Classic Comic Exchange

[dan bailey]

Double *choke* post.

[zryson]

As I said ...

Though, hell, maybe he'll get the $199.95 he wants, in which case he'll have found someone even more deluded. There are suckers born every minute, fools & their money are soon parted, etc. etc. etc.

that is extremely true. i see it on ebay all the time. people paying big dollars for fair - very good condition comics. alot of people also dont understand what is rare and isnt rare and get co-erced into buying comics from sellers they are familiar with. and some people have more money than sense. power to them

[The Confessor]

Yes, it's impressive, but with a humble well worn copy you can dive into it fearlessly. Such "commoners" are, shall I say, much more inviting... old friends rather than rarefied specimens. A 9.4 is condemned to a sad and lonely retirement, a totem in box, a frigid virgin in its closet. A 2.0-4.0 you can share a beer with around the kitchen table, show it all the love it wants... and there's the jolt.

I like the "frigid virgin" analogy, which applies particularly well to slabbed comics.

Yeah, I think this analogy of benday-dot's is particularly accurate and one I'll certainly be using myself when I’m next in conversation with those few CGC whores that I meet in real life.

Sort of like comparing the slabbed (or sealed in mylar) "frigid virgin" to the lower grade comic's "lusty tavern wench", eager to provide enjoyment to all.

Steady on, sir! No sex please...some of us are British, don't you know.

In the end, do we worry about condition because we assume that others are worried about condition (I can't sell this for as much, or I won't get the same bragging rights), or does the inherent value of the comic change when you own a VF+ instead of a 10.0 minit?

My own personal opinion is that it is very much the former reason that motivates those who over-fetishize about pristine comics. However, they would almost all deny that and insist that, in fact, the inherent value of a comic is lessened with a lessening in condition. I, however, remain dubious.

I just don't get it. The whole looking for 9.8s because they're hard to find and slabbing to get a higher return if/when you sell bears no relationship to the charm/appeal of the comic itself. Why not just collect restaurant menus in 9.8 condition and slab those?

Comics are meant to be read...aren't they?

Hey! Restaurant menus are meant to be read too, dammit!

[Jolly Mon]

Originally Posted by benday-dot
Yes, it's impressive, but with a humble well worn copy you can dive into it fearlessly. Such "commoners" are, shall I say, much more inviting... old friends rather than rarefied specimens. A 9.4 is condemned to a sad and lonely retirement, a totem in box, a frigid virgin in its closet. A 2.0-4.0 you can share a beer with around the kitchen table, show it all the love it wants... and there's the jolt.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jolly Mon
I like the "frigid virgin" analogy, which applies particularly well to slabbed comics.

Yeah, I think this analogy of benday-dot's is particularly accurate and one I'll certainly be using myself when I’m next in conversation with those few CGC whores that I meet in real life.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jolly Mon
Sort of like comparing the slabbed (or sealed in mylar) "frigid virgin" to the lower grade comic's "lusty tavern wench", eager to provide enjoyment to all.

Steady on, sir! No sex please...some of us are British, don't you know.

I've often thought many in the world would be better off with the occasional encounter with a "lusty tavern wench" (or at least have their significant other/wife/husband/whatever act like one) every so often. Far too many are way too tense (not looking at the British, because after all, didn't you folks invent the "lusty tavern wench"?).

[Jezebel Bond]

Yeah, I think this analogy of benday-dot's is particularly accurate and one I'll certainly be using myself when I’m next in conversation with those few CGC whores that I meet in real life.
:

It's only accurate to those who would relish the thought of a CGC bonfire...

Proud CGC whore here...I'm expecting a package of 6 slabbers in the near future....

[dan bailey]

It's only accurate to those who would relish the thought of a CGC bonfire...

Because after all, if one sees no need for the "service" that CGC sells to the gullible (&/or to the calculatingly cynical who realize they can sell slabbed stuff to the gullible at frequently absurd prices), one by definition wants to see the comics to which CGC has applied fabricated grades tossed in a bonfire.

Riiiiight.

[shaxper]

Hey! Restaurant menus are meant to be read too, dammit!

I just knew someone was going to call me out on that bit of flawed logic

[Jezebel Bond]

I just knew someone was going to call me out on that bit of flawed logic

In the restaurants I go to, most of the menus are slabbed in laminated plastic. I'm feeling for indian food later...

[shaxper]

In the restaurants I go to, most of the menus are slabbed in laminated plastic. I'm feeling for indian food later...

So, when the waiter hands you a menu, do you ask for another if the corner has a slight ding?


Of course, now you've made me hungry for Indian...

[CromagnonMan]

But does the price difference match the difference in inherent value? Is the book truly worth hundreds of dollars more to you, or do you just pay that much more because a guide says you should?

In my case, I just don't see the big deal. As many of you know, I've spent lots and lots and lots to acquire key issues over the years, but I do not pay for pristine. Generally speaking, VF is fine for me, and I'll even drop to G- for pricey Golden Age issues. Having one in Mint or Near Mint just doesn't matter to me. I have trouble understanding why it does to anyone. I guess its cool for it to have that "like it was printed yesterday" feeling, but then where the heck does the concern for 9.8 and 10.0s come from? Most comics on the stand were NEVER in that condition in the first place.

well i dont buy rare comics, but i notice on ebay auctions that people are prepared to pay a LOT more for a few higher CGC percentage points.. i never really spend more than about £1 on old comics. for rare issues i stick to reprints.

[dan bailey]

So, when the waiter hands you a menu, do you ask for another if the corner has a slight ding?

And of course the menu has only a front & back, because any interior pages would have to be preserved from the corroding influence of *gasp* sunlight.

Of course, now you've made me hungry for Indian...

I was already thinking about it for tomorrow (our one such establishment here offers a lunchtime buffet, blessedly), dammit.

[dan bailey]

I see that what's supposed to be the most valuable book in the world (worth about, oh, 6 or 7 Action #1s) is going to be offered for auction later this year.

Judging from the accompanying photo on Yahoo!, it isn't slabbed or anything; those dolts at Sotheby's soooooooo don't know what the hell they're doing.

[shaxper]

And of course the menu has only a front & back, because any interior pages would have to be preserved from the corroding influence of *gasp* sunlight.



I was already thinking about it for tomorrow (our one such establishment here offers a lunchtime buffet, blessedly), dammit.

Oh, I was just planning on eating an actual Indian. My bad.

[dan bailey]

Oh, I was just planning on eating an actual Indian. My bad.

I'm pretty sure that wouldn't suffice for an entire buffet.

[Jolly Mon]

Oh, I was just planning on eating an actual Indian. My bad.

"That is considered canibalism, and is frowned on in most civilized countries"