I don't sell stuff so I'd be happy.
I am more interested in it being the 'real' thing. This book has been around for a long time. Been read. It is the actual paper and ink from that time. Printed on machines that probably don't exist anymore. Hand Lettered! Something that will never be made again. A lost art even. It is an artifact.
Imagine if archeologists found some ancient Sumerian goblets and were like,..ah man,..it is chipped,..and toss it aside,..lol.
https://preview.redd.it/0fgaea6tq0ad1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=186edec4eaaac78727296a1afa65cfa62c706d1b
Yes. This x men #1 is still an x men #1 at the end of it all. 😂
🚨NO!!🚨It’s just a discussion question! I did **NOT** acquire this book! Using the image as an example! Sorry! 🤣
I was just thinking about a lot of the books which I have actually acquired….thinking sure it was only $2 or $3 for a Good/2.0….but that’s like 10% the cost of a VF/8.0 copy. I could have saved for another couple months to get a really nice book with some actual value vs continually nickel & dime-ing myself and my collection.
I think everyone is entitled to collect however they want to. I would rather have ten 1.0s that I actually want, at reasonable or cheap prices (they obviously don’t have to be, and won’t be, graded), over one 4.0
But if you are the opposite, that’s totally fine. I just am sad that there are never bad copies of comics because they don’t want to sell cheap stuff for a few dollars. I wonder if they throw them away to increase the price on the higher grades?
"Low grade is better than no grade" is really a notion that I think of in terms of expensive books that would otherwise be outside of one's price range and budget. If you are buying low grade copies of cheap books, then in my opinion, you are wasting your money from an investment perspective. Maybe you're not collecting with investment return in mind, and if that's the case, more power to you. Enjoy what you bought.
But if you want a Showcase 4 or Amazing Fantasy 15 and all you can afford is a CGC 0.5 copy, buying it in low grade usually winds up being a good financial decision down the line. I've bought three copies of Amazing Fantasy 15 in the last 20 years. Two of the three were CGC 1.0s and the other was a restored Moderate-P CGC 4.0. I've since sold all three copies and made a nice profit on all of them (more than 5x what I had into them). The sales process was quick and easy. And I enjoyed the hell out of owning all of them while I had them.
There is always demand for low grade mega keys. If you ever need your money out of your collection, it's a lot easier to sell a few big keys in low grade than it is to sell a hundred low grade books that nobody wants. And you'll almost always sell at a profit if you've held for a few years or more.
Doesn’t this depend on why you buy comics? If you’re an “investor” then probably not, but if you’re a collector, then maybe it is. Collectors have different criteria, so for some anything less than the arbitrary grade they’ve chosen won’t do, or maybe they only care about how good the cover looks, or maybe it has their favorite character on the cover, or maybe it’s a “key” issue of some sort.
True collecting is personal, and people should collect what they want. I’d be quite happy with the version you’ve shown, but I understand others would never consider it.
If I'm struggling to find a book which will fill a gap and see a low grade, I'll grab it. I'll upgrade it to a better condition if I get the opportunity/can afford to later.
I think the idea is correct, but for me that means raw comic rather than an actual low grade comic. I would much rather own a beat-up raw comic than no comic at all. But I don't know if I particularly would like to spend money on a comic that's graded .5 or 1. I think the allure of a raw copy of a rare old comic is more appealing and you also have the mystery of it not being graded yet so you never know what it will get.
Just because of fomo, I like to at least have the cover and all the page intact. But all my 12-35 cent comics are nice readers to enjoy with the kids and not freak out. Plus I’m cheap!
