First, just to let you know: I am not a comic dealer. I’m a comic lover, sure, and I’ve done my fair share of collecting, but my vocation is not being a dealer. In fact, if I didn’t have something utterly incredible in the works that needed some capital to get started, I wouldn’t be selling my collection at all.
Let me be really clear, in case you missed that last line: I am selling my comics collection as a fundraiser. That means:
- No, I will not trade comics with you.
- No, I will not take pictures of the individual covers.
- No, I will not break up lots with the possible exception of Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts set, but the individual issues would probably cost you more than set.
- I’ve done my best to link related lots, and I’m trying really hard not to sell in lots greater than 10 to 12 comics. This keeps shipping reasonable for you and life easy for me.
Basic Terms, super-simple – No warranty or guarantee is offered:
The comics are sold here as-is with no guarantee or warranty. I make no claims about your ability to resell them later, but I’m also not going to sell you comics that are known crap. I pulled a few from the list as I was putting the lots together because they were just in no condition to be resold, even for a fundraiser.
There are two exceptions to this. The first is in Wolverine Pack 2, where the super-fancy foil covers are actually from a library collection in Stark County, Ohio. Many of these were inherited from a librarian, so that makes sense. I’d donated the rest of the comics that had those stickers to another fundraiser for some cheerleaders several years ago, but I hung onto these because I love the stories.
The second exception is one of the Strange Tales stand-alones, #158, which has definitely seen better days. It’s deeply discounted, too, from it’s median market value. To be fair, many of the issues from #150 up to that point are a little worn, but these are from frikkin’ 1966, what do you expect?!
The thing is, historically speaking, comics were never meant to be kept and collected. They were disposable things, printed on cheap paper with cheap ink because they had to churn out thousands of copies a week and hope to turn a profit. If you’re expecting something to look like it came right off the rack in 1966, you’re off your nutter.
Q: Why aren’t there more full sets of things?
Did I mention the part where I inherited most of these? Like a typical poor person, I read what I could and pir found the rest online to read to fill in the gaps. Sometimes it’s about the hook more than the continuity. (At least, that’s what I tell myself…) When I did my own comic book collecting back in the days before children, when “disposable income” was something that I actually had instead of something I said ironically, I was adamant about not having gaps. Time and circumstance have humbled me greatly in that regard.
Q: Why are some comics bagged and boarded and other ones are naked?
Did I mention the part about “kids” and the laughable “disposable income”? Bags and boards for over a thousand comics would come to… let’s see… over $150 if I got the really cheap crap (which I shudder to think about). Now, if you really, really want them boarded and bagged before they get to you, email me and I’ll add in a special feature where you can add 15 to 20 cents per naked comic at checkout.
Q: How local is “local delivery”?
Let me put it this way: If I have to drive down to Austin to drop off your comics, there better be a fancy-ass sushi dinner and a swank overnight stay in it for me. And gas money. Seriously, just pay the shipping.
“Local” is within reasonable distance from Irving, Texas, in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In extreme cases, I might want to meet you somewhere. For instance, I’ll be posting our comic convention schedule soon, and that would be a great time to meet up.
I’ll post more answers as people ask more questions.