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That time I realized I was hoarding back issues like a dragon | Comic Book Fans - Talk Freely

That time I realized I was hoarding back issues like a dragon

I had about 2,000 single issues stacked in long boxes in my garage for maybe 8 years. This past weekend I pulled out a box from 2015 to reread a run, and the corners were all bent from bad storage. My buddy who collects graded stuff pointed out I never even opened half of them to enjoy the art or story. That’s when it hit me I was just buying to own them, not to actually read them. Anyone else catch themselves treating their collection like a storage unit instead of a hobby?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_riley4mo ago

Honestly I'm gonna push back on this a little. Buying comics to own them is valid even if you never crack them open. The way I see it, collecting is about preservation and having a complete run, not just reading. Plenty of people buy art prints or statues they never touch, nobody calls them out for that. If you're happy with your garage full of long boxes that's your business, doesn't make you a hoarder. Plus those books might be worth something down the road if they stay in decent shape, even with bent corners they hold value.

paul3464mo ago

Had a buddy who did exactly this with a full run of 80s X-Men (Uncanny, not the adjectiveless one, you know the deal). He kept them in those old white long boxes in his basement, never read a single issue, just liked having them for the collection. Then his basement flooded during a storm and all those boxes got soaked. Ended up having to toss nearly everything because the water damage was too bad. He still jokes about it but I could tell he was crushed. So yeah, I get the preservation angle but you gotta think about where you're storing them too.

terry_wood514mo ago

Tell your buddy he should have stored them in graded slabs. Those things float. But seriously, losing a full Uncanny run to water damage is brutal. At least he can laugh about it now, even if it hurts.