Top 5 Tips for Investing in (Vintage) Graded Comic Books for the Long Term!

It's been a while since I did any comic book related investing videos...So in this video, I discuss my top five tips for investing in comic books for the long term.

[@MegaFrankgarcia]

this is what I needed 2 years ago, I started collecting comics & everything you mentioned I went through or was wise enough not to do. I never got into runs or series, I seen them being sold in the comic store for cheap. The money I was spending was going to mid tier key issues and after a year went by and I organized my short box and realized all I had was a short box of mid tier comics, so I decided to narrow down my collecting choices, focusing on higher tier keys of Batman, Spiderman & single issue keys of sustained popularity. But I relapsed and started to buy mid tier "affordable" key issues of CGC graded comics but I have a handle on that, I realized a cheap CGC + S&H was close to a $100, so I kind of rationalized that into spending that kind of money on higher tier Raw keys. Great Video, you covered it all, amazing. Still great advice 2 years later.

[@ReservedInvestments]

Thank you!

[@MetalBum]

@@ReservedInvestments hey could you do an update on comics since it’s now the prices have dropped frastically. Some Bronze Age keys like ASM 129 are down 50% or more depending on grade. Thanks Shawn. Love Timmy mc-poindexter

[@Saboten_Ken]

New subscriber ! Excellent explanation and advice for new investors in comic books ! I’ve been a collector and investor in this hobby for 35+ years since college days ! My main advice is to be extremely picky and patient to get the key books you want. This has worked great for me to get better deals, enjoy the hobby and make a good profit when I sell individual books.

[@terryhrach9450]

Thank god for your channel ! Finally someone with good advice

[@pangmingwee5594]

Boom! I dont believe i only started following the channel in 2021. Amazing stuff!

[@lostcanyon777]

So let's look at some data ( all prices are taken from real sales data from sold comics) Tomb of Dracula #10 - 9.4 CGC slabbed - about the time this video was made sold for $2221 and $2399. Let's fast forward a bit to August 2020 - prices for 9.4 grade $2699, $2280, $2299 - January 2021 - $2199, March 2021 - $4050, May 2021 (again, all these are 9.4 grades) $5725, June 2021 - $5859 - and last, August 2021, $6600. So basically if you didn't follow this advice, picked up a TOD #10 when this video came out for around 2k, you'd have a tidy profit of way more than double your investment! I could show the same price increases for Werewolf by Night #32. I guess a couple years isn't "long term", but if I invested 2k and saw I could sell for 6k in a year or two, I'd be very happy.

[@christophertomasello1227]

I agree 100%. Comic books like Spider-Man 300 exist in higher grades as a standard rather than a exception. So yes 550,000 issues in 9.0 or better is a investment trap.

[@MetalBum]

There aren’t anywhere close to 550k. But it is about 13k

[@scott-bates]

Shawn, I love how you talk something up, then you say "But, the problem is..." - Then you bring people back down to reality. Also, love "speculator trap."

[@ReservedInvestments]

Speculator traps exist in all collecting categories where mass speculation exists - even coins, believe it or not. For instance, a 1921 Peace Dollar in MS 65 is an investment grade piece, in MS 63, that coin is a speculator trap with very little upside potential.

[@3ma_lengend]

@@ReservedInvestments I have a raphael one shot it's a copper key I didn't pay a lot for it wasn't sure if it was a good investment

[@nancyjames6134]

YAKMAN HERE ! JUST WATCHED YOUR VIDEO AND WAS LIKING ALL WHAT YOU SAID ! ❤ KEEP UP THE GREAT JOB….

[@johnnyfuture3524]

Great video Shawn! As I think about it, I think the TRUE FIRST catalyst for comic book collecting was the premiere of the Overstreet Price Guide in 1970. And then the 2nd and 3rd catalyst was CGC and the MCU, respectively.

[@MetalBum]

More comics. I feel like now is becoming a good time to pick up keys

[@tdpetrucci84]

Thank you Shawn! 🙌🙌🙌 Great video!

[@AmirOnzo-vp5pq]

Good stuff man. Thank you for the honesty and the info! Keep up the great work.

[@ReservedInvestments]

Thank you!

[@YTLawnGnome]

Oh my goodness...I was heavy into the speculators market back in the 90s. I started collecting again in 2019 but, not for the sake of planning to sell the books but, to actually read the books. I am so glad I did because the pandemic would have killed me if I didn't have all these incredible stories. Yes, I have so many books now but, outside of the stories which ended up sucking I have no regrets.

