Card Collecting vs. Comic Collecting and how it affects my collecting

Morgoth · 07-02-2018, 10:15 AM

Oddly I started collecting both comics and cards in 1986. Ever since the beginning I thought of cards as the more serious of the 2 hobbies and comics for fun as I was a Spiderman/Comico/DC fan.

After collecting like crazy the last 5 years since my move to NY I have made some observations about the two hobbies.

1. New hot rookies are worth much more than new hot books. I used to think speculating on comics was worth the time and effort but in most cases the hottest of hot new books (unless super rare variant) is worth a few hundred dollars. In baseball & basketball every year there are multiple RC's worth hundreds and some thousands. Base Vlad JR BC autos almost broke 1 grand!!! If you want to make money speculating, sports cards are where its at, at the moment.

2. Cream of the crop variant comics are becoming "Keys" vs. first appearances or stories. The artists and print runs make a huge difference here but books like ASM 678 (Venom MJ), ASM 667 Dell Otto, Campbell Deadpool Wolverine etc just seem to keep going up and now don't come up for sell hardly anymore. I don't love it as a trend but you cant deny that anyone that bought in last year is making a killing on high end variants now. One thing I hate about variants though is you cant get most unless you know someone. Very few modern variants with any hype ever get just put out anymore vs. sports cards which in general you have a chance at pulling most when first came out.

3. Golden age comics are starting to get harder to find and more titles, artists, characters etc. are becoming collectible. IMO the GA has really blossomed as it is not consumed like other eras with super heroes. Funny books, romance books, war books, horror books all seem to be thriving. I watch Heritage auctions and the frenzy for some of these books is surprising. Vintage HOF rookies and some key cards went way up 2 years ago but have flattened and most came back down some. To me GA comics market is much more voracious than vintage sports cards.

4. Movies, TV shows etc. does nothing long term for most books. The ones that have an effect were already really popular like ASM 300. This is what got me back into the modern game was speculating on the hype but to me its over. I would rather buy a overhyped rare variant or mike trout card than these books anymore.

In the end I have decided to do some changes to my collecting habits.

I am focusing comic collecting in these areas ranked in order.

1. Alex Schomburg covers
2. Amazing Spiderman 1 - 300
3. First appearances of characters I like
4. Native american characters in comics
5. Neal Adams Covers
6. Variant covers I like and very rare

I am getting out of modern comics. If its a story I want to read I will get it in a collected volume. If it has a cool variant I like I might get one but that's it.

I know this sounds odd but I want to set a floor on books I buy like $150 minimum so I just dont keep building volume but everything is of a certain quality.

In the end I found picking up a few books a month of rarer items has been more fun than trying to find and flip the cheaper books but everyone has their own style of collecting.

Would like to hear anyone else who is cross over collector

aja3217 · 07-02-2018, 10:54 AM

Very cool observations - I agree on several points you make, especially your conclusions on variants.

My personal opinion on sports cards are that they are riskier than comics, but have a higher return when they hit. Unless you pull a Trout chrome auto rookie from a pack (which I actually did back in 2009!) then it takes a $100 investment to potentially hit a big card. Unless you buy a bunch of low $ chrome rookies and then one of those takes off. Since cards initially hit the market in a blind pack, a collector is always playing the odds. In comics, we always have the opportunity to go to our LCS on Wednesdays and find the issues on the stands for cover price. We may miss a Wednesday and then miss out, but the opportunity still is there.

I have basically given up on cards due to the risk, and converted over to comics and gold/silver. Much lower return, but I like the collecting of it better knowing I'm not going to lose a ton of money by missing on a star QB who seems like a can't miss but then assaults a Uber driver :-) Athletes are humans and can screw up the value of their cards. Comics tend to keep their value, unless they are the Walking Dead!

Bruvydsb · 07-02-2018, 11:23 AM

I collect both as well. With regards to #1, a modern book costs $3-$4 while any product with a top rookie worth $1k has a much bigger buy-in. Kinda apples & oranges for me.

Plenty of modern specs books have a $4 cost and hit $30. That 7x multiplier is pretty great. The equivalent of joining a $50 group break and hitting a $350 card. Not a perfect comp, but you get the idea.