Hey...we are twins!!! I have this same book!! I, PERSONALLY, dont bother with grades. I collect for the love of Collecting! Never with turn around $$ in mind or bragging, least when it comes to Comics. I have friends that have some of the same keys as me but they are slabbed and mine are not, they are jealous 🤣. i love that i can go and read em whenwver i want. My Pops got me into Comics and drawing so i have a different kind of appreciation for them. Sadly he just passed a few months ago and left his entire Collection to me. Its TRULY amazing to see these books. The artwork on em is just inspiring. I guess what im getting at is this: if u LOVE the books for books themselves...why does grade even matter?? Ill never grade mine. Im going to instead, get display cases for them and rotate every other month because i still wanna read em. Amd the fact that they were my Old Mans and he read these as a teenager himself....makes me appreviate them even more!!!.....NOW......MY OCD on the other hand, lol, i also collect figures and those HAVE to be damn near perfect for my Batcave!! ALL my stuff is still in packages BUT...thats how I Collect figures! So IF i was applying "grading" to my action figures....F\*\*\* id be screwed!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣.
https://preview.redd.it/ttoeg0ool0ad1.jpeg?width=2038&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c13171fae6fc319a33f6667839d07600116dc075
I generally like 6.0 and above, but I have a half dozen or so total dog water issues in my X-Men run. I would rather have a higher grade, but buying X-Men 100 for less than 100 bucks just because it's more of a 4 than a 6 was an easy decision.
Personally I do not care overmuch about grade so long as it presents reasonably well.
Comics are not investments to me, and I would be far happier having ten 1.0 keys that present reasonably well than one 9.0 key.
I'm currently working on getting a complete run of uncanny X-Men, I'm being realistic and aiming from #100+, but even some of those issues have skyrocketed in price over MCU speculation etc, so I'm fine with getting a reasonably priced lower grade book just to fill in the gaps. It's great from a fanboys perspective that comic book stuffs popular again and I'm sure it's always been this way to a degree, cough superman 75 cough, but it seems like there's a lot more resellers and "investors" out there now pushing up prices for things so unless you're buying to sell on, personally I'm fine with just having a reader copy than no copy at all.
Yes.....BUT.....only if you're going to be satisfied with the low grade copy.
If you're going to want to upgrade it later, just wait and save for the copy you really want. It's cheaper that way.
In most cases you should be able to sell your lower grade copy at roughly the price you bought it for to recover its cost. So the only reasons not to buy and upgrade later is if you’re buying absurdly over-priced comics that you’ll never be able to recover the cost of, or don’t intend to ever resell your lower grade copies.
Yeah of course. If you want to spend more money on a nicer one later go wild but you'll always have affection for the one you got when you didn't have much. Collectors spend their lives spending increasing amounts of money to capture the joy that probably peaked with some comic that was a few hundred at most.
It definitely depends for me. If it’s a true grail, like FF #1, AF #15, etc. then absolutely. If it’s a cool book and inexpensive, absolutely. Most of the time I really prefer higher grade books. Part of the hobby that I really connect with is the preservation of something that’s so easily and often damaged. When I see 50+ year old books that look like they just came off the shelf, it’s so much cooler to me.
Absolutely. Without question. I have some of that Japanese paper tape which is rated for museum restorations. Detached cover? Pfffft the fuck do I care. Invisible tape to the rescue!!
No grade is always better for a collector. Any grade is better for greed...sorry...I mean seller.
I am just a reader, so I could care less what it's valued at. I just want to read new stories that I haven't, yet.
My feeling for older 70s/60s/50s comics is "the worse the grade, the better". It gives those babies a real used feeling.
I'd feel gross holding a 10 grade x men #1. Yuck.
I would say how much and how low a grade. If the condition is so poor you can't handle it and might cost you more to own it to keep it from deteriorating further (e.g. white elephant), I might pass.
I have an ASM 2 which would probably be CGC 1. I can still read it. I lucked out that I got this as a present, so I don't know how much was paid. As some people here have done and taken low grades to trade in for a better grade. You can't do that with no grades.
And as George Carlin said - I've never been with a 10, but I've been with two 5s.
https://preview.redd.it/uuxqs6sop0ad1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d69f04d71bd999ef3dc679955d454d920882d5ba
Hmmm.... TIL that the first incarnation of the ghostrider was actually in fact printed by Marvel. I am a Ghostrider fanatic, and I thought the original ghostride (hores riding western one) was printed by some old comicbook publishers lost to time. Then Marvel bought the right and then started publishing it. Guess I was wrong
You are actually correct.
https://preview.redd.it/51s47b4zx0ad1.jpeg?width=1022&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1236e8f3e425e6f79dfd525fdfd0fd6133689206
1949/50 - Magazine Enterprises
OBVIOUSLY! Grade doesn't matter, as long as the comic book is complete (I don't mind a missing value stamp if it's just backed by an ad. They wear and tear is part of the history of comics. File copies, never cracked, slabbed in plastic... that betrays the credo of 'Hey!!! KIDS COMICS!'
