Education on Comic Collecting: Topics

[sterlingcomics]

In response to buttock's post, I've decided to start this thread to document items that should be of paramount importance to collectors in this hobby.

 

The format of my requested responses is simple---state the item...state objectively what the issues are and any supporting sources (be it book, web site, your mouth)...the tone for example should not be "pressing is bad" but rather in a neutral tone that "pressing is out there" and supply information that would lead a collector to perform additional research/reading and EDUCATING themselves.

 

This could cover anything from hot topics like pressing to purchase best practices on auction sites.

 

Possible Topics

• The Collecting Community
  
• Comic Collecting Overview
  
• Collecting Prowess: Grading, Pricing, and Hunting
  
• Tools of the Trade
  
• Certified Comic Books
  
• Auction Site Buying and Selling Best Practices
  
• Conservation vs Restoration
  
• The Pressing Debate
  
• The Disclosure Debate
  
• Organizing/Storing Your Collection
  

 

[dc360]

the tone for example should not be "pressing is bad" but rather in a neutral tone that "pressing is out there" and supply information that would lead a collector to perform additional research/reading and EDUCATING themselves.

 

Just because i know people will skip over that part.

 

But a great idea! I look forward to the finished product!

[sterlingcomics]

Just because i know people will skip over that part.

 

But a great idea! I look forward to the finished product!

 

If a post does not follow the requirements of generalizing I will ignore it. It's not for pushing an agenda, it's for broad collector education of the issues we face, and best practices and places where a collector can get the needed facts. That is the spirit of this effort. Since I've heard countless times that education seems to be a huge gap...creating information here in this fashion will hopefully address the lack of awareness. Links to spirited debates (like here) would be appropriate to include however.

[sterlingcomics]

Post deleted by sterlingcomics

[Timulty]

Okay, here is a fitting starter:

 

Comic Collecting <> Investing.

 

First Time Comic Collectors out there, memorize that little equation.

[tth2]

Okay, here is a fitting starter:

 

Comic Collecting <> Investing.

 

First Time Comic Collectors out there, memorize that little equation.

Nope, you're pushing an agenda. There are some who equate collecting with investing.

[sterlingcomics]

Okay, here is a fitting starter:

 

Comic Collecting <> Investing.

 

First Time Comic Collectors out there, memorize that little equation.

Nope, you're pushing an agenda. There are some who equate collecting with investing.

 

Understanding or defining your mindset going into the collecting hobby is still an important consideration, and I can state it appropriately.

[Timulty]

The statement was meant to point out what most people miss. That though comics have value, the collecting of comics for investment purposes is risky at best and foolhardy at most. If you collect go in with the expectation of not making a red dime and perhaps losing several.

[Sal]

Okay, here is a fitting starter:

 

Comic Collecting <> Investing.

 

First Time Comic Collectors out there, memorize that little equation.

Nope, you're pushing an agenda. There are some who equate collecting with investing.

 

Stating what your mindset going into the collecting hobby is still an important consideration, and I can state it appropriately.

 

due diligence is key.

 

don't buy from a zero feedback ebayer unless he takes escrow and/or will let you pick up the book in person, but then only if he has a 100% return guarantee policy. oh, and don't buy from someone who crops their scans.

 

ummm...don't make fun of lawyers on the boards; it gets their dander up. unless you yourself are a lawyer, at which point it's all good.

 

if you do something that even looks shady, you had better have a damn fine explanation for it. be patient; you will have to deal with problems at the outset, but it'll all be smoothed out once we get to know you.

 

don't submit books to PGX that you suspect might have been tampered with unless your name is Terence Leder, or if you don't like money.

 

don't disparage another collector's wantlist, unless they like stuff that really sucks.

 

never ever circulate a picture of yourself around these boards. doubly especially so if you have a sales method that appears or could be construed as shady, and trebly especially don't post pictures hosted on your company's website, unless you want the entire contents of same distributed across the entire universe

[sterlingcomics]

good tidbits, Sal. thx! (we will need brevity in this document before it's done, I think!)

[sterlingcomics]

The statement was meant to point out what most people miss. That though comics have value, the collecting of comics for investment purposes is risky at best and foolhardy at most. If you collect go in with the expectation of not making a red dime and perhaps losing several.

 

Point taken...I can take this information and present it in a neutral way to make them aware of the risks of either approach.

[Timely]

Maybe we can educate comic collectors about pedigrees and their relevance to known existing copies from unknown sources.

 

West

[jokersrevenge]

this seems like a "impart your wisdom" thread.

very few dealers are helpful to the average collector. if you find one that is nice to you, foster the realtionship by buying from him, giving him your wantlist, visiting his shop, visit him at cons, encourage him to post on the boards, reccommend him to others, etc.

BTW I reccommend ted from superwiorld.

Ok I reread that first post and I may be way off base here....

[sterlingcomics]

Maybe we can educate comic collectors about pedigrees and their relevance to known existing copies from unknown sources.

 

West

 

And Matt's Pedigree book is out when?

[sterlingcomics]

this seems like a "impart your wisdom" thread.

 

Absolutely...a lot of the information could be recycled information for general knowledge, but in some of the topics I've suggested there's definitely leeway to suggest ways of approaching the hobby that have had good results for you personally.

 

Also, I want collectors to be aware of the major decisions facing them in the hobby...and venues available to them for research before making the best decision.

 

Good information about NETWORKING. It's very important in this hobby (and most facets of life, in fact), and one thing I've determined is that the community is relatively close knit...something I want to discuss in the COLLECTING COMMUNITY section.

[Timely]

Maybe we can educate comic collectors about pedigrees and their relevance to known existing copies from unknown sources.

 

West

 

And Matt's Pedigree book is out when?

 

I am working on the project right now! Matt Nelson, Mark Haspel, Stephen Ritter and myself are working hard hard on this project. We should have a preliminary product to display at San Diego!

 

West

[MCMiles]

Never end your auctions on Tuesday night.

[sterlingcomics]

Never end your auctions on Tuesday night.

 

Tim mentions on another thread that Sunday's the best night to end. Based on my experience, that seems right. I've also had luck ending them on Wednesdays as well. Making sure that the end times don't collide with major events, and that you keep the time zone changes in mind are also BEST PRACTICES. The whole auction thing is so big I may need another thread just for that.

[sterlingcomics]

I am working on the project right now! Matt Nelson, Mark Haspel, Stephen Ritter and myself are working hard hard on this project. We should have a preliminary product to display at San Diego!

 

Make sure you send me a link to the product web page and I'll include a link in the section as a resource for additional information on pedigrees. I'd also like to include Brad's Green River project link and any other pedigree link of significant value that you guys bring to my attention.

[tth2]

Never end your auctions on Tuesday night.

 

Tim mentions on another thread that Sunday's the best night to end. Based on my experience, that seems right. I've also had luck ending them on Wednesdays as well. Making sure that the end times don't collide with major events, and that you keep the time zone changes in mind are also BEST PRACTICES.

I was just about to post here at Sterling's request. So besides the Sunday night advice, I would also recommend that the auction ending time should be late enough so that it's also night for the west coast crowd. Remember that if you end an auction at 9 pm EST, that's only 6 pm PST, so you might miss some potential west coast bidders who haven't gotten home yet.