Question:
I'm writing an article for a school paper about collecting, and I need
information about comic book collecting-- I need to find out which series
are the most valuable and what makes certain comic books worth more than
others... personal opinion, information or web sites are good responses.
Answer:
-There's a book (updated every year) called THE OVERSTREET PRICE GUIDE FOR
COMIC BOOKS. It has articles describing why certain comics are more
valuable than others, as well as a brief history of comic books. Most of
the book is a catalogue of prices you're likely to pay for specific comics
at a comic book shop. Your local public library probably has a copy; the
Deway Decimal number is 741.5 (It might be in the Reference section).
Books tend to be in demand for a combination of factors, including the
scarcity of available copies, the popularity of specific characters, writers
or artists featured in a book, first appearances of characters who later
became popular, etc.
-Here's the bit on comic book pricing from the RAC/RACM FAQ:
Price guide a good start, but they can be misleading. In today's current
market, the vast majority of comic books from the mid-80s to the present
are worth about a nickel each. Yes--five cents a comic. And many dealers
will not even buy books they have in stock, at all. Of course there are
some exceptions, but they are rare.
The only online comic book price guide I've been able to locate is
ComicsPriceGuide.com. However, at present, it only seems to cover Marvel
and DC books)
http://www.comicspriceguide.com/
However, looking at what people are asking and getting for comics on
rec.arts.comics.marketplace, ebay (or other internet auction services) can
give you a good idea of the "street price" of your comics.
There are also a number of "dead-tree" price guides available:
The "Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide" is published annually (now in its
29th edition), and is most comprehensive comics price guide available. (The
only significant lapse in its coverage is a lack of listings for
underground comics.) Prices in the "Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide" tend
to be closer to real world prices than those of most competing price
guides.
WIZARD magazine includes a price guide section each month. WIZARD's price
guide is far from complete; however, it tends to only cover the more recent
and/or collectible comics. Prices listed in WIZARD also tend to be higher
than in other price guides.
The people who produce the COMIC BUYERS GUIDE also produce a comic book
price guide, the "Comic Book Checklist and Price Guide." Edited by CBG
editor Maggie Thompson and Brent Frankenhoff, this price guide is written
in a checklist format, allowing collectors to use it for inventorying their
collections. Updates to this guide are published regularly in the COMIC
BUYERS GUIDE. The editors of the COMICS BUYERS GUIDE also publish the
STANDARD CATALOG OF COMIC BOOK, which includes price guide information, as
well.
Finally, Antique Trader publishes Alex G. Malloy's "Comics Values Annual."
Although a serviceable enough price guide, "Comics Values Annual" is rarely
used to set prices by comic dealers.
Two things to keep in mind about price guides. First, prices listed vary by
condition. Most price guides list prices based on "Very Fine" or "Near
Mint" condition. Less well-preserved comics are worth less. Secondly,
prices listed are what a comics dealer would be likely to SELL a comic book
for. If you are selling a comic book to a dealer, you will get
significantly less-rarely more than one-half guide value; usually much
less.
Collecting comic books is a very poor way to make money. If you want an
investment, try a mutual fund.
