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Originally Posted by wpugh2424

Im about as big a TMNT fan as they come, but this is just a waste of money. To spend that on one comic that has so many prints is crazy. Sorry if you disagree. Do I wish I had it yes, however, that could be used to help so many people. Even if I made 10 mill a year, I think I might feel guilty to buy something like this. As I always say, to each their own.

I completely understand where you are coming from. And I also think that you pointed out print runs as part of your thought process shows your deeper thought on the subject. But give the rest of my post here an actual read....

Let's put it like this - as long as there are people across time who are willing to lay down the money on these books, which we've seen that as absolute fact, then these books actually evolve into investments therefore taking on another archetype of expense entirely. When you shape your buying in that manner, then you wouldn't feel guilty at all. But, people who do shape their buying in that fashion tend to be informed enough to follow one of Stephen Covey's tenets and would know how to get out of the book when you needed to. You'd begin with the end in mind.

I have bought and sold some fairly expensive comic books in the past and I can tell you that sure, many of these big sales go to hardcore collectors, but many more of them go on quietly as investment transfers. And I can tell you that, believe it or not, the three biggest spenders on these commodities? From my experience, it's lawyers, Doctors and big-time real estate guys who drop this kind of coin, often through an arranged deal and sometimes at open, anonymous auction.

Now the paragraph with the tough love information. But now let's put some perspective on spending and talk about the money that a completist collector blows through. Take a moment to consider the reality of the expenditure of that style of collector. What would you rather have? A $50k, single issue, truly hard-core liquid investment from a pop culture I.P. known as a household name. OR, you spend that same 50k on a collection of random slabs from that same pop culture staple, but you don't have the actual key book? Instead, you've got a pile of high grade expensive books on your hands that have a significantly less liquid market believe it or not, than the single 50-60k investment book. This is something that smart buyers actually consider - that exact distribution and reclamation of their money that I've illustrated in the comparison.

Now look, there's nothing wrong with that $50k slab collection of various books that the greater market doesn't care about. Hell, I've got a lot of Iron Man books like that myself. But it doesn't change the fact that in many, many cases that single high grade key is a much better investment with better return than a fairly encompassing collection of common, unimportant back issue CGCs is. But remember, before anyone jumps my **** for "collection shaming" or some such nonsense, I'll point out again that I've got a ton of Iron Man cgcs that most collectors will never care about. Sometimes you make that choice because you like the hobby. But most people don't even consider this at all. So to be clear, quite often from an actual investment perspective, you'd be better off dropping the 50k on TMNT #1 than you are dropping 40 - 50k on 100 - 150 random slabs from the run, unless you could guarantee that all of those random issues are going to appreciate 20 - 30 bucks a year in actual saleable value and that you had an actual outlet to sell them and to do it quickly.

Originally Posted by Mayhem

This is why I took a punt on getting a signed raw copy about fifteen years ago. It wasn’t cheap, but a hell of a lot cheaper than you’d pay today! And I agree, it’s only going to increase as time goes on due to its provenance in the comic industry.

Exactly. And TMNT #1 is argued, in many circles, as being a more valid commodity of the Bronze era that Hulk #181, believe it or not. Now where I fall in that particular argument is complicated, but I'm just saying that it's a real discussion in the arenas where hard core collectors and investors go.

Originally Posted by MrPliggins

There are only 3,250, and some have probably been destroyed over the years. There are many more than that number of fans out there.

The market this book appeals to, outside of tmnt fans, is comic book key collectors.

Other than TMNT #1 actually being a Bronze era book, I'd say yes exactly to this post. Exactly. And the print run is still small by today's standards even though modern print runs are diminished completely from what they were in the 80's.