Oh the horror! Many reading this have heard the stories and winced in sympathy when they were told. The plot is always the same: Evil, sadistic mothers who had nothing better to do but throw away countless cherished comic book collections. These chilling tales almost always involve poor unwitting kids who were away at college or off in the military at the time it could have been stopped. Then, after suffering several 4 years of dorm room angst or worse, they came home to face the most jaw-dropping horror of all – the realization the one person they trusted and loved the most has driven a giant dull edged dagger right into their back and twisted it! It is in large part due to that very fact (sorry moms everywhere – but you’ve had this coming a long time) and the many paper drives which occurred during World War II – that makes comic books from the 1930’s through the 1970’s sometimes rare and worth so much today.
It is interesting to note the most valuable comic book collections were amassed by people who never considered the books to be investment vehicles at all. Davis Crippen (1930-2005) assembled a huge collection of 10 cent comic books – the period comic book collectors refer to as the “Golden Age” – by buying them straight off the rack from 1938 to 1953. To keep track of the books, he created his own special coding system which included the letter “D” written on the cover of many of his comics. Although he might not have ever considered them an investment, they turned out to be none-the-less. As many comic book collectors have an almost, lets say mental desire to keep their books very neat and orderly, they in turn become unwitting investment gurus and this clearly was the case with Mr. Crippen. Many of his books turned out to be the highest graded examples ever brought to market. As he had collected approximately 11,000 books – his investment costs were probably around $1,500 (I am adding a bit for bicycle tires and bubble gum.) In late 2007 his books had already brought in $2,000,000 with several thousand still to be auctioned. The return on investment? A staggering 133,233.33% with the $2 mil alone (minus about 10% in auction fees no doubt). Mr. Crippen was jokingly accused of having a time travel device by some collectors.
Most comic collectors agree that, unless you are an expert in comic book grading or the price is too good to pass up, novices should stick to copies of the books that have been professionally graded and sealed in hard plastic by the CGC of Sarasota, Florida. That way investors can be certain of the grades for the books they are buying and are not relying on “Earl’s” opinion from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They should also take the time to peruse the Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide – the comic book collecting guide most collectors use and trust – to learn how to grade, discover other investment candidates and to see if they might be paying too much.
One of the best things about investing in comic books is the low maintenance comic books involve. As long as they are kept in a cool, safe, dark low humidity environment you should be all set. It is important to also keep them laying flat, away from pets and cigarette smoke and chocolate covered curious hands. If kept upright, books have a tendency to slide and bend over the years, which can completely ruin your investment. It is best to have books professionally graded and sealed in plastic – or at least bagged and boarded with proper acid free comic book supplies. This way the book is safe from the occasional ding or fingerprint. A simple insurance policy will cover any loss to your books should there be a flood or fire. The other comforting fact about comics is – as opposed to stocks or other investments – you don’t have to worry about the decisions of that new CEO, or the sudden drop in price of oil because of that giant new recently discovered oil well.
Typically, the higher the grade of the book, the more desirable it will be to collectors and the higher return on investment in the long run. The books mentioned below in this article have regularly averaged 10% to 15% return on investment over the past 30 years. There are many other examples of high grade books bringing much higher returns and other ways investors can make money from books such as pressing or having books signed by their creators or other significantly involved persons. Some books can also increase in value if they are properly restored, but most of the time restoration is frowned on by the industry – and restored books can receive big hits to their value if the book is not a good restoration candidate.
Fear not. Although most of us do not have the luxury of traveling through time to select our books, interested investors can still find stability even when paying full market price for certain books. According to Hulk181.com, the value of The Incredible Hulk #181 featuring the first full appearance of the popular character Wolverine has increased in value almost every year except one since it was published in 1974. This book which originally cost 20 cents is now selling for anywhere between $2,000 to $30,000 in very high grade. Interested investors can even buy an investment grade copy of Hulk 181 through their site.
“When I am selecting a comic book for investment”, says long time collector Keith Nickerson of Portland, Maine, “I look for first appearances of characters that have really had an impact on our culture. Characters like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and great Bronze Age (1970’s era comics) investments like the first Punisher appearance in Spider-Man #129 and the first appearance of the New X-Men in X-Men #94 are the types of books I invest in. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 has proven to be a good long term investment too – but I like to stick to the main characters that have really had a huge impact on our culture.”
Here are what we would consider to be the top investment caliber
Most comic collectors agree that, unless you are an expert in comic book grading or the price is too good to pass up, novices should stick to copies of the books that have been professionally graded and sealed in hard plastic by the CGC of Sarasota, Florida. That way investors can be certain of the grades for the books they are buying and are not relying on “Earl’s” opinion from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They should also take the time to peruse the Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide – the comic book collecting price guide most collectors swear by – to discover other investment candidates.