shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Mar 21, 2016 18:54:09 GMT -5
I was looking on ebay just out of curiosity to see what a McFarlane Spidey #1 in polybag was going for these days. I expected $2.99, but was surprised to see that Spidey #1 still in the bag is going for $15-20 in average condition whereas it's going for about $5 unbagged. So, after years of debate, after which the matter seemed settled across the community, polybags ARE collectible after all (at least for issues that hold some importance to the buyer). Yikes. What are your thoughts? On the one hand, I found the gimmick both pointless and overly used. On the other, the major criticism of polybagging (beyond the same criticism I have of CGC -- what's the point in owning a comic you can't read?) is that the polybag would, in time, degrade the book because it wasn't archival safe. Well, last year, I opened a 20 year old polybag containing a Wizard magazine I'd purchased, and the book was in flawless shape, so that criticism doesn't necessarily hold up. So, beyond "If the buyer wants to pay more, the buyer will pay more," what are your thoughts and opinions on polybags affecting the value of at least one "key" back issue? .jpg) |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Mar 21, 2016 19:09:58 GMT -5
Every polybagged comic I bought in the 90s had it's bag immediately disposed of by my went it got home. Didn't care what the"market' might have thought. It was my funny book and I wanted to see what I spent my money on. And I was not going to fall for the stupidity of buying 2 copies like the companies hoped you would do.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,406
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Post by shaxper on Mar 21, 2016 19:12:49 GMT -5
And I was not going to fall for the stupidity of buying 2 copies like the companies hoped you would do. I did. 7 copies of X-force #1 (five for the 5 cards, one to open, and one gold 2nd print) 2 copies of every chapter of the X-Cutioner's Song (one to stay bagged, and one to open) 1 copy of every cover for X-Men #1 and Robin II: The Joker's Wild And then I left comics in '94 Essentially, at fourteen years old, I was the comic book market of the 1990s. It was all my fault  |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Mar 21, 2016 19:17:32 GMT -5
And I was not going to fall for the stupidity of buying 2 copies like the companies hoped you would do. I did. 7 copies of X-force #1 (five for the 5 cards, one to open, and one gold 2nd print) 2 copies of every chapter of the X-Cutioner's Song (one to stay bagged, and one to open) 1 copy of every cover for X-Men #1 and Robin II: The Joker's Wild And then I left comics in '94 Essentially, at fourteen years old, I was the comic book market of the 1990s. It was all my fault But now you've grown and got wiser I hope you didn't buy 2 new cars at the same time, one to use and one to retain the "new car smell"  |
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Post by Icctrombone on Mar 21, 2016 19:33:23 GMT -5
The only pollybagged book that I purchased multiples of was the Black Bag Superman #75. I bought 6 copies and flipped 5 of them for 6 dollars each. I sold too soon...  |
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Post by String on Mar 21, 2016 19:44:54 GMT -5
And I was not going to fall for the stupidity of buying 2 copies like the companies hoped you would do. I did. 7 copies of X-force #1 (five for the 5 cards, one to open, and one gold 2nd print) 2 copies of every chapter of the X-Cutioner's Song (one to stay bagged, and one to open) 1 copy of every cover for X-Men #1 and Robin II: The Joker's Wild And then I left comics in '94 Essentially, at fourteen years old, I was the comic book market of the 1990s. It was all my fault As an X-fan, I'm impressed. I opened every copy of of every chapter of X-Cutioner's Song because I wanted to read the issue and I wanted the card.  I didn't like polybags. I want to read the comic inside (which is why I own no slabbed books today). For that time, I much rather preferred the gimmicks on the covers themselves.  (glow-in-dark that mimics Matt's radar sense, rather cool effect and cover)  (Nothing wrong with a little hologram here and there) |
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Pat T
Full Member
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Post by Pat T on Mar 21, 2016 19:46:04 GMT -5
I still keep the polybag after I open it, and store in on opposite side of the backing board. I don't really think there
is a purpose in keeping it, but it makes me feel like I haven't thrown away part of the book. Not so much with plain clear
ones, but the ones like DC has been doing lately for Harley Quinn's Little Black Book. It's more of a keepsake than anything.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Mar 21, 2016 19:50:09 GMT -5
I'm amazed that polybags didn't come with a printed warning about not eating them or sticking your head into one. Or maybe some did and that explains way they eventually, for the most part, went away
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Post by Icctrombone on Mar 21, 2016 19:55:03 GMT -5
I still keep the polybag after I open it, and store in on opposite side of the backing board. I don't really think there is a purpose in keeping it, but it makes me feel like I haven't thrown away part of the book. Not so much with plain clear ones, but the ones like DC has been doing lately for Harley Quinn's Little Black Book. It's more of a keepsake than anything. I do the same, i store the bag with the comic. It is part of the comic. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2016 22:03:53 GMT -5
I hate polybags and when any collectible comics hit the rack/stand - I buy two of them and I used the old standby clear plastic bags and board to protect my investment and they immediately gets boxed and leave it alone. I keep them in alphabetical order.
