It’s interesting – my LCS, Heroes, is a good example of what comic stores should be (overall). However, even they feel compelled, whether because of market conditions (staying competitive) or because people will buy it, to mark up variant covers. I never would have believed it when I saw a customer in front of me on NCD buy a $100 variant cover on a recent Avengers (I believe) issue. When I half-jokingly told the clerk, “you’re going to hell for that,” he good-naturedly replied that a store must cater to all tastes, from me who has no interest in such chicanery to the guy who found it a legitimate buy (for what motive I don’t know since I didn’t ask). I’m not sure what point I was trying to make, but there you go. :)

there remains a distinction between an comic’s value as entertainment to be consumed and the same comic’s value as part of a collection of similar items. That there is a role for both values in this industry goes without question, but as with books, dvds or any other item that can be valued in both ways, the primary focus of the industry (assuming it is interested in growing its sales) should be on the casual consumer rather than the collector.

Michael, point taken, but I’ve been broken of that impulse as well. Since marrying, I haven’t had to search for anything rare I’ve been looking for, which is both a plus and a minus.

Nat, I’d forgotten about the special printing effects, and that’s a good reminder about lead times.

Johnny, heh, good word.

Good point also about the “investor’s” idea. “Speculator’s market” works better, you’re right.

Oh, and it’s not really investing. Investing means that you’re vesting someone/something with your money, so that the money can be used by them in an attempt to increase value. Nobody gets vested iwith your money in comics; it’s speculation rather than investment. But I agree, the confusion of collecting with speculation is misleading.

–Nat (collecting dust)

I’m curious, though. Since when does the word “collect” mean to only get something for the monetary value it has/will hopefully have? People can collect comics (or anything for that matter) for whatever reasons they want. Getting something, then getting more of it is all that’s required to make something a collection. It’s semantics, sure, but, Johanna, your archive is a collection. One you hold onto read rather than try to make money from, but that’s still a collection. Saying you collect something says nothing about the reasons why you collect it or the value of the collection.

Sorry about getting kind of off-topic like that, but that misuse of the word bugs me. Maybe the “collector’s market” should be renamed the “investor’s market”. It seems a better fit.