Comic book investing vs the Stock Market
It has been a lousy year for the stock market, but not so for collectible comic books. Those quoted in this article from The Calgary Herald say that prices for rare comics have been going up significantly over the past months. So much so that investors are looking to comic books as an addition to their portfolio.
For investors, the biggest drawback to collecting comic books is the fear that you may have to attend a comic book convention and rub shoulders with middle-aged, pot-bellied delegates dressed in spandex superhero outfits.
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VERY RARE! CHARLTON COMIC BOOK THE JETSONS 1972 XEROX US $9.99 End Date: Saturday Jul-31-2010 19:04:26 PDT Add to watch list |
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Exclusive STARCRAFT 2 Comic Book RARE Launch ISSUE US $0.95 (1 Bid) End Date: Saturday Jul-31-2010 19:09:59 PDT Add to watch list |
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Comic Book Collection - Mixed Lot! Rare, #1, and more! US $2.05 (3 Bids) End Date: Saturday Jul-31-2010 19:24:00 PDT Add to watch list |
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WORLD'S FINEST, RARE DC COMICS PB, 1978 Tempo Books PB US $9.99 End Date: Saturday Jul-31-2010 20:29:03 PDT Add to watch list |
Grading Comic Books
When you’re collecting comic books, trading your comic books for other comic books that you want is somehow inevitable. Of course when you trade comic books, it’s not just the fair trading that exists in utopia. Not everything in this world has the same value, and the same thing applies to comic books.
What exactly is comic book grading?
Comic books have a certain grading scale that is crucial to know when you are collecting them. It is also important because knowing the right grade scale of a certain comic book will determine its real value. Grading of comic books is usually subjective, meaning that some comic books may have a high grade or value for other collectors while other people may put a low grade on them.
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WEST COAST AVENGERS #99 Near Mint Comics Book US $6.02 End Date: Saturday Jul-31-2010 18:49:26 PDT Add to watch list |
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WEST COAST AVENGERS ANNUAL #2 Near Mint Comics Book US $5.60 End Date: Saturday Jul-31-2010 18:49:35 PDT Add to watch list |
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WEST COAST AVENGERS ANNUAL #3 Near Mint Comics Book US $5.60 End Date: Saturday Jul-31-2010 18:49:37 PDT Add to watch list |
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Comic Book Appraisal
Comic book appraisal is similar to comic book grading. The thing is, appraising is an objective process that places a fixed price on the comic that you are selling. Furthermore, appraisal is actually the step after grading the comic.
Comic books are appraised on two factors. 1) The condition of the comic book, and 2) the year the comic book was published. The older the comic book, the more valuable it is and the better the quality, the higher the value. Also, a good mix of both qualities really gets the prices high.
To appraise a comic book, you will have to have good relations with a reputable dealer. This is because you may get scammed by dealers. Also, you will be paying quite a lot for the process as it is quite long and tedious. Just remember to be careful with appraising your comic books.
What is Appraising?
Comic book appraisal is the process of finding out the value of the book itself after it has been graded. If you want to sell a book that you think to be of particular value, you have to go through both processes to find out whether it is really that valuable. This is important because you don’t want to feel cheated at the end of the day.
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WILDC.A.T.S. #10 SIGNED Very Fine Comics Book US $2.13 End Date: Saturday Jul-31-2010 19:18:55 PDT Add to watch list |
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DAVID PETERSEN signed Free Comic Book Day with sketch US $4.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Jul-31-2010 19:34:51 PDT Add to watch list |
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Absolution #1 Dual Signed Poster Incentive Comic Book US $10.00 End Date: Saturday Jul-31-2010 19:50:57 PDT Add to watch list |
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