Great post!

rjahn98 · 07-02-2018, 01:02 PM

Agree with you for the most part. I've slightly abandoned the idea of collecting for profit as it will disappoint more than surprise. Both industries have just gotten plain greedy and I refuse to buy into it. For the most part, the market has agreed with me I think. No longer do I try to flavor every card release, just focus on what is fun for me and any profit is cherry on top. Baseball=bowman; Football/Basketball=select/prizm. Can't tell you how much money I've been able to focus on meaningful collecting as a result. Buy what you like and enjoy, not for profit.

Brian Shirk · 07-02-2018, 07:03 PM

Ive collected sports cards and Comics since I was a kid and over 6 years ago I got into nonsports cards. Ive have since then decided to go all comics except a few nonsports and few HOF players.

For me I stop seeing collecting as a investment but that started when I had my third child and funds become more limited. I now collect what I love but I do invest in modern first appearances at cover price. I dont play the variant market game anymore. I tell myself I can get it book for cover or variant I like for less than $10 Ill buy it.

I think comic industry is seeing a boom from all the tv shows and movies but all things come to end. When that does those variants are going to drop. People are fickle and hot artist today might not be in 5 years.

I myself wont touch sports cards at all. The whole Roids issues did me in for baseball and I busted so many box to find nothing worth what I put in it.

I see comics as more safe investment for me. Im buying a character I love. Comic charcters will always been pretty much the same thing. Sports star you have all the drama of the real world that effect value of cards. Same goes for nonsports autographs.

I also agree on golden age book If I find them I buy them no matter what the subject matter if the are cheap enough to afford. The are getting harder to find and I almost view me buying them as my sort of protecting part of history. Like Im saving art that we might one day not have.

lot of people trash golden age thats not super heroes. Week ago or so I purchased two GA kids books along with some other modern for 4 buck and If I hadnt bought them he would have trashed them. I also got some old children books gave to me by the same guy he was going to just trash them. The werent really worth much but the art in the was fantastic.

Thats just my two cents

Spider-Fan · 07-02-2018, 08:42 PM

I collect and invest, but they are two different things and I keep them separate in my head. I collect certain characters and certain artists with no expectation that they will appreciate in value. Most of the books are worthless but I keep on hunting them down. Investments are more first apps, silver through modern, purchased with the expectation that I will eventually sell them for more than I paid.

Tones · 07-02-2018, 09:31 PM

Very nice observations! As a collector of both I always like hearing insight and my collecting habits are the complete opposite.

With cards I almost exclusively collect modern with a little dabbling in vintage.

With comics I almost exclusively collect silver age with a little dabbling in modern.

Morgoth · 07-03-2018, 10:29 AM

Just to be clear I am talking about investing in baseball singles not opening wax. I do understand that in sports cards its a gamble on what you get, I do feel like you at least have a chance.

With modern books I feel that unless you have a network you cannot amass any hot books or variants by just showing up to the LCS.

I will also say that many RC autos can be bought under the 100$ mark that then become big money makers like Judge. Yes its boom and bust but at least when you hit one it makes big money.

MisterNatural · 07-03-2018, 06:57 PM

I like that the author of this thread is using his critical thinking skills in his approach to collecting comics(and baseball cards). Too many collectors just follow the popular trends of hot books/hot artists/etc. without giving it much thought(IMHO).

To truly enjoy collecting comics(not just speculating/flipping) I think you have to really love reading them(and looking at the art), regardless of monetary value. For many, I'm afraid, that is not the case. Especially, if you come from sports cards, because sports cards are basically like buying stock in a particular player or hot/rare card, but they don't really serve any other practical purpose other than that(IMHO). Back before the internet there might've been some reason to carry around sports cards for the stats and keeping track of or learning about your favorite players, but not so much today.

80s Showtime · 07-03-2018, 08:25 PM

When I first read the topic, my first thought was that it was about comic trading (Marvel/DC) cards and how current comic book stories affect what cards of the characters to collect

Although I have noticed that the movies have brought more attention to some comic characters on cardboard. For example, I've notice that limited Thanos insert, parallel, and sketch cards have been selling higher than than were 5 years ago.

Back to baseball cards, it does seem like if you hit on the right Bowman Chrome rookie card and you can make a nice profit rather quickly. But as Brain Shirk noted, with sports you get the drama of the real world that can adversely influence the value of their cards so sometimes it's best not too hold on to them too long.

