Where to find out how much old comic books are worth

M.D. Holloway · 07-06-2005, 09:03 AM

I was cleaning out some old trunks and came across a milk crate full of comics - mostly from 1970-1975. I grouped them and found about a dozen Fantastic Fours and Green Lantern / Green Arrows, as well as dozens of various obscure superhero team-up titles and someone called Starlord. Also have #1, 2, 3 of some guy called "the Human Fly" as well as a bunch of #2 issues of various DC and Marvel. I could trek down into Dallas to get them appraised, but I would like tro get a sense of thier worth prior .

Anyone know of a good site I can pop the info into and get an estimate?

Racerbvd · Racerbvd's Garage

Check eBay and local comic book shops

dd74 · 07-06-2005, 09:40 AM

Trek down to Dallas, find a reputable comic book shop. Do Not go by ebay standards - some sellers will call anything "classic." You'll want an accurate description of why your comics are classic so that you can present them for trading or selling.

Moneyguy1 · 07-06-2005, 09:41 AM

THere are publications available that list comics and their price range, similar to those publications for antiques.

techweenie · techweenie's Garage

I disagree.

eBay is now the standard for everything. Collectibles to commodities.

I have a bunch of old Fillmore posters that were worth $600 each until eBay came along. now, they're $60 to $100. eBay is *totally* responsive to the real market. Heck, it is the real market.

Do an ebay search on the subject character of your comics. When you get the results, go to the column on the left, click the box next to 'completed items' and search.

You will see what actually sold, and for how much. That is your best guide.

Moneyguy1 · 07-06-2005, 10:16 AM

Tech:

I am an ebay holdout. Have never used it; prefer to contact owners directly and where possible have face-to-face contact. Too many scammers for me, thanks.

But then, what do I know?

chapstic2001 · 07-06-2005, 10:19 AM

I used the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide years ago. It is a great resource. Known and the Bible of comic book prices.

dd74 · 07-06-2005, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by techweenie
I disagree.

eBay is now the standard for everything. Collectibles to commodities.

I have a bunch of old Fillmore posters that were worth $600 each until eBay came along. now, they're $60 to $100. eBay is *totally* responsive to the real market. Heck, it is the real market.

Do an ebay search on the subject character of your comics. When you get the results, go to the column on the left, click the box next to 'completed items' and search.

You will see what actually sold, and for how much. That is your best guide.

Buying half-junk Porsche parts off ebay is one thing. Buying collectible art is another and much riskier proposition.

For one, I'd NEVER buy art off ebay. Are you there to examine it? Are you present with an authority, i.e. historian? If one wants real representations of art, they should either go through a dealer, or in the case of comics, go to a comic book convention, such as the San Diego Comic Con. As for ebay, Tabs recently picked up some nice pieces - but Tabs knows art.

techweenie · techweenie's Garage

Hey, I have a program from the very first ComiCon!

If I decide to sell it, I'll put it in eBay. Same with My Zap/HiTone/Crumb comix.

I also have a huge collection of fine art. If I decide to sell it I will not put it on eBay. I never said art belongs on eBay. Only collectibles.

dd74 · 07-06-2005, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by techweenie
Hey, I have a program from the very first ComiCon!

If I decide to sell it, I'll put it in eBay. Same with My Zap/HiTone/Crumb comix.

I also have a huge collection of fine art. If I decide to sell it I will not put it on eBay. I never said art belongs on eBay. Only collectibles.

Last year, I watched an original Betty Boop cel go for $35,000 at Comic Con. I doubt you'll see the same money exchange hands on eBay without thorough representation.

targa911S · 07-06-2005, 10:53 AM

Tech is right. They set the pace and price these days.

techweenie · techweenie's Garage

check these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=32733&item=6543094543&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=32733&item=6544207327&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3985&item=6543492535&rd=1

dd74 · 07-06-2005, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by targa911S
Tech is right. They set the pace and price these days.

Sure he is - to an extent - and depending on one's research and luck.

But I won't say that fraud - not necessarily from whom he listed - exists. I will say that one needs to be very careful. But of course, it all depends on how much you're willing to risk. $1,700 for an original Green Lantern, okay...

$40,000 for a Steamboat Willie -

88BlueTSiQuest · 07-06-2005, 02:56 PM

Sure that Green Lantern one is doing alright, but at the same time, how much is it truly claimed to be worth?

I think eBay has really screwed up the collectibility of things. It's only an asset to those that have a stockpile of collectables that are willing to sell at a 'loss' to market value.

I've got a bunch of comic books from the 80's that I'll just hold on to. They were fairly rare, pre-eBay.

dd74 · 07-06-2005, 03:12 PM

What needs to be known about "collectibility" as an adjective, is an item is only as collectible as its rarity and how much the mainstream desires it. Ebay should not be avoided, but experts should be consulted with any collectible - from Pinot paintings to classic comics.

For instance: would I let eBay dictated to me the market value of a '74 911, thinking, sure, $12K must be the market rate. No. I'd join a forum like this where not only would I get valuable information but also find the car might possibly be vastly more expensive than its worth.

That works in reverse for the seller. We've run into many sellers who are under selling themselves based on someone else's idea of what their cartoon/comic book art is worth. This is why I advise Lubemaster to go to a reputable comic book shop to get an idea of what his items are worth.

Plus take into context that the Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) has been getting a lot of play with the Justice League Unlimited cartoon series. That's bound to bring up the value of his Green Lantern comics. Is anyone going to tell him that on Ebay? I dunno...

Superman · 07-06-2005, 03:36 PM

One day at work, a guy brought in a shoe box. He said it had been given to his dad by the lady across the street who was cleaning out her garage after her husband's death. It held baseball cards. These cards were rounded on the edges, were not quite as large as today's cards and were thicker. Like a drink coaster. The images looked like a cross between a photograph and a painting. As I recall, there was a 1933 Babe Ruth. A Lou Gehrig. A Ty Cobb. I'm guessing they were valuable.

bryanthompson · bryanthompson's Garage

In 4th grade, a friend and I would always go to this little comic book/baseball card shop and buy baseball cards... We'd open the packs, head on over to the Beckett section, look them up, and sell them back to the store. We made a small fortune... for 4th graders. Once we got into Magic: The Gathering, though, we found some insanely valuable cards, but he wouldn't buy them back.