I'm glad I picked the right hobby. 2 2

[Dr. Balls]

I had a couple hobbies in-between comics since childhood. I starting collecting comics when I was 8 or 9, but it always took a back seat to baseball cards. In my teens, I sold my baseball card collection to help fund my comic collection desires, and that's where I learned to collect something to flip it someday to buy whatever it was that I would get interested in next. Eventually, I accumulated enough comics to start a comic shop in the 90's and a few years later I would sell everything and take a break - starting up again 10 years later

Baseball cards, records, horror magazines, old cars and car parts and always back-and-forth to comics. I just recently sold off 99% of my record collection to get back into comics - and I'm happier for it. As hot as vinyl is now, I'm operating at a tiny loss - which I consider acceptable as I always factor in pride-of-ownership as a value of collecting anything. I enjoyed researching and buying records, that was the fun part - but it ran it's course for a variety of reasons, time to let it go and get back to my original hobby I enjoyed 40 years ago.

This hobby is always fun regardless of era in my life - sometimes with making profit on sales, sometimes with the satisfaction of owning something unique or scarce, the thrill of the hunt or completion, the list goes on. It's a great hobby that can itch just about every scratch that a collector can think of. Many hobbies come close, but I don't think there's one out there that hits so many buttons as comic collecting.

[batman_fan]

I have 4 stacks of toys in banker boxes stacked to the ceiling (10ft tall) and about 10,000 comics to get rid of before I die.  My plans after retiring is to spend about 20hrs a week selling.  I think most stuff is sellable at some price as long I get it sold in the next 2-5 years.  I don't want to leave a mess for my wife to deal with so the plan would be to close out life with just my more expensive artwork and graded comic collection so I can just leave instructions to contact one of the auction houses to sell everything as one big lot.  Which auction house? Depends on who pisses me off the least but likely Heritage.

[Robot Man]

On 9/23/2022 at 7:40 AM, Dr. Balls said:

I had a couple hobbies in-between comics since childhood. I starting collecting comics when I was 8 or 9, but it always took a back seat to baseball cards. In my teens, I sold my baseball card collection to help fund my comic collection desires, and that's where I learned to collect something to flip it someday to buy whatever it was that I would get interested in next. Eventually, I accumulated enough comics to start a comic shop in the 90's and a few years later I would sell everything and take a break - starting up again 10 years later

Baseball cards, records, horror magazines, old cars and car parts and always back-and-forth to comics. I just recently sold off 99% of my record collection to get back into comics - and I'm happier for it. As hot as vinyl is now, I'm operating at a tiny loss - which I consider acceptable as I always factor in pride-of-ownership as a value of collecting anything. I enjoyed researching and buying records, that was the fun part - but it ran it's course for a variety of reasons, time to let it go and get back to my original hobby I enjoyed 40 years ago.

This hobby is always fun regardless of era in my life - sometimes with making profit on sales, sometimes with the satisfaction of owning something unique or scarce, the thrill of the hunt or completion, the list goes on. It's a great hobby that can itch just about every scratch that a collector can think of. Many hobbies come close, but I don't think there's one out there that hits so many buttons as comic collecting.

I, or my heirs will ever lose money on what I have bought and collected. I have done it all my life. I still have stuff I bought when I was 10. I have been called stupid, cheap, frugal by many. I laugh at them. I consider myself, shrewd, well educated, forward thinking, patient and lucky. I have never bought collectibles on credit or time payments. Very little of the funds ever came from my “day job” My collection has always been self funded.

I have it all documented and have my wife and kids set up who to call when I go to the big junk show in the sky. If they listen and take my advice, they will be very well set up nicely. 

[Dr. Balls]

On 9/23/2022 at 9:24 AM, Robot Man said:

I, or my heirs will ever lose money on what I have bought and collected. I have done it all my life. I still have stuff I bought when I was 10. I have been called stupid, cheap, frugal by many. I laugh at them. I consider myself, shrewd, well educated, forward thinking, patient and lucky. I have never bought collectibles on credit or time payments. Very little of the funds ever came from my “day job” My collection has always been self funded.

I have it all documented and have my wife and kids set up who to call when I go to the big junk show in the sky. If they listen and take my advice, they will be very well set up nicely. 

Patience is a virue. That's they key - I've been slow to learn that, but I'm learning. As far as heirs are concerned, it's nice to know there are so many reliable outlets where disinterested kids theoretically maximize the leftovers instead of having them end up at Salvation Army. I can't take it with me, but I take a little comfort knowing that my life's hobby won't end up in boxes at our local donation center.