Since comic characters pretty much stay to their "core identity" they seem to be a safer investment (if they do change for some reason then just wait for the reboot

) Also, the characters can have fans over multiple generations since people/collectors tend to stay fans of their favorite characters over a lifetime. Those more seasoned collectors coupled with newer collectors can potentially chase the same key books and keep demanding strong.

trask7 · 07-03-2018, 10:43 PM

I collect both but I am far more comfortable with cards then comics. I collect comics but can tell you I have not read 90% of them, I love the art and some story lines but I got back into comics because that is how I got my boy to enjoy reading when they were really young.

I join Indy for grading and also buy some graded at the LCS and I have close to 2000 books and have never sold one. I just enjoy them so when I read what is hot I will see if I have it but I have yet to list one items. I can say that a bought over half my books were at Hastings going out of business sale. You can beat picking up a $1000 in books for $100.

I do a lot of sports cards but most are pulled from breaks or wax. I would tell you if you are serious about prospecting do your homework with baseball. Look at the minors and follow a couple of guys. It can pay off but like all things it is a risk and one Mike Trout chrome auto seems like a great card but the guy who bought 10 when they first came out is the Champ.

I think football does not sell as well as Basketball or Baseball. Basketball has a huge following and deep pockets but everyone is looking for National Treasures top rookies, so unless you get lucky and pull one you will pay out the gate to get one. Example: I wanted to try 2017-18 Contenders Basketball and from Start it was $230 a box here. I got two boxes and pulled a Lonzo Ball Cracked Ice /20. They were selling close to $900 on release but now around $400. I still have mine and will wait until Lebron and them get something going before I sell.

I also bought one box of 2013 Bowman Chrome and pulled a Carlos Correa Blue Ref auto /150. I graded it BGS 9.5 and sat on it until two years ago and sold for $1600. It goes for even more now. You don’t even want to know about my Lebron Exqusite rc.

I would just do your homework and invest in some players you think have potential and then invest what you are prepared to lose. This is a hobby for me so I don’t use it to keep the lights on.

Spider-Fan · 07-04-2018, 06:41 AM

At some point I'm just gonna have to Google this Mike Trout guy

Jeff.Mc · 07-05-2018, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spider-Fan

At some point I'm just gonna have to Google this Mike Trout guy

I heard he wasn't good his first year in the Bigs.

I don't think he'll do much.

rittdk01 · 07-05-2018, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff.Mc

I heard he wasn't good his first year in the Bigs.

I don't think he'll do much.

Rookie of the year...

houdini · 07-05-2018, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rittdk01

Rookie of the year...

First year in the bigs and rookie year are not always the same.

blackbears86 · 07-07-2018, 09:09 AM

Lot's of great points in this thread and I really enjoyed reading others' perspective in regards to collecting/investing.

I also collect both cards/comics and I find my interests/loyalties constantly changing back and forth between the two. Lately I've been focusing on buying vintage comic silver/bronze age keys that to me are "sure bets" (this year I picked up an Avengers #1)
It takes a while to save up the funds, but is worth it.

I also "trimmed the fat" a few years ago and only have about 100 key books in my comic collection. It helped me focus and it certainly improved the quality of my collection.

I'm currently doing the same with my card collection and selling off the excess that's been accumulating for years.

ragingbull · 07-23-2018, 10:38 AM

I collect both comics and cardboard (basketball only). I started collecting and reading comics when I was in third grade (1983) and started getting cards in 1994. My first love might be comics but my love for basketball has taken over and so.. I prioritize cards.

For one, speculating on cards is far more exciting than comics. And the manufactured rarity in cards has made me watch eBay or comc and my LCS closely. Key Comicbooks are mostly readily available on eBay. Its just like a Jordan Fleer RC, if you have a few thousands to spend, they can be had on eBay easily. Unlike with short printed cards.. there are cards that you don't see even if you go on checking eBay daily for 10 years.

However, lately, I have noticed that my comicbook collection is not growing enough to make me feel fulfilled. I'd want to get a few keys, but cards are pulling my finances back to them. Haha. There's just something with cards that makes me feel a lot happier. Maybe its just that I really love basketball so much.

Morgoth · 07-23-2018, 11:05 AM

I hear you on the love and for me it goes both ways, sometimes I am looking forward to my next big comic addition but right now I am prepping for the National so its all sports cards right now.

