Tag: comic book collecting tips

How a Calendar Can Help Your Comic Book Collection

Sep. 30 Comic Book Collecting no comments

I know this might surprise you, but a calendar can help with your comic book collecting. Keeping a calendar for a particular purpose can also help to make your comic book shopping experience more pleasant.

Comic Book StorageWhat to Use the Calendar For

Every time I get the new issue of Diamond Previews and the new issue of Marvel Previews, I mark the comics I am interested in picking up outside of my regular pull. I then take the dates those comics are being released and place them on the calendar. That way I know when the comics are coming out.

Avoid Missing a New Comic

Many (if not most) of us have missed the release of a new comic we want to read. Maybe that premiere issue was the start of a great new series. Maybe it was one which skyrocketed in price because of the demand being higher than the supply. Either way, we missed out and have to hope for a second printing. Of course, this does not help with the price of the issue we missed. Keeping a collection calendar can help to avoid this situation. With new trades coming out each week, a collection calendar also helps with remembering when those trades are coming out.

Remember All Your Pulls

I have helped get pulls together for reserve customers, and I will be the first to tell you that mistakes can be made. The workers at Wonderworld Comics are great at getting all of the needed reserves together, but they are only human (at least that is what I have been led to believe). By keeping a calendar of releases, you can double check to make sure your pulls are correct each week.

Prepare Thy Pocketbook

As someone who reads a ton of comics, I know that the register receipt can add up quickly. My calendar reminds me when my cost-heavy and cost-light weeks are going to be during a month. I can plan ahead to make sure that I will not be short on a Wednesday when I really want the money.

Yet Another Push

I have spoken in the past about the importance of Diamond Previews and Marvel Previews. They open your eyes up to new series which you might not have considered otherwise. At the same time, they help you to prepare for your shopping months in advance. How can you go wrong for $4.50 for the two of them combined?

Being prepared for a new week of comics is important. The more prepared you are, the more pleasant your shopping experience will be.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Comic Book Bundles: Issues to Keep In Mind

May. 13 Comic Book Collecting no comments

I have seen more and more comic book stores and vendors at comic book shows and conventions selling comic book bundles. There are certain aspects you should keep in mind when purchasing comic book bundles.

Comic Book Storage

Comic Book Storage

The Number Run

Some vendors and comic book store owners will place the first numeric issue in their comic book bundles facing one way and the final numeric issue facing the other way to tell you what the spans are of the comic book bundles are that they have for sale. Unless otherwise noted, do not assume all of the issues between those two numbers are present.

An Example

I was at a convention recently and say a vendor with comic book bundles of Batman Adventures. Each bundle had #1 facing one direction and #36 was facing out the other direction in the sleeve. I asked if all of the issues were present in the bundle. He hemmed for a moment and said that most were present. Since the bundles were for sale for $25, I automatically knew #12, which is the first appearance of Harley Quinn in a comic book, must not have been inside. I noticed someone purchasing the package and being very disappointed that the one issue he wanted was not included.

Comic Book Bundles with Number Slips

Some vendors will place number slips on the front of the package. I have found these vendors usually stay true to having all of the issues in the span included. If you are purchasing a four issue series, you should be able to tell if all four are present by counting the spines. With the larger comic book bundles, there is nothing wrong with asking to make sure.

Quality vs. Quantity

If you are looking for reading copies of the comics in the bundles, comic book bundles might be the best way to go since you don’t have to spend hours, weeks, or years trying to find every issue in the run you want to read. Typically, you are not going to find gradable copies in comic book bundles. Placing multiple issues in a sleeve will usually compress at least some of the issues to where they would have spine damage or other types of pressure damage. If you are looking to complete a large run of comics (say all of The Avengers from #100-#300), a buyer might not mind that some of the issues are not up to par with the others.

I have purchased many comic book bundles over the years and have learned that they are a great way for expanding a collection fast and for creating a readable run without effort. As long as you make sure the issues you are going to want are present and remember that (in most cases) and quality of the issues will not be gradable, you should be safe purchasing comic book bundles too.

Tags: , , ,

Is Your Comic Book Collection Too Large to Manage?

Apr. 11 Comic Book Collecting no comments

What should you do if your comic book collection becomes too large to manage? I have seen collections which have taken over people’s houses and others which cost particular collectors tons of money to keep in storage. If you are becoming overwhelmed by a collection, there are certain steps you should take to get your head above water before it is too late.

Comic Book Storage

Is your comic book collection too large to manage?

How Large is a Comic Book Collection too Large to Manage?

The statement, “a comic book collection which is too large to manage” is actually relative to each collector. I have seen people manage collections of over 100,000 issues without a problem while others struggle to keep a collection of around 5,000 issues in check. If you are struggling with your comic book collection, it is probably time for you to realize your collection might be too large to handle.

What is Your Focus?