Although, I'm hoping I can see the end long enough to enjoy one last sales thread - for me, selling is almost as fun as collecting.

[fastballspecial]

Seems to me the guy just choose the wrong vendor to sell his stuff. 

 

[shadroch]

On 9/23/2022 at 8:19 AM, batman_fan said:

I have 4 stacks of toys in banker boxes stacked to the ceiling (10ft tall) and about 10,000 comics to get rid of before I die.  My plans after retiring is to spend about 20hrs a week selling.  I think most stuff is sellable at some price as long I get it sold in the next 2-5 years.  I don't want to leave a mess for my wife to deal with so the plan would be to close out life with just my more expensive artwork and graded comic collection so I can just leave instructions to contact one of the auction houses to sell everything as one big lot.  Which auction house? Depends on who pisses me off the least but likely Heritage.

You may want to look into that. I'm not aware of any auction house thagt will sell your stuff as one big lot.

[topofthetotem]

On 9/21/2022 at 10:38 PM, lizards2 said:

I still have all my toy soldiers.

They will still march for me, to eternity.  

 

[batman_fan]

On 9/23/2022 at 10:17 AM, shadroch said:

You may want to look into that. I'm not aware of any auction house thagt will sell your stuff as one big lot.

My wording was not good what I meant was take the entire lot and then auction off as individual pieces but a open stop shop to move everything versus “this goes here” “that goes there” sort of thing.

[shadroch]

On 9/23/2022 at 9:58 AM, batman_fan said:

My wording was not good what I meant was take the entire lot and then auction off as individual pieces but a open stop shop to move everything versus “this goes here” “that goes there” sort of thing.

[alexgross.com]

On 9/21/2022 at 8:10 AM, Robot Man said:

I never really collected for the money. I bought what I liked and paid what I could afford. I also hung on to most of them. I never had any idea they could be worth what they are today. 

 

it's probably safe to say that the majority of us are here because we love comics and loved them as a kid, not because we're investors.

 in this case, @shadrochpaints the sad story of someone who invested literally hundreds of thousands of dollars over his entire lifetime in a hobby that he loved, spent countless hours hand painting items in the collection, etc, and now that he's 72 and decided that it's time to part with it, it's virtually worthless, especially in the way it was sold. he didn't do it for the money, and i'm sure he enjoyed his time tending the collection over the years. but it's still depressing as heck.

if, at the end of a lifetime of collecting comics, when you decide to sell them, and hopefully give the money to your grandkids, and they are worth less than five or ten per cent of what you spent on them, you're either too rich to care, or you've made some bad decisions with your money. it's one thing to have a hobby you love all your life, and casually pursue for pleasure. it's quite another to spend a couple hundred k on something with no thought to the wisdom of such an expenditure.

thank goodness i am diversified. in addition to my comics, i collect Jai Alai cards from the 1979. can't get more popular than that!

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 9/23/2022 at 2:50 PM, alexgross.com said:

it's probably safe to say that the majority of us are here because we love comics and loved them as a kid, not because we're investors.

 in this case, @shadrochpaints the sad story of someone who invested literally hundreds of thousands of dollars over his entire lifetime in a hobby that he loved, spent countless hours hand painting items in the collection, etc, and now that he's 72 and decided that it's time to part with it, it's virtually worthless, especially in the way it was sold. he didn't do it for the money, and i'm sure he enjoyed his time tending the collection over the years. but it's still depressing as heck.

if, at the end of a lifetime of collecting comics, when you decide to sell them, and hopefully give the money to your grandkids, and they are worth less than five or ten per cent of what you spent on them, you're either too rich to care, or you've made some bad decisions with your money. it's one thing to have a hobby you love all your life, and casually pursue for pleasure. it's quite another to spend a couple hundred k on something with no thought to the wisdom of such an expenditure.

thank goodness i am diversified. in addition to my comics, i collect Jai Alai cards from the 1979. can't get more popular than that!

 its NOT virtually worthless.

@shadroch said himself he bought and flipped it for MORE 😂

It was virtually worthless to the original seller? Cause he didn't look for optimal value?

Maybe there I agree his time was more valuable to him, to let it go for pennies

 

[ADAMANTIUM]

This is a weird thread.

The guy spent all this time, didn't invest money, invested time accruing a collection that he then let go for pennies on the dollar .

