Need help! 1 1

[Candice@76]

I have my late husband's childhood comic books that I don't know what to do with?! I think the first thing to do is catalogue them to start. I am hoping this group could point me in the right direction. I'm hoping to find a simple to use app/database to organize the comic books. I have an iphone and was hoping there is a app or something I could use to store a picture of the comic along with all the information needed (?) to have a well organized collection. The collection consists of approximately 800 Archie comic books. Thanks in advance for all your suggestions and help! I greatly appreciate it!

[KCOComics]

First off,  I'm very sorry to hear about your husband. 

I don't think there is a great app to catalog with pictures (though others may know of one). 

You can start with excel, just to organize them. Then you can look up the Sold prices on ebay and get a sense for value. 

You can also post the list here and some folks can take a quick look to tell you which ones have value. 

I don't collect Archie so can't offer much guidance in terms of what to look for. 

[zzutak]

On 10/2/2024 at 6:03 PM, Candice@76 said:

I think the first thing to do is catalogue them to start.

Correct!  A spreadsheet-based inventory list works well.  I use Excel, but an open source (free) alternative like LibreOffice will be just as good for what you're trying to accomplish.  At a minimum, include columns for title and issue number (which are listed on the inside front cover or first interior page).  If your husband graded his books, you can include 3rd and 4th columns for grade and estimated value.  Front and back cover scans (or pics) will be useful if/when you ever shop the collection to possible buyers, but I see no reason why such images can't be archived separately from the inventory list.  Ideally, comics should be bagged/boarded and stored in an area that's cool/dry and protected from accidental pipe bursts, flooding, insects, rodents, thieves, and curious grandchildren.

Other Board members will no doubt share their own personal preferences.  Condolences on your loss. 

[143ksk]

On 10/2/2024 at 8:03 PM, Candice@76 said:

The collection consists of approximately 800 Archie comic books. Thanks in advance for all your suggestions and help! I greatly appreciate it!

Once you get them cataloged, I am happy to help with valuation and identifying important issues.

[shadroch]

A simple rule of thumb is to divide them by their cover prices. If you have many ten-cent or twelve-cent books, that's a good thing. If most of your books have 50-cent or higher cover prices, odds are the collection isn't worth much.  Archies are much less in demand than superheroes, so unless your books are in great shape and are 12 cents or less, the chances of a windfall from them are slim.