how do you know/convince yourself it's time to sell....and then how do you decide how to sell? 1 1

[G.A.tor]

for the few that know me and my  story, I was never really an "art" collector....over the past, I had picked up a few Silver Surfer OA pieces on whims, just to have "an" example here and there, but never was an art collector...like many, about three years ago I dived into the deep end an i found myself down the proverbial rabbit hole...

post hurricane destruction 2018, I had to sell my entire comic collection to get by, and there was just no feasible way for me to collect comics again...but after almost 50 years of comic reading and buying and selling and collecting, there was certainly a void that needed to be filled...fast forward to 2020 and covid provided an avenue for me to explore OA...however, I was (and largely still am), a novice collector...

I knew each piece of art was unique, and unlike comics, only 1 existed...so, I began buying virtually any and all pieces either auctioned, or privately offered to me ... that seemed like a great way to accumulate and collect...I am singularaly focused on one character...the silver  surfer (first comic I ever read, back in 1972)...so, SS has always been my favorite...

now that my collecting OA has matured somewhat (I don't claim a lot), I find myself re-examining and re-evaluating many of my purchases... I think I've become a better collector over the past 3 years....and surprisingly, I've redefined what Surfer I really want to collect...

so that brings me to my current quandary....do I sell some pieces that just don't "fit" my current collecting direction, or do I hold onto because I once found them worthy to buy, and I do like having them...and if I do part with some of them, how do I do it? trusted dealer, auction, CAF/board sales, etc...

just curious about how other boardies have approached and handled this...

[Bronty]

You just sell them Rick.   If you find yourself wondering if you will miss a piece, you never do.    The pieces that you’d miss are the ones you KNOW you’ll miss. 

Edited August 3, 2023 by Bronty

[Bronty]

Best avenue to sell will depend partly on the piece at hand , but I like using HA personally.   It’s easy and usually gets a fair return. 

[*paull*]

I like to have loose boundaries when collecting. I try to go for material (comics or not) that fits a criteria.  And if that criteria drifts over time, I'm ok to let stuff go. I don't have a large original art collection, but they are all keepers. I just won't add anything that I don't want to own for a long time. I've grown to dislike all the work that is involved in selling. So limiting my buying serves a second purpose.

 

 

[Primetime]

Follow the yellow brick road! 

[Twanj]

Happy to talk Surfer, also my fav character.

Nothing wrong with selling, you've collected a decent amount and you can see what's more meaningful and important to you.

Some things are definitely keepers and others are fine and nice to have but don't really have the same OOMPH.

I'd personally rather have fewer pieces but each one be more meaningful.

My feeling is that Heritage is best for selling for higher prices & convenience. I suppose if you buy more from one place (CL, CC), that may work out better for you or if a dealer seems to have stuff you want. Altho I did my first decent sized deal buying from another collector and it was basically as simple and quick as possible (YMMV).

Edited August 3, 2023 by Twanj

[thethedew]

My advice would be related to the timing of selling - 

I'd suggest NOT selling anything until you've identified pieces that you like better and apply your new funds to those, so you're upgrading.

If you can swing it financially, don't sell just to sell.  Be strategic.

[The Voord]

On 8/3/2023 at 2:45 AM, G.A.tor said:

for the few that know me and my  story, I was never really an "art" collector....over the past, I had picked up a few Silver Surfer OA pieces on whims, just to have "an" example here and there, but never was an art collector...like many, about three years ago I dived into the deep end an i found myself down the proverbial rabbit hole...

post hurricane destruction 2018, I had to sell my entire comic collection to get by, and there was just no feasible way for me to collect comics again...but after almost 50 years of comic reading and buying and selling and collecting, there was certainly a void that needed to be filled...fast forward to 2020 and covid provided an avenue for me to explore OA...however, I was (and largely still am), a novice collector...

I knew each piece of art was unique, and unlike comics, only 1 existed...so, I began buying virtually any and all pieces either auctioned, or privately offered to me ... that seemed like a great way to accumulate and collect...I am singularaly focused on one character...the silver  surfer (first comic I ever read, back in 1972)...so, SS has always been my favorite...

now that my collecting OA has matured somewhat (I don't claim a lot), I find myself re-examining and re-evaluating many of my purchases... I think I've become a better collector over the past 3 years....and surprisingly, I've redefined what Surfer I really want to collect...

so that brings me to my current quandary....do I sell some pieces that just don't "fit" my current collecting direction, or do I hold onto because I once found them worthy to buy, and I do like having them...and if I do part with some of them, how do I do it? trusted dealer, auction, CAF/board sales, etc...

just curious about how other boardies have approached and handled this...

