What holds more to you?

[MT2]

Im wondering what holds more meaning to you as a comic fan/collector?

The potential for having something worth a decent to great future vale?

or

The story, art aspect of just reading and enjoying the comic?

I returned as something to share with my son. If that means we are at a flea market and find 20 diffrent Batman comics or just several he thinks look cool thats first and foremost. So far he seems to enjoy Invincible and TMNT as well as Batman though. He read Invincible #1 3 times this morning online!

However, I got to thinking about it and when I first returned not so long ago. I picked up several books off a friend of mine. We was discussing his collection and outside of his horror collection he just buys things he beleives he can sell at a higher price later on. Now that Im back and seeing all these titles I want to read Ive thought to myself about selling some of what I got from him to get what I beleive my son and I would enjoy more. For example I have a small lot of Flash titles from about 250-265 with a few missing from a full run. Figure I could throw them on ebay and just let them ride and see what happens.

Really Im just wondering whats more important to the mass's? I know what is for me.....

[Slam_Bradley]

Im wondering what holds more meaning to you as a comic fan/collector?

The potential for having something worth a decent to great future vale?

or

The story, art aspect of just reading and enjoying the comic?

I read 99.9% of my comics now in trades. I could care less about monetary value.

[Kizmet]

I buy comics to strictly to read.

Trades have been nice in that regard, because if I end up not liking them well enough to store I've been able to trade them in at used book stores. I'm pretty ecstatic if I'm able to trade in used TPB for a 1/3 of what I paid for them: Cleared storage space and a couple new books to come home with, it's great. It's a lot harder to get rid of old comics even when I'm not expecting anything back for them.

[MadMikeyD]

I only buy comics to read. I do like single issues, but that's probably primarily a nostalgia thing. Possible future value plays no part in my decision to buy a comic or not. A story I can share with my younger kids will pursuade me to buy a comic more than anything else.

[dupont2005]

The story, art aspect of just reading and enjoying the comic?

That. I actually prefer them to be worthless, so that way I'm not tempted to sell them.

[Spike-X]

I only buy tpbs/HCs these days (when I buy comics at all). Anybody buying single issues of comics being published today and expecting them to ever significantly increase in value is a fool to himself and a burden to others.

Sure, you might get that one in a thousand exception like Walking Dead #1 or something, but as a general rule, old comics are only valuable because they're rare. Nothing is rare these days, because people take much better care of their comics, hoping they'll be worth lots of money in the future. It's become a self-defeating prophecy. If the people who bought the 200,000 copies of Action Comics #1 that were printed in 1938 had all tucked them away in plastic sleeves with acid-free backing boards, they'd be giving them away with Happy Meals now.

[dupont2005]

I only buy tpbs/HCs these days (when I buy comics at all). Anybody buying single issues of comics being published today and expecting them to ever significantly increase in value is a fool to himself and a burden to others.

Sure, you might get that one in a thousand exception like Walking Dead #1 or something, but as a general rule, old comics are only valuable because they're rare. Nothing is rare these days, because people take much better care of their comics, hoping they'll be worth lots of money in the future. It's become a self-defeating prophecy. If the people who bought the 200,000 copies of Action Comics #1 that were printed in 1938 had all tucked them away in plastic sleeves with acid-free backing boards, they'd be giving them away with Happy Meals now.

How does that make anyone a burden to others though?

[Spike-X]

How does that make anyone a burden to others though?

It's just a saying I picked up somewhere.

Although I guess the 'burden to others' bit could be with stuff like when somebody finds a box of 90s crap in their attic or basement and expects to be able to sell all those die-cut foil hologram variant covers for a small fortune.

[dupont2005]

I run into that on Craigslist all day
The disappointment those guys must eventually be forced to face...

[MT2]

I was looking at acquiring a run of Green Arrow New 52...I put in my max bid of $50 dollars on ebay, I lost, puppy almost doubled what I bid and sold for $92. So I can see what ya mean. One guy here said he wouldnt pay more than $1 for each issue. I'll probably pick up the trade and check it out. Im thinking thats the way to go unless I really like the book and cant stand the wait. That and well #1's never know when the next Walking Dead might come along.

[Spike-X]

I was looking at acquiring a run of Green Arrow New 52...I put in my max bid of $50 dollars on ebay, I lost, puppy almost doubled what I bid and sold for $92.

You could get the first 12 issues in tpb form for probably $25 if you look around.

That and well #1's never know when the next Walking Dead might come along.

If you spend $2,000 buying up every #1 issue that comes out over a period of, I dunno, ten years, and eventually you're able to sell one of them for, say, $500, you're not really coming out ahead, are you?

[klinton]

I'll never understand speculative buyers. I have a mental image of thier houses filled floor to ceiling with unloved "valuable" crap.

If it makes you happy, buy it. If you're not loving it and just doing it for the cash possibilities buy stocks in Apple or something more in line with that pursuit.

I've seen too many "valuable issue/figure/jesus shaped water stain" bubbles come and go to put any sort of value on these things. When it's time for a collection to go, I usually just drop it at my LCS without asking for money in return. It's just fun and games.

[MT2]

I should say I understand what everyone is saying. I think part of my curiosity comes from the number of people I hear talking about trades. When I collected in the past I wont say there wasnt trades cos I know I saw some but everyone I knew and talked to was looking for issues. So now that Im back with no shops around, trades seem alot more likely. I probably should also say that the #1 isnt just to try to find a needle in the hay stack. Part of it for me would be to discover the new book, and part of it would be cos I think I'll always be drawn to single issues. The other reason to see what everyone thinks is due to the fact Im new and the one person I know who collects does the complete opposite of everyone here. Maybe thats why I found myself on these boards to begin with.

Ive been in and out of all kind of collectibles, sport cards, die cast, memorbillia, comics ect ect. I agree that nothing is as likely to be worth a fortune again. Even a #'d peice have issues moving up the scale honestly sometimes I wonder how accurate a #'ing is. Collectibles are like stocks imo, got to buy low and sell in its prime. I mentioned those Flash comics I have one online price guide had them listed at around $15ea. Some people will say they can only go up. Which I agree but how long will that take? Could be another 10-15 years for them to go up just a few dollars. Then again if Flash happened to be a HUGE movie with multiple sequeals in the next few years they could double. Either way, its a shot in the dark to make money. Not to mention as far as Im concerned as selling them Id be afraid to list them to high cos of condition issues. None of them are horrid but, Im not sure how to grade a comic or anything like that. I mean I got a early issue of Spider-Man(#55) that Id be happy to put on ebay but its in bad condition tears rip and the whole 9. So I'll probably just hang on to it.

[Paradox]

MT2 wants the difference:

The story, art aspect of just reading and enjoying the comic?

That one. It is, in fact, the only value a comic has to me.

[SteveGus]

I buy comics to read, and while I keep a lot of them, I don't keep them all.