Archie comics - Are they worth the time/expense to bag and board?

TheOriginalGMan

I recently pulled my comics out of mothballs. I have 100s of Silver Age Marvel and DC comics that I bagged and put away about 35 years ago (did the idea of "boards" exist back in the 70s, cause I don't ever recall them?). In any event, over the last couple of weeks I re-bagged and boarded all of them and have them safely tucked away again.

My question is this though, I also have a number of Archie comics from the 1990s or so that I had gotten for my kids to read. Is it worth the time to bad and board these? Do they have any value typically, or no? They were all read and nowhere near "mint" or anything.

Would be interested in opinions on same.

phansford

While I don't collect anymore, when I did I stopped bagging/boarding new comics. If the Archies aren't mint - I wouldn't bag/board them…. just put them in a comic box. They'll be fine. Honestly, if you're not pulling the books in and out of the boxes…. they will be fine without the boards/bags. That really goes with any comics…. Boards didn't come around until the 80's as I recall.

LibraryBoy

Sometimes those Archie books (and most "kids" comics) can be really hard to track down once they go past their sell-by date and issues you'd think would be quarter bin fodder can go for at least $5-6 a pop just a few years past their prime... if you can find them at all, because so few people collect them or view them as anything more than disposable kids entertainment. Particularly some of the oddball Archie books, like Jughead's Time Police, Dilton's Strange Science, or Archie's R/C Racers or stuff like that, since they didn't last long and had low print runs.

I think the really popular Archie licensed books like early issues of TMNT Adventures
or Sonic go for surprising money these days, too.

You're not going to retire on these books, but they go for more than you think.

RickM

I guess I would consult the Overstreet Guide and if something sticks out as having some value, I'd maybe bag and board those.

TheOriginalGMan

Thanks for the input, guys. Been meaning to pick up an Overstreet Guide, so I'll let that help me decide what to do with them.

phansford

You don't necessarily need to invest in an Overstreet. Newkadia lists the values from Overstreet on their website. You need to know how to grade books. The other thing about Newkadia that I like is that they show how long a particular book has been in stock. This is a nice indicator of market interest. You can see a $20 book sitting in their stock for 45 weeks and start to understand that maybe its not as hot as everyone thinks.
http://www.newkadia.com/?Archie_Comics_Comic-Books=228

I agree with Library Boy, but you'd be surprised when it comes time to sell that stuff. You have to be able to tap into the limited market. DC war comics are supposed to be hot….. they were the hardest thing for me to sell. I ended up selling them to Mile High, who of course has a wide-spread market they can reach verses a lone collector.

TheOriginalGMan

@phansford

I appreciate the insights. I think I'll probably still invest in an Overstreet Guide. Going to begin the long process of inventorying my collection and it'll probably come in handier being able to flip open a book to look up value.

I have been looking up some of my older stuff on comicbookrealm.com ... some of the values have been been pleasant surprises. :-)

SharkJumper

Everything will be worth something given enough time. Short term, I doubt there is a demand on them to drive them up in price.

But you never know. In the 80s, I use to get old 1960s Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen books for a quarter because no one wanted them. (The local shop use to stamp them too with the price, unfortunately).

Those old Richie Rich books use to be considered junk and now they are collectable and hard to find in top condition because everyone was saving Marvel and DC. The kids were mangling their Harvey books before they would get tossed.

And bronze age books from the 1970s were once cheap too.

I say, if they are in nice condition and you want to wait several decades, bag and board. Otherwise, let them "breathe" and let the kids read them.

[Deleted User]

They are and will always be worthless, for the most part. UNLESS, you hang on to them, and give them to your children or grandchildren, which is what I wish I did. They will love and treasure them, and read them until they are dust. And you can't put a price on that.

WetRats

SharkJumper said:

Everything will be worth something given enough time.

Except Countdown to Final Crisis.

:-&