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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2014 18:50:38 GMT -5
Curious where, if any, you draw the line.
I don't have one per se. If I could afford Action Comics #1 I'd buy it (knowing I can flip it [if need be] for a premium). For now I have to settle for mid 40s books that average several hundred each to just short of one grand. My general rule is, if I think a back-issue is worth it's (large) price tag, I'll go for it if I can.
My high-grade Amazing Spider-Man #14 didn't come cheap. It's why I seize opportunities to speculate when I can, make some of that money back. Others would just cuss the price-tag that comes with a Spidey #14, ridicule those who buy it and get a cheaper reprint.
Some of our customers have a strict cap. It's one reason why they condemn anything that goes for a premium price, like CGC, since the NM copies are out of their league to begin with, far less one with a 200%-3900% premium (a 10.0 can go for 40x a regular NM copy).
So...where do you max out on a book? Not everything comes at a bargain price. What happens when current $2.95-$3.95 books top $5? Would you spend $100 on an omnibus?
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
Posts: 3,958 
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Post by Crimebuster on Jun 29, 2014 20:02:06 GMT -5
The most I have spent so far on a comic is $400 for my Action Comics #252. Like the examples you mentioned, I know if I need to, I can resell it for at least the same and get my money back. That's not necessarily the case with some of the stuff I collect, though. Theoretically it is, but Action #252 is always going to have an audience whereas something like Boy Comics #4 is much more of a niche market. I mean, I'm sure I could find someone to buy a Boy Comics #4, but it would take more time and effort, which is why I'm more hesitant to spend the $250-400 it will cost me to get a solid low grade copy. So I guess my spending limit varies depending on what I'm looking to buy.
In general, though, I've only gotten into three figures five or six times. Once books get above the $50-60 range for me, things start getting pretty dicey.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2014 20:18:08 GMT -5
Around $300, which I have only spent once so far. Usually about $4, though I think I'm going to get over that pretty soon to buy more Bronze Age mags later
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2014 20:46:52 GMT -5
The most I've ever spent is $90 and that was for a solid VF Avengers #2 circa 1986/1987. The most I've spent recently is $50 for a G/VG copy of Conan the Barbarian #1, and that's kind of pushing my limit these days. For the right book, I might go higher, but I am much more of a reader than a collector, so I prefer to get reading copies or nice collections than spend a premium on a single issue. If I had more of a budget, I would have a higher limit, but it is what it is, and I do what I can with what I have. Most of my comic budget is now going towards printing costs, con appearances, etc. for the Studio and self-publishing ventures, so we are on a pretty strict spending budget right now.
-M
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2014 20:49:39 GMT -5
The big dollar items I would like to buy are all hardcovers. Big fancy hardcovers.
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Post by coke & comics on Jun 29, 2014 21:05:01 GMT -5
Twenty dollars. But only if I've looked long and hard enough to convince myself this comic won't be had for less than $10, my de facto cap, once I feel I've looked long and hard enough to convince myself this comic won't be had for less than $3, which is the most I really ever wish to pay.
However, I may be convinced to go as high as 25 for Night Nurse #1 or 4.
And as high as $30 for Marvel Super Special featuring Kiss.
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Post by hondobrode on Jun 29, 2014 21:09:53 GMT -5
I don't really have a limit, but I don't buy any single issue for more than $ 10 or $ 20 anymore.
There's hardly anything I can't live without. I buy lots of comics digitally from Comixology and Dark Horse and get their sales and bundles. My taste is so wide and varied it works well for me, being able to buy around $ 1 each.
Just got done reading Transmetropolitan, which I wouldn't have bought otherwise but at $ 1 each, and liking most of Ellis' previous works, I bit and got the whole run for $ 62.
I loved it and now bought the entire run of Elephantmen on sale. Finished the first collection last night and like it very much.
The only disappointments since collecting digitally have been Amelia Cole, which was ok but not worth following, and Change by Ales Kot, which was really horrible IMO.
