You’ve undoubtedly seen the headlines of first appearances of Superman and Batman and Captain America selling for hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars.
And, if you are an opportunist collector like so many are, you’ve probably asked yourself, can I do in comics what I’ve done in cards? For that, we tracked down Matt Nelson, president and primary grader of CGC, which is the No. 1 comic grader in the world, for insight. Here’s what he told us are the Top 5 Ways To Crack Into the Comic Book Game.
First appearances are like debuts for superheroes and other comic characters, and the rise of the first appearances has been astronomical over the years. Nelson said collectors from the sports card space have been a major part of this growth in recent years. Action Comics No. 1, Superman #1 and Batman #1 are now worth millions in high grade. Many have bought Incredible Hulk No. 1 and Detective Comics No. 27, Thor and Iron Man, or even Spiderman #300 from 1988, Todd McFarlane’s classic cover and one of the first appearances of Venom.
Like any market, you need to know the rules, Nelson says. A book that has been restored might have been color touched. It will still get graded, but it will get graded with a purple label, which will affect its value. Pressing, which is essentially flattening out bends and wrinkles, is not only accepted, but CGC even provides the service. Finding magazines that have flaws, but ones that can be corrected can turn into a real value.
The very best comics are rarely going to be at estate sales, but your chance of finding a great comic worth thousands of dollars is possible. If you are willing to hunt, and be smart about it, you can win.
With the rise of Marvel films, those who invest in comic books ahead of when a movie is announced, can have good arbitrage. Nelson said there’s a chance to get a nice return on the announcement of the movie, when the movie comes out and then when a possible sequel is announced. He stresses that if you are buying it long after the announcements of the movie, you’re probably too late to cash in.
Nelson said he’s all good with people who want to be flippers, but it’s always healthy, as long as you are getting into the space to find something that you like and collect it. If you can find something that you like that you can enjoy and flip? More power to you.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct and one of the country’s leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.
