Top 3 Tips when Starting a Comic Book Collection

     Superheroes and comic book characters have become more popular than ever with the release of blockbuster movies from Marvel and DC Comics during the past few decades.  Back when I was younger the special effects and technology was not available to give life to the pages of the comics I read.  There were several bad attempts at TV shows and movies that were incredibly bad.  Now with both powerhouses announcing plans for dozens of movies coming in the next five years, there is going to be even more newcomers to the hobby of comic book collecting.  So where do you begin?  Start with these top 3 tips in order to put together a good collection.

1. Learn your history - I think with any new hobby or craft you get into you must start at the beginning.  If you ever want want to built up your credibility you'll want to learn the roots and history so you have a good foundation.  There's so much information out there from YouTube videos to podcasts to books on the subject.  It's not a race so don't feel bad if you can't learn everything today.  I've been into comics for years and am constantly learning new things.

2. Set goals at the beginning - This is super important in my opinion.  As with anything new people tend to jump in the deep end and unload much more money then they intended or should have.  I recommend figuring out the top 3 characters you love and going from there to compile what you want to collect and how.  This will prevent you from blind buying, we've all been guilty of, which leads to a lot of random books in your collection.  

3. Figure out where to store your collection and learn the basics of archival standards - As a long-time collector I've seen people store their books in shoe boxes to storage totes which should only be short term, in my opinion like a day at the most.  Reason being is that books stored improperly will diminish their grade hence lowering their value.  Learn how to store them properly and find a safe place to keep them away from the elements in a cool dry environment.

     Keep reading as we're going to do a lot more posts on this subject in great detail.  As always if there's anything you'd like us to cover please comment and let us know!

The Archive of Comics Links