most all modern books are not worth getting graded unless you want to throw your money out the window.

@adannajr

22 күн бұрын

You better off buying a 9.8 off ebay

@craixe1

20 күн бұрын

Or maybe you just like the comic a lot and want it slabbed. Not everyone slabs to make money.

@DrMidnight-oz1rk

7 күн бұрын

Or maybe you should slab some toilet paper too

99% of books aren't worth grading.

"Everyone has it" says it all. And, everyone wanted to sell it at it's peak. All these 9.8 modern books have turned the industry into a day-trading market, just like stocks. Extremely volatile and risky. Gold and Silver age are much safer bets for graded books.

@TheMisfits7783

24 күн бұрын

Lego

@hieinh

23 күн бұрын

Plenty of gold and silver books tank too

@Atomic_Comic512

14 күн бұрын

Agreed

@fredgilbert2032

3 күн бұрын

@@TheMisfits7783 So true Lego can be a mint. I had the Black Pearl paid 89.99 or 99.99 for it new back in the day. Sold it complete with instructions but no box for 500

The problem with modern books is that they are relatively new, relatively available, and lots of collectors have them. They may be worth considerably more somewhere down the road. The newer books don't have the momentum of history behind them like the older silver/bronze age stuff. The older stuff will still probably be the better investment, providing that you don't pay immense amounts for it. But that of course is the challenge.

@Eyrrll

23 күн бұрын

As long term investments, key books published over the last 5 years should yield pretty good payoffs due to extremely low circulation numbers. To put it in perspective, Hulk 181 has over 15,000 graded copies in circulation… which is more than the entire print runs of some modern comics. The trouble comes in identifying what will be an ACTUAL key book in the future and not just a 1st appearance of a forgettable character.

The "modern" books (and we all know what that means) will never be collectible...

During COVID it appeared like "everything is a key" shot the price of every random issue for literally no reason. Those days are basically over.

Really enjoy your channel. It’s refreshing to see content that isn’t ultimately designed to sell books. I can think of a few channels that present videos with interesting subjects, but then just end up being 15 minute advertisements

@PunguinYoga

24 күн бұрын

Yep. They kept telling you what's hot because they have a bunch of them to sell.

I'm just trying to figure out how you're paying $2.50 a book for shipping.

@donaldvonglitchenberger4108

9 күн бұрын

i think he means shipping them off for grading, where your shipping 10-25 books at a time; which makes the cost of shipping per book much cheaper

ANY first appearance of a new character by DC. Clown Hunter, Molly, Wonder Girl, Lair Lair, Red Canary, Angel Breaker, and Trinity will likely be the same. And I think it's because these characters are used for a quick hype boost and with in a year they are used very little other that a sporadic appearance here and there. Now, it one of them become a titular villian causing a massive crisis like Superboy Prime, that might turn around. But probably unlikely.

This is why I like to sell more rare slabs so that there is no set market price and I get to set it to whatever I want it. You will be surprised at some of the prices I sell slabs for.

The Rat Queens run was super hyped when it was coming out. Issue 1, print 1 spiked around $45 for the raw. Catch it on Ebay south of $10 now.

@JC-dg6vo

22 күн бұрын

Didn't Rat Queens series start, stop and re-start with a different writer because of the whole sexual harassment issue?

@gegachxiswulisso9758

20 күн бұрын

@@JC-dg6vo I remember something along those lines, but I think it was the artist they had to replace... been a hot minute though, so I could be wrong.

For me, grading is often about slabbing a nostalgic book to just protect it.

@Rancoroth419

5 күн бұрын

Grading is meant to "seal" and lock in the value based on a certified grade. Used to be, that certifying a books condition enhanced value by doing so. With Modern books, the trend is for grading to still do so, but that value is way down. When it costs 30-35 bucks to grade a 5-dollar book, for it to wind up being 19 bucks, The juice just isn't worth the squeeze. Try to focus on grading books with actual raw value and due diligence to check FMV before chancing grading.

Grading modern books is stupid.

No! We all hate iambic pentameter! Great video - as always. New Avengers 4 is showing the market drop, along with Paper Girls - buy graded and buy with patience. It’s a buyers market so let’s thank the speculators for giving us a 9.8 trove to collect. Thanks again.

8 Billion Genies; 1, 2, and 3. It broke my heart. And I wasn't even trying to sell them.

@benjamingonzalezjr9294

24 күн бұрын

Was a good series too! Just recently finished it

You sir, get a like for the bars at the beginning. 🤣

Oh man, I have bought SEVERAL personal grails in the last couple of weeks thanks to comics losing value and for that i am very grateful. I understand that as a job, this sucks but for people that only buy comics as a hobby? WIN fucking WIN!!

Sounds like if I wanted any of these, I should just snag the slab right now.

@kenmason1461

24 күн бұрын

Who whould you want one lol

@jakes.9023

24 күн бұрын

@@kenmason1461 Touche. Whenever a slab is under the worth of getting it slabbed, my eyebrows raise at a buying opportunity.

James, thanks for confirming for me that I am a modern-reader, not a modern collector. I was unaware of the hype surrounding any of these books at all except for the Ghost Rider. Wait... the Black Panther book I was aware of the hype, but the cover reminded me too much of my own divorce, so I sold it for cover price almost immediately after reading it.

man, I wish I was into the modern DC books, all those covers are just so good.

