raztaman420

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3/18/2017 Topic: X-Force #1 Vol. 1 [Question] raztaman420	If you're keeping it as an investment or keepsake, keep it in the bag since the card also comes with it, and the future value should be the highest when it's not tampered with. However, at the time when all the bagged comics were coming out (early 90's), my comic shop owner said that it's possible that comics left in their bags like that would possibly get damage such as staining or deterioration. I bought a huge stack of X-Force #1.....just like many people did at the time :-( .......but I haven't taken a look at them recently to see if they got messed up. Like the other reply said, at least keep the comic bag and board fresh.
3/18/2017 Topic: Looking to Invest in GOTG comics raztaman420	You missed the boat on GOTG. I remember buying that back in the day and thinking it's too lame to be worth anything. Now I can't believe it's even up to $12 in NM. If you know about a new character appearing in the new movie, you should try to jump on that first appearance issue. Perhaps you can pursue the Infinity Gauntlet comics and characters. That's still yet to come, and character back issues vary from really expensive (1st Silver Surfer) to medium (1st Thanos) to low price (Infinity Gauntlet #1). It's aguessing game so far about the plot and main characters. ~raz
3/18/2017 Topic: So, I am ready to liquidate portions of my collect raztaman420	I also think many collectors love buying slabbed books, they probably have the raw issues as well. As for getting them slabbed or not.....I don't think it's really worth it unless the silver age book is above 7.5. Sounds like you have a solid collection, condition-wise. I'd be interested in taking a look at my favorite titles, namely Daredevil, X-Men and ASM to name a few.
3/18/2017 Topic: When to replace bags and boards raztaman420	My comic shop owner told me that bags and boards should be replaced every five years or so, so that the acids don't affect the book and potentially discolor or deteriorate them. Is that true? I have a lot of books and it would be a huge chore, not to mention really pricey. Perhaps I should just go through them and pull the valuable ones...
3/18/2017 Topic: When to replace bags and boards raztaman420	I can't remember the brand name for the bags and boards, mostly bought in the early 90's, but they did say "acid free" and were made for preserving comics, of course. That's why I was wondering...why won't they be good for a longer time....like 30 years, for example.
3/19/2017 Topic: What book U bought at cover price that sky rocket raztaman420	We can go on forever about the cover price books we bought that went up in value, but you said after "a year or so". The fastest ones I noticed that jumped in value was the Ultimate Spider-Man #1, which was a shock to me because you would think everyone and their mom bought it. But still for some reason it went up a lot in a short time. NYX #3, and that was up to $30 only a month or so after it came out. I also remember buying "The Goon" in the late 90's, just because it was a first issue and the art was cool. Carefully read it, bagged and boarded. I thought it was a junker, then a decade later I checked and it's in the hundreds. Talking about handling comics and when I started to care...that was when I discovered Ebay and saw all the huge differences in prices between F/VF/NM etc. I sent some books I thought were perfect to CGC, they came back a 9.2 or 9.4. When I read the books now, I'm like a surgeon. My fingers don't touch the book. I use something to turn the pages (a chopstick, a butter knife, whatever is there and clean), and carefully slide that sucker in the bag. At the comic shop I take the entire stack and pick the cleanest ones out of the batch. I just stopped short of asking the comic shop guy not to touch them.....but I digress.. Thinking back to my early teens, would have to be New Mutants #87. That was a $30 book at comicons a few months after it came out, and even the gold reprint was out shortly after. New Mutants #98 took much longer to go up, everyone was banking on Cable blowing up, but Deadpool was the one that became a household name. Remember cosmic spidey? That came out and I was at a convention...one seller was trying to sell it for $5 when it was new, fresh on the rack! ~raz edited by raztaman420 on 3/19/2017
3/19/2017 Topic: Joseph Linser vs. Joseph Michael Linsner raztaman420	These two artists are in the creator list, but are they the same person? If so, an admin should go in and change every Jospeh Linser entry into Jospeh Michael Linsner, and also delete the Joseph Linser name...especially since it's spelled incorrectly. It should not have been added in the creator list in the first place. Just a suggestion. Thanks. ~raz
3/19/2017 Topic: STAIN 1A raztaman420	The book "Stain #1A" has incorrect facts. Should be changed to "Tim Vigil cover". By the way, is this the best way to report inaccuracies when I find them? Should I just send a private message to the staff? Thanks. ~raz
3/21/2017 Topic: Grading raztaman420	Looks like home plate is facing the wrong direction on the World's Finest cover!
