Appraisals: Evaluating Procedures
Appraisals are a crucial part of any comic book collection. Not only do they tell you the value of your comics, but different types of appraisals can also reveal information about the historical context in which your comics were
produced. Below is an overview of common appraisal procedures as well as some information on how to go about collecting them.
Once appraised, it's recommended that you keep all documents from different appraisals in one location to create a permanent record for your collection. This way, you'll know when and where any major changes occurred in your collection - such as those caused by theft, natural disasters or loss- and be able to take preventative steps accordingly. Most valuable comics will be sold through an auction house or on eBay, with the other issues being traded in person or by mail.
In the below examples, "dr" means the description of condition, "cd" means comic description and "clr" means color description:
"Dr: 1st ed. Black & White. Nice copy of a valuable comic." "Clr: Excellent Unread copy of a valuable comic."
"Dr: Variant cover (Marvel Premiere) - First Printing. Fine copy, with NM- to Near Mint- condition."
"Dr: Comic book (Dell Comics) - #7142 - 1973. No flaws, NM- to Near Mint- condition."
"Dr: Comic book (Dell Comics) - #7142 - 1973. No flaws." "Clr: Fine copy of a valuable comic."
"Dr: 1st edition. VG+/No flaws." "Dr: VG+/No flaws"
"CD: Strictly comics and not for resale."
"CD: Strictly comics and not for resale."
"Clr: Fine copy of a valuable comic."
While the above examples use first editions, they can apply to any comics in your collection. Be sure that you understand the significance of each edition that was used to determine value and make sure you document it thoroughly.
An important aspect of the auction market is to know what other comics are available for sale. Auctions have become one of the most popular ways to sell comic books in recent years, and with over 6,000 auctions currently listed on eBay alone, you'd be remiss not to familiarize yourself with them.
Auctions fall into several different categories:
While they vary slightly in structure and purpose, each of these auction categories has a common goal - to determine a current market value for a specific item using the information available at that time and the other known pieces in circulation. This process is called "retrieving" an item's "current market value.
When determining the current market value of your comic, it's important to know what the general market price is for that issue.
"By reading the current market price of comic books, one can judge what value an item has in today's marketplace. Be aware that there are instances when prices on a given cover do not match those of the rest of a volume."
"This is because collectors may want to own only a specific "key" issues and as such, may be willing to pay more with regard to others." In other words, you may have a comic that is usually worth $5 that's selling for $10 right now because it has all original key issues (no reprints or jumpers).
There is an opportunity for you to pocket that extra cash! As a collector, there's a possibility that you won't want to own the whole run of a given comic, but if you can find another collector who does (along with the rest of his collection) and he's willing to pay more for them, it may be worth your while to sell them off and perhaps buy other comics or items that interest you.
The key thing to remember is not to get greedy with this information. If a complete issue is worth $100, then the extra $20 isn't going to hurt at all...but if you sell it for $120, then that extra $20 is making you money - but it's not making the buyer money. If they're willing to pay more, they're taking their chances. If they don't sell, they're out $20 and have a complete issue instead of a partial one.
The last thing to remember is that the prices on comic book covers change frequently. The value of comics fluctuates due to various reasons – a new movie or story arc may be announced; a new collecting trend emerges or an old collector dies and his collection goes up for auction. There's no telling what will happen, which is why it's important to always know what the current market value is at all times so you can take advantage of these situations as they arise.
One of the most invaluable resources for comic collectors are "Key Comics". A "key comic" is a comic that has a high value due to rarity and/or artist recognition. However, this does not mean that every comic with a lot of artist recognition or even value is automatically "key". To be considered a key comic, the story must be collected or recognized by other artists and consumers alike. Being on multiple issues does not necessarily make an issue key. For example, Batman #1 is a key comic, but it only comes from one issue. An artist having a signature on a cover does not automatically make it key. In fact, many collectors believe that grading companies are now inflating the values of comics with signatures on them as opposed to actually having a demand for them. One of the biggest factors in determining whether or not an issue is considered "key" or not is its popularity with other artists and consumers. If a comic can be found trading at scales over $200 and has multiple issues in circulation, then it is most likely considered "key".
As noted in the previous section, it is important to check for a strong market interest in the comic. Having a DC or Marvel known superhero like Batman, Spider-Man, or Wolverine does not make an issue "key". Hiding away from other popular figures in other companies does not make an issue key. These characters are very common enough to have their own fan bases and a high value. The same can be said of actors, athletes, and TV or movie characters as well. Why would an issue with Batman on it be worth more than an issue with Batman's nemesis The Joker? Well, if there is a lot of demand for the comic with The Joker in it then that may change things.
Conclusion:
There is no set standard that can be used to determine the value of a "key comic" as there are too many different factors that go into it. However, that does not mean that key comics are not valuable - in fact, the opposite is true. However, it is important to understand why they are valuable and what makes them so before going into much further detail.
The one place where most comic book collectors will never venture with their collections is eBay or other auction sites. This is not due to a lack of interest or understanding; it simply comes from fear of the unknown when dealing with an auction site like eBay instead of a local comic book shop or online store.