Variant covers/1st prints: good investments?

saint2e

Hello all,

I won't lie to you, I'm:

a) Sorta renewing myself to the comic world
and
b) In it for the enjoyment of the storylines, but also for the investment.

I notice my shop has a ton of variant covers for 2-5x more than the original cover. Are the variant covers worth the investment?

I've seen a couple that I really like art-wise compared to the original cover, and so I'm tempted to buy them for that reason alone, but some are really pricey and so I'm wondering if down the road their value will appreciate more/less than my "1st prints".

I've always wondered this since it seems like "1st prints" seem to be worth more than "2nd prints" (more rare, I assume).

Thanks for your responses.

Grifter

Second prints only come around when the issue is in high demand. I think ID Crisis went into fourth or fifth print. Variant covers tend to be worth more since a lot of the time they make less of them. This does not always translate into a college fund for your children 20 years from now. Also, the quality of the condition that the book is in will help determine its resale value. The best way to ensure that you have done your best with your investment is to get it slabbed by CGC. I am personally not a fan of doing this but they will grade your book for you and seal it in a hard plastic shell. They higher the grade, the more the book is worth, of course and if you have a first print of a variant book that's in high grade then you can get a decent amount in a resale.

DouglasDanger

Comics as investments is a really stupid plan. Unless you are talking about super rare old comics from before 1980 or something. Super old stuff, like the first appearance of Wally West, or the first time Grayson was Nightwing might actually be worth something sometime.

Now, if something is in demand, they do three or four printings.

Comics speculation and all of that shit nearly killed the US comics industry less than a decade ago.

saint2e

Thanks for your input, grifter81.

As far as Douglas:

Very tactful.

I guess I can just stop "wasting money" on bags and boards, and just throw them all in a shoebox from this point on.

I'm not "investing" in the kids' college fund, by any means, but at the same time I'm hoping that I get the odd "Ultimate Spider-Man #1" in the mix. And if the comic company is asking £15 for a variant cover, I'm just wondering if it's actually going to be worth something like that down the line.

I take it you say no, but there's gotta be some folks out there who think so, otherwise these things just wouldn't sell.

DouglasDanger

I buy bags and boards and put my comics in them not for other people, but to preserve the comics for my enjoyment.

The thing with comics and a lot of things are they are only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for them. Things go in and out of demand in a random pattern. You can not buy a comic-- let's say some variant cover version of SuperX Crisis issue X, and know that it will be in demand in the future. You could very well pay 15... pounds or euros or dollars or pesos or whatever for something today, and wind up selling it for 5 whatevers next year.

SatanIsMyMotor

Douglas is right. Buying comics as an investment is retarded. Do comics have value? Yes. Are some comics worth a fair bit of money? Yes. Do people buy these things? No.

Therein lies the rub. There is no market for comics as investments. Sure you can sell your copy of Action Comics #1 at auction but you're not selling it because of it's comic book value. You're selling it because it is a piece of Americana.

Even if you have a comic that is worth $15-$30 your chances of selling it to anyone are slim to none. Sure a comic shop MIGHT buy it, but if they do it will be for around $3.

Munch

Variant covers are basically just a way to force retailers to buy a bunch of product they don't need, so that one or two customers can then buy the overpriced variant covers that come shipped two to a box. The odds are that variant covers will actually be worth more the week you buy them, when they're in high demand, than years down the line.

Anyone remember when Valiant comics were being sold for fifteen or twenty dollars an issue, just because they had a shiny cover or came packed with a trading card or some such shit? Now those same comics are languishing in the dollar and quarter bins.

As people said, comics are worth what people will pay for them. I found the first appearances of Blue Beetle and the Question months back, and they only cost me 15 dollars total. I would have happily payed twice that, and grudgingly payed up to three times that, because I love those characters and it would have been worth it to me. So maybe you'll find someone who really loves first printings or variant covers, and maybe you won't.

projectmayhem

dd

DJ Eebs

I just buy comics because I like to read them. If they turn out to be worth money some day, it's just a happy accident.

You should still bag and board your comics though, because they won't fall apart on you as easy.

Speaking of which, I need some boards. And boxes.

Sars_Boy

I bought both of the JLA #1 covers that make up one big image.