonably priced. 

I also wish I got into GA books earlier.  

Third.  Get the big books first.  They'll give you more long term joy than variant covers or monthly subs.  And they'll take up less space.

[MattTheDuck]

I collected exactly backwards from the way I should have.  Because they were available at the LCS's (and I was so excited to discover there was any place that sold "back issues") I bought issues starting with the one before the first one I bought off the rack at the local grocery store and worked backwards through my collecting interests.  As noted above, I should have just kept buying the "new" issues and started hunting down AF #15, FF #1, etc.

Additionally, I had no real concept of grading or that you could find high grade back issues.  I have one book from those days that had a sticker on the bag marked "Fine" - and a really nice ASM #94 that was "expensive," but almost nothing else I bought even had a bag, much less a grade.  I was mostly interested in having all the issues, what they looked like just wasn't on my radar.  I bought books with partially torn pages, missing MVS's, writing inside or character pictures cut out of the letters pages, and etc.  This is not to imply there were high grade books even available (at least locally) and I chose the worse ones.  I also never even saw an FF earlier than #24 or an Avengers before #23, much less turned a high grade one down.  In those days, mail order or traveling to Cons were the only other real option, besides hunting them down in the wild and it never occurred to me to use mail order, which I'm sure I figured was some kind of scam. 

Edited June 10, 2022 by MattTheDuck

[COI]

Most people do it "backwards" because it's a delayed gratification thing. The low hanging fruit is just so tempting, but every time you grab one you're compromising your ability to go after the bigger books. Especially when you're new and your enthusiasm is at an all-time high, the last thing you want to do is save up your budget for months to get one book. But in the long run, it'll work out much better.

This applies to all collecting goals and all budgets, because people naturally tailor their goals to their budgets. Whatever your list is, go most expensive to least. 

[LowGradeBronze]

I wish I'd bought multiple copies of X Men during the Byrne/Austin run. Plus a shot at AF15 in VG I could have had back in 1978. 

[theCapraAegagrus]

I wish that I knew how much easier it is to collect when you primarily chase collected editions rather than single issues (floppies are still king, though).

[AJD]

I was thinking along the lines of many of the answers here, but then I realised that I've always chased what looked like most fun at the time. Sure I could now have a collection that better suits my current interests if I hadn't bought lots of other things along the way (50 years now) but I wouldn't have had as much fun then.

[jaybuck43]

On 6/9/2022 at 9:35 PM, Big Barda said:

What is one thing you wish you would have done when you first started collecting comics?  TIA

Focus on what sparks joy in you.  Don't buy books for investment purposes, buy them because you love them.  

[evilskip]

Quit.

[comicginger1789]

Probably been more selective and buy more comics that were $100-500 then but are nowhere near that now.

[marvelmaniac]

They say "hindsight is 20/20", the question then becomes that if you were going to change the way you collected in the past are you aware of and have the knowledge you have now?

When I originally started in late 64/early 65 I was 9 years old and the #1's were already 4 years old, 9 year old's in the mid 60's did not think about having to find used back issues of comic books, I was more focused on new issues and baseball cards.

Then in 69 due to life events I had to leave them all behind and started over in 79 where I was married w/two kids, a house, two cars and money was tight so comic books were a luxury (or a BIG waste of money according to the wife), I had a hard time explaining how/why I spent $40.00 for an ASM 14 and Avengers 4, let alone a higher priced book.

In the 90's I still had a very limited budget (living week to week) and again I had to justify to myself spending $35 each for an F.F. 11, 12, 13 or later on in the 90's spending $90.00 for a ST 110.

I have since gotten all of the issues and completed the runs of titles I like except for the #1's (AF 15, ASM 1, Avengers 1, F.F. 1 IH 1, JIM 83, TOS 39, X-Men 1).

My logical self says no, I would not have done anything differently, my OCD personality says I would have hunted down these issues in the 80's/early 90's and found away to justify the expense so I could sleep at night.

So...Would anything actually be different...

[Big Barda]

At what point in your collecting did you  start getting the harder to come by books?  

[Big Barda]

On 6/9/2022 at 8:19 PM, Axe Elf said:

I'm not an "experienced collector" or anything, but there is wisdom in this--as exemplified by Steven Covey's principle of "Big Rocks"...

And to the extent that I AM a collector--of Warren mags--I did get the 3 "big rocks" first (EERIE, CREEPY, VAMPIRELLA), and now I've gotten most of the pebbles (1984/1994, The ROOK, The SPIRIT, etc.) and am currently filling in the rest of the sand (short runs and special editions)--so it's worked for me!

Excellent analogy!  Like being diversified in comics as compared to the stock market.

[Galen130]

Starting with GA/SA/BA comics first, instead of 90’s Moderns that saturated the market.  I did buy the Moderns to read though, so….STILL A STUPID IDEA!!! 

[mytastebud]

For me and I know I am different.  Once and a while you will come to find someone selling at a bargain price (private party). BUY everything he/she has and ask if he has more. Most of the time I would cap my spending at @$400. I can think of at least a dozen times where that was a huge mistake. I purchase through auctions. I never buy it now. I set a price for myself below market value. I try to have restraint enough to never pay top dollar. Most of the time I will not buy unless I can immediately sell the book for more than what I paid including shipping and tax. I don't like losing money and over the years (37 years of collecting) I did find it necessary to occasionally sell a book or two to pay the bills. I collect Batman and Spider-man so one would think my methods would be terrible to grow my collection. Here's a few recent books I have added to my collection at bargain prices.

For example: Amazing Spider-man 30 (1965 VF) $20, 92(VFNM) and 93(F+) $67 shipped total for both

Batman 49 (1949 Poor) $36, 80 (VG) $22.27, 312 CGC 9.4 $22

Detective Comics 157(fine) $155, 214(G) $48 395(VG) $15 and (Fine+) $55

 

[Big Barda]

On 6/10/2022 at 3:12 AM, LowGradeBronze said:

I wish I'd bought multiple copies of X Men during the Byrne/Austin run. Plus a shot at AF15 in VG I could have had back in 1978. 

Wow-that would be worth a lot now!  Perhaps we could all go in on Fractional Shares of a AF15.  

[Big Barda]

On 6/9/2022 at 7:50 PM, COI said:

Go after the most expensive and/or hardest to get books on my want-list first. 

 

On 6/10/2022 at 8:50 AM, mytastebud said:

For me and I know I am different.  Once and a while you will come to find someone selling at a bargain price (private party). BUY everything he/she has and ask if he has more. Most of the time I would cap my spending at @$400. I can think of at least a dozen times where that was a huge mistake. I purchase through auctions. I never buy it now. I set a price for myself below market value. I try to have restraint enough to never pay top dollar. Most of the time I will not buy unless I can immediately sell the book for more than what I paid including shipping and tax. I don't like losing money and over the years (37 years of collecting) I did find it necessary to occasionally sell a book or two to pay the bills. I collect Batman and Spider-man so one would think my methods would be terrible to grow my collection. Here's a few recent books I have added to my collection at bargain prices.

For example: Amazing Spider-man 30 (1965 VF) $20, 92(VFNM) and 93(F+) $67 shipped total for both

Batman 49 (1949 Poor) $36, 80 (VG) $22.27, 312 CGC 9.4 $22

Detective Comics 157(fine) $155, 214(G) $48 395(VG) $15 and (Fine+) $55

 

How to you find the "new and upcoming" HOT ticket comic?  Is it age?  Condition?  Culture?