[@VHSCLIPS]

Love your videos, thank you very much for all this important info

[@baskets8429]

Excellent

[@bjplum80]

Great stuff. Thank you!!

[@Nishijin1975]

Though it is a year later, I would like to say thank you again for the knowledge and your honesty.

[@stefansnow4386]

Awesome video. Clears up a lot of mistakes i was making!!

[@mrmovieprop]

It sounds reasonable to think one $12,000 comic book is better to invest in than 12 that are a thousand each. On the other hand its a lot harder for an expensive collectible item to go up 10 fold. It is more likely that a cheaper one could go up 10 fold though. The amount of collectors for things that are over ten thousand each are limited. Its like extreme small cap stocks or penny stocks. More risk but its a lot more feasible some sub $10 million market cap company could go up 100 fold than for a $100 billion dollar market cap company to go up 100 fold. The law of large numbers just comes into play. its a factor with the high end of any collectible market too. Since comic books are made in large quantities for the most part the general mantra is get the highest grade you can. But a lot of average collectors just want a copy of a given thing in any grade. Few attempt it but I do wonder what an investment in say 100 or a thousand of the worst grade versions of a given item would do investment wise versus a few high end ones. Even a coverless terrible condition key issue that is made popular because of some movie or tv release will have demand among the masses. Have a lot of those for the Timmys and Poindexters and it could be a better investment strategy than having a select amount of 9.8s. The thing is no one really lists or tries to sell the terrible condition copies so it would be more a hunt to get them with pricing determined by instinct and not any price guide.

[@carnivalhands2884]

Agreed. I always say that One 5 carat diamond is far more valuable than 5 one carat diamonds.

[@its_garcia]

I have no interest in comic books but the advice you’re giving here can be applied to other types of investments. Thanks again Shawn! (Hope I spelled it right)

[@ziggyc4474]

Lol

[@HydraCollectables]

Thank you so much. Yes I am a comic collector. However your video here is proving I have the right mindset. I am collecting Amazing Spiderman (passion not investment) and outside of that have been purchasing older Golden Age books; pre code Horror, War, Western and Romance 👍 Personally I am not looking to sell any of these during my lifetime, however I would like to know my kids will have something once I am gone (regardless of how little it might be) Once again, thank you Shawn. Great Content 👍

[@jarredsmith9187]

Great video,i been collecting for over 15 years and only have 4 short boxes of Keys, Low Print Runs and Rare Variants cause thise are the only ones that will have any value and everything else is just for reading. I only have a handful of books i need to complete my comic collection a TMNT#1, X-Men#1 1963,Hulk#181 and Cerebus#1 . I really want Amazing Fantasy#15 and Batman#1 1940 but those books cost thousands. I just got AMS#129 CGC 5.0 for $500 which i think was a great deal.

[@sneakermansb]

Wish I knew this growing up! Good Advice!

[@bruce5476]

It seems you understand the concept of supply and demand. So why would you tell people not to buy books like ASM 129 or ASM 300? The fact is that the demand is much greater than the supply that is why it has driven up the prices of these modern books. Like the Giant-size X-men 1, these are blue chip keys that will continue to go up in time. It is true, that they may not grow in leaps bounds like the last 5 years, but they will continue to climb. valuable

[@bamboompowtv]

The right collectors will buy #129 & #300 anyway. It’s a must have

[@happyb6443]

If you had to choose between buying a 3rd-printing TMNT_#1 in CGC9.6 for $1500 vs. a 2nd-printing TMNT_#1 in CGC8.0 for $3000, which would you prefer (considering both downside risk & upside potential over short term, mid term and long-term time horizons)?

[@moiseschavez4445]

I like putting short runs together and reading them =)

[@nicholaswells3825]

Shawn, love the content and the investing advice. I have a question - how do you approach entering into a speculative market? For example, I collect comic books and would like to enter the higher grade silver age key market, but as you have mentioned, some of the prices may be unsustainable. One idea would be to wait for the dip to enter, but no one has any idea when the dip will come and how much it will dip. Do you just bite the bullet and put money down knowing in the future it might lose value but Thank you again for all the advice!

[@ReservedInvestments]

I would go after keys that are somewhat out of flavor at present time. Do price research and spread your risk over multiple high grade key books if you can. That should mitigate some risk, but overall, if the market is going to fall, it's going to fall. No asset class can go up exponentially forever and comic books are long overdue for a correction. That said, I cannot tell you when it will come and how bad it will be. Even coins have gone through massive speculative bubbles and survived, but the market was transformed after the bubble popped.

