CapnDoug

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3/5/2016 Topic: CapnDoug's Back Issue Discoveries CapnDoug Administrator	These are the last few of the recent pick ups from the cons and the collection. I have more that I picked up while the forums were down, but I'll just finish off the recent things for now. There were only two issues of Strange Tales in the collection. It makes sense since the guy seemed to like Doctor Strange. But a nice, frequently overlooked issue in decent shape. Jim Starlin issues featuring Warlock or Thanos. Always nice to find for cheap. So, while I was at the con, a guy walked up to my table and saw what I was selling. He figured I might be interested in the stuff he was trying to sell. Why you would go to a con to sell a few issues, I don't know. Anyway, most of the stuff, I already had, but I did buy what he was offering (at a very low price. He was very insistent that I should buy his stuff. I gave him near guide for the stuff I didn't have, and still feel like I over paid for everything.) Anyway, now I'm two issues closer to a full run of Uncanny X-Men. This was the only expensive issue I was missing between #125 and #350.
3/6/2016 Topic: Cover miscut CapnDoug Administrator	Some defects can help the price, like having an extra cover. But in most cases, defects will hurt the value of the book. This like this, I believe this is called a miswrap, usually knock the value of the book down. I think most printing defects, even the most severe ones, would knock the book down to an 8.0 max, if the rest of the book is in pristine condition. Some people might know a bit more, though.
3/9/2016 Topic: JLA One Million #1 CapnDoug Administrator	http://comicspriceguide.com/collection/dc/jla/1,000,000/pkuqov It's not a separate series, but #1,000,000 of the series, just like the Marvel -1 issues.
3/10/2016 Topic: Cover artist question CapnDoug Administrator	When an artist pays homage to another artist's work, they will usually sign the work "after X." In this case, Ron Frenz is paying homage to a cover that was originally done by Sal Buscema (not sure of the issue, though). The character poses are deliberately the same, that sort of thing. Artists do this all the time, taking an iconic cover and paying homage to it by copying it for their book (usually called a cover swipe). Short answer: no. Sal Buscema was not an artist on the cover.
3/10/2016 Topic: captain america# 241 CapnDoug Administrator	There are a few people who collect double covers, but they are not likely to pay a large premium. Double covers are not exactly rare, but they do have one major advantage, though: When a double cover is graded, the grade is based on the condition of the inside cover, which is usually in better condition. So, a double cover is more likely to be in high grade and command a higher price.
3/11/2016 Topic: 2nd printing values CapnDoug Administrator	You are correct that usually the first printing is the more desirable copy, but there are a few things that occur when a later printing becomes more valuable. In most cases, the 2nd, 3rd and later printings have lower print runs and are rarer as a result. Some people do actually want all the printings, and when a book is common, like with the Death of Superman storyline, the later printings can be more valuable. More recently, publishers have started adding different covers to the second printing, making them more sought after. So, while the 1st printing is usually the more valuable one, that's not always the case, as you are discovering.
3/11/2016 Topic: Greg's Collection Corner CapnDoug Administrator	Oh yeah, eBay can be a money pit when you are really focusing on collecting a specific thing. Conventions, too. On the plus side, you're building up a nice collection.
3/11/2016 Topic: Bruce Wayne Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Amalgam) CapnDoug Administrator	netstuffers wrote: WHich issue? It's a one shot. There's only one issue in the series and no variants. http://comicspriceguide.com/collection/marvel/bruce-wayne-agent-of-shield-amalgam/1/pirqnx edited by CapnDoug on 3/11/2016
3/11/2016 Topic: Secret Origins of Super Heroes 1978 DC CapnDoug Administrator	http://comicspriceguide.com/collection/dc/dc-special-series/10/scyqk This series confused me, too when I started finding them. The indicia actually lists both titles, making things even worse. But I think that's the issue you are looking for.
3/13/2016 Topic: CapnDoug's Back Issue Discoveries CapnDoug Administrator	So, I have a few last scans from the collection that I realize I never got around to posting. I also realize that I didn't scan nearly as many of my X-Men comics as I did my Avengers. Oh, well. This came from the pedigree collection. It was basically almost every Marvel comic that was released between 1980 and 1983. When you consider what that entails, it's pretty amazing stuff. Frank Miller on Daredevil, Claremont and Byrne on X-Men, Michelinie and Layton on Iron Man... Pretty good stuff. It also included the first 30 or so issues of this: And this: Until I found this in a collection, I honestly had no clue this existed. It's not something I had ever heard of or come across and it wasn't something I would have sought out. But, it's cool to have. This was in the second collection I ever bought. The collection had an almost complete run of West Coast Avengers up to #60 or something and a complete run of X-Factor up to #60 something and another 100 or so comics. The guy had gotten several offers that were basically "You're looking or $300 for the whole collection? How about I give you $75 for these 3 issues (#5, #6 and #24)?" If a guy wants to sell in bulk, he wants to sell in bulk. So, I was able to snag the entire collection for 86 cents an issue, most of which I was actually interested in. I somehow suspect that we are near the top of the market for this one, though. That's all for now, though. Everything I own is bagged, boarded and in a proper box (and my living room no longer looks like I'm a hoarder!). I've been looking for another good collection, but craigslist is not obliging. A few lackluster collections have come up, but nothing that I really must buy. Well.... there's one that I want to investigate when I get some more time. Has a few Avengers I need from the Perez era, a few Daredevil's I'm missing.... But it's the type of collection where he says he's got "Spider-Man #47." Amazing Spider-Man? Spectacular? Info insufficient... And I've learned not to assume the best when a guy says that. I was hoping for Amazing when that happened last. Would have been happy with Spectacular. Nope.... Web of Spider-Man. Such is the perils of buying collections.
