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.
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.
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