I Am Changing My Collecting Focus 4 4

[Telegan]

My focus has always been "just buy what you like" instead of collecting runs of stuff.  There are just too many comics in most runs that I couldn't care less about to spend money on them just to say I got the run.  I'm more of a cover art collector, so the art has to pop for me to buy the comic (there are always exceptions).  Either that or the comic has to have some sentimental/nostalgic value.  I haven't changed in that regard yet.

I'm also the opposite of a lot of collectors.  I never really collected hardcore as a kid or young adult - just bought comics here and there with no focus on anything other than reading them.  I really got into more serious collecting back around 2017-2019, I think, when I was in my late 40s.  The one area I've changed the most is in what I'm willing to spend on a comic book.  I remember in 2012, I thought I had lost my mind spending almost $200 on a comic book.  Yeah... we're beyond that now.  Hope I can stop before I'm at the point of realizing crazy train got no brakes.

[Jordysnordy]

For the last 6-12 months I have been thinking hard about selling off my complete ASM 51-100 CGC 9.2 run as well as my complete high grade Conan the Barbarian and SSOC runs.  Like @KPR Comics  I have sold complete Conan and SSOC runs only to redo them. I currently have 2 complete sets of each - 1 high grade and 1 reader so the high grade runs may be up for sale but as soon as I sell them I will have seller's remorse and probably restart them!

[batmiesta]

On 6/20/2024 at 4:10 PM, Jordysnordy said:

For the last 6-12 months I have been thinking hard about selling off my complete ASM 51-100 CGC 9.2 run as well as my complete high grade Conan the Barbarian and SSOC runs.  Like @KPR Comics  I have sold complete Conan and SSOC runs only to redo them. I currently have 2 complete sets of each - 1 high grade and 1 reader so the high grade runs may be up for sale but as soon as I sell them I will have seller's remorse and probably restart them!

I think you should sell your TOZ set. 

[Jordysnordy]

On 6/20/2024 at 11:14 AM, batmiesta said:

I think you should sell your TOZ set. 

I sold my reader set on the boards and BAM I had seller's remorse. I have even PMed the buyer several times to buy them back but he keeps saying no  

If I ever do sell them, 2,5,8 and annual 1 will hopefully wind up with you unless you sell me 1 1st (but not sure I could afford 1!)

I still can't believe you bought that copy raw 

[Hepcat]

On 6/19/2024 at 12:43 AM, Math Teacher said:

Has anyone else reached this point in your collecting careers? Do you find that it is as much fun as obtaining issues that you never had?

 

Yes. I've upgraded many comics in the last forty years. And if it's a comic I had or at least coveted as a kid, I've been delighted to finally score a copy up to my quality standards.

[Wall-Crawler]

I decided a while ago, to solely focus on completing the ASM run (have a board journal on subject).

Right now, I am only missing the following: AF #15, ASM #1,2,4,7,8,10,11,12,16,17,18,22,23,24,26,27,29,30,35,38. 

All of my buys are funded strictly through my side hustle of buying and selling other books. Nothing from the "household" / regular job funds my hobby other than my weekly pull list, which is basically just ASM at this point.

I have also not really bought anything in a long time as I want to get a nice low-grade AF #15, then a respectable looking ASM #1 - But I am getting an "itch" to at least buy "something".

The other side of the coin, I'm married with a young son...Part of me, even though the capital earned to buy say an AF #15 or ASM #1 (I could get one now) is all self-funded, I get a twinge of guilt over idea of spending that much on "myself". 

...I just need to find an AF #15 at a garage sale 

[BA773]

On 6/20/2024 at 7:34 PM, Wall-Crawler said:

I decided a while ago, to solely focus on completing the ASM run (have a board journal on subject).

Right now, I am only missing the following: AF #15, ASM #1,2,4,7,8,10,11,12,16,17,18,22,23,24,26,27,29,30,35,38. 

All of my buys are funded strictly through my side hustle of buying and selling other books. Nothing from the "household" / regular job funds my hobby other than my weekly pull list, which is basically just ASM at this point.