Shadroch posted he bought from this guy and then sold for hundreds more!

Where are y'all getting this markets are dying diatribe from?

[ADAMANTIUM]

I blame the thread title.

 

[LowGradeBronze]

On 9/23/2022 at 3:03 PM, shadroch said:

Practice makes perfect. My first paint jobs were horrible. Now they are merely really bad and with time, I'm sure I can achieve mediorcrity.

I've made quite a few plastic kits in fits and starts over the years and couple of years ago brought my modest ability to weather military subjects to a Monogram Tijuana Taxi (reissue) with really good effect. I bleached off the chrome, shredded the tyres on a drill to wear them, used muted colours and added chalk pastels for desert dust etc and the whole thing was very satisfying. Went to the loft to find this and other built models the other week and the box is gone! But an old man has his memories! (Found my box of Treasury Editions though, so a good result. Would be far worse if the Treasuries went AWOL. I always come back to comics. Always!)

[Coverless 9.8]

The war goes ever on!  

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 9/23/2022 at 7:46 PM, Coverless 9.8 said:

The war goes ever on!  

Lol I may have seen the "are prices/value easing/climbing" thread in comics general and lumped that cause with this one.

Any collection of size would be daunting to part with in any capacity. The time and effort to sell is on par with acquisition. Let's face it, the 72 year old didn't want to use any more time in letting go for a better value. Yes it may "suck" but I empathize that he didn't want the turmoil of squeezing every last dime. Letting go individually can be harder than the sale of a lot. Some spoke to their heirs, some spoke that it wouldn't be sold at an auction house as a "lot!" 

Other words if this 72 year old who is presumed alive and healthy wants it over with, imagine grieving kids and so on after a passing. 

So I get that it's "depressing" but that's the reality of "stuff" whether it be stocks or trade or comics or plates or just "stuff you can't take with you". 

I didn't want to think it heartless, but as far as markets they're not dead. If you feel it's time then bow out when you have the time. In the words of the sentiments a bank account of cash is easier on the griever than them putting in the work? Idk about that but I haven't had to experience first hand yet. I only know the thoughts and value attributed. Dying sucks for those left behind true, but this is not new, yet no one can control emotions

That's a rant to say I myself knowing this is coming soon for me from those older than me, that I may have over generalized or over reacted haha. But it's reality not the hobby per SE is my point.

More cathartic for me to type it tldr

Edited September 24, 2022 by ADAMANTIUM

[ADAMANTIUM]

I mean to say for the tldr peeps that, the 72 in age person ain't dead yet  and neither is his plastic Crack hobby @Buzzetta

If he spent that much time in the market, he'd know where to get top dollar, but chose not too

Then there are posts about selling it all off, probably too soon, just like the 72 year did for a remedy of his choosing! 

Edited September 24, 2022 by ADAMANTIUM

[Ken Aldred]

The nightmare for me is that after I go my collection could be sold off to Silver Acre Comics for a pittance. That's the closest big dealer.

I'd rather the books would be shredded and turned into kindling for a funeral pyre. Probably couldn't do that these days though because of carbon emissions.

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 9/23/2022 at 9:04 PM, Ken Aldred said:

The nightmare for me is that after I go my collection could be sold off to Silver Acre Comics for a pittance. That's the closest big dealer.

I'd rather the books would be shredded and turned into kindling for a funeral pyre. Probably couldn't do that these days though because of carbon emissions.

True true. Just context. Ha! I've long thought even if heirs sold 1 at a time to test waters, idk, I don't see them filling up the back of a truck and dumping it. Reality if they just don't touch anything till they can totally grieve, selling "could" give closure. Ah uncle Jim liked that book, look at that value. Don't know what you got till it's gone, when we're gone, they "could" love you enough to not want everything gone, gone. I'm dreaming 

Edited September 24, 2022 by ADAMANTIUM

[Ken Aldred]

On 9/24/2022 at 3:09 AM, ADAMANTIUM said:

True true. Just context. Ha! I've long thought even if heirs sold 1 at a time to test waters, idk, I don't see them filling up the back of a truck and dumping it. Reality if they just don't touch anything till they cave grieved, selling "could" give closure. Ah uncle Jim liked that book, look at that value. Don't know what you got till it's gone, when we're gone, they "could" love you enough to not want everything gone, gone. I'm dreaming 

They'd be completely clueless, be told there's nothing valuable, and take £50 for the lot.  It's the kind of scenario you can predict a mile off.