I was curious how many of you out there go through CGC or another grading company to get books graded? When buying a book, do you seek out a graded slabbed copy?
It seems like most folks here are more into the hobby because they love comics, not really interested in re-selling or seeking out the next hot thing in hopes of an investment. I'm the same way.
I joined a comic book club locally a few months back. It's been fun. It's split though on folks that want to talk about comics from the perspective that they love them and the folks that want to talk about value. Now the value folks, love comics too, they've just turned it into a way to make a little money.
I want to see what everyone's thoughts are on this particular topic. I don't see myself getting any comics graded or buying any. Mylar does a good job protecting and as long as you leave them out of direct sunlight and take care of them, they'll last.
I'm interested in learning how to grade, though. At least roughly. I've been collecting a whole run of Amazing Spider-man over the past few years. I'm at the point where, what I lack are earlier issues. I'd like to know more of what to look for when buying these. I'm not looking for near mint, I'm fine with a beat up copy. I just want to make sure I'm not over paying. This isn't something I'd sell, but if I were to happen to fall on hard times It'd be nice to know I had some decent stuff and know a rough value.
There's a new grading company on the block, that seems to be very transparent in their business model. From what I understand, CGC has had some issues in the past and recently. This new company, CBCS, is trying to be a trusty source for collectors. They are holding a free seminar near their headquarters in St. Petersburg, FL this January. I plan to attend to learn about grading and detecting restoration on comics.
Anyways my questions for the board are:
Have you sought out issues that you thought may hold value at some point?
Did you eventually sell them?
Do you own any CGC comics?
Did you have them graded yourself or buy them that way? Why?
Finally, I'm just curious what everyone's thought is on this whole process. I'm learning a lot more about it now. I haven't really changed my opinion or habits towards comics. I still buy them for my enjoyment without thinking of it as an investment. It's just a topic we haven't discussed much here and wanted to see what people had to say.
Replies
Have you sought out issues that you thought may hold value at some point?
No, not specifically. In the late 80s early 90s before all of the reprints started I did buy some Silver Age comics that I did want to read, but also eying towards selling in the future. There are some I skipped on that I kind of regret now.
Did you eventually sell them?
A Few
Do you own any CGC comics?
I bought one in an auction because I liked the cover. The only reason I did was it was cheaper than if I had bought it normally in NM.
Did you have them graded yourself or buy them that way? Why?
See above
I have no problem with grading companies myself. It just isn't something I'm not real interested in. For those real interested in high grade quality comics CGC and the like does give the buyer some assurances of that grade. I've seen buyers and sellers argue about grades at cons on more than one occasion.
If you want to grade yourself, grab a copy of Overstreet if you haven't already. That is what most dealers use as their guide on grading and pricing. If you are worried about overpaying for a comic, unless it is a key issue I wouldn't pay guide price for any comic. 99% of the time you can find it cheaper somewhere.
Thanks for the input, Travis. I bought an Overstreet guide this weekend. I also will check the sold section on Ebay for items I'm interested to see what the going rate is. Though that route gives sellers a better idea for what they could possible get for the same item. As a buyer it gives me a clue as to whether I'd like to pursue it or not.
Jason Marconnet said:
Have you sought out issues that you thought may hold value at some point?
Yes, I've tried speculating but discovered I'm rather terrible at it. I bought the Spider-Man Sins Past storyline in single issues because there was so much hype for it before it came out. Ditto for two Batman storylines that followed Hush, Broken City and As The Crow Flies. My plan was to re-sell them at a later date when the demand skyrocketed, bwaa ha ha. The only comic I can remember buying in the last 15 years that took a big jump in value was Ultimate Spider-Man #1, I had purchased the white cover when it came out.
Did you eventually sell them?
I took the Ultimate Spider-Man #1 to a comic shop about 3 years after it came out. They offered me $60 in cash or $100 store credit, and I took the credit. I got store credit for Sins Past as well, but I think it was cover price at most. I still have the Batman issues.
I also flipped a copy of Iron Fist #15 (Sept 1977) a few years ago. Bought it for $3 from one shop that didn't realize it was John Byrne's first time drawing the X-Men, got $75 store credit same day from a different comic shop.
I also purchased a New Teen Titans #1 and Amazing Spider-Man #298 this summer from flea markets and paid $5 each for them. Haven't sold either yet but I'm sure I can make a bit of profit off each one.
Do you own any CGC comics?
No, having a comic that I can't read without decreasing its value doesn't appeal to me. I've toyed with the idea of buying some key issues like Amazing Spider-Man 129 to re-sell at some future point, but the initial investment is pretty steep. A store in Halifax, NS has an ASM 129 in CGC for $1500, too rich for my blood.
Out of curiosity, have you obtained any of the high demand issues of ASM - # 121, 122, 129, 238, 252, 298, 300?
John, you've had better luck with store credit than I have. I usually have to bring a lot of stuff in for it to amount to much. Though I did bring in some things from an ebay grab back recently that had a golden age cartoon book, a silver age archie and Incredible Hulk 340.
