Oh the horror! Many of you reading this have heard the stories and winced with sympathy when they were told. The plot is always the same: sadistic and evil mothers who had nothing better to do than throw away countless collections of comics. These chilling stories almost always involve poor, unconscious children who were in college or in the military at the time they might have been detained. Then, after enduring several years of bedroom heartache or worse, they returned home to face the most astonishing horror of all – realizing that the one person they trusted and loved the most had stabbed them with a giant bladed dagger. blunt in the back. and you twisted it! It’s largely due to that very fact (sorry, moms everywhere, but you’ve had this for a long time) and the many paper campaigns that occurred during WWII, which makes 1930s comics at 70 they are sometimes weird. and it is worth a lot today.
It is interesting to note that the most valuable comic book collections were accumulated by people who never considered books as investment vehicles. Davis Crippen (1930-2005) put together a huge collection of 10 cent comics, the period that comic book collectors refer to as the “Golden Age,” buying them direct from 1938 to 1953. To keep track of the books, he created his own special coding system that included the letter “D” written on the cover of many of his comics. Although you may never have considered them an investment, they turned out to be nonetheless. As many comic book collectors have almost, say, a mental desire to keep their books very neat and tidy, they in turn become gurus of unintentional investments and this was clearly the case with Mr. Crippen. Many of his books turned out to be the highest-rated examples ever brought to market. Since he had collected roughly 11,000 books, his investment costs were probably around $ 1,500 (I’m adding a bit for bike tires and gum). By the end of 2007, his books had already raised $ 2,000,000 with several thousand still to be auctioned. The return on investment? A staggering 133,233.33% on the $ 2 million alone (minus about 10% in auction fees, no doubt). Crippen was jokingly accused of having a time travel device by some collectors.
Most comic book collectors agree that unless you are an expert at rating comics or the price is too good to pass up, beginners should stick with copies of books that have been professionally rated and sealed in hard plastic by the CGC of Sarasota, Florida. . That way, investors can be sure of the ratings of the books they are buying and are not based on the opinion of “Earl” of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They should also take the time to carefully read Overstreet’s Official Comic Price Guide, the comic book compilation guide most collectors use and trust, to learn how to qualify, discover other investment candidates, and see if they could be paying too much.
One of the best things about investing in comics is the low maintenance that comics entail. As long as they are kept in a cool, safe, dark, and low-humidity environment, it should be ready. It is also important to keep them lying down, away from pets and cigarette smoke and curious chocolate covered hands. If kept upright, books tend to slide and bend over the years, which can completely ruin your investment. It is best to have the books professionally graded and sealed in plastic, or at least bagged and packaged with materials suitable for acid-free comics. In this way, the book is safe from ding or occasional fingerprints. A simple insurance policy will cover any loss of your books in the event of a flood or fire. The other comforting fact about the comics is that unlike stocks or other investments, you don’t have to worry about that new CEO’s decisions or the sudden drop in the price of oil due to that gigantic recently discovered oil well.
Generally, the higher the book’s rating, the more desirable it is to collectors and the higher the long-term return on investment. The books mentioned below in this article have regularly averaged a 10-15% return on investment for the past 30 years. There are many other examples of high-quality books that provide much higher returns, and other ways that investors can make money from books, such as printing or book signing by their creators or others significantly involved. Some books may also increase in value if they are properly restored, but most of the time the industry disapproves of restoration, and restored books can receive big hits for value if the book is not a good candidate for restoration.
Do not be afraid. Although most of us cannot afford to travel back in time to select our books, interested investors can still find stability even when paying full market price for certain books. According to Hulk181.com, the value of The Incredible Hulk # 181 with the first full appearance of the popular character Wolverine has risen in value almost every year except one since it was published in 1974. This book, which originally cost 20 cents, is now sold. It is selling for between $ 2,000 and $ 30,000 to a very high degree. Interested investors can even purchase an investment grade copy of Hulk 181 through his site.
“When I select a comic to invest in,” says longtime collector Keith Nickerson of Portland, Maine, “I look for the first appearances of characters that have really made an impact on our culture. Characters like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and greats. Bronze Age reversals (’70s era comics) like the Punisher’s first appearance in Spider-Man # 129 and New X-Men’s first appearance in X-Men # 94 are the types of books in which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles # 1 has also proven to be a good long-term investment, but I like to stick with the main characters who have really made a big impact on our culture. “
These are the ones we would consider the top investment caliber.
Most comic book collectors agree that unless you are an expert at rating comics or the price is too good to pass up, beginners should stick with copies of books that have been professionally rated and sealed in hard plastic by the CGC of Sarasota, Florida. . That way, investors can be sure of the ratings of the books they are buying and are not based on the opinion of “Earl” of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They should also take the time to peruse Overstreet’s Official Comic Price Guide, the comic book compilation price guide that most collectors swear by, to discover other investment candidates.