3/15/2016 Topic: Marketplace Transactions CapnDoug Administrator	I've noticed that with the comics I am selling, be it at conventions, on eBay or on the marketplace here, the higher the price of the comic, the harder it is to sell. It's really easy to sell a comic for $1, even if it is only worth 50 cents. But selling a comic for $75 is much harder. The higher the price of the comic, the lower the number of people who can afford it (even if the $75 comic is worth $200). And when shipping is involved, buying a small number of cheap comics makes little sense, so it's the mid-priced comics that move best. It's all about the venue you're selling in.
3/15/2016 Topic: Marketplace Transactions CapnDoug Administrator	Shotgun22 wrote: CapnDoug wrote: I've noticed that with the comics I am selling, be it at conventions, on eBay or on the marketplace here, the higher the price of the comic, the harder it is to sell. It's really easy to sell a comic for $1, even if it is only worth 50 cents. But selling a comic for $75 is much harder. The higher the price of the comic, the lower the number of people who can afford it (even if the $75 comic is worth $200). And when shipping is involved, buying a small number of cheap comics makes little sense, so it's the mid-priced comics that move best. It's all about the venue you're selling in. Yea but one guy I made offers on $300 worth of books and nothing 3-4 times in a row? I don't get it I understand people have lives but a month of offers and no response?? I'd want the money Oh, you're talking about making offers on comics to buy them... Misunderstood. Part of that might be that once something goes up for sale, it doesn't go down until it's sold or taken down. So, the person who listed the comic might no longer be on the site. That's probably the reason why you can make it so that you only see things posted in the last 14 days. Might be a way to clear up the older listings, but I'm not sure of what the logistics or consequences would be.
3/16/2016 Topic: Sargon's Rubies of Life have returned CapnDoug Administrator	That's a great looking copy of House of Mystery. It's always awesome to see comics that old in that condition. It almost looks like it could be a recent comic in a retro style.
3/16/2016 Topic: purchasing storage materials CapnDoug Administrator	Honestly, if you have a local store you use, it's usually best to order through them. They order supplies on a regular basis and would probably be willing to order in extra for you. I know mine gives about a 20% discount when you buy bags, boards, boxes, whatever you need, by the case and if you ask in advance, they can easily get them for you. Ordering through BCW or Bags Unlimited or something works, too, but you usually end up paying more when shipping is factored in.
3/16/2016 Topic: purchasing storage materials CapnDoug Administrator	wire_welder wrote: Prices are ridiculous compared to about 10/15 years ago! In fairness, the quality has also increased (along with the whole inflation being a real thing). I know that when I went to replace my bags and boards 10 years ago, I was told that you were supposed to replace your bags every 5 years. Now that has gone up and you can get away with every 10 years. Bags are the one that I saw have the biggest price increase over the last 10 years.
3/16/2016 Topic: Inherited a large comic book collection. 8-10 CGC CapnDoug Administrator	It honestly is going to depend on how quickly you want to sell them. If you want to sell them fast, talk to a dealer or a local comic store. They will usually buy everything, but they won't give you much for a lot of it. All those $3 and $5 comics would be bought for 10 cents a piece. The valuable stuff would be bought for about half price. Not the best, but it will get the job done quickly. The second option would be to sell it in bulk on craigslist or eBay or something. Take lots of pictures and make sure you showcase the high value stuff. You're likely to get a better price, but it could take a while, and it's still probably only going to be a low price per issue. Third, you can take it to a local auction house. They will make sure it gets advertised and you'll get an ok price. If you don't want to do that, you're going to need to piece it out yourself. That means making a list of everything you have and posting individual issues on eBay, here, or taking the collection to a local comic convention or flea market. You can easily use the price guide here to get an idea of what each issue is worth, but remember that grade will determine the price (there's a grading guide here, too). It will be a lot of work, but it's going to get you the most money for the collection. And then, when you've sold it down enough, you can just take the last few boxes to a dealer to finish the project. Hope this helps. edited by CapnDoug on 3/16/2016
3/16/2016 Topic: Inherited a large comic book collection. 8-10 CGC CapnDoug Administrator	Coldlight wrote: Thanks for the input, I'll most likely start making a list of all the comics tomorrow and see if any are worthwhile. If not I'll just keep them in storage and hopefully they'll increase in value in the future. One thing to keep in mind if you plan to put them into storage is that comics need a little maintenance to keep them from degrading. Bags and boards need to be replaced every few years (about every 10 years). Especially if they have been sealed shut with tape (the tape turned the bag to a liquid). I know that the comics I buy that still have their original bags and boards from the 80's and 90's have a bunch of condition issues.
3/17/2016 Topic: Marketplace Transactions CapnDoug Administrator	If the seller didn't respond, the seller didn't respond. Don't read anything more into it than that. It doesn't mean that the offer was too low. It doesn't mean that the seller has disappeared. The only person who would know why the seller didn't respond is the seller. Don't read anything more into it than that.
3/18/2016 Topic: KDS Back Issues: The Unusual, The Weird, The Cool! CapnDoug Administrator	It's always cool to see those prototype characters. And pretty great condition for a 12 cent issue.
3/18/2016 Topic: TITLE MISSING: GHOST RIDER/TYPHOID MARY CapnDoug Administrator	Are you sure it's not this issue? http://comicspriceguide.com/collection/marvel/marvel-comics-presents/128/ylsvo Marvel Comics Presents went to a flip book style late in its run, so you may be looking at the back cover.