Getting started with your comic book collection
A comic book collection can be a fun and challenging hobby that you can start at any age and on any budget.
Choosing a title that you’ll enjoy collecting is the best part. If there are no comic stores near you, try your local bookstore, which will probably carry a few of the more popular lines. You can also do a search on the Internet to find out about the different titles that are available. There’s something for everybody – from superheroes to aliens to animals to sci-fi.
Lots of used bookstores carry old copies of comics, too. Yard sales and flea markets are other great locations to check, where you might even luck out and be able to pick up somebody else’s old collection for a super price.
Be sure to store your comics so they’ll be in mint condition years from now. You can purchase acid-free cardboard comic boxes that will withstand the elements of your home’s changing air temperatures.
Read your comic books very carefully and when you're done slip them into plastic sleeves with cardboard backings to keep them from bending. These can be purchased along with the comic book storage boxes at any comic book store.
Keep some kind of a tracking system for issues you have and what you still need. Make sure you keep it with you whenever you might run into a comic book store or other possible source.
Starting your collection sooner than later makes sense financially. The longer you wait to start, the more expensive those past issues will cost. One way to remedy this situation is to start with a brand new title. Your collection will not be valuable for a while, but you can be sure to have a full collection that you won’t have paid anything extra for.
An option might be to collect only number one issues of series. This is a great way to ensure that in the future, whichever comic proves to be a big hit, you’ll have the number one and most valuable issue. This is probably the best option for a beginner, but once you have a taste of comic book collecting, you’ll probably find yourself branching out into more and older titles.
Check on how much your older comics might be worth at your local library in guides to comic book values. They list entire series and any special issues that might be particularly valuable. These guides also list the conditions and how to determine if your comic is in fair to mint condition.
Comic book pricing guides
Comics are more than story books with pictures for kids: it is an entire industry. Rare comic books, in mint condition, can be worth thousands of dollars.
How much a comic book is worth on the open market is largely dependent on the condition, age and scarcity of the book. This guide is a short overview of the factors that influence the pricing of comic books.
Tools Of The Trade
The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide is an industry standard in comic book prices. A new edition comes out every year with updated prices for almost every comic book in the market. It also offers useful current information on current collecting trends. In addition, Overstreet has introduced a method in grading comics on a numerical range as well as a method in gauging a comic book's paper whiteness. This guide will be frequently referring to the terms used by the Overstreet Price Guide. Another current price guide, while not as exhaustive as Overstreet, is the monthly Wizard magazine.
Some dealers will usually pay 50% of the prices in Wizard or Overstreet, although in a one-to-one sale this can go up to 80%. The price also depends largely on the demand of the comic book. It is not uncommon for books in high demand to go for 100% to 120% of comic book guide prices.
© Copyright 2002-2008 Advertising Options Add URL Free Site Map Terms Of Service Privacy Policy Contact Us Home An eHuggy Network Website
Discount Retailers Directory
Discount Comic Books
Comic Book Collecting
Wholesale to The Public, Below Wholesale Inventory, Dropship
Gas prices comparison charts, gas rationing, oil prices
Passengers missing on cruises, deaths on cruise ships, ship fires, accidents, incidents
Quadruplets, Quintuplets, Sextuplets, Septuplets, Octuplets, Nonuplets, Decaplets Conjoined Twins...
Hundreds of easy recipes, all with free video instruction
The Most Comprehensive List Of Lingerie Wholesalers and Retailers On The Web
Wholesale Lingerie, Babydolls, Peignoirs, Cami Sets,
Wholesale Womens Clothing
Design, design templates, design blueprints
Cheap oceanfront condo vacations from $450 A month
Canada vacations, Muskoka vacations
Hurricane history, major hurricanes, hurricane names, hurricane tracking,
Government Warnings, Side Effects, Symptoms, Recalls,
Military personel convicted of sex crimes
Live free comedy acts online
Herbal Gifts, Vitamins, Minerals
New York City resident and tourist guide to New York City
