Musings on a fool

[Dr.J.]

Ya know, in a years time, a serious comic collector not only spends a lot of cash on comics, he spends time. Time on the road,in car, bus or bike,or even walking,ofton in bitter cold or rain,to get his books.He can spends many hours at crappy jobs earning the bucks for his books. Now when a fan spends 40-45-50 years building his collection, and he simply HAS to move,one wants to pass them on to a son,or failing to either have a son, or one who has any love for comics, one HAS to get something back,for all that time and effort put out. Theres many an ebay dealer out there who will sell your books for a cut, comic shops eager to scarf up collections,or just reguler collectors hoping that add put up at the local ranbow store,is the jackpot hes dreamed of all his life. Theres a lot of fans and dealers out there, who can raid their nest egg with solid off the books cash, when opportunity comes there way, that never will again. thats why, when I hear the type of story that was on the local twin city news a few days back, I think "ARRGHH!!!What a waste! What an idiot!!"A comic collecter forced to move, GAVE a 48-49 year comic collection, to the U of M.If a man wants to both get rid of a collection and retire,in comfort, one does NOT do such a thing! You can bet that many a U student and teacher who collect comics are going to pluck this collection but good!You can bet this dude had a woman cracking the whip on his ass but good,to do such a thing.Offer a near 50 year collection up on crags list,and see how fast they come!It never fails to astound me, how stupid some comic collectors out there are.I knew one guy who had a silver age collection chumped off him for 17 cents a book, but this guy even surpassed him.

[Paradox]

What in the name of all that's holy are you blathering about? So some guy donated his collection to the U of M? What's wrong with that? Comics are primarily to be READ, not to be saved as an investment. More power to him!

[Roquefort Raider]

I'd even view it as a commendable community-oriented gesture. His books may now benefit hundreds of readers (unless the library decides it doesn't have the wherewithal to handle flimsy pamphlets... and sells the whole lot to raise money for the new water-cooler)!

Seriously, though, I agree with Dox... If a collector has no heir interested in comics, I can't think of anything better to do with rare comics than give them to a library that'll take them.

[Red Oak Kid]

I guess Dr. J. and I are pessimists. I agree with him that a person is fooling himself if he thinks his donated comics will be made available to the public. As he says, the most valuable ones will be stolen by the low payed library workers. Or the library will not be aware of their value and they will put them in the children's section and within two days they will be pulp.

[dan bailey]

If a collector has no heir interested in comics, I can't think of anything better to do with rare comics than give them to a library that'll take them.

Note to self: Petition court to change my name to A. Library.

[MDG]

I guess Dr. J. and I are pessimists. I agree with him that a person is fooling himself if he thinks his donated comics will be made available to the public. As he says, the most valuable ones will be stolen by the low payed library workers. Or the library will not be aware of their value and they will put them in the children's section and within two days they will be pulp.

I heard about a science fiction author who donated a collection of rare paperbacks to his local library and they sold them at their next sale for a dime apiece.

Despite that, I congratulate anyone who chooses to donate a collection like that, but hope that there was some kind agreement about access and use--even if the library decides to sell them.

MDG

[Cei-U!]

1. A university is not a public library. Periodical collections don't get put in circulation. They're generally either bound and made available to researchers for on-site use or they're kept in storage. Kids aren't going to have access.

2. The donater probably received a huge tax credit for his gift. He may, in fact, have received more financial benefits than he would've by selling off his collection.

3. Gardner Fox, Stan Lee and many others over the years have made such donations, not only of comics but also personal correspondence, original scripts and other historically invaluable documents. Do you consider them "fools" too?

Cei-U!
I summon the skewed sense of priorities!

[dan bailey]

2. The donater probably received a huge tax credit for his gift. He may, in fact, have received more financial benefits than he would've by selling off his collection.

That's actually the first thing that occurred to me as far as the supposed "fool's" taking a financial bath.

And Kurt is, of course, quite correct about the treatment such collections receive in university libraries vs, perhaps, the public library downtown.

Not to point fingers or anything, but looking at one's collection as a potential source of wealth is a large part of the problem with comic collecting in general, IMHO.

[Aaron Kashtan]

Kurt is absolutely right about the treatment that comics get in university libraries. Typically, when a university gets a donation of comics, they will be kept in the special collections library, where they don't circulate -- you can only look at them on the premises. The comics typically won't be available through interlibrary loan either, and there may even be restrictions on photocopying them.

For example, when I used the comic book collection at Brown University, I had to look at the comics in a locked reading room, and I was only allowed to use a pencil, not a pen, to take notes. The university was not making it easy for me to damage or steal their property.

Furthermore, as a comics scholar, I can testify to the importance of university comics collections. Simply put, researchers need to have access to old comic books in order to be able to work with them.

[Rob Allen]

There was a bit of a controversy a year or so ago when it became known that Fairleigh Dickinson University had sold off all or part of the collection that was donated by pioneering comics publisher Harry A Chesler. I don't recall the details, but Jim Steranko was involved somehow.

[MartinRedmond]

Whun I heard the type of story that wuzon my local twin city news a few days back,I think "ARRGHH!!!Whata waste! What an idiot!!"A comic collectur forced 2 move, GAVEa 48-49 year comic book collection, to the U of M.If a man wants to, both get, rid of a collection, and retire in comfort, one does NOT do such a thing! You can, bet that many a university student and teacher who collect comics are going to pluck this collection but good! You can bet this dude had a woman cracking the whip on his ass butt good,2 do such a thing.Offur a near 50 year colation up on frags list,and see how fast they cum! It never fails to astoundish me, how stupid some comic collectors out their R. I knew 1 guy who add a silver age collection chumped off him for 17 cents a book, but this guy even surpassed him.

I totally agree.

[MartinRedmond]

I was kind of more annoyed when Marvel had most of their backlogs trashed only saving one copy of each.

[Red Oak Kid]

2. The donater probably received a huge tax credit for his gift. He may, in fact, have received more financial benefits than he would've by selling off his collection.

Cei-U!
I summon the skewed sense of priorities!

I'm no tax expert, but I would think the comics would have to be appraised for it's value by an independent third party before the IRS would grant any tax credit.

Such an appraisal would probably not be free.

I've read stories about collusion between Universities and people who donate things where the University vastly overvalues the items so the donator(?) can get a big tax write off.

Like I said, I'm a pessimist.:(

[Slam_Bradley]

I've read stories about collusion between Universities and people who donate things where the University vastly overvalues the items so the donator(?) can get a big tax write off.

Like I said, I'm a pessimist.:(

It would certainly suck if the feds were cheated out of two hammers and a toilet seat because of the write off.

Assuming, arguendo, a $100,000 write off.

[MichikoS]

With all due respect to ROK, and perhaps a bit less to our esteemed thread-starter for being kind of a dick, donations to special library special collections are, generally, fully tax deductible. Moreover, researchers and scholars depend on these kinds of donations to have vital access to specialized materials, as Sir Tim, dan bailey and Kurt have already pointed out.

It's a free country. If someone chooses to donate their collection to a university, more power to them. They have the right and the privilege to do that, regardless of Dr. J's neocon ideological snit. And please, those distastefully sexist comments are so 1980s and as jarring as a mullet.

Michi