how do you guys collect?

[murph0]

With the Amazing Spider-man - from 1 - 20 (cgc 9.2 and higher), 21 - 99 (cgc 9.6 and higher), 100 and above (cgc 9.8 and higher). It will probably take a long time to get them all

 

Good luck with that one. You are sure going to need it.

 

We are in agreement, not only will they be beyond difficult to find.. the cost would be large enough that you'd want to be on Forbes' top 50 in order to even make an attempt. 1-20 won't be too bad (finding-wise), it's 21-99 that'll give you fits.

Btw, I'm doing.. ASM 1-5 (9.0-9.2), 6-20 (9.2-9.4), 21-100 (mostly 9.4, if I can't find the book in the "look" that I want I have to bump up to 9.6), 101-150 (9.4-9.6) 151-441 (9.8)

 

Brian

[ubiquiti]

Very broadly - I grab whatever is available based upon my budget.

I collect specifically High grade(VF or better) Thor, X-Men(up until issue 175), Master of Kung Fu, and Black Panther. I have also started to collect Marvel Bronze age minor keys - Defenders 1, TOD 1, TOD 10, MS 5, MP 15, Warlock 9, 10, Conan 1(minor only in valuation), etc(and I have about 30 more to go!) ...

When(if ever) I finish all those - I might move to Fantastic Four, or Batman....

[blowout]

collect specifically High grade(VF or better) Thor, X-Men(up until issue 175), Master of Kung Fu , and Black Panther.

 

You must have a nice collection there Ubi.

[ubiquiti]

Ahhh....

It's okay - but I am just a pauper...

But I almost have a complete MKF 15(MSE)-50 in VF or better.

Master of Kung Fu is great to collect because I think they are great stories - AND you can collect a high-grade run without bankrupting yourself.

[blowout]

Master of Kung Fu is great to collect because I think they are great stories - AND you can collect a high-grade run without bankrupting yourself.

 

Thats for sure. I just can't understand why everyone is not rushing after them.

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

JL Fiend,

 

Welcome from a fellow League collector. If you're looking for Fine or less, you shouldn't have a problem; it'll be more time-consuming than wallet-draining. However...

 

Once you raise the bar to the VF & above category, well, rotsa ruck charrie! I've made a couple of contacts in regards to the early JLA, and the only thing more ridiculous than the prices is the voracious appetites of collectors. The consensus I keep running into when a 9.2 or higher becomes available (CGC or raw) is "Multiples of guide, yeah, yeah, whatever--I WANT it!"

 

I'm up-dating my own set in prep for the SD Con, so PM me if you're interested in my dupes.

 

And by the by, I just got a hold of a JLA #200 9.6 for $32 (plus s/h). Yes, I know that's a bit much but like you said, it's a toughie. I mean...it WAS a toughie. Now I can concentrate on more of the earlier issues. And I, like most others, bounce around & get what I can when it appears if I can afford it.

 

Rick

[COI]

21 - 99 (cgc 9.6 and higher),

 

Ouch....not to put down your goal, but wouldn't 9.4's with some 9.6's be much more reasonable? Even incredibly deep pockets may not be enough to climb that mountain. Perhaps you might want to go #21-#38 9.4? Again, whatever you do, good luck to you. But that's quite a goal, even for the highest of the highest of the most picky, of the high grade collector elite.

 

If you do acomplish it, I think you'd have to open up a museum for your collection as a public service to the collecting community.

[Foolkiller]

I'm happy to hear there are other MOKF collectors out there... to me this is one of Marvel's underrated Bronze age titles... it had a longer run than Iron Fist and is in my mind the better title. However, in the guide, with the exception of the Marvel Special Edition... the book isn't as valuable.

 

Anyway, I was lucky, I bought an entire run of MOKF in NM condition back when I was in college over the process of the summer... I had a summer job, would go each week and buy 10 or 12 books at a time and finished the run by the end of the summer. The store owner was friends with a guy who had just closed and runs of old bronze stuff just stockpiled... it was $3 a book, and it was totally worth it... There were some amazing Paul Gulacy covers from that run that are just plain awesome.

[dolphinsrwj]

well i have amaz spidey#1-100 and amaz fantasty #15 f.f.#1,3 hulk#1,#181 and most are not in the best shape but one day i would love to amaz 1-100 in cgc 9.0 #101-199 cgc 9.4 and 200- 441 in 9.8.