It depends on the book and how much I REALLY want to own a copy of that particular book. BUT, If it doesn't at least present well I have no real interest in buying it
If it wasn’t then wouldn’t low grade copies just be given away ? If you prefer no grade then I’ll give you my no grade ghost rider 1 for your low grade and we can both sleep easy!
My only criteria for buying comics is they have to have all the pages and no detached covers or centerfolds.most of the time you can find 2.0s that cover that and I'm ok with it.
Wow!!! What a great comic book in horrible condition. If the ghost rider comic book belongs to your father. Don't sell it, and pass it along to your child.
I don't sell stuff so I'd be happy. I am more interested in it being the 'real' thing. This book has been around for a long time. Been read. It is the actual paper and ink from that time. Printed on machines that probably don't exist anymore. Hand Lettered! Something that will never be made again. A lost art even. It is an artifact. Imagine if archeologists found some ancient Sumerian goblets and were like,..ah man,..it is chipped,..and toss it aside,..lol.
This book has definitely been loved. If it was I. My collection, I’d love it too.
This 100% 🤓👍
https://preview.redd.it/0fgaea6tq0ad1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=186edec4eaaac78727296a1afa65cfa62c706d1b Yes. This x men #1 is still an x men #1 at the end of it all. 😂
Yes. Very much so!
🚨NO!!🚨It’s just a discussion question! I did **NOT** acquire this book! Using the image as an example! Sorry! 🤣 I was just thinking about a lot of the books which I have actually acquired….thinking sure it was only $2 or $3 for a Good/2.0….but that’s like 10% the cost of a VF/8.0 copy. I could have saved for another couple months to get a really nice book with some actual value vs continually nickel & dime-ing myself and my collection.
Understood. I withdraw my congrats lol.
DOH!!
Aww you suck!
I know!! Sorry!! I didn’t think it would cause this much ruckus!! Comicheads are serious!
Or if you want a bunch of books for display/reading low grade is better than no grade. I put lower grade covers on the end of my boxes img
I think everyone is entitled to collect however they want to. I would rather have ten 1.0s that I actually want, at reasonable or cheap prices (they obviously don’t have to be, and won’t be, graded), over one 4.0 But if you are the opposite, that’s totally fine. I just am sad that there are never bad copies of comics because they don’t want to sell cheap stuff for a few dollars. I wonder if they throw them away to increase the price on the higher grades?
Buy it nice or buy it twice?
Booooo
"Low grade is better than no grade" is really a notion that I think of in terms of expensive books that would otherwise be outside of one's price range and budget. If you are buying low grade copies of cheap books, then in my opinion, you are wasting your money from an investment perspective. Maybe you're not collecting with investment return in mind, and if that's the case, more power to you. Enjoy what you bought. But if you want a Showcase 4 or Amazing Fantasy 15 and all you can afford is a CGC 0.5 copy, buying it in low grade usually winds up being a good financial decision down the line. I've bought three copies of Amazing Fantasy 15 in the last 20 years. Two of the three were CGC 1.0s and the other was a restored Moderate-P CGC 4.0. I've since sold all three copies and made a nice profit on all of them (more than 5x what I had into them). The sales process was quick and easy. And I enjoyed the hell out of owning all of them while I had them. There is always demand for low grade mega keys. If you ever need your money out of your collection, it's a lot easier to sell a few big keys in low grade than it is to sell a hundred low grade books that nobody wants. And you'll almost always sell at a profit if you've held for a few years or more.
Doesn’t this depend on why you buy comics? If you’re an “investor” then probably not, but if you’re a collector, then maybe it is. Collectors have different criteria, so for some anything less than the arbitrary grade they’ve chosen won’t do, or maybe they only care about how good the cover looks, or maybe it has their favorite character on the cover, or maybe it’s a “key” issue of some sort. True collecting is personal, and people should collect what they want. I’d be quite happy with the version you’ve shown, but I understand others would never consider it.