[@tola6327]

The trend has been going on in many categories of collecting where the most high end items have been rising in price consistently, the mid-tier stuff tends to languish, and the low end stuff just gets cheaper and cheaper.

[@ReservedInvestments]

Correct, but it has to be 'key' high grade material. The market is always tilted towards the top 5% of the market....

[@SuperModelFlaze]

I have a question I am new to comics as a new hobby and potentially as an investor What do you mean by analyzing the market? I do watch comic KZbinrs but a number of them are speculators and I am not fond of buying random books just for the value, could you provide some examples?

[@thejestindavis]

Really good insight!

[@donomar7070]

Whatever happened to just liking a book because the story is good and the cover looks amazing I love sketch covers

[@benellison5668]

I agree with you about not investing in ASM 300, and yet the market disagrees with us

[@rromo21]

Nice shirt!

[@gmajors2237]

I only buy the Holy Grail books from the Silver Age. FF 1, ASM 1, DD 1, Avengers 1………get the idea.

[@donomar7070]

To be honest with you I can’t wait for Amazing Spider-Man 300 to go down in price I just want that book I love it but I think everybody’s overcharging for it

[@Jachbin91]

I collect Disney comics. I know i should`t do so from a money perspective, but that`s my passion. I see my self as a collector not an investor. But I`m just curious what you think about two Disney comics that are considered key issues. You did mention something about exceptions but you did not go into details. - Four Color series 2 #9 - First comic by Carl Barks. - Four Color series 2 #178 - First apperance of Uncle Scrooge. Thank you :)

[@josephsokolowski271]

Excellent question. I too would love to hear your thoughts as well. I have always felt Disney Duck books and many Archie 1st appearances are vastly underrated, under appreciated and certainly under valued.

[@Nightwolf1972]

What do you think about A high grade TMNT 1 first print for an investment book? I know it’s 1984 but it’s super rare.

[@ReservedInvestments]

This is an exception rather than the rule. A TMNT first print issue one is definitely a mega key from the 1980's.

[@richieannarelli5714]

Thank you for the video

[@avenger1212]

Are there any tells or signs a speculative bubble is about to pop?

[@christiantolliver4042]

That’s right Shawn of the irrationally exuberant dead, beat us up.

[@philipfletcher4867]

It is also because of the world of entertainment these are spec books, also it is a world wide market now. But, I hear you and I agree with most of what is said.

[@sig550a5]

what's your take on NYX #3 - 1st appearance of X-23? I was surprised to see the price of that book recently. I bought it new back in 2003 for $2.50, read it once, didnt really like it, bagged/board and forgot about it until 3months ago.

[@ReservedInvestments]

You did quite well, if that is the case! I think it appreciated nicely over the past few years, but compared to a bronze and silver key, I don’t see it going as much as some of those key books.

[@unstoppableExodia]

Hey Shawn I have little familiarity with vintage comics, is there any truth to something I heard about the vintage comics scene in the nineties being pumped up by high net worth nerds like Nicolas Cage and Kevin Smith? I remember an interview with Kevin Smith where he mentioned how he had to sell his comic collection to finance his first film that helped him break through into the entertainment industry and afterwards rebuilding his collection. I'm curious to know if that kinda thing has much of an affect on prices or if those kinds of buyers are too few in number and if it's the more numerous speculators whose buying habits really affect prices?

[@ReservedInvestments]

That happens in a lot of collecting markets. Were prices propped up in the 90"s? Not like they are today and that should cause signs of caution... ;) Hope that answer helps.

[@biznizness]

Fantastic video

[@carnivalhands2884]

Just found you. I really enjoyed this. Definitely follow.

[@BlxckAshK]

Love your videos man! I recently got into comic book investing and wanted to ask you a question. Would you consider a modern comic book that is a 1:500 release rare? Thank you!

[@ReservedInvestments]

No, because it is produced out of mass produced scarcity and not organic collectibility.

[@BlxckAshK]

@@ReservedInvestments I’d really like to ask more questions. I’m thinking I should sign up for your patreon.

[@Gettingbetter28]

Nice explanation re ASM 129- It’s consistent with Jeremy Seigel’s Stocks for the Long Run, the stocks that do the best are the ones where the fundamentals are sound (ie strong balance sheets, rising dividend, healthy profits) and expectations aren’t high…. ASM is over saturated and E Bay is notoriously selling at a ridiculous premium, even for 9.8. It’s a bubble waiting to burst… I can’t wait to really shake out the spec buyers from the real investors.

