n00b mistakes in the early days? 1 1

[stefkirl]

As a total n00b to comic collecting, I was curious as to the mistakes you've made in the early days and lessons learnt the hard way? ... for example, I received a variant today in the post (only 600) and dropped it, now with a crumpled edge, that wont happen again!!. Also, I bought modern bags and board, and realised I actually hate them, way too tight and much prefer bronze age bags n boards (more wiggle room), so basically wasted money.

Any other stories you want to share? or things for me to look out for?

Thanks all, and happy collecting  

Edited December 20, 2022 by stefkirl

[LowGradeBronze]

Welcome to the boards! Bearing in mind you only consider things to be mistakes in hindsight, if you're collecting what you enjoy and don't get too hung up on "why didn't my comic come back graded 9.8?" you should do OK. The mistake I made was in losing touch with some fellow collectors when we all got to about 17/18 and  went about our separate lives after school/college. Comics are best enjoyed in company and that's why these boards are great!

[theCapraAegagrus]

The easiest way to avoid n00b mistakes is research or ask questions (as you did here). Don't allow anyone to mislead you with a single piece of information.

The early mistake that I made was buying bags that are not made of mylar. Mylar is king.

[csaag]

To move this away from grading considerations - my 1st mistake was as a kid when I realized I didn't have enough space in my room to store everything and threw away some of them

[ThothAmon]

Bronze Age Atlas comics are fool’s gold. If you’re interested in being a long term collector understand the history of comic books. Id start with the first 60 or so issues of Comic Book Marketplace (printed in the 90’s). It will teach you plenty. 

[zzutak]

On 12/20/2022 at 10:55 AM, stefkirl said:

or things for me to look out for?

Know thyself. 
Then, spend a few years splashing around in the shallow end of the pool (unless you're so filthy rich that you can afford to make $600 mistakes). 

[stefkirl]

@zzutak, ha yea, luckily it wasn't a $600 comic ... there were only 600 of the comic printed  (is what I meant).

Edited December 20, 2022 by stefkirl

[MattTheDuck]

What "mistakes" you might make depends on your collecting goals.  For instance, as a kid collector in the 70s, my goal was to get "every" issue of the titles I liked (ASM/FF/JIM/Thor/Avengers) if I could.  I didn't consider what the books looked like at all (with one exception) and just loved reading the stories.  If my goal had been to maximize the future value of my collection, it was a mistake not to work harder to find the highest-quality book I could.  I also should have focused on finding and buying the "expensive" issues first, rather than starting where I was and working backwards into Silver Age books.

It's a different world now, but I also should have broadened my search parameters - virtually every book I owned prior to 2021 was purchased either at a grocery store close to where I grew up, or at an LCS.  I saw the "mail order" ads but it just never occurred to me to give that a test.  I never attended a Comic Con outside of the town I lived in.  If I didn't have a book (mostly the early or hard-to-find issues of my main collecting emphasis) it's most likely because I never even saw a copy.  Today there are many more options, and you have the luxury of doing your shopping from your house and of course being able to buy books that are 3rd-party graded.

Nobody knows what the future holds, so the advice above to "buy what you love" is spot on.  I still like to read the books I bought in the 70s, particularly the Silver Age books, and don't really care if they're worth a lot of money.  The fact that some are is just a happy accident to me.  Good luck!

Edited December 20, 2022 by MattTheDuck

[Flanders82]

I used the Overstreet Price Guide around 2010 in order to determine what I should pay for a comic. It was listed at $1000 FMV so I thought $600 was a good deal at the time.  Little did I know I was purchasing overpriced dreck and would've been better off purchasing a silver age key instead.  That was the last time I ever used that useless piece of garbage. 

Edited December 20, 2022 by Flanders82

[KCOComics]

I can't say I made mistakes, but there are things I would have done differently. 

Buy big keys early... Those books kept getting more expensive as I got older.  

If your going to submit books to CGC, learn to grade and avoid the disappointment.

Good luck and enjoy the hobby! 

[Chief1332]

If you know it's a good deal, don't waste time.  Pull the trigger and move on.

[OtherEric]

Get a feeling for the rarity/ scarcity of what you're looking for.  Some books, you'll discover you can wait and another copy will be along in five minutes.  Some books, you may not see another copy for months (or, if you get into golden age, YEARS).  I've got quite a few books where I jumped too soon and some where I waited and never got another chance.

The down side is you WILL make mistakes as you figure out what you're interested in.  My mistake was taking too long to figure out which category was which.

[I Am The Answer!]

  If you can afford it, don't pass on a book you really want.  There have been a few times at conventions that I found that special book I've been looking for but I didn't get it right away because I wanted to see if any other dealers had it cheaper or in better condition.  After making the rounds and finding no one else with it, I make my way back to the original dealer only to find out that he's already sold it. 

[Le Chat Noir]

Underestimating books with negligible handling/manufacturing defects. Mostly books with bindery tears/white line down spine. Not the prettiest, but many ended up 9.8s.

[oldmilwaukee6er]

I wasted too many years on bad LCSs thinking I was loyal. A good LCS has saved me a lot of money on resale prices. 

There was a saying on the boards (maybe RMA)... cool once, cool again- popular once, popular again. It serves as a reminder that even when your books are down n out, worthless... if it's good stuff it will be valuable / desirable again someday. My example was my Valiant collection. 

I suppose you only make the tape pull mistake once before you use a tape alternative or cut the piece with a scissors before pulling the book out. 

[rumrunner71]

On 12/21/2022 at 9:51 AM, I Am The Answer! said:

  If you can afford it, don't pass on a book you really want.  There have been a few times at conventions that I found that special book I've been looking for but I didn't get it right away because I wanted to see if any other dealers had it cheaper or in better condition.  After making the rounds and finding no one else with it, I make my way back to the original dealer only to find out that he's already sold it. 

This +100. You might not see it again, or the next time you do, the price will have risen out of your reach. Can't count the number of times that happened to me. 

Scour these boards and get a ton of free advice about storage. 

Learn to grade raw books for yourself, and then test your skills against the "Please grade my..." forum here.