What do you 'do' with your collection?

[Ukiah]

I'm not exactly sure what sort of discussion I'm looking for in this, so please bear with me. What do you get out of your collection, what 'value' does it bring to your life? Are there any limitations that give you pause in buying comics - whether it be storage concerns or your collection just hitting too large a level?

I've been buying comics, and by buying I mean doing the whole consistent weekly purchases, for about ten years now. I'm only now starting to put effort into cataloguing what I own, and with this it really starts to dawn on me how much I've spent over those years and how much space is devoted to just storing what I own. I don't regret many of my purchases but there are far too many made on a whim, though deciding what to keep and what to toss might not free up as much space or recoup much of the cost it took to purchase the issues in the first place. At this point in my collection I've found myself wondering more and more if what I own is more like nostalgic baggage or brings more value than the cost of purchase. I'm reminded of the Tyler Durden quote "The things you own end up owning you."

So after that bit of rambling I pose a question(s) to you, how do you see your collection? Do you see it as a collection of issues and artwork you've collected over the years that evolves as your tastes grow or change? Do you keep it cut down to remove comics that no longer interest your or you originally bought on a whim? Is there any conscious limit you place on the size of your collection? In the history of owning your collection, have you ever had to lose/expel a large portion of your comics because of what was going on in your life?

I think this all boils down to, what is your view on collecting comics? I don't really know too many friends who actually collect/buy comics anywhere near the degree I have so I don't have enough conversations on this topic and I'm curious how others feel.

[Uthor]

I don't tend to "collect". I buy it to read it. I think I've pared my weekly comics to the point where I don't get too many things I regret buying, though there's the occasional TPB that I don't like. I try not to think "is this issue worth $3?" (little would stand up to that scrutity), but "$12 for a week's worth of comics that I enjoy" is about where I want to be; about what most people would spend on a couple cups of coffee.

Personally, I'd like to have a single long box of floppies and a couple bookshelves of bound volumes, though I'm a bit over that. It's kinda hard for me to estimate that as I have my collection currently split amoung two homes (my apt and my parents house), a couple book shelves, and some boxes in a closet.

I've got a box of comics that I want to get rid of, but I haven't gotten around to the process of actually getting rid of things. Hoping to sell some of it on, maybe on eBay. I'm pretty much resigned that I'm going to lose money on the transaction (want to make enough that traveling to the post office is worth it), but I value the space saved more than the books. I think once I get around to getting rid of stuff, it'll be easier to continue doing so. I'd like to pare it down to the books that I'd want to reread, plus a couple for sentimental value. Anything else is just taking up volume in a box and thus is of no value to me. The money I spent on it is already gone.

Incidentally, this it why I hope digital comics explode, but I'm just not willing to spend more than the equivelent TPB on a digital product. I'd be able to read things, but not have to store them. $0.99/issue or $5/story arc is about where I want it to be.

[Skattershot]

I buy them to read 'em...end of story. I know it sounds lame,but pulling that book out of the bag and enjoying the artwork, knowing the "spoiler" ending because I've read them dozens of times already, that's the life. Knowing that someone took the paint of writing the story, and someone had to pencil it, ink it, etc etc, makes me enjoy it that much more. It's the fused community drive to put out a satisfying book that propels me to enjoy that particular series. These days, Marvel,DC, whoever seems to have gotten lost in that. I know movies make so much more, but even that may come to an end if basics aren't kept to.

The books were meant to be enjoyed in a literary sense of the word. I buy 'em to read 'em. They quit being "readable", I quit buying them.

[MainManBlade]

I have been collecting comic books since 1983. I am up to 12,000+. I buy them, catalog them, read them, bag & board them, and put them their respective box. I take them out to re-rread them if I am bored, meaning I am out of original reading material and I need something to entertain my mind.
I take them out in preparation of a comic book convention to get them signed. That involves unbagging, and cataloging what to pull. The ones that get signed get a label that identifies who signed it, at which convention on the what date. That prevents me from pulling the same book twice for a future con. I also catalog the signatures on my MS-Word file. Not often, but if I have the oportunity to mail my books to a comic professional for signature. I follow the same process. It's tedious, but it works for me. About 40% of my collection is signed by an artist, inker and/or writer.
When I pull books for a con and I notice the bag has gotten yellow and sticky like cellophane tape I pitch the bag. I replace boxes when they get ripped or start to mushroom.
If I mistakenly by a duplicate book or a book I would rather get rid of than keep in the collection. I set those aside and donate them to the nearest hospital waiting room for the kids to read.
I was asked by my employees some "stump the chump" question sregarding my collection, like:
What is your oldest book? 1966 World's Finest
What is your most valuable book? Ultimate X-Men 1 slabbed by CGC 9.6 worth $43

I didn't know this information-I had to research it on the price guide. It seems my colection is not as valuable as I thought it was with the prominence of trade paperbacks. Stories that were hard to get in their original format are now available in trade paperback reprints. Oh well. I am not in this for the money. As long as the publishers keep making good product, I'll keep buying it. As soon as the storyline or art takes a down turn, I will tune out out and take my $$ with me.