I never, ever buy comics in polybags!!!
I just buy two comics in regular format and soon I get home ... you know the rest of the story!
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Post by batlaw on Mar 21, 2016 23:38:23 GMT -5
I've got a bunch of these. I'm also too anal / obsessive/ dumb (you choose), to throw them away once opened. However there aren't many that I kept sealed or bought multiples of. Just Spider-Man 1, x-force 1, supermans death and marriage, are the only ones I can think of I have one sealed and one opened. Everything else is opened but I've kept the bag.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2016 0:09:44 GMT -5
Marvel/Midtown sends out print subscription copies polybagged now, so every issue of Doctor Strange I get (and soon Black Panther) come polybagged. Heavy Metal does the same. I open and take them out to read and throw the polybags away.
As for older stuff, none of what I have is still in sealed bags, but I do have some of the polybags still (mostly Midnight SOns stuff I still have).
-M
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Post by Icctrombone on Mar 22, 2016 6:28:24 GMT -5
I hate polybags and when any collectible comics hit the rack/stand - I buy two of them and I used the old standby clear plastic bags and board to protect my investment and they immediately gets boxed and leave it alone. I keep them in alphabetical order. I never, ever buy comics in polybags!!! I just buy two comics in regular format and soon I get home ... you know the rest of the story! Wow, you have money to throw away on doubles? 99 % of comics are worth almost nothing a year later. |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
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Post by Confessor on Mar 22, 2016 8:39:50 GMT -5
On the other, the major criticism of polybagging (beyond the same criticism I have of CGC -- what's the point in owning a comic you can't read?) is that the polybag would, in time, degrade the book because it wasn't archival safe. Well, last year, I opened a 20 year old polybag containing a Wizard magazine I'd purchased, and the book was in flawless shape, so that criticism doesn't necessarily hold up. I know that this is sort of a side issue from what you're talking about, but I think the archival supplies industry is built of collector's (irrational?) paranoia about their precious comics. And I say that as someone who has been and continues to be suckered in by that industry. I bag and board all my comics with archive safe products, but man, I'm skeptical as all hell that I really need to. I've been going through my Star Wars collection lately for my review thread and, although those issues are all bagged and boarded, they've sat in cheap, non-archival bags and boards for close to 25 years that I know of! Those issues are still in amazing condition, with no discernible deterioration at all. That said, I will be treating my whole collection to archival safe boards and mylar bags as a little reward to myself when I finish my review thread. |
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Post by MDG on Mar 22, 2016 10:32:16 GMT -5
I remember my early days of buying comics. Sometimes you got Robert Bell bags. More than once, I bought books that were in bags from the produce section of a supermarket.
I took my son to a comic show when he was 9 or so and he picked up a white bag rebirth of Superman. We were sitting in the panel room between sessions and he started to tear the bag open when some guy says, "You're not opening that, are you?" Soon the whole room had divided into open/don't open factions.
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