Here are some more observations regarding Comics vs. Cards

1. Ebay is much more useful for building a card collection than comics. I find auction sites like Heritage CLINK etc. offer better selection and happen frequent enough that I don't feel like there are large gaps between them. Ebay selection for golden age books is very tough and most good books are on giant BIN's

2. Shows are much different. I feel card shows are just an exercise in negotiating while Comic shows are more about finding something cool you didn't have before. I go to card shows and generally have better stuff than 90% of dealers but in comics I don't so maybe thats why I feel that way. Also Comic dealers don't discount much so prices are much firmer.

hairysasquatch · 07-23-2018, 03:33 PM

OP - do you have a list of Native American characters in comics? Would be curious to see what the lay of the land might be.

fastballspecial · 07-23-2018, 06:04 PM

I wish the card industry was strong enough to support their hobby again. That way the sport card mentality would leave comics again. I hated it in the 90s and I hate seeing it now.

fastballspecial · 07-23-2018, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hairysasquatch

OP - do you have a list of Native American characters in comics? Would be curious to see what the lay of the land might be.

There are several I can think of from memory.

Warpath
American Eagle
Thunderbird
Shaman
Wyatt Wingfoot
Daniel Moonstar
Forge
Red Wolf

hairysasquatch · 07-24-2018, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fastballspecial

There are several I can think of from memory.

Warpath
American Eagle
Thunderbird
Shaman
Wyatt Wingfoot
Daniel Moonstar
Forge
Red Wolf

Thanks! What books are these from?

fastballspecial · 07-24-2018, 09:54 PM

New Mutants
Marvel Two In One
X-men
Alpha Flight
FF
New Mutants
X-Men
Red Wolf/Marvel Spotlight

Morgoth · 07-25-2018, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hairysasquatch

OP - do you have a list of Native American characters in comics? Would be curious to see what the lay of the land might be.

Here is some of the older ones I have found so far from Golden Age/Silver

Johnny Cloud- All American Men at War- DC
Firehair- Ranger Comics, Self Title
Indian Chief- ST
Redskin- ST
Straight Arrow- ST
Apache Kid- ST
Tomahawk- ST
Jay Littlebear- Sgt Fury Howling Commandos- DC

hairysasquatch · 07-25-2018, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fastballspecial

New Mutants
Marvel Two In One
X-men
Alpha Flight
FF
New Mutants
X-Men
Red Wolf/Marvel Spotlight

Thanks - great information!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morgoth

Here is some of the older ones I have found so far from Golden Age/Silver

Johnny Cloud- All American Men at War- DC
Firehair- Ranger Comics, Self Title
Indian Chief- ST
Redskin- ST
Straight Arrow- ST
Apache Kid- ST
Tomahawk- ST
Jay Littlebear- Sgt Fury Howling Commandos- DC

Thanks! I assume ST means Self Title?

07-02-2018, 10:54 AM	#2
aja3217 Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Big Ten Country! Posts: 2,326 drew724 drew724	Very cool observations - I agree on several points you make, especially your conclusions on variants. My personal opinion on sports cards are that they are riskier than comics, but have a higher return when they hit. Unless you pull a Trout chrome auto rookie from a pack (which I actually did back in 2009!) then it takes a $100 investment to potentially hit a big card. Unless you buy a bunch of low $ chrome rookies and then one of those takes off. Since cards initially hit the market in a blind pack, a collector is always playing the odds. In comics, we always have the opportunity to go to our LCS on Wednesdays and find the issues on the stands for cover price. We may miss a Wednesday and then miss out, but the opportunity still is there. I have basically given up on cards due to the risk, and converted over to comics and gold/silver. Much lower return, but I like the collecting of it better knowing I'm not going to lose a ton of money by missing on a star QB who seems like a can't miss but then assaults a Uber driver :-) Athletes are humans and can screw up the value of their cards. Comics tend to keep their value, unless they are the Walking Dead! __________________ Bucket: https://www.irista.com/gallery/v7sknlavjdnl