3/21/2017 Topic: CGC vs. CBCS vs. PGX raztaman420	Could anyone give some honest opinions about the differences between these grading companies? One reason I'm asking is because I see the CBCS and PGX graded books sell for less than the CGC books (on ebay) and I'm wondering why that is. I would imagine all the companies do a good job with grading and stick to a strict standard. Thanks. ~raz
3/23/2017 Topic: CGC Remains a Mystery raztaman420	fandangoman wrote: Do you guys recomend having our books graded? I'm sceptical about the time and cost of having this done. Some say it takes up to 7 months and you really have no guarantee of what the grade will come back as. Do you guys have a base value that you use as a guide before considering having it graded? I spent good money and time for getting books graded about 15 years ago, when CGC was still pretty new. It did take a lot of time, and I even drove to their office once (in Sarasota, FL) to drop off and pick up books. In the waiting room was sitting a guy with a stack of freshly slabbed comics from the 50's and 60's....stuff like EC comics westerns (before they turned to horror), Tales From the Crypt, Amazing Fantasy 15, Fantastic Four #1, all in 9.0 or higher grades. White pages. I was stunned. He told me the story of how he acquired them, etc. but I digress... I sent books to CGC and they came back one or two grades below what I expected. I had bought books solely for investment, flipping them on Ebay as that was just starting to happen at the time, and it didn't work out. I just didn't do it on a bigger scale like comic shops and vendors. Some old silver and golden age books came back restored when the original seller didn't know or disclose it.... I wouldn't get books slabbed unless they would grade above a 9.0 for bronze and modern age, or above a 7.5 for silver, or 5.0 for golden age. Just my opinion. I would rather just buy pre-slabbed books than try to buy them raw, send them to CGC and hope for the best. As for 10s or 9.9s and 9.8s MT/NM grades, even a brand new book on the shelf may be a 9.6 after the comic shop drops them in the rack. Then you get people thumbing through them with their grubby paws. Then you have to pick up the book and take it to the counter. Then the clerk picks it up to read the cover price. Get the point? I'm pretty such CGC puts the books under blacklight to look for restoration and fingerprints show up. A book that's a 10 probably has the perfect staples, binding, edges cut, and not a fingerprint. A 9.8 is perfect save for a micro imperfection or fingerprint not seen by the naked eye. I would guess most books off the rack are a 9.6. Maybe these days they get packed better than back in the day when they were squeezed into a cardboard box and tossed down at the back door of the comic shop. ~raz
4/19/2017 Topic: If I buy my comics directly??? raztaman420	Long time ago, in the early 90's, I ordered Marvel comics by subscription. I enjoyed getting the books in the mail but I was disappointed that they were loosely bagged in plastic without a rigid backer, so the condition the books arrived in was around VF or NM- Just wanted to mention that when considering how to get your books. I would have a pull or reserve list at the store. Go in once a month and pick up your books. ~Stephen
4/19/2017 Topic: NYX # 3 CBCS 9.8 raztaman420	Nice book. I remember back when it came out. I missed it by a month, and I had to pay a little more to get it. I bought a few razor sharp copies off ebay, two or three copies (can't remember exactly how many). I put them away in 2004 and haven't seen them since. I wonder if they are 9.6s or 9.8s. I live overseas now, so I won't be grading them for a long time in the future. Perhaps I will leave one raw, ungraded....~Stephen
4/19/2017 Topic: Amazing Spiderman #6 - Help with grading, please. raztaman420	Looks to me like the book's a strong Fine, but a F-/VG+ with the marker.
3/17/2018 Topic: New Look to Sales Page raztaman420	I just logged in after a while, what happened to the values of graded books? Speaking of changes and new looks, I don't mind a format update, but I miss the graded values. Perhaps I missed it somewhere...?
3/23/2018 Topic: First Amendment Publishing raztaman420	I have issue #3 from First Amendment Publishing titled: He Said/She Said Comics Presents: The Bill Clinton Story (flipside of the comic is titled "The Gennifer Flowers Story" $3.00 Cover price Cannot find this publisher or issue on the database.
3/24/2018 Topic: First Amendment Publishing raztaman420	Thanks!
3/25/2018 Topic: Evil Ernie Youth Gone Wild Director's Cut! raztaman420	Cannot locate this comic: Evil Ernie Youth Gone Wild Director's Cut! There are a few "Youth Gone WIld" titles for Evil Ernie, this original one from 1995 isn't listed in the database, unless I missed it. Link to an image: https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/13/135889/2634037-evil_ernie_youth_gone_wild_directors_cut_1.jpg
3/25/2018 Topic: Evil Ernie Youth Gone Wild Director's Cut! raztaman420	Inside the comic it's listed as 1995. Thanks for helping me find it in the database! I'm cataloging my collection this month so I will need more help most likely.
3/26/2018 Topic: Evil Ernie Youth Gone Wild Director's Cut! raztaman420	Thanks for the info!