Back in 1999, a comic shop guy told me to stop bagging my books and I ignored him

I started collecting comics around 1997 and this older guy at a shop in Austin told me I was wasting money on bags and boards for modern issues. He said they'd just yellow and curl anyway and I should focus on getting key first appearances instead. I laughed at him and kept bagging everything, thinking I was preserving value. 20 years later I looked through those boxes and he was totally right. Most of my 90s books are still worth cover price or less. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from an old timer that actually turned out to be correct years later?

2 comments

2 Comments

piper_burns1mo ago

Oh man, that line about "yellow and curl anyway" hits hard. I used to double bag my issues like they were going to a fancy dinner. Turns out my 90s X-Force comics are basically kindling now, worth about what I paid for them if I'm lucky. I guess the old guy was onto something about key first appearances though, I just wish I had listened instead of hoarding copies of Age of Apocalypse that nobody wants.

miles_sanchez1mo ago

@piper_burns you could always use those AoA books as doorstops or firestarters like the old shop owner warned us about.