07-02-2018, 07:03 PM	#5
Brian Shirk Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Almost heaven Posts: 636	Ive collected sports cards and Comics since I was a kid and over 6 years ago I got into nonsports cards. Ive have since then decided to go all comics except a few nonsports and few HOF players. For me I stop seeing collecting as a investment but that started when I had my third child and funds become more limited. I now collect what I love but I do invest in modern first appearances at cover price. I dont play the variant market game anymore. I tell myself I can get it book for cover or variant I like for less than $10 Ill buy it. I think comic industry is seeing a boom from all the tv shows and movies but all things come to end. When that does those variants are going to drop. People are fickle and hot artist today might not be in 5 years. I myself wont touch sports cards at all. The whole Roids issues did me in for baseball and I busted so many box to find nothing worth what I put in it. I see comics as more safe investment for me. Im buying a character I love. Comic charcters will always been pretty much the same thing. Sports star you have all the drama of the real world that effect value of cards. Same goes for nonsports autographs. I also agree on golden age book If I find them I buy them no matter what the subject matter if the are cheap enough to afford. The are getting harder to find and I almost view me buying them as my sort of protecting part of history. Like Im saving art that we might one day not have. lot of people trash golden age thats not super heroes. Week ago or so I purchased two GA kids books along with some other modern for 4 buck and If I hadnt bought them he would have trashed them. I also got some old children books gave to me by the same guy he was going to just trash them. The werent really worth much but the art in the was fantastic. Thats just my two cents __________________ Collecting Thunder, Nets, Hornet. Vets and former wvu alumni. I'm also huge usagi Yojimbo collector. Last edited by Brian Shirk; 07-02-2018 at 07:05 PM.

07-02-2018, 09:31 PM	#7
Tones Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Beachin', FL Posts: 17,110 itstones Tones	Very nice observations! As a collector of both I always like hearing insight and my collecting habits are the complete opposite. With cards I almost exclusively collect modern with a little dabbling in vintage. With comics I almost exclusively collect silver age with a little dabbling in modern. __________________ THERE'S ONLY ONE TEAM IN LONDON! Cody Garbrandt, George Springer, Kemba Walker, Marco Reus, & Tage Thompson Arsenal, Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, UConn & Yankees

07-03-2018, 08:25 PM	#10
80s Showtime Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 1,005	Comics and cards When I first read the topic, my first thought was that it was about comic trading (Marvel/DC) cards and how current comic book stories affect what cards of the characters to collect Although I have noticed that the movies have brought more attention to some comic characters on cardboard. For example, I've notice that limited Thanos insert, parallel, and sketch cards have been selling higher than than were 5 years ago. Back to baseball cards, it does seem like if you hit on the right Bowman Chrome rookie card and you can make a nice profit rather quickly. But as Brain Shirk noted, with sports you get the drama of the real world that can adversely influence the value of their cards so sometimes it's best not too hold on to them too long. Since comic characters pretty much stay to their "core identity" they seem to be a safer investment (if they do change for some reason then just wait for the reboot ) Also, the characters can have fans over multiple generations since people/collectors tend to stay fans of their favorite characters over a lifetime. Those more seasoned collectors coupled with newer collectors can potentially chase the same key books and keep demanding strong.

07-23-2018, 10:38 AM	#17
ragingbull Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Philippines Posts: 766	I collect both comics and cardboard (basketball only). I started collecting and reading comics when I was in third grade (1983) and started getting cards in 1994. My first love might be comics but my love for basketball has taken over and so.. I prioritize cards. For one, speculating on cards is far more exciting than comics. And the manufactured rarity in cards has made me watch eBay or comc and my LCS closely. Key Comicbooks are mostly readily available on eBay. Its just like a Jordan Fleer RC, if you have a few thousands to spend, they can be had on eBay easily. Unlike with short printed cards.. there are cards that you don't see even if you go on checking eBay daily for 10 years. However, lately, I have noticed that my comicbook collection is not growing enough to make me feel fulfilled. I'd want to get a few keys, but cards are pulling my finances back to them. Haha. There's just something with cards that makes me feel a lot happier. Maybe its just that I really love basketball so much. __________________ Main PC: TIM DUNCAN! Instagram: timduncan21_cardcollector Youtube: Revi Mayuyu’s Hobby Vlogs

