Collecting Comics
A collection of essays

Tony Hyman's article
Arlene Harris's letter
Tony Hyman's response
Arlene Harris's article
Win Bent's article
Ted Wood's article

Rare Books Could Be Worth Thousands Today

SEPT. 2, 2000 (CBS News) - What used to bring simple laughs now ranks among one of the most popular collectibles in the world and among the most valuable. The Saturday Early Show's Collectibles Expert Tony Hyman looks at comic books.

Before the advent of the television, comic books were the entertainment of choice for many youngsters growing up in the early and mid-20th century. Some of the most popular comics followed Lulu, Batman, Captain Marvel and Archie. Comic book included Western, war, crime, horror and science-fiction genres; romantic comics were geared toward female readers.

In the mid-'60s comics peaked in popularity. More than 3,000 titles hit the stands. Of those, about 100 or so are hot items with today's collectors.

Most wanted are comics that sold for a dime between 1934 and 1961. After 1961, the price rose to 12 cents. Most of these later comics have little value, except for the Spider-Man, X-Men and Fantastic Four series.

Of the 10-cent comics, those chronicling superheroes such as Superman and Batman bring big bucks. Some can be worth thousands of dollars in like-new condition.

Comic collectors are among the fussiest. A touch of rust on a staple affects the value. Any comic in poor condition holds little interest for collectors and is almost impossible to sell.

If you come across a stack of 10-cent comics, remember the couple in Nova Scotia who bought a house, found a pile of comics in the attic and sold the stack for twice what they paid for the house.

Hi, I just wanted you to know that we on the EBay Comic Book Chat Board thought your article about what was "valuable" and what wasn't in comic books was a complete scream. 12 cent comics worthless unless they're good or they're XMen? Whoever told you that is jerking your chain or trying to get you to buy into the whole "slabbing" argument.

Why don't you come by where REAL comics are sold and see about relative value. We've got high-end spenders, dealers, and "bottom feeders" (who collect ONLY medium grade comics to complete runs, and then upgrade as they can). The real collectors, NOT the speculators.

And to write an article about comics and collecting and not even once mention EC is downright ignorant.

However you did give us all a laugh today. I'm sure that wasn't what you intended with your article, but it was pretty damn funny. It had everything but the "Zap! Pow! Comics aren't just for kids anymore!" headline.

(Edited and re-formatted by whbjr)
(...)
> And to write an article about comics and collecting and not even once
> mention EC is downright ignorant.

I've personally been an EC collector since 1952.

> However you did give us all a laugh today. I'm sure that wasn't what you
> intended with your article, but it was pretty damn funny. It had everything
> but the "Zap! Pow! Comics aren't just for kids anymore!" headline.

> Arlene C. Harris

OK , Arlene. Now YOU write about comics collecting and show me what I should have said, and remember you get only 60 seconds to say it in. That's 3/4 ths of a page in 18 point Times.

Good luck. I look forward to what you have to say. If it's any good, we may even post it on the CBS website.

You've probably heard the one about the couple in Canada that bought a house, found a stack of comics in the attic and sold the comics for twice what they paid for the house. Barring this sort of "once in a lifetime" occurrence, with a little research and a little perserverance, you can start your own collection. But where to begin? You're at a flea market and you see a stack of old comics. How do you know if they're horribly overpriced or a fabulous deal? Or maybe you actually did find a box of comics under the floorboards while spraying for termites. What do you do with them?

As with everything collectible, your best approach to either collecting or speculating in comic books, and your best defense against getting rooked, is knowledge. Buy a good price guide, like Overstreet, available at your local bookstore. But remember that the guide is only a guide; if you sell your stack of found comics to a retailer be aware that they may only give you half of the guide's listed value for it, if you're lucky; their profit comes from the other half, because you can be sure the store will be selling it for at least guide price, if not more. Scan the listings of online auction houses like EBay or Amazon; see what similar titles in similar conditions have sold for. And watch market trends; X-Men is hot again this summer due to the release of the movie, but unless the Spider-Man movie bombs at the box office you can almost bet that Spider-Man comics will be a hot commodity again in the near future.