You've probably answered your own question.

Just because you like (or love) the character, it doesn't mean that you should automatically be a fan of every SS drawing ever produced . . . though it does sound as though you've been 'bulk-buying' most SS art floated your way, because your OA collecting habits have been character-driven.  I can see where you're coming from but, if it was me, I'd just concentrate on the stuff that connects emotionally and aesthetically.  I mean, I'm a huge Ditko ASM fan (and, to a slightly lesser extent, JR, Snr. working on the title).  Outside those two artists, I have little or no in interest in most artists who followed.

If I were you, I'd place all the SS art in front of me and start weeding out those examples I don't really feel passionate about . . . and distill a collection of the best examples I couldn't do without.  Sometimes Less is More.

There are a range of auction houses you could go with . . . or you could always try being your own seller.

Edited August 3, 2023 by The Voord

[Rick2you2]

As a collector of Phantom Stranger art since around 1980, I certainly understand your situation, although, you are fortunate enough to have more Silver Surfer images to choose from. But I guess I come from a different mindset. If I don’t need the money, why sell? Over time, most art goes up. So in the event of a catastrophe, it is still there. So long as I have it though, it is still a memory which I like to have—young raw purchases even if I wouldn’t duplicate them now. I also have a few which I didn’t care for a few years ago, but appreciate more again (even a few I didn’t like when I was buying them). Now, I am pretty sure I don’t spend the amounts you spend, so perhaps you think it’s a wasted asset?
I had unloaded about 8,000 comics around 10 years ago, mostly to reduce volume, and didn’t care much what I got for them. In retrospect, I am not pleased with what I did. But even if I had more money, so what?

I did, however, keep my complete set of Silver Surfer issues.

Edited August 3, 2023 by Rick2you2

[Dr. Balls]

I dove back into OA last year after being away from it for 8+ years and I faced a similar learning curve (albeit at a much lower price point). As my collection started having a definite direction, I had stuff that just didn't fit. I now have a pretty good focus, and I try not to beat myself up over some of the pieces I bought that with foreknowledge: I would not have bought.

And, your collection display inspired me with mine - I liked the idea that you constantly rotated your pieces so you got to look at them, not stuffing them into a portfolio. I did the same, nearly all of my pieces are framed and on the wall so I can enjoy them. The ones that I didn't really think were strong enough or enjoyable enough for that - I just sold. Some sold for a loss, some broke even, some made a little profit. But I didn't sweat it too much, because I'd rather have recouped some funds to throw at another piece I knew I would enjoy rather than hang onto ones that I don't.

I don't want to be an art dealer and worry about profit margins on art, and I don't want a huge catalog of work I don't look at - so I throw them up here on the boards first, then on Ebay and if they don't sell that way - I pile them up to go to auction at some point. I think I only have 3-4 pieces that I can't sell, and it's most likely the time isn't right for that era of art - so they will sit and wait until I get a few more I can't get rid of.

Edited August 3, 2023 by Dr. Balls

[Silver Surfer]

Always difficult to balance the love of the hobby with choices of collecting runs or just certain issues. Sometimes it’s the thrill of the chase that is the main driver as you can always find another pursuit to stoke the collecting juices (Centaurs, PCH, etc, etc). I applaud those collectors who can stay the course over decades and buy and hold (Mr. Bedrock comes to mind) as that takes a lot of discipline. For me it’s tough because I love the chase but higher grade copies always seem to surface and if you goal is to collect highest graded copies it can be a slippery slope and an eventual turn off. OA is a bit different but I would give some heavy thought as to which key pieces you really want to keep and then sell the rest. OA can be displayed on walls (tougher to do with comics) but if you don’t enjoy doing that and the pieces are just collecting dust sitting in storage you can always dump the rest of them at later date. Dumping them all now will probably make you find another thing to collect within this hobby until you get bored with it and then look for something fresh to focus on. While I miss everything I have sold over the years if I take a hard look at old scans of books and OA I have owned I could probably make a short list of things I wish I kept for the long haul. 

[Dr. Balls]

On 8/3/2023 at 12:25 PM, Silver Surfer said:

I applaud those collectors who can stay the course over decades and buy and hold (Mr. Bedrock comes to mind) as that takes a lot of discipline.