07-02-2018, 10:15 AM	#1
Morgoth Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 3,926	Card Collecting vs. Comic Collecting and how it affects my collecting Oddly I started collecting both comics and cards in 1986. Ever since the beginning I thought of cards as the more serious of the 2 hobbies and comics for fun as I was a Spiderman/Comico/DC fan. After collecting like crazy the last 5 years since my move to NY I have made some observations about the two hobbies. 1. New hot rookies are worth much more than new hot books. I used to think speculating on comics was worth the time and effort but in most cases the hottest of hot new books (unless super rare variant) is worth a few hundred dollars. In baseball & basketball every year there are multiple RC's worth hundreds and some thousands. Base Vlad JR BC autos almost broke 1 grand!!! If you want to make money speculating, sports cards are where its at, at the moment. 2. Cream of the crop variant comics are becoming "Keys" vs. first appearances or stories. The artists and print runs make a huge difference here but books like ASM 678 (Venom MJ), ASM 667 Dell Otto, Campbell Deadpool Wolverine etc just seem to keep going up and now don't come up for sell hardly anymore. I don't love it as a trend but you cant deny that anyone that bought in last year is making a killing on high end variants now. One thing I hate about variants though is you cant get most unless you know someone. Very few modern variants with any hype ever get just put out anymore vs. sports cards which in general you have a chance at pulling most when first came out. 3. Golden age comics are starting to get harder to find and more titles, artists, characters etc. are becoming collectible. IMO the GA has really blossomed as it is not consumed like other eras with super heroes. Funny books, romance books, war books, horror books all seem to be thriving. I watch Heritage auctions and the frenzy for some of these books is surprising. Vintage HOF rookies and some key cards went way up 2 years ago but have flattened and most came back down some. To me GA comics market is much more voracious than vintage sports cards. 4. Movies, TV shows etc. does nothing long term for most books. The ones that have an effect were already really popular like ASM 300. This is what got me back into the modern game was speculating on the hype but to me its over. I would rather buy a overhyped rare variant or mike trout card than these books anymore. In the end I have decided to do some changes to my collecting habits. I am focusing comic collecting in these areas ranked in order. 1. Alex Schomburg covers 2. Amazing Spiderman 1 - 300 3. First appearances of characters I like 4. Native american characters in comics 5. Neal Adams Covers 6. Variant covers I like and very rare I am getting out of modern comics. If its a story I want to read I will get it in a collected volume. If it has a cool variant I like I might get one but that's it. I know this sounds odd but I want to set a floor on books I buy like $150 minimum so I just dont keep building volume but everything is of a certain quality. In the end I found picking up a few books a month of rarer items has been more fun than trying to find and flip the cheaper books but everyone has their own style of collecting. Would like to hear anyone else who is cross over collector

07-02-2018, 11:23 AM	#3
Bruvydsb Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 4,912	I collect both as well. With regards to #1, a modern book costs $3-$4 while any product with a top rookie worth $1k has a much bigger buy-in. Kinda apples & oranges for me. Plenty of modern specs books have a $4 cost and hit $30. That 7x multiplier is pretty great. The equivalent of joining a $50 group break and hitting a $350 card. Not a perfect comp, but you get the idea. Great post!

07-02-2018, 01:02 PM	#4
rjahn98 Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: NJ Posts: 545 pbear98	Agree with you for the most part. I've slightly abandoned the idea of collecting for profit as it will disappoint more than surprise. Both industries have just gotten plain greedy and I refuse to buy into it. For the most part, the market has agreed with me I think. No longer do I try to flavor every card release, just focus on what is fun for me and any profit is cherry on top. Baseball=bowman; Football/Basketball=select/prizm. Can't tell you how much money I've been able to focus on meaningful collecting as a result. Buy what you like and enjoy, not for profit.

07-02-2018, 08:42 PM	#6
Spider-Fan Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 10,475	I collect and invest, but they are two different things and I keep them separate in my head. I collect certain characters and certain artists with no expectation that they will appreciate in value. Most of the books are worthless but I keep on hunting them down. Investments are more first apps, silver through modern, purchased with the expectation that I will eventually sell them for more than I paid.

07-03-2018, 10:29 AM	#8
Morgoth Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 3,926	Just to be clear I am talking about investing in baseball singles not opening wax. I do understand that in sports cards its a gamble on what you get, I do feel like you at least have a chance. With modern books I feel that unless you have a network you cannot amass any hot books or variants by just showing up to the LCS. I will also say that many RC autos can be bought under the 100$ mark that then become big money makers like Judge. Yes its boom and bust but at least when you hit one it makes big money.

07-03-2018, 06:57 PM	#9
MisterNatural Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 1,117	I like that the author of this thread is using his critical thinking skills in his approach to collecting comics(and baseball cards). Too many collectors just follow the popular trends of hot books/hot artists/etc. without giving it much thought(IMHO). To truly enjoy collecting comics(not just speculating/flipping) I think you have to really love reading them(and looking at the art), regardless of monetary value. For many, I'm afraid, that is not the case. Especially, if you come from sports cards, because sports cards are basically like buying stock in a particular player or hot/rare card, but they don't really serve any other practical purpose other than that(IMHO). Back before the internet there might've been some reason to carry around sports cards for the stats and keeping track of or learning about your favorite players, but not so much today.