[@vSz0r]

Excellent Dumbed down Video so that everybody can understand basic economics. I also see that so many modern books, bronze, copper age books with 10-20 000 on CGC Census sell for such a high price, all this is not sustainable, I prefer to buy very low silver age ones with 1000-2000 on the census and to make it even rarer I only buy signed ones.

[@ReservedInvestments]

Keep in mind if you are buying signed books, you are in a niche market. I myself, don't buy signed books.

[@vSz0r]

@@ReservedInvestments Yes, I agree

[@BrooklynTrippe]

I didn't have much money but got a Star Wars 1 News Stand 1977. The comics not to valuable compared to books you mentioned. Or have books that are Silver age. I fell in love w the Bronze age anyway. However my thought is Star Wars only had 3 movies before 2000 now they have theme parks, TV shows, Disney plus, and the Star wars universe expanded so much off this one book.

[@ModelJames13]

I like the jungle girl comics from the 40's and 50's.

[@boombaman31]

So you would rather invest in a brave and the bold 28 low grade over an ASM 129 mid grade?

[@jfree77040]

That’s a Big No. ASM129 has been under valued for awhile now. He’s retracting his statement and should delete this video😂😂😂

[@stevensalexander7221]

Is Deadpool a good superhero to invest in?

[@thor800]

I personally would rather invest in one $5,000 comic, four $1,000 comics, and a mix of smaller ones to spread the risk out with $10,000 budget. Selling lower dollar value comics are easier in my experience and there is still potential for appreciation as opposed to parking all your cash in a single issue that may or may not be very liquid despite the rarity. That being said though there is a strategy that concentrates on the super rare comics that sell for a crazy premium like TMNT 1.

[@miguelh4750]

It would be great to do another one of these in July 2021

[@zoso73]

And analyze ASM 129, GSX 1, Hulk 181.

[@augerrusty]

I love your videos but man you have been wrong about ASM 300 so far. It has almost doubled since this video was made. I also disagree with you saying run collecting is bad. Many of the key issues I own I got cheap because I completed runs of key titles. I paid $2, $3 for Incredible Hulk 271, 340, Detective Comics 880, Spawn Low Prints, ASM 361, etc. You never know what issue will end up being a key. If you buy complete runs of key titles you are more likely to get key issues before they are key.

[@donaldvonglitchenberger4108]

2 years later and the bubble has burst

[@augerrusty]

@@donaldvonglitchenberger4108 Batman is still going strong but yes the Marvel bubble certainly has burst

[@MetalBum]

@@augerrusty might be near a bottom. But try to buy it 30-40% off of the current “fair market value” as there’s so many people want to sell

[@heyhonpuds]

I spy Pat’s 2 books on your shelf. Nice cross promotion. His & Ian’s podcast was how I found your great channel & I’m now no longer an unsophisticated Timmy Poindexter Jr. Also, obligatory cool t-shirt comment.

[@ReservedInvestments]

You have great eyesight and good tastes...lol

[@Jmillz181]

Lmao at poindexter and timmy's. I agree everything said. Especially about just getting keys. I only collect major keys and almost only silver age and early bronze. Only thing is I spread my investments among lower grades so I can have alot of keys and not just a few bc not rich... I'd say I've done well like that the last 20 years.

[@robd9921]

Comic book investors would be immediately able to tell that I don't collect for investment purposes if they saw my comic collection. The only issue that I own is Star Wars Marvel #108. Everything else is in trade paperback or collected edition format. The oldest comics I own are the original Marvel Star Wars comics in Dark Horse Omnibus format.

[@elementonly08]

But Star Wars comics and Wanda vision stuff has been spiking big time based on specs coming true.

[@donomar7070]

I hate when people tell me to get a comic book because the movie is coming out I never did that

[@306Marvin]

As a hardcore comic book collector and investor of 20+ years I agree with almost all of what you said. Great tips for the average comic investor out there and this video is a valuable tool for the community. Great work as always Shawn!

[@3ma_lengend]

I tell people this all the time especially about the very modern comics with variants and multiple printing this doesn't make books that rare or a good investment

[@leeartlee915]

Why does he hate Timmy so much? What did Timmy ever do to Shawn?

[@jerryp7721]

New subscriber. Great stuff. Always valued quality over quantity, but did speculate on books when they were affordable in order to hold them until they reached the value where I could get books that always hold their value. Example: recently traded an incredible hulk 181 5.5 for a strange tales 110 5.5. I have another incredible hulk 181 7.0. There are over 11,000 graded 181s versus just over 1000 graded 110s. Always think a silver age 1st appearance is a great investment. I believe the 110 remains undervalued in comparison to other silver age 1st appearances. Fortunately I had the extra 181 to trade because it’s value has gone up to a point where I could make that trade. Thanks again

[@ReservedInvestments]

I also love the first appearance of Dr. Strange!