My big spends tend to be on portfolios, prints, sketches and original art, though I usually don't spend more than maybe $ 300 on a single piece.
I hardly spend money on anything else, other than movies, and my pauper Magic : the Gathering my son and I play online, literally, for pennies.
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Post by Action Ace on Jun 29, 2014 21:17:53 GMT -5
$20 is the most I've ever spent on a single issue of a comic book and that was a decade ago.
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Post by Icctrombone on Jun 29, 2014 21:26:27 GMT -5
I spent around 50 for a mid grade Avengers #57.
A few years ago I got a JLA/Avengers Omnibus for around 50 also.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2014 21:33:51 GMT -5
I used to stick to dollar comics. You can get a lot of those online. But then I got tired of having boxes upon boxes of Copper Sge stuff. I got rid of a lot of it, but kept some great runs. I have a pretty good magazine collection considering they were mostly all bought for under $2. But I love those mags and finding dollar mags, while possible, isn't east. At $5 I could take my pick for quite a while though, and that's not much more than a modern floppy anyway.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2014 22:31:47 GMT -5
I used to stick to dollar comics. You can get a lot of those online. Yep, I estimate well over 1,000 of my books came in at around that or marginally above it when buying a run of issues. I got a whole run of Superman Family (including $ covers) for .55c each. And recently, a complete run of Jennifer Blood for around 25c each (1/16th cover price, in NM). Being in the right place at the right time pays off sometimes, I'm sure everyone has had at least one lucky find. Problem is, if you're a collector and want genuine original copies of classic books in nice shape...those sometimes come with a price. Even in a good deal. Unlike some of the seasoned veterans here, I wasn't born in the 60s to get books for 12c  |
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Post by The Captain on Jun 30, 2014 6:09:54 GMT -5
I've spent more than $100 on five books in my life, those being high-grade copies of:
X-Men #94 - $180
Captain America #100 - $160
Captain America #117 - $140
Captain America #110 - $130
X-Men #10 - $125
My cap right now is around $50, but most of the things on my want list at this point I can acquire for $20 or less, with a large majority of those in the $5 or less range. The big exception is Werewolf by Night #32, which I may have to bend my cap on to acquire, as it doesn't seem to want to come down in price at all.
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Post by DubipR on Jun 30, 2014 7:51:57 GMT -5
Usually for back issues, I won't go as high as $100. But it does depend on the book and I'm willing to pay more for a better condition. The most I've spent was $500 for a VF+ condition of Fantastic Four #5. Mostly these days, I've been hitting back issues at 5 bucks a pop. |
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Post by hondobrode on Jun 30, 2014 8:03:04 GMT -5
I used to stick to dollar comics. You can get a lot of those online. Yep, I estimate well over 1,000 of my books came in at around that or marginally above it when buying a run of issues. I got a whole run of Superman Family (including $ covers) for .55c each. And recently, a complete run of Jennifer Blood for around 25c each (1/16th cover price, in NM). Being in the right place at the right time pays off sometimes, I'm sure everyone has had at least one lucky find. Problem is, if you're a collector and want genuine original copies of classic books in nice shape...those sometimes come with a price. Even in a good deal. Unlike some of the seasoned veterans here, I wasn't born in the 60s to get books for 12c Born in '66, but just barely got in at a quarter before they jumped to $.30 ! |
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Post by Randle-El on Jun 30, 2014 10:43:52 GMT -5
I don't know that I have a set value -- it depends on the book really. If it's a relatively modern book that can be found digitally or in a trade collection, I wouldn't pay much more than cover price. If it's an older book that's only available in single issue format, I think I generally wouldn't want to pay more than $30-$40. That said, if I needed a book to complete a run, and it was normally something that went for say $100 but I had an opportunity to get it for $60, I might be more inclined to entertain the thought.
That said, I don't like the idea of paying so much for a book that you're afraid to handle it. Comics are meant to be read and enjoyed. If I'm going to invest money, I'd rather put it in stocks/mutual funds, real estate, etc.
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