[EarthFurst]

... What do you get out of your collection, what 'value' does it bring to your life?

Their value I like to read comic.
Most of the comics I buy are because I want to read them.
I buy some comics because I doubt they are at comicbookdb and I want to add them to the comicbookdb.
I buy some other comics because I want to donate them to a furry archive. (waiting for them to catalog the items that have already been donated to them)

Are there any limitations that give you pause in buying comics - whether it be storage concerns or your collection just hitting too large a level?

Definitely storage concerns. Currently renting a storage locker and about half of the contents are comics.

I'm hoping a comic book archive will be set up in my region that I can donate about 90% of my collection (so I no longer have to rent that storage locker).

I tried to donate some comics to the comic collection at MSU ( http://comics.lib.msu.edu/ ),
but the comics were returned with about half the comics missing. There was a standard "We regret the damage" note from United States Postal Service included in the package (one cover was ripped and another was returned coverLESS). I'm guessing someone at the border opened the sturdy envelope and did not reseal it properly. Luckily I included note with my address inside one of the comic bags and so they knew who to return it to.
Next time I plan to include a note with TO and FROM addresses inside each comic bag.

I've been buying comics, and by buying I mean doing the whole consistent weekly purchases, for about ten years now. ... really starts to dawn on me how much I've spent over those years ..."

Haven't spent much per comic because most of my comics are from 25cents bargain bins.

Thanks to the economic recession, I've had to reduce the amount of cover-price comics I buy. The comics I subscribe to come out sporadically. (Example: Latest issue of Castle Waiting was published two and ½ years ago. I hope Linda Medley is ok.)

... how do you see your collection? ... Do you keep it cut down to remove comics that no longer interest your or you originally bought on a whim?

I see it mostly as stories to be read.
My tastes do change, but keeping most of the comics to donate them to any local archive of comic books.
Occasionally I'll read a comic that bought from a bargain bin, and I don't enjoy enough to keep, but is good enough that I'll donate it back to a shop.

Is there any conscious limit you place on the size of your collection? In the history of owning your collection, have you ever had to lose/expel a large portion of your comics because of what was going on in your life? ....

I think the only limit I've set is that I'm hoping a local archive of comic book get set up so start donating my comics to them.

At one point, I was living with my parents and my mother asked me to sell my comic collection. I lugged around 3 boxes of comics, and the only shop that was interested in buying cherry-picked about 100 comics and didn't pay much ($30?). I didn't enjoy losing some of those issues, so I ended up renting a small storage locker and telling my mother that I'd sold the whole collection.

[jimcripps]

Thanks to the economic recession, I've had to reduce the amount of cover-price comics I buy. The comics I subscribe to come out sporadically. (Example: Latest issue of Castle Waiting was published two and ½ years ago. I hope Linda Medley is ok.)

Piqued my curiosity, so I found out a little about her and issue #2, but not much: http://www.artoffiction.com/blogs/2010/11/mystery-what-happened-to-linda-medleys-name/

[mikebo]

I was going to link to that same blog post. I suspect the series may be done. She sold some artwork via Fantagraphics on eBay a couple months ago, so there doesn't appear to be a falling out with the publisher. Wiki says she's working on a series of graphic novels adapting Baum's Oz books.

[Algus]

I'm still not at the point where I'm "out" of space to store comics. So I just wait until I need another long box and then pick it up. I keep one short box for "current" stuff which is stuff that came out in the last few weeks or anything I'd like to have easily sorted for rereading in case I forgot what happened in a certain storyline.

My other boxes are for "back issues" which I sort alphabetically by publisher (sometimes grouped by series or in reading order). My collection is certainly big enough at this point that there is plenty of stuff I haven't and probably won't read in awhile so I suppose I could do some streamlining there. I like keeping it available though because when I'm bored I can usually rummage through the boxes and find something I haven't read in awhile.

[Lil Chillbil]

Read them and store them in a short box inside my closet I'm starting to keep a record on My computer of all the comics I get
while its still small and hand held

[angeltread]

i read em. put em in boxes. take em out every once in awhile for a con to get signed or to relook at some of the favs of art in my collection. re-read them every once in awhle. not too often. then when its time to move get pissed that i got 13 or 14 long boxes of comics.