07-03-2018, 10:43 PM	#11
trask7 Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 2,204	I collect both but I am far more comfortable with cards then comics. I collect comics but can tell you I have not read 90% of them, I love the art and some story lines but I got back into comics because that is how I got my boy to enjoy reading when they were really young. I join Indy for grading and also buy some graded at the LCS and I have close to 2000 books and have never sold one. I just enjoy them so when I read what is hot I will see if I have it but I have yet to list one items. I can say that a bought over half my books were at Hastings going out of business sale. You can beat picking up a $1000 in books for $100. I do a lot of sports cards but most are pulled from breaks or wax. I would tell you if you are serious about prospecting do your homework with baseball. Look at the minors and follow a couple of guys. It can pay off but like all things it is a risk and one Mike Trout chrome auto seems like a great card but the guy who bought 10 when they first came out is the Champ. I think football does not sell as well as Basketball or Baseball. Basketball has a huge following and deep pockets but everyone is looking for National Treasures top rookies, so unless you get lucky and pull one you will pay out the gate to get one. Example: I wanted to try 2017-18 Contenders Basketball and from Start it was $230 a box here. I got two boxes and pulled a Lonzo Ball Cracked Ice /20. They were selling close to $900 on release but now around $400. I still have mine and will wait until Lebron and them get something going before I sell. I also bought one box of 2013 Bowman Chrome and pulled a Carlos Correa Blue Ref auto /150. I graded it BGS 9.5 and sat on it until two years ago and sold for $1600. It goes for even more now. You don’t even want to know about my Lebron Exqusite rc. I would just do your homework and invest in some players you think have potential and then invest what you are prepared to lose. This is a hobby for me so I don’t use it to keep the lights on.

07-04-2018, 06:41 AM	#12
Spider-Fan Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 10,475	At some point I'm just gonna have to Google this Mike Trout guy

07-07-2018, 09:09 AM	#16
blackbears86 Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: maine Posts: 16,077 blackbears86	Lot's of great points in this thread and I really enjoyed reading others' perspective in regards to collecting/investing. I also collect both cards/comics and I find my interests/loyalties constantly changing back and forth between the two. Lately I've been focusing on buying vintage comic silver/bronze age keys that to me are "sure bets" (this year I picked up an Avengers #1) It takes a while to save up the funds, but is worth it. I also "trimmed the fat" a few years ago and only have about 100 key books in my comic collection. It helped me focus and it certainly improved the quality of my collection. I'm currently doing the same with my card collection and selling off the excess that's been accumulating for years.

07-23-2018, 11:05 AM	#18
Morgoth Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 3,926	I hear you on the love and for me it goes both ways, sometimes I am looking forward to my next big comic addition but right now I am prepping for the National so its all sports cards right now. Here are some more observations regarding Comics vs. Cards 1. Ebay is much more useful for building a card collection than comics. I find auction sites like Heritage CLINK etc. offer better selection and happen frequent enough that I don't feel like there are large gaps between them. Ebay selection for golden age books is very tough and most good books are on giant BIN's 2. Shows are much different. I feel card shows are just an exercise in negotiating while Comic shows are more about finding something cool you didn't have before. I go to card shows and generally have better stuff than 90% of dealers but in comics I don't so maybe thats why I feel that way. Also Comic dealers don't discount much so prices are much firmer.

07-23-2018, 03:33 PM	#19
hairysasquatch Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: In the Woods, Central NY Posts: 29,469	OP - do you have a list of Native American characters in comics? Would be curious to see what the lay of the land might be. __________________ Proud alumnus of the University of Michigan, 2023 National Champions! Last edited by hairysasquatch; 07-23-2018 at 03:39 PM.

07-23-2018, 06:04 PM	#20
fastballspecial Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 684 fbscomics	I wish the card industry was strong enough to support their hobby again. That way the sport card mentality would leave comics again. I hated it in the 90s and I hate seeing it now.

07-24-2018, 09:54 PM	#23
fastballspecial Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 684 fbscomics	New Mutants Marvel Two In One X-men Alpha Flight FF New Mutants X-Men Red Wolf/Marvel Spotlight