Question:
I recently came into possession of a number of Marvel Comic Books of all
varieties that seem like new in cellophane bags holding many copies each. They
are mostly 60 cents cover price from 1982 and 75 cents cover price from 1985
IIRC. I would like to sell them at considerably over the cover price if I can,
(I don't think they are exactly the first issue of Action Comics:) otherwise I
will read them and not be so careful with them. I got them cheaper than I could
have retail when they first came out. You tell me where I got them from if you
can, I won't tell you:) (If they are worth anything I want to keep my source a
secret, if not, I don't want to admit I was took:)
Can anyone give me an idea of what I may be able to get for them? I am probably
only going to try to sell them to local dealers, but I want to be forearmed
with knowledge before I walk in the door if possible.
I may disagree with what you have to say, but I
will defend until YOUR DEATH your right to say it!
Answer:
-ask in rec.arts.comics.marketplace that's why it's there for this sort
of stuff.
-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.
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.