I have also not really bought anything in a long time as I want to get a nice low-grade AF #15, then a respectable looking ASM #1 - But I am getting an "itch" to at least buy "something".

The other side of the coin, I'm married with a young son...Part of me, even though the capital earned to buy say an AF #15 or ASM #1 (I could get one now) is all self-funded, I get a twinge of guilt over idea of spending that much on "myself". 

...I just need to find an AF #15 at a garage sale 

So if a day this "secondary job" turn in deficit you ll stop to collecting?

Edited June 20 by BA773

[Gonzimodo]

I've always been a run collector, but I've never had deep enough pockets to buy any of the big boy books.  I look back at prices for Silver Age Marvels in the '80s and wish I could have bought all that stuff back then, but realistically, $100 may as well have been $1,000,000 for me at that time.  As I aged and finally started earning more money, I was still too cheap to pull the trigger on certain things, and now prices are at the point where I know I'll never own them.  I've accepted that and now just fill those holes with omnibuses.

I also no longer get excited about diving through dozens of long boxes to find the cheap fillers I still need, which is pretty sad when I think about it.  I used to get really jazzed about that, and now it almost gives me anxiety.  

[batman_fan]

I have definitely changed my focus over the years.  When I first started collecting I wanted everything (very young and very dumb).  As I go older I focused on Batman, Detective, and Spiderman with a few smaller runs (Nova, Jungle Action, Demon, etc) and classic covers (Lou Fine, etc).  After several years of collecting I gave up on Detective and focused on Batman and Spiderman.  Finally finished my Batman run and slowly getting my Spiderman run done (post retirement task in the near future).  Once I retire I plan to sell off about 10,000 books, a couple of hundred toys, and several thousand gum cards.  Money will be put into hobbies (including comics and OA).  I am only keeping higher value stuff that will be easy for my wife and/or son to liquidate. Traveling is in the plan but that expense was allocated in the retirement budget.

[Sigur Ros]

Guaranteed failing words of a collector:

"From now on I'm only going to collect....."

 

That said...good luck!

[BA773]

On 6/21/2024 at 3:23 AM, batman_fan said:

I have definitely changed my focus over the years.  When I first started collecting I wanted everything (very young and very dumb).  As I go older I focused on Batman, Detective, and Spiderman with a few smaller runs (Nova, Jungle Action, Demon, etc) and classic covers (Lou Fine, etc).  After several years of collecting I gave up on Detective and focused on Batman and Spiderman.  Finally finished my Batman run and slowly getting my Spiderman run done (post retirement task in the near future).  Once I retire I plan to sell off about 10,000 books, a couple of hundred toys, and several thousand gum cards.  Money will be put into hobbies (including comics and OA).  I am only keeping higher value stuff that will be easy for my wife and/or son to liquidate. Traveling is in the plan but that expense was allocated in the retirement budget.

I also want to collect everything but I don't think to be dumb... 

[Wall-Crawler]

On 6/20/2024 at 2:03 PM, BA773 said:

So if a day this "secondary job" turn in deficit you ll stop to collecting?

Fortunately, I have enough to sell to keep me busy for a while, so good there. And no, if I was not able to sell comics on the side, I would not stop collecting, just it would be very different in that my buying and ability to finish say, my ASM run would have a different outlook.

[batman_fan]

On 6/21/2024 at 5:11 AM, BA773 said:

I also want to collect everything but I don't think to be dumb... 

What I meant is I actually thought I could have a complete collection of comics disregarding how much stuff cost back then.  Once reality set in I knew I had to pick and choice what I spent my money on.

[sd2416]

I recently looked at my boxes and was like why do I have some of this stuff.  I've started prioritizing the titles.  I want to keep ASM, Web and Spectacular have to go (minus keys).  I like Batman and Detective, all the ancillary titles have to go.  I like Uncanny Xmen, then X-Factor has to go. Etc etc etc.  For buying things, I can go online and buy whatever I want.  For me, the thrill is finding something in the wild.  "Lets stop in this flea market and kill some time.  Oh wow, look at these old toys, or comics" and then finding something I wanted there.  

I think its safe to say, for all of us, that our collecting habits today are not what they were 15-25-30 years ago.