What’s “worth” protecting?

Every comic book I own has value to me. I assume this is the case for most comic collectors. I understand that there are different “types” of collectors. There are people who buy and read comics for the simple reason of enjoying the art and the stories. There are “speculators” who buy (and don’t read) comics based on the profit they think they can make turning around and reselling. On a sliding scale from Pure Enjoyment to Hardcore Speculator I tend to fall much closer to the pure enjoyment end of the scale. I understand that comics have an after market value and thanks to sites like InvestComics, Ebay and Stashmycomics (to name a few) companies like Overstreets, I can find the approximate monetary value of every comic I own at any time.

 

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Here are some comics I picked up after reading the Brokers Report on InvestComics. It was a lot of fun tracking these books down, and I got quite a deal on them because I bought early.

I have never sold or traded a comic, I keep what I buy and intend to read what I buy. Even though I do not participate in reselling comics I must admit I enjoy knowing what my comics are worth, and find it fascinating watching a comic go from its cover price value to being worth hundreds of dollars in the aftermarket. This brings me to my main question and one I assume most collectors ask themselves.

What is worth protecting?

To answer this question we need to establish a baseline and work from there. Let’s start with current market conditions and start with cover price. Also, let’s baseline what a box of comics holds. I know that it depends on the paper type and page count of the books inside the box, but for this example let’s say a short box holds 150 comics and a long box holds 300 comics. Currently, with a $2.99 cover price per issue, the value of a full short box is $448.50 and a full Long Box would be $897.
Now, every comic collector knows that “holding the line at $2.99” wouldn’t last forever. When I started collecting comics they cost less than a dollar. Many comic titles today sell for $3.99 or more for a variety of reasons.
So, with a $3.99 cover price per issue a the value of a full short box is $598.50 and the value of a full Long Box would be $1,197.
Makes you think twice about a box full of comics doesn’t it?

Now, we have an approximate value for a full short and long box, but this just takes the cover price of the comics into account. Let’s not forget that the bags and boards cost money and the box itself is not free either. Also there is that “occasional” issue that is worth more than its cover price in the aftermarket. This can push the value of any long or short box well into the thousands of dollars range. At cover price alone, I don’t want to lose any comics. Nor do I want to lose any of the books that actually have a higher aftermarket value even though I have no plans to sell them. Some of my comics have sentimental value, and these books mean more to me than the cover price or the aftermarket value. Which brings me to my bottom line. How can anyone keep their comics safe in storage?

After experiencing loss and damage to some of my comics during storage, I was very upset (see this story). These were tough experiences and the only thing I “learned” from them is Murphy’s Law will always apply to me. So, to kick Murphy’s law in the ass I started looking for a solution to my comic storage needs, and much to my surprise there was nothing available. During my online reading I found out I am not the only person to experience the dark side of storage. So after much research, planning design and testing… I developed a solution called Collection Armor.

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This product will meet storage needs for collectors helping to keep comics in the same condition in which they begin their storage. Collection Armor is made from a foil barrier film that is formed into a 3-D pouch that is custom designed to perfectly fit short and long comic boxes. The pouch is sealed at to top with a heavy duty zipper to create an internal environment that is water/vapor proof, grease proof, and flexible. This material is typically used in military applications for moisture/oxygen sensitive items. The laminated foil material keeps harmful light from damaging your comics. The heavy duty zipper seal keeps water and any other harmful contaminants from coming into contact with your collection. In short, for $20-$25 dollars your collection could be optimally protected with Collection Armor.

To be one of the first to purchase this great new product consider supporting its release at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1770694694/collection-armor.

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-MP

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