John Hogan
Got $100,000 or so to Spend on Comics?
Hey, we're in the middle of a recession and all, but you never know what people have lying around in their wallets. Or in their attics. Take this Dallas man, Ralph Chicorel, who was just recently reported to be holding on to some very special comic gems. Turns out that Ralph, now 78, has been collecting for a very long time and has copies of such classics as Batman #1 and Marvel Mystery Comics #9. His collection is going on auction starting Thursday and running through the weekend, a sale that's expected to bring in up to half a million dollars. So if you've got some extra cash burning a hole in your pocket, check it out. Think of it as an investment!
-- John Hogan
Comics as artifacts... they're nice, especially with the extra editorial matter, but spending thousands of dollars?
No... I'd take the $100,000 and endow a reference collection of graphic novels somewhere, using my collection as the grain of sand which creates a pearl.
Eventually, with the growing market for Print On Demand books and digital delivery, EVERYTHING will be available to be read for a minimal cost. (And, let's face it... you purchase a $100,000 comic, even a $1,000 comic, you're not going to read it, you're going to seal it up in an argon vault.)
I think the most I've ever paid for a back issue was $8, and that was for Amazing Spider-Man #252, back when it was hot in 1984, before comics were readily available in graphic novels.
(Most I've paid for a graphic novel? $150 for Absolute Authority.)