Are you a general comic book collector, a mixed collector, or a specialized comic book collector? Do you know the differences between each type of collector? After reading this article – you will.
Comic Book Storage
General Comic Book Collector
An easy way to remember what a general collector is would be to think of this type of person as a diversified collector. His or her collection will have comics from various comics from various time periods. Many comic book collectors fall into this category as the collector either collects any comics she can come across or any comics she likes.
Specialized Comics Book Collector
A specialized comic book collector will only collect certain types of comics, the comics of a particular character or team, or the comics from a particular company. If you have been collecting for a long time, chances are good that you have met someone who only collects comics focused on the X-Men or Batman or a comic book collector who would never allow comics from the Big 2 in their independent comics collection. You might have met someone who is only interested in horror comics or comics from a particular company.
Mixed Comic Book Collector
Most comic book collectors would fall into this category since they might have some specialized lines in their collections, but will still be diversified. My collection has a strong focus on the 1970s, and on particular characters such as Doctor Strange, The Phantom Stranger, and Batman – but I still have comics from many other publications and titles for various reasons ranging from liking a particular line to simply liking a particular cover to a certain issue being a key issue in a title.
Advantages and Disadvantages
A general or mixed collector will never have a “complete” collection, but a specialized collector might. It gives the specialized collector something to work towards and a goal to focus on. Essentially, this gives a specialized collector a defined maximum number of comics he or she might have. A general or mixed collector can, over time, become overwhelmed by a huge collection which needs to be liquidated to make room.
At the same time, though, a specialized collector might have to pass on particular issues outside of her collection and kick themselves later. I friend of mine only collects horror comics and once passed on purchasing Avengers #7 at a resale shop because it did not fit into his collection. He became so consumed by the idea of only buying horror comics that he did not think about purchasing the early issue of the Avengers and simply trading it in at his local comic book store or selling it for money.
A general or mixed collector is typically going to have a wider view on the comic book industry since he or she will have various types of titles in the collection. Diversification is something which drives a comic book industry which is filled with hundreds of titles to choose from. Specialized collectors, though, can also have a major impact on the market since they can help to entitle a sub-genre (such as horror, science fiction, etc.) to more attention from the publishing companies.
In the End
It comes down to what type of comic book collector you want to be. There is nothing inherently wrong with any type of comic book collector, but each type has advantages and disadvantages over the others.
What type of comic book collector are you? Why is this type of collecting right for you?
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