Yes to all of those ASMs. Got 121 & 129 yesterday! 122 about a year ago in a shop in Georgia. 238 about 2 months from another shop in town I had store credit with, it's a really nice copy too (traded in SAGA 1-7 and Uncanny X-men 269 or whatever Gambit's first appearance is) . 252 a few years back when former member, Dagwan got a huge collection of ASMs in. He gave myself and another ASM collector first dibs. I grabbed the 252 and let the other guy for the 121 since he was at it longer, fortunately Dag's got a 121 yesterday and had it at a terrific price. The 298 and 300 were purchased maybe two years ago about a month or so apart. I think I got 298 and 299 in Ft. Lauderdale and the 300 in Panama City.
John Dunbar (the mod of maple) said:
Out of curiosity, have you obtained any of the high demand issues of ASM - # 121, 122, 129, 238, 252, 298, 300?
So i'm still tossing around the idea of having some issues graded. The majority of my collection is Amazing Spider-man (which I eventually plan to do a reading project for). I have almost an entire run missing only 30 issues this includes Annuals, Giant Size, and any special issue with Amazing on the title. Anyways the goal was to have the issues to pass along to children if I have any and just because I like the character. I also like the look and feel of older comics, they provide a sort of history as well with the ads and what not. I do own the essentials up to issue 89 or so, mostly so I'm not handling the much older issues and to fill in holes of the ones I'm missing. I thought of over time having the key issues graded to provide more protection to them and if I ever decide to sell them (not likely but never say never) I'd have a few with an exact grade to make for easier selling. Though from my experience Amazing Spider-man isn't that tough of a book to unload graded or not.
The question I'm having the most trouble answering is at what grade is it worth it to have a book slabbed? I planned to start with my ASM 2, 4, 6 & 10. I paid a hefty price for 2 &6 still got a deal but pricy nonetheless. They were from Dagwan who was a conservative grader. The #2 is a 1.8 but I could see it being a 2 possibly. The cover is attached but loose and a few tears on the cover. The pages are tight and an off white with no other damage. Still a low grade but an early issue. The #6 is a 4.0 but possibly higher, it's in pretty good shape. The #4 was bought at a local shop and I believe it was $250 which I remembered or kept the receipt. Anyways it has a heavy spine roll and water damage to the back inside cover. Probably a 2.0/2.5, the price was a steal. The #10 has the usual wear and tear but is a possible 3.0/3.5. It was purchased at the Tampa Bay Con from a store owner from Panama City I know fairly well. It had a $175 price tag which was $25 more than he paid for it, it was part of a larger collection. Since he knew me he said he'd give it to me for $150 in cash, so I went to the ATM and gave him $160 for it since he was generous about it. Dagwan looked at the 4 & 10 and agreed I got a pretty good deal for both.
My question is, for those low grades is it even worth grading? Like I said it's more for extra protection than resale. Currently they are in mylar and in a fire safe. Though I've recently read that fire safes over time can lead to rusting of the staples. I didn't keep the info on my safe so I'm trying to track down the details to see if I need to switch safes.
If I take this route, the plan would be to eventually grade 1-10 once I get the missing numbers and possibly through #14 one I get them as well, since there's some much sought after issues in that mix. Then from there the key issues such as #50 (still looking for that one), 121, 122, 129 and so on. Any thoughts and/or suggestions are welcomed.
Another reason for grading, is that if something were to happen to me it'd be easier for my family to sell these if there were some grades attached.
Also my collection currently still is covered by my renter's insurance. Though once I complete the collection it may be wise to look at doing separate scheduling. The certified grades would help. For the others, I'm attending a grading seminar next weekend and will hopefully be able to assign grades to my collection. Grading seems so subjective though so I'm sure I'd be off here or there. Also the collection is mainly reading copies, so my guess is that only older or key issues would retain some sort of value.
Is it expensive to have the issues graded?
It depends on the book. I'm planning to go with a new company that is gaining steam in the grading industry. It helps that the owner was president of CGC for years. They seem to be doing pretty well and seem to be reputable. They are the ones hosting the grading seminar I am going to next weekend. Anyways, prices on grading range from $15-over $1,000. My older ones would fall between $22-$49.
I went to the comics grading seminar that I mentioned before this past Saturday. It was put on by CBCS which is a new kid on the block when it comes to grading, well the company is at least. The founder of the company was originally with CGC back from the beginning. Anyways it was a very informative seminar. It was informal which was fine. These guys who grade professionally know their stuff and have a really keen eye. I didn't submit anything to be graded but I've decided my first book I will have graded will be one of my early ASM's (either 2 or 6). The plan is to have Stan Lee sign it at Megacon and have the folks from the grading company witness it and then grade/encapsulate it. Back to the seminar, the CBCS folks actually did casual grading of books people brought. I had them look at my ASM 2, 4, 6 & 10. The rough grade on each was what I figured they would be. I met a lot of nice folks to from all over the country that had come to the seminar, there were about 40 people there. Also the founder of the company told me not to get my books graded! I was surprised. I told him that I was a collector but liked to read my books and didn't have intentions of selling. He recommended only encapsulating if it was something I really liked, got signed, or if I wanted to leave something behind with a grade that would be easy to sell for my family should something happen to me. That was refreshing. Talking to other folks the genral consensus was to only have it professionally graded if you're not a seller if it's something you like and want protected. Most of my modern books have been read so they wouldn't particularly come back with a really high grade so it's not worth it. The Silver Age stuff while more expensive to have graded would be worth it to have slabbed at some point. My thinking is to eventually have the ASM 2, 4, 6, and 10 slabbed. The rest can stay in the mylar.