Amen to that. I'm generally like this most of the time when it comes to comics and art:

[alxjhnsn]

What is this selling you speak of?

[Get Marwood & I]

My only note of caution, born of experience, is to not sell if there is any doubt or if there is no pressure to (space, money, interest, ill health etc). Hold each item in your hands, and see what it says to you. What does it mean to you. How hard was it to obtain. Is there a story attached, a connection. Could you get it again if you wanted to (unlikely with OA, being single existence items).

I've applied logical premises to selling things and have been utterly convinced in the moment that it is the right thing to do. Then, sometimes years later, someone comments on that thing that you once had and all of a sudden you can't fathom why you sold it. All the reasons that you wanted it in the first place come flooding back and you feel a frustrating sense of loss. A big part of collecting is the thrill of the chase. Sometimes the significance fades once you've got it. But it can just as easily resurface once you haven't, and are then reminded of it. I doubt there are many here on this forum that don't feel like complete idiots for selling one thing or another, and not always because of subsequent price escalation.

I've sold thousands of items that I purchased in the pursuit of something that I hadn't really thought through properly at the time. I don't miss 95% of them. Just make sure that you don't eat too far into the good stuff - selling can create it's own excitements after all, that you can get carried away with - and then realise that you've sold the very things that you actually, deep down, loved.

Good luck.

[Michael Browning]

A collector posted in one of the original art groups on Facebook this week that he was selling his collection and posted a link to his CAF page. I went in and looked around and didn't see anything I wanted, but I passed the link on to another collector friend who did want a couple pages from the guy's collection. The answer he got back: Those pages aren't for sale.

[gumbydarnit]

Andy Robbins was a guest on a Felix Comic Art Podcast, at 40 mins in he begins to talk about how he decides what pieces to sell. I think you'll find his thought process interesting and might be a bit helpful to you. If you haven't listened to Felix Lu podcast, then you are in for a treat, it's great!

Felix Comic Art :: The Felix Comic Art Podcast (Episode 7): Andy Robbins / ECCC Roundtable

[Andahaion]

On 8/2/2023 at 9:45 PM, G.A.tor said:

now that my collecting OA has matured somewhat (I don't claim a lot), I find myself re-examining and re-evaluating many of my purchases... I think I've become a better collector over the past 3 years....and surprisingly, I've redefined what Surfer I really want to collect...

Personal growth/maturing is great and offers new opportunities to (as you say) re-examine your collection/focus.  You are correct in that time (generally) creates a better collector.  Time allows you to develop your eye and instincts (it helps me to say 'no', ha).  I certainly have pieces in my modest collection that I wouldn't buy now, in part because I feel I am a better collector and have a somewhat more mature understanding of what I'm looking for, or what moves me.  That said, your question about what to do with these pieces is a bit more difficult to answer.  Selling is an option, but once the art is gone, it's generally gone for good.  I've only sold one piece and that was because I was able to land an upgrade and used the sale to offset the acquisition.  I went with Heritage.  It wasn't a very expensive piece, certainly not good enough to negotiate any special terms.  I would imagine with your stuff Heritage would be the spot to go, but it all depends on the details.  I also agree with some of the advice offered above regarding being thoughtful about why you are selling.

[MIL0S]

On 8/7/2023 at 9:53 AM, Andahaion said:

I've only sold one piece and that was because I was able to land an upgrade and used the sale to offset the acquisition.  I went with Heritage.  It wasn't a very expensive piece, certainly not good enough to negotiate any special terms. 

was your piece valued at $5k+? when I inquired about selling a couple of pieces last year I was told that was the threshold for them to accept anything. 

[Andahaion]

On 8/7/2023 at 11:18 AM, MIL0S said:

was your piece valued at $5k+? when I inquired about selling a couple of pieces last year I was told that was the threshold for them to accept anything. 

No, it was valued (their valuation) at half that.  Not sure why they told you no.  It was even put into a Signature Auction.

[Hekla]

On 8/8/2023 at 1:28 AM, gumbydarnit said:

Andy Robbins was a guest on a Felix Comic Art Podcast, at 40 mins in he begins to talk about how he decides what pieces to sell. I think you'll find his thought process interesting and might be a bit helpful to you. If you haven't listened to Felix Lu podcast, then you are in for a treat, it's great!

Felix Comic Art :: The Felix Comic Art Podcast (Episode 7): Andy Robbins / ECCC Roundtable

Andy's method is a good thought exercise to go through even if one isn't selling.