Get a basic working knowledge of the grading system for comic book condition; a folded corner or a spine tear can sometimes mean a difference of hundreds of dollars in the rarer books. Cover price can sometimes be a clue to a comic's value, but a 12 cent comic isn't necessarily worth less than a 10 cent comic. Know the difference between Marvel Comics and DC Comics, find out where the Golden Age books end and the Silver Age begin, and have a working knowledge of now defunct comic companies such as Charleston, EC, and Dell. And remember that comic books aren't just superheroes; there are Romance comics and Horror comics and Westerns and Science Fiction--basically, if there's a book genre, there's an identical comic book genre.

If you're collecting to read, your approach will be different than that of a speculator; collectors tend to read their books, whereas speculators tend to seal them in plastic until the value goes up like any other tradeable commodity. But even low grade comics can be valuable to people filling in holes in their collections. There is no absolute value in comic book collecting; value is based on what it's worth to the seller to sell, and to the buyer to buy.

Your best strategy for collecting comic books, whether for pleasure or profit, is: know what you want, understand what its value is on the open market, and decide how much it's worth to you.

Are comic books kid stuff? Well, sure, but they're just as collectible as dolls, toys, and lunchboxes! And like those other items, the value increases dramatically for older, rarer, and better-condition comics. A beat-up copy of Spider-Man from the 1980s might sell for a dollar or less, but a copy of Spider-Man #42 from 1966, containing the first appearance of his future wife Mary Jane, sold on eBay recently for $249. Wolverine, one of the X-Men made even more popular by this summer's movie, made his first appearance in a Hulk comic in 1974; copies of that comic have been known to sell for over $1000!

But there are many types of comic books - Westerns, funny animals, horror and science fiction, war and romance. All are considered collectible, and all are valuable to one degree or another.

Naturally, some comics are valuable just because they're old. Even the "lesser" super-hero comics of the 1940s can bring in $20 to $50 in poor condition, just because it's hard to find any copies at all! "My mom threw out all my comics" is a sad story told by many former collectors.

In all cases, the condition of a comic determines its value: Is it flat and glossy, or wrinkled and torn? The difference between these two "grades" can mean a ten-fold difference in price!

Beware of speculation, though - like all "commodities," comic prices go up and down over the years, so the stack you bought in 1990 for a thousand dollars may not be worth a hundred today. Or the treasured stack of All-Star comics your dad's saved since 1945 could be enough to pay off your mortgage!

Ever seen a stack of old comics for sale, and wonder if there were a rare treasure worth thousands inside the pile? How can you tell?

As a shopper looking for a hidden fortune, there are basically three guidelines to follow:

1. Series and Issue. Most comics have a summary of publication data located on the bottom of the first page inside the cover, including the title, date, and issue number. The title and issue of a comic are the greatest factors regarding value. While superhero comics are currently popular, a copy of "The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide" ($20-30 dollars at a local bookstore) will help you determine if the comic you are holding is really valuable or not.

2. Condition. "Right off of the press" or Near Mint quality is most desired, and every nick, rip, gouge, scotch tape, rusty staple or pen mark will lower the value exponentially. Even 'poor' comics, however, will attract attention if the collector is looking to 'fill a hole' in his series or collection.

3. Age of the comic. Very few comics in the past twenty-five years are worth more than $25.00, and most of them are worth less than $4.00 in perfect shape. Cover prices are a good indication of age - 5, 10, and 12 cent covers are from the 60's and earlier, while 25 cent and up comics were sold in the 70's and later.

Westerns, romance, science fiction, funny animal, horror, crime, and historical fiction comics have all been published since the 1920's and 30's. The wide range of comic subjects is one thing that makes the hobby appealing to collectors - and what can make a $2 comic into a $30.00 comic that a collector wants.

Using a few of these basic principles, you can pull some of the gold from the dross the next time you hit the flea market. Finding an old Superman or Batman comic in great condition may make you rich, but remember - the true joy of comic collecting comes from actually reading them.