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Post by tartanphantom on Feb 23, 2022 9:05:01 GMT -5
A couple of my friends were proudly showing off their CGC 9.8s....very pricey books (in the $800-$1000 range)....and then they looked on at some of my raw books and expressed envy...
And I told one of them....son (he's in his mid 30s), if you want to spend all your disposable cash on a couple of pretty books in overpriced slabs, you're missing out on a whole lot of other deals that can come your way.
Of course I also have CGC books that they have no clue about but it's fun waxing philosophical on these guys. Maintain a balance. If you want something fancy, make sure it doesn't come at the expense of having to forfeit everything else.
I think you have to ask yourself at times why you are in a given hobby. Do you really have a love for the material itself, or do you want to "win" a contest with collectibles? I'm FAR more impressed with someone who demonstrates knowledge of say how to grade comic books than the fact they paid money for someone else to assign them a grade. One of the greatest joys with collecting for me was over the years handling enough comic books and seeing how "real world" all the different dealers at shows and whatnot approached their grading practices. If people weren't allowed to show their numeric grade on a slab to anyone else, would they still derive as much enjoyment? It's a very worn topic at this point. The marketplace has clearly indicated the demand is there, so it is what it is.
It a lot of cases, I think it's a "mine is bigger than yours" mindset, and is partly fueled by hyperbolic Youtube "influencers". That drives "FOMO" and buying/speculation frenzies, and the prospect of making a quick buck, which most collectors find out is not as easy as it seems. With 3rd party grading company volume delays, the window of profitability is often totally missed and you're stuck with a book for which you paid too much, and then spent money on top of that to have it "graded" by an unknown, un-credentialed faceless employee of one of these services... and that makes your graded book "official"? When it comes to the vast majority of my bronze and modern key books, I made my money the old fashioned way... I bought them new off the rack, read them, and put them away. I still haven't realized any profit, because I haven't sold a book in decades. I haven't even tried. It's not my thing.
Out of approximately 15,000 floppies in my collection, I own THREE graded books (highest grade is 7.5... Oh the horror!), all of which were already graded when I bought them, so somebody else already took the hit on the cost and process. I'm holding one of them in my Avatar pic. And I know for a fact that the person I bought the book from took a loss on it when he sold it to me as part of a package deal.
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 23, 2022 12:39:31 GMT -5
You can assign grades, you can slab them, you can seal them in amber; but, it all boils down to simple economics. The value of the comic is the intersection of the curve representing what the buyer is willing to pay and the curve for what the seller is willing to accept. That is the market price. Doesn't matter what Overstreet says, doesn't matter what they listed it for on eBay.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2022 12:54:30 GMT -5
"One of four 9.8s on the CGC Registry!" I actually have one of those, and mine is signed by Steve Epting (Spidey artist).
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Post by tarkintino on Feb 23, 2022 13:11:41 GMT -5
I think you have to ask yourself at times why you are in a given hobby. Do you really have a love for the material itself, or do you want to "win" a contest with collectibles?You've just described innumerable collectors of Kenner's original Star Wars action figures, and the current "Black Series". Its all about one-upmanship and bragging based on an astoundingly unhealthy possessive mentality.
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Post by impulse on Feb 23, 2022 14:14:19 GMT -5
I generally try not to fuss over how people choose to enjoy their crap, as long as they aren't being crappy to other people. To some people, collecting the set is the appeal.
I personally don't see the appeal of collecting something that I will do nothing with once I have it all, mind you, but that's just me.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 23, 2022 14:32:54 GMT -5
Agreed! I think it extremely unlikely I'll ever own a slabbed copy of anything.. I buy comics because I want to read them... the 'collecting' part for me is to read the whole story, and perhaps have a story I can look back to if someone of something makes me think about it. If that makes some people happy, great.. I get it. I play idle games and other pbbgs.. the whole point there is watching numbers go up, or perhaps trying to make your numbers go up faster than the other guy. Some people spend thousands on those games... I don't do that, but I can see getting caught up in it. I think that's the same mentality that some collectors have.. they want the best collection of whatever it is they think is the best. If it helps more comics get created, it's fine with me
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Post by tartanphantom on Feb 23, 2022 14:52:05 GMT -5
Agreed! I think it extremely unlikely I'll ever own a slabbed copy of anything.. I buy comics because I want to read them... the 'collecting' part for me is to read the whole story, and perhaps have a story I can look back to if someone of something makes me think about it. If that makes some people happy, great.. I get it. I play idle games and other pbbgs.. the whole point there is watching numbers go up, or perhaps trying to make your numbers go up faster than the other guy. Some people spend thousands on those games... I don't do that, but I can see getting caught up in it. I think that's the same mentality that some collectors have.. they want the best collection of whatever it is they think is the best. If it helps more comics get created, it's fine with me
On the other hand, there's this...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2022 0:48:50 GMT -5
30/20 vision required.
The person who sent me this sealed pack of books estimated there were 17 inside, perhaps because the copy on top was #17. But to me it looks more than 17, what do you think?
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Post by tartanphantom on Feb 24, 2022 0:56:37 GMT -5
30/20 vision required.
The person who sent me this sealed pack of books estimated there were 17 inside, perhaps because the copy on top was #17. But to me it looks more than 17, what do you think?
I estimate 20-22.
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Post by MDG on Feb 24, 2022 9:06:41 GMT -5
30/20 vision required.
The person who sent me this sealed pack of books estimated there were 17 inside, perhaps because the copy on top was #17. But to me it looks more than 17, what do you think?
If only there were some way to answer this question definitively...
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Post by Icctrombone on Feb 24, 2022 9:18:46 GMT -5
30/20 vision required.
The person who sent me this sealed pack of books estimated there were 17 inside, perhaps because the copy on top was #17. But to me it looks more than 17, what do you think?
If only there were some way to answer this question definitively... We world will never know.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 24, 2022 9:34:50 GMT -5
I'd say 21-22 as well... maybe a couple specials/annuals in there? Let us know when you open it
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Post by Cei-U! on Feb 24, 2022 9:56:33 GMT -5
I'd say 21-22 as well... maybe a couple specials/annuals in there? Let us know when you open it Maybe I don't see as well as you guys, but it looks to me like there's only 8, maybe 9, comics in that bag.
Cei-U! I summon the seeing-eye dog!
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Post by kirby101 on Feb 24, 2022 10:04:18 GMT -5
If we guess right, what do we win?
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Post by EdoBosnar on Feb 24, 2022 10:20:21 GMT -5
Yeah, I was going to ask if this is like one of those 'guess how many jelly beans are in the jar' things...
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