Collections: Quantity or Quality?

[csmith25]

I'm kind of at a crossroads in my comic collecting life.
I haven't really collected alot of newer floppies the last 10 or so years, sporadic at best. Usually a milestone issue or something that grabs my attention while at a shop.
Mostly been picking up TPBs, Omnis and OHC the last 2 or 3 years.
Having over 10 long boxes of floppies of mostly mid 80s to 90s books, which was my heyday of collecting, I am trying to get myself into the idea of selling a bunch off and keeping only some key issues or story arcs I really enjoyed in the past. Also, in the same vein, I am starting to look for more valuable key issues of books.
Has anyone else gone through this type of mindset change? any advice?
I do still catch myself looking online at people selling 50 or so floppies for a decent bargain, and I have to talk myself out of it.

How does everyone else collect?

[Iron Maiden]

I know exactly how I feel. When I moved to a smaller home I increasingly have found myself considering the same thing. I have at least 10 boxes too. My problem is there are a lot of comics that I never got around to bag and board so I doubt their value will be very much. I used to buy almost the entire Marvel line at one point but currently I only buy maybe 5 or 6 things a month. I will try things out by buying the digital version on Comixology. I think one thing to do is to go to a site that you can find accurate assessments of a comic's worth. For example, if I find out that a comic is only worth about $1.00 and it's not something I really care about anymore I just may toss it in with my paper recycling. I know it sounds radical but I figure if I ever want to read it again, I have Marvel Unlimited.

[CaptCleghorn]

I have a LOT of books that have been piling up over the last 50 years. I wish it was only 10 long boxes. My hope to to get everything correlated and sell in groups of 100 issue or so runs. I do have older, more valuable books, but the time and space to sort and document hasn't been readily available recently. I feel your anguish.

[csmith25]

I know exactly how I feel. When I moved to a smaller home I increasingly have found myself considering the same thing. I have at least 10 boxes too. My problem is there are a lot of comics that I never got around to bag and board so I doubt their value will be very much. I used to buy almost the entire Marvel line at one point but currently I only buy maybe 5 or 6 things a month. I will try things out by buying the digital version on Comixology. I think one thing to do is to go to a site that you can find accurate assessments of a comic's worth. For example, if I find out that a comic is only worth about $1.00 and it's not something I really care about anymore I just may toss it in with my paper recycling. I know it sounds radical but I figure if I ever want to read it again, I have Marvel Unlimited.

I have a LOT of books that have been piling up over the last 50 years. I wish it was only 10 long boxes. My hope to to get everything correlated and sell in groups of 100 issue or so runs. I do have older, more valuable books, but the time and space to sort and document hasn't been readily available recently. I feel your anguish.

Glad I'm not the only one, lol. I did recently download an app called CLZ Comics. For newer (maybe mid 90's?) comics, its super easy to catalogue them with a bar code scanner on your phone. I think it cost me $15 a year, but it updates current sale prices, etc and you can load it into the "cloud". To me, its well worth it until I unload a good portion of them.
Unfortunately, even selling groups of books will take time, unless you are asking WELL under current market value.
Its definitely a new mindset to try to get accustomed to.

[Surf]

I didn't know what a Mylite2 was until about 5 years ago. I feel that certain crossroad happened for me some time earlier but it did shift the spending. I'm probably nearing (prolly over)150 bucks in Full-Backs and Mylites over that same 5 years, that normally would have went on books. The comic reader I used to be would have pointed and laughed his ass off at the collector I seem to have become. I agree that any new book is most certainly a milestone or something that really grabs me, usually even a book some threads here are reading. That's probably still even an overstatement. I'm nearing the end of the ride, sure I've been saying that for 10 years but it's coming. I have made progress, I know what's there, I've been slowly swapping all my old 80s and 90s books for older Silver and Bronze stuff. I even have a small board that looks like I'm trying to catch an international assassin, with the string and **** and little drawings. Once I start moving them that's all folks.

I have seen CLZ but I have noticed, selling in lots is it's own chore, people only want the keys generally. The one thing I haven't come to terms with is the bath I'm going to have to take on shipping. That's a cut into the margins I don't want to deal with. Once things open back up a little booth at a local show I think is the way to go. It'll give me the chance to shoot the **** and say peace-out to all these things in person.

[DanMad1977]

I already did it.

I sold everything that I didnt like anymore and became a real collector instead of a hoarder.

I started to think about what I really like or even love and what I just own because its a complete set, or has an X in the title, or whatever the reason I still hoarded it. After awhile I came to the conclusion that I miss great comic books, because I buy every X title out of fomo. Or every Avengers book, or every Batman, or every...you get the point. I didnt enjoy it anymore, it was just a habit.

I took a look around and saw other great books, that I never gave a shot, because I couldn't spend more money because I bought every spin off of said super heroes.

I first sold almost everything, except the stuff I hold dear (Spider-Man, Savage Dragon, Cerebus, TMNT and other) I made some money and bought more creator owned stuff like Saga, TWD, Invincible, The Tick and so on. I loved it after the pain of selling it, the pain I felt when it left my house, you have to endure that, but it will get better. Its like an old girlfriend you used to be with together, but are not really in love anymore. It still hurts to leave her, but that will go away soon. Soonest when the new girl is in your life.

next step was to buy issues that has worth to me. Key issues, or Paperbacks that collect just the run I liked, and not the stuff that came before or after, that I didnt like.

Batman is a cool character, so I bought all the trades with the best storylines like Long Halloween, Dark Knight returns, Hush, Year One, Killing Joke, Night of the owls etc.

I bought a leather-bound HC of Watchmen. John Byrne runs like Alpha Flight, Superman, FF and She Hulk, because I am a fan of him.