The first step you need to take is to ask yourself “What is the focus of my collection?” Do you prefer to collect only Marvel titles? If so, what are you doing with all of those unread DC Comics titles? Is the focus of your collection mainly on horror comics? What should you do with all of those superhero titles? If the focus of your comic book collection is on a specific character or superhero, you should separate those issues which do not jive with the rest. A great start is to eliminate any titles from your comic book collection which do not click with the focus of the comic book collection.

What if there is No Focus?

Let’s say you are a general collector who just collects without a specific focus. Take a look through your collection for titles you really don’t care for. If you are not a Superman fan, go eliminate the Superman titles. If you are not interested in Silver Age comics, eliminate those from your comic book collection.

Eliminate Doubles

For the most part, you should eliminate doubles from your comic book collection when it becomes too large to manage.  Of course, if you have reader copies so that you can keep your expensive comics safe, you should keep those. Outside of reader copies, eliminate all of your doubles and triples to help bring your collection to a manageable level.

Transfer to Trades and Omnibuses

Trades and omnibuses take up less room and can eliminate the need to keep chunks of comics if your comic book collection is overwhelming you. Instead of having the clutter of an entire run of X-Factor, I realized it made more sense to simply collect the Marvel Essential X-Factor books. I was able to liquidate a hundred comics from my comic book collection in exchange for 5 books.

Eliminate the Dollar Comics

You know you have dollar comics taking up important space in your collection. Eliminate the low-ballers to make room for those comics which will work as an investment.

There are many ways to manage a comic book collection which has become too large for you to manage. All you have to do is realize your collection is taking over your life and eliminate those issues which do not fit.

Our Marvel Essential Amazon page

Our Showcase Presents page

 

Tags: , ,

Comic Book Collecting Tips: Numerical Order

Apr. 03 Comic Book Collecting no comments

One of the comic book collecting tips which I cannot stress enough is how important it is to have your comic books stored in numerical order. Not only does this help you as a collector, it also helps any store owner you take your comic books to with the intention of trading or selling. If you are a convention vendor reading this article, these reasons apply to you as well as they will help you to move more product.

Comic Book Storage

Comic Book Storage

 

Your Collection

 

If you care at all about your comic book collection, you need to store you comics in numerical order. This is one of those comic book collecting tips you should never ignore. If you are going to search through your collection, it is much easier to find issues if they are stored in numerical order. You can gain a better grasp of the issues you need, as you simply have to find where the gaps are in your runs. If a particular issue begins to spike, such as Spawn #9 (the introduction of Angela) is now, you can easily find the copy in your storage boxes.

 

Selling Your Collection

 

When looking through a box at his or her store, comic book store owners are going to hope that your collection is in numerical order. Chances are good, if the buyer is “in the know,” he or she is going to skim your collection for certain key issues. If those issues are found, you might be looking at extra money. Those can be found easier if you follow one of the most basic of comic book collecting tips.

 

Convention Vendors and Comic Book Collecting Tips

 

As a collector, I am more likely to pass convention vendors by which do not have their comics in numerical order. I understand that people look through the boxes and the order can become messed up. As someone who has been collecting for three decades, I can tell the difference between customer negligence and seller negligence. Do everything you can as a vendor to follow as many of the basic comic book collecting tips as possible, especially this one. If I am looking through a box of yours at a convention, chances are good that I am looking for key issues. Make sure I can find them.

 

Tags: , , , ,

Comic Book Collector’s Guide to Travelling

Mar. 14 Comic Book Collecting no comments

Comic book collectors look forward to trips to their local comic book store for new gems to add to their collections, but what about when they are on vacation? During my time as a writer, I have worked as a travel writer and found myself all over the country. There are certain tips I have for any comic book collector going on vacation.

Silver Age comics

Silver Age comics

Localized Market

While travelling around the country, I have figured out a few secrets of the industry. What is hot and what is not in the comic book market can sometimes depend on where you are in the country. Comics which are retailing for $50 in Detroit comic book stores might only be retailing for $10 in Las Vegas or in Florida. I always hit the stores in other cities to see which issues I can pick up for less.

Local Gems

When comic book publishing companies are starting out, they find they have an uphill battle in getting their titles on the racks of retailers across the country. They often start out by getting their titles on the racks of their local comic book stores. You might have the chance of picking up an issue created by an out-of-town publisher which could increase in value as word of the title crosses the country.

Signatures

Some comic book collectors will go out of their way to get a copy of their favorite comic signed by one of the creators. The signature market is odd because what has high value in one market might have vary little importance in another part of the country. Sometimes, signatures of local creators sell for less in their hometown than in other parts of the country. Other creators see their signatures go for a premium around the city where they grew up. The only way to see for sure is to head into a comic book store while you are travelling.

What I Bring

I always check to see where the local comic book stores are when I am traveling. I keep some bags and boards in my suitcase so I have them if I visit a shop which does not take the extra care with their issues. Depending on how many shops I will hit while on vacation, I will take between three and ten bags and boards to make sure I am prepared.

Comic book collectors are a strange bunch, but we should always be prepared for what we might find while out on the road.

Tags: , , , ,