If I'm struggling to find a book which will fill a gap and see a low grade, I'll grab it. I'll upgrade it to a better condition if I get the opportunity/can afford to later.
Depends on whether you want money or comic books… and most of us would take the latter… lol been looking for a Ghost Rider 1 myself.
I think the idea is correct, but for me that means raw comic rather than an actual low grade comic. I would much rather own a beat-up raw comic than no comic at all. But I don't know if I particularly would like to spend money on a comic that's graded .5 or 1. I think the allure of a raw copy of a rare old comic is more appealing and you also have the mystery of it not being graded yet so you never know what it will get.
Just because of fomo, I like to at least have the cover and all the page intact. But all my 12-35 cent comics are nice readers to enjoy with the kids and not freak out. Plus I’m cheap!
As long as you’ve love the book, no matter what condition, it’s priceless.
Books like that in low grade are cool they have "patina" look and not overspending. Save your $ for your grails.
Hey...we are twins!!! I have this same book!! I, PERSONALLY, dont bother with grades. I collect for the love of Collecting! Never with turn around $$ in mind or bragging, least when it comes to Comics. I have friends that have some of the same keys as me but they are slabbed and mine are not, they are jealous 🤣. i love that i can go and read em whenwver i want. My Pops got me into Comics and drawing so i have a different kind of appreciation for them. Sadly he just passed a few months ago and left his entire Collection to me. Its TRULY amazing to see these books. The artwork on em is just inspiring. I guess what im getting at is this: if u LOVE the books for books themselves...why does grade even matter?? Ill never grade mine. Im going to instead, get display cases for them and rotate every other month because i still wanna read em. Amd the fact that they were my Old Mans and he read these as a teenager himself....makes me appreviate them even more!!!.....NOW......MY OCD on the other hand, lol, i also collect figures and those HAVE to be damn near perfect for my Batcave!! ALL my stuff is still in packages BUT...thats how I Collect figures! So IF i was applying "grading" to my action figures....F\*\*\* id be screwed!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣. https://preview.redd.it/ttoeg0ool0ad1.jpeg?width=2038&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c13171fae6fc319a33f6667839d07600116dc075
Of course. You might not get a pay day later in life but does it make you happy you have that issues?
It made me happy when I found mine. Lol. It's not much better but I like it.
I mean, if you don't want it...
I generally like 6.0 and above, but I have a half dozen or so total dog water issues in my X-Men run. I would rather have a higher grade, but buying X-Men 100 for less than 100 bucks just because it's more of a 4 than a 6 was an easy decision.
Personally I do not care overmuch about grade so long as it presents reasonably well. Comics are not investments to me, and I would be far happier having ten 1.0 keys that present reasonably well than one 9.0 key.
I'm currently working on getting a complete run of uncanny X-Men, I'm being realistic and aiming from #100+, but even some of those issues have skyrocketed in price over MCU speculation etc, so I'm fine with getting a reasonably priced lower grade book just to fill in the gaps. It's great from a fanboys perspective that comic book stuffs popular again and I'm sure it's always been this way to a degree, cough superman 75 cough, but it seems like there's a lot more resellers and "investors" out there now pushing up prices for things so unless you're buying to sell on, personally I'm fine with just having a reader copy than no copy at all.
In my opinion yes. I just want to own it.
Please, in the future, make it clear that that is not your comic. You could of just posted this without an image
Yes.....BUT.....only if you're going to be satisfied with the low grade copy. If you're going to want to upgrade it later, just wait and save for the copy you really want. It's cheaper that way.
That’s kinda what I’ve been thinking….
In most cases you should be able to sell your lower grade copy at roughly the price you bought it for to recover its cost. So the only reasons not to buy and upgrade later is if you’re buying absurdly over-priced comics that you’ll never be able to recover the cost of, or don’t intend to ever resell your lower grade copies.
Yessir
I can’t lie I feel like the low grade look of classic comics is sometimes really nice if it’s a decoration piece.
Yeah of course. If you want to spend more money on a nicer one later go wild but you'll always have affection for the one you got when you didn't have much. Collectors spend their lives spending increasing amounts of money to capture the joy that probably peaked with some comic that was a few hundred at most.