I still buy monthly, but if I don't like what I see I sell it quickly.

Still own over 5000 comic books, sold around 2000 roughly.

thats the way to go. Sometimes I do something forbidden and read a number 1 for free at a certain site, just to decide if I start to buy it or not. That helps a lot to make a decision.

So, my answer is: Quality will make you a happy collector, quantity is like weight on your shoulder.

[CSTowle]

It's why digital is inevitable, I just moved at the beginning of February and by far the most difficult thing was moving 40 boxes of Trades. I lost my original collection to a fire about 10 years ago and had a lot of stuff that held a good deal of sentimental value (or actual value, though I had nothing worth more than a couple of hundred dollars and mostly in the $3-4 range), and while I've collected some titles regularly since then I'm not very attached to the issues and prefer trades now (easier to sit down and read, or take with you somewhere). Now I pretty much only buy things that haven't been/won't be put into trade.

Even then I find myself falling into the habit of buying trades to fill out runs even when I know parts of those runs aren't as good as others, or I see a cheap TPB so I'll buy it to check it out (sometimes glad, but often wish I'd kept the money). Eventually will want to weed out the dead weight here as well, though might just donate them to a library or give them out.

[csmith25]

I already did it.

I sold everything that I didnt like anymore and became a real collector instead of a hoarder.

So, my answer is: Quality will make you a happy collector, quantity is like weight on your shoulder.

These 2 sentences alone really hit home. I appreciate it.
Its going to take alot to get me to sell some character books that I have a fairly good run on, but its still possible. Just got to get over that hump.

Even then I find myself falling into the habit of buying trades to fill out runs even when I know parts of those runs aren't as good as others, or I see a cheap TPB so I'll buy it to check it out (sometimes glad, but often wish I'd kept the money). Eventually will want to weed out the dead weight here as well, though might just donate them to a library or give them out.

I'll check out a few cheap trades here and there just if it piques my interest, too. I believe collected editions of classic and important storylines will be my main focus, along with more "valuable" (whether monetary or personal) floppies. I like the idea of donating the trades that I didnt care much for. Thanks!

[DanMad1977]

[QUOTE=csmith25;5450361]These 2 sentences alone really hit home. I appreciate it.
Its going to take alot to get me to sell some character books that I have a fairly good run on, but its still possible. Just got to get over that hump.


I am really happy that you appreciate it! I won't say its easy to sell all your runs, or some of your runs, but you can do it. There came a time where I regretted it, but then I bought the collected editions of the best storylines in HC editions, and the feeling was gone again.

You will reread the story in collected editions, because its easy to pull them out from your shelf and flip through or even read it again. I never did reach into my longbow and pull out the singles out of laziness, or because I didnt want to damage the book.

It looks great to have a HC edition standing next to the other one, or an omnibus. I enter my room and see them standing there, a great feeling.

It feels good to have a Hc in your hands, like you hold something of value.

But I keep singles that I really love, even runs. Its the stuff that I bought that I never really appreciate in the first place, or that changed into something that I don't like anymore that I sold. For an example: I started to collect the German Amazing Spider-Man run with the age of 6 and bought the last issue of the 137 issues from the now defunct publisher with the age of 28. I will never sell it, you can imagine why.

My room is like a comic book store, and I try to display everything I have. No long boxes anymore. Cool covers hanging on the wall in a frame, sometimes I replace them with another cover. Action figures all over the place hovering over the books, defending them when needed. :-)

And in times like these you can always buy stuff back, its available all the time. In the 80´s you really had to hunt them down on flea markets or comic book stores (there weren't many over here). So missing out meant waiting years to get a chance to get this or that issue of a book. Today, open this thing called internet and buy it. Or get a collection if its too expensive, or read it online for free or pay for it.

Good old times were exciting, but a bit hard for a collector. In these days the excitement is still there but on another level. The fear of missing out is just in our head, we have to overcome it.

[shooshoomanjoe]

I have 50k comics in my garage. I think I've read about 12k. I want to get rid of them but at that same time I want to keep my collection. Everything is organized and catalogued but it's a pain to dig into some boxes. I've been thinking about going all digital but I can't seem to part with my collection and I get a better read off floppies than digital.

[babyblob]

I have a pretty large collection myself. Truth be told I try and find something I enjoy about any comic I read and there are very few that I do not like. It also helped that I got a lot of comics from family. My uncle gave me his old collection, and my 3 nephews collected comics when they were younger but have grown out of it so they gave me what they had.

But I have also gone digital for a lot of my collection. Like I bought The Fantastic Four, Xmen, Spiderman, Captain America, Avengers, Hulk, Cd Roms and Star Trek the complete collection CD Rom. I had another friend who knows I love Golden age comics so he downloaded a lot of DC Golden age comics and put them on a hard drive for me. Sp I have a few thousand on my pc. I read a lot of Marvel unlimited also.

But I know I have a collection problem because I buy comics like a lot of new stuff that I havnt read yet but have plans on reading. All of my boxes and I have a couple dozen are labeled, Like Marvel box 1 Dc Box 1 Indy Box 1 etc... Each box is in ABC order and in order number wise, Mini series books are all in their own boxes, Like House of M, Ho.se of M Avengers etc.. And on my pc I have a detailed list of what issues are in each box. So if I want a a certain issue I can find it very easy.

So I go for Quantity.

[Enigma]

Single issues just aren't viable for me anymore. Partly because they aren't efficient, and partly because I just prefer reading the complete story in one go, or at least the arc. The only time I buy single issues if I find a complete mini series at a con or something, or I want a specific issue/cover because I just especially like it. I have a 'to slab' pile that will never get slabbed

[DebkoX]

Quality for sure. This is why I switched to digital (Unlimited) because if I read something garbage I can just never click on it again.