[@jerryp7721]

@@ReservedInvestments Got mixed reactions to that move. But I let that 181 mature until it could be traded for the 110. Not worried about future value because have another 181 and ST 110 a solid long term investment

[@hobbyhero6973]

I don't disagree with you most of the points you make but it really seems more applicable to long term holds. If you are looking for short to mid term there is a lot of modern keys that can be bought and sold within their respective cycles for a great ROI.

[@ReservedInvestments]

That’s why it says ‘long term’ right in the title of the video.

[@hobbyhero6973]

@@ReservedInvestments so it does, the long term is cut off on the preview of title so missed that when I clicked on the video

[@MrReggiekay]

dig the channel, what are your thoughts on vintage t shirts as an investment

[@ReservedInvestments]

Not something I would ever recommend for the long term...

[@mrmovieprop]

How would you verify an original period piece vs a modern creation? That would be an issue I doubt few into vintage t shirts wish to deal with on largely cheaper items. But there are ways I imagine but that is largely a niche thing and most would be sold to be worn limiting the possible value increases I imagine. Now people do collect vintage hats more so than shirts.

[@its_garcia]

By the way I would love to know your insight on investing in the financial markets besides investing in SP500 indexes. Are there any companies that you have invested in directly?

[@ReservedInvestments]

Yes, BUT I don't recommend individual stocks to novice investors. Way too much risk and you should be financially established before buying individual stocks...I could do a whole video on this...

[@thor800]

@@ReservedInvestments do it !!!

[@marcusholder495]

Thank you may Yahweh bless you

[@bamboompowtv]

I love comics! BAMBOOMPOW

[@johnburnett6489]

Finally the truth be told

[@nickvalueguycomics3984]

good show, but not accurate on spidey 129. Price rising, though not rare but Extreme demand can drive up price even though there is a large supply. Plus it has survived years of being an established key issue weathering peaks and valleys

[@ReservedInvestments]

Research antiques/collectibles - 'because that is the way it has always been.' Your answer is there...it's a speculator trap.

[@neatuhfajita9128]

I like most of your videos but took your advice about graded games and haven't bought much i did early on but quit after a few of your vids boy that was a mistake yikes..keep up the work i like most of what you have done

[@ReservedInvestments]

Not sure what you mean. Speculative bubbles can last decades. I never told you 'not to buy graded video games.' I said, know the risks. If that $10,000 graded video game drops to $5,000 and you can't handle that price swing, then speculative collectibles are not for you. That said, as I have always said, if you have the money and understand the risks and still want to park money there, go for it! Those were my exact words...

[@Texicanification]

please consider using more visuals

[@Gumba213]

This book just sold for a record high again

[@ziggyc4474]

Best tip 7:54 for any investment

[@slimthumbtak]

I really don't get the whole buying a first appearance because the movie / show has been announced thing. Just seems like an easy way to manufacture hype and drive up prices. Your comments on the full run chasing are funny to me because I'm a huge GI Joe fan and am trying to build the whole 80's Marvel GI Joe run and every time I'm at a con or a shop and I tell the dealer this they look at me like I'm from a different time.

[@ReservedInvestments]

Correct!

[@Hofftimusprime1]

Markets go up and down not just up. 129 is down (some maybe), seems like a buying opportunity.

[@ReservedInvestments]

Over-hyped book with a gazillion copies out there in high grade...not an opportunity. A speculator trap instead...

[@Hofftimusprime1]

Reserved Investments Ha. You sound like you you have no idea of who this character is. Comparative print runs and graded copies. I’m sure this will be a $100 in no time. Man...

[@MisterD79]

Sept. 2021 and prices have done nothing but gone up . . . bubble is going burst like the 90's. Great shirt /band Shawn.

[@jedirun]

Listen up poindexters!

[@KeyKiller74]

Back in 2015 I got punished by selling off my entire key comic book collection for 40k it got sold on ebay for 80k =(

[@whatevername6553]

All this comic book shit is cool and all but i worry that my hentai book collection is gonna devalue.

[@jameskm03]

But I already own ToD 10, WWBN 32, ASM 129 and Hulk 181. Also Moon Knight IS confirmed as a show for Disney+ with Oscar Issac in the lead role. You can find videos of him training for the role in IG.

[@miguelh4750]

X-men 94 not 10K only 8K :)

[@ReservedInvestments]

Check sold listings on C-Link from that video's date...your answer is there. :)