[underthebigw]

JLA 200 for some reason took forever for me to find in NM... it was out of every collection, and the book isn't that rare

 

You actually have a NM copy!!! Admittedly, I've never looked too hard since publication, but I remember that there wasn't a close to NM copy in site at the time. My friends and I ordered from Westfield Comics at the time and must've ordered 30 copies of this issue. Not one was even close.

 

As for how I collect. I pick out a run I want (either because of artist/writer or storyline ) and then will pick up any nice reasonably priced copy I find, in no particular order. Sometimes, I become preoccupied with a character and will try to find every appearance. For example, for some reason, in addition to my more typical superhero fare, I've been trying to pick up pre-#1 appearances of Richie Rich. Don't know why-it just seemed like fun and provided an excuse to read some great old RR, Stumbo, Li'l Lotta, and Li'l Dot stories.

[Foolkiller]

Finding the NM JLA 200 was just dumb luck... I was on vacation with an ex-girlfriend and happened to be in the d.c. area and wandered into a store... the guy had just recently picked up an entire run of JLA the day before and was sitting there pricing all of the books... so I asked him about the 200 and lo and behold it was NM (as were all the books from about 160 and up)... I thought I was seeing things because it took so damn long to actually see one... and I asked how much, he looks in the guide and says $5... bought it immediately. I did see one since then in NM at a small store in Jersey... but since then I haven't seen a one.

[HighVoltage]

Finding the NM JLA 200 was just dumb luck...

 

It's strange to see you guys posting about how tough this one is to find in NM! This is one of the very first JLA's I ever bought, years ago, & it's a beauty! I thought it was just another book that was pretty easy to find in high grade - who knew I was so lucky right out of the gate!

 

As for how I collect - I approach comics on several different levels, which is something I like about the hobby. I always pursue my 'core titles,' like Amazing Spider-Man & FF, but I like to go after fun/odd things too, like finding all the books published during my birthday month or specific storylines (like Starlin's Warlock stuff). I also go nuts for certain kinds of comics, like books with predominantly white (Cap 111) or black (Subby 8) covers, or squarebounds (since they're tougher in higher grades), or even the 70's price variant books. My focus switches back & forth and what I collect also depends upon availability, but the variety keeps it fun for me.

 

Great thread!

[ultimatevenom]

I collect mainly Spider-man titles but i also collect Hulk, DD and X-Men

 

I don't really start from the start or end i just get what i can

 

[justiceleaguer]

Finding the NM JLA 200 was just dumb luck...

 

It's strange to see you guys posting about how tough this one is to find in NM! This is one of the very first JLA's I ever bought, years ago, & it's a beauty! I thought it was just another book that was pretty easy to find in high grade - who knew I was so lucky right out of the gate!

 

 

 

 

 

In all my years of collecting ive only managed to come across one of these. Either the comic shop didnt have it, the convention dealer didnt have a copy or he just sold his only one. Im attaching a pic of my copy of 200. Im considering getting it CGC'd.....however theres a little, tiny, miniscule almost non-exsistent little rip on the bottom right corner. I was hoping for a solid 9.6 but after just noticing this insignificant little detail, im gonna be predicting a 9.4

 

 

 

[Warlord]

What? You are crazy. That's only a 9.2! Maybe with a little tape on it then you could dream about a 9.4

[Warlord]

I don't have any tape on this copy, nor any chunks out of it. But it's probably still worth keeping.

 

JLA 200

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

http://imagehost.vendio.com/bin/imageserver.x/00000000/kirksenterprise/0511justice2009.6.jpg

 

 

Rick

[hobbes]

As far as back issues go, I collect by artist and writer. I am not really interested in a full run of anything mainly because I cannot think of a series over 100 issues that is consistently good enough to merit the effort. Obviously, it would be nice to have a full run of say Batman, but not something I care to try. Right now I am focused on the works of Barry Smith and Neal Adams. The first 100 issues of the Avengers would be a good example of a run I would like to have. How do I get them? Very freakin slowly! Unfortunately, Ebay is the only serious resource for back issues in my neighborhood so I go for whats available and appears to be in good shape (VF or better). I have compiled a list, with some help from a friend, of reputable sellers who's stores and auctions I peruse on a regular basis. This takes time of course, but the hunt is part of the fun!

As a side note, there was a thread here in the forum about Bronze Age books/storylines that are worth seeking out for the pleasure of a good read. Many of those posted were very interesting and have found their way onto my want list.

For current issues, I just buy what strikes my interest which would currently be JLA, JSA, Batman, and Teen Titans.

 

hobbes