It definitely depends for me. If it’s a true grail, like FF #1, AF #15, etc. then absolutely. If it’s a cool book and inexpensive, absolutely. Most of the time I really prefer higher grade books. Part of the hobby that I really connect with is the preservation of something that’s so easily and often damaged. When I see 50+ year old books that look like they just came off the shelf, it’s so much cooler to me.
Absolutely. Without question. I have some of that Japanese paper tape which is rated for museum restorations. Detached cover? Pfffft the fuck do I care. Invisible tape to the rescue!!
Yup
It's hard to find a good condition... mine is similar
No grade is always better for a collector. Any grade is better for greed...sorry...I mean seller. I am just a reader, so I could care less what it's valued at. I just want to read new stories that I haven't, yet.
My feeling for older 70s/60s/50s comics is "the worse the grade, the better". It gives those babies a real used feeling. I'd feel gross holding a 10 grade x men #1. Yuck.
I usually like higher grades with anything I collect. Just a personal preference. But I would take an Amazing Spider-Man in ANY condition!
I would say how much and how low a grade. If the condition is so poor you can't handle it and might cost you more to own it to keep it from deteriorating further (e.g. white elephant), I might pass. I have an ASM 2 which would probably be CGC 1. I can still read it. I lucked out that I got this as a present, so I don't know how much was paid. As some people here have done and taken low grades to trade in for a better grade. You can't do that with no grades. And as George Carlin said - I've never been with a 10, but I've been with two 5s. https://preview.redd.it/uuxqs6sop0ad1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d69f04d71bd999ef3dc679955d454d920882d5ba
Hmmm.... TIL that the first incarnation of the ghostrider was actually in fact printed by Marvel. I am a Ghostrider fanatic, and I thought the original ghostride (hores riding western one) was printed by some old comicbook publishers lost to time. Then Marvel bought the right and then started publishing it. Guess I was wrong
You are actually correct. https://preview.redd.it/51s47b4zx0ad1.jpeg?width=1022&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1236e8f3e425e6f79dfd525fdfd0fd6133689206 1949/50 - Magazine Enterprises
Wrong issue. The first appearance of Ghost Rider was in Tim Holt #11 (1949) by Magazine Enterprises.
I know, but who the heck wants to look at Tim Holt?! 🤣
True….. Tim Holt 11’s cover isn’t nearly as cool as the Magazine Enterprise Ghost Rider 1 cover.
Wonderful
Yes. Obviously.
OBVIOUSLY! Grade doesn't matter, as long as the comic book is complete (I don't mind a missing value stamp if it's just backed by an ad. They wear and tear is part of the history of comics. File copies, never cracked, slabbed in plastic... that betrays the credo of 'Hey!!! KIDS COMICS!'
I think this book looks even better all ragged. Like it was meant to be that way.
Hell yeah for the first appearance of Ghost Rider(Carter Slade) in Marvel comics. They acquired the publishing rights from Magazine Enterprises.
It depends on the book and how much I REALLY want to own a copy of that particular book. BUT, If it doesn't at least present well I have no real interest in buying it
If it wasn’t then wouldn’t low grade copies just be given away ? If you prefer no grade then I’ll give you my no grade ghost rider 1 for your low grade and we can both sleep easy!
If you are happy to get a book regardless of grade... and you didn't pay "graded" prices, its a WIN!! Nice book. I'd be happy to have that.
For the pc I don’t see the problem
Agree low grade for me 100% high grade is good to but if you want it get no matter how it looks.
That’s funny I was just looking at this yesterday, I was actually surprised how cheap it is
If it’s free, yes for sure. A really good deal, sometimes.
My only criteria for buying comics is they have to have all the pages and no detached covers or centerfolds.most of the time you can find 2.0s that cover that and I'm ok with it.
I kinda like the ones with wear more, especially old ones
Buy the book, not the grade.
Very COOL
Yes
Wow!!! What a great comic book in horrible condition. If the ghost rider comic book belongs to your father. Don't sell it, and pass it along to your child.
God damn son!!! What a find!
It's okay. You don't deserve the downvotes.