Serious question, when did we start treating comic books like stocks instead of stories?

I mean, I was that guy for a long time, buying two copies of everything, one to read and one to bag and board. I had a whole spreadsheet tracking the value of my 'key issues'. The moment it hit me was about a month ago, when I was reorganizing my boxes and realized I hadn't actually read Amazing Spider-Man #31, the first appearance of that new villain, because I was too worried about keeping it mint. I paid $75 for it and it's just been sitting in plastic for six months. It felt so dumb to own a story I never experienced. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where the collecting part just took over?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_margaret1mo ago

My sealed copy of X-Men #1 from the 90s is basically a very colorful brick in a bag. I bought it for the "investment" and now it's just a reminder that I spent grocery money on a comic I've never even opened. The whole slabbed-graded market turned stories into baseball cards, which is a real shame.

alice_palmer201mo agoMost Upvoted

Remember that feeling when you finally opened one?

mark_thomas25d ago

Is your grocery store accepting returns on unopened nostalgia yet? Asking for a friend with a very expensive paperweight collection.