$2.50 shipping is really generous

@Rancoroth419

5 күн бұрын

IF you send your books in in bricks of 20-25, you divide the shipping by that number. That's where the 2.50 comes from (both ways, plus handling one time charge). IF you send in just one book at a time, your still looking at the same cost for shipping and handling, plus 1 book fee, and ya, that would be the way NOT to be cost effective doing submissions.

Oh how I wish Hulk 181, Giant Size X-Men, and ASM 300 were on this list. Not to screw up other collectors but for me to finally have a chance at snagging one of these beauties.

@jrucker4181

24 күн бұрын

ASM 300 has fallen hard..

@diegobelaunde4965

24 күн бұрын

@@jrucker4181How so? Can you please elaborate?

@xellosmetallium8519

23 күн бұрын

@@diegobelaunde4965 ASM300 lost a lot of value, it's now selling at about the price I paid for a 9.0 a couple of years ago. It's still an expensive book though for your average comic book collector.

@PhillipCummingsUSA

19 күн бұрын

@@diegobelaunde4965 The price for Spider-man keys skyrocketed to absurd prices and now those prices have come down.

Super helpful video, brother. Thanks!

Thor #2: God of Thunder. First App of Gorr. Aarron's God Butcher/Bomb saga is the third best comic book run I ever read. It was such a dark and intense ride. But as soon as I saw the trailer for Love and Thunder I knew the movie was going to be a dumpster fire. I knew the book's value was going to tank...but I still kept it. The authors for these comic book stories already did the work. The heavy lifting already done. Writers that make something like Love and Thunder shouldn't be writers in the first place.

That Rai cover is fire! Books across the board are down because this is a tertiary hobby. Economy strats to sputter, costs are up across the board, and real estate is stagnant. Do people really have money to throw at the 1st appearance of Maria Hill??? (Not to single her out... but you know...)

I don’t know a lot about modern so I learn a lot from your videos. I’m not surprised that slabbed books are doing poorly but raw books are doing well. I recognize that some collectors like slabs. Personally I’m not a fan. Speculators love them. With the market on a downturn, fewer speculators mean the true comic lovers are the ones buying the books… and maybe some people who want to grade them and hold onto them until market conditions change. Personally I love my books raw.

WHEW! I thought I'd have a few on this list. But I had none. Good video. More like this please.

Batman 106 is one of the comics I got for a dollar cause you said it was more than that, love telling that story about your channel. I love the cover and now it is triple signed. All thanks to you. Will not get it graded though, lol. Once again thanks to you. Thanks for your awesome content and sharing your knowledge. Hopefully I get to your level someday.

I think people are realizing that slapping a hunk of plastic worth X (raw) is not worth 3 times X.

Most of the modern books that are direct editions are taking the most dips in price because of so many copies are being graded. Modern books that are Newsstands, for the most part holding their price. Like Daredevil #9, New Avengers #7, #11, #27, Web of Spider-Man #1 in direct edition vs newsstands. For modern books to hold any value, needs to be newsstands.

Love the crickets! I got the Rai. Lol. X-men 4 and 11 are way down but still might be worth getting graded. Great video

@MintHunterComics

25 күн бұрын

Still over $100 9.8s

I've been running into this situation a lot lately since values plummeted: A book is selling raw for say $7. The same book slabbed (IF you get the grade you expect) is selling for $65. So $65 minus the grading fee ($26) minus shipping both ways (est.$6 in bulk) minus sellers fees, minus shipping materials when it sells = a profit of maybe $35? We're not even gonna talk about the time it takes to clean, press, package, ship, wait, list, re-package, maybe reply to a question, label and bring to the PO!!! So is having a book graded to make an extra $28 worth all the effort? That's ok, I already found out the hard way, lol. Liked your reply to Bry's recent collection purchase. Wow, huh? Always look forward to your videos! Thanks for doin' whatcha do!

Amazing spiderman 361 is a book I love but has fallen a ton in the last few years

You think that maths bad, try this scenario. A contact I have from the uk sent some stuff for grading. huge extra postage and then some modern books ended up with a 9 or thereabouts. The plan was to flip them on ebay but then there's the bay fees and the mailing out costs. Just not viable.

That 106 variant cover is uuuuugly - I get why the A is more popular

@MintHunterComics

22 күн бұрын

Same

Factoring in fees for the cleaning and pressing, or at least a prescreen, is important because, as you have said, one is not getting a 9.8 unless the book is *perfect*.

detective comics 27, currently down about 500k, but i still think its worth slabbing.

West Coast Avengers 45 seems like a solid book for this category, especially since there is current news of him coming back to the big screen as white vision

That whole market on the New Avengers era is just fading away, kind of sad. Also people jumping at the 1st Spider-Boy thinking that's the next big thing when it was barely a thing. No hype at all.

I think the interesting thing is prices in Australia haven’t really moved. I eBay searched some of these titles and they are still all $$$. Granted the $48usd is about $90aud but say Spiderman 7 cheapest I could see 9.8 was $200aud - hopefully we catch up soon! I’d love to buy some of these while they are down! 😂

I am so happy I was too broke to get caught up in the frenzy when a lot of these were high. Especially Spider Boy.lol. No, that doesn't make me smart, but it would have hurt my soul to see these prices.

Got a decent return on that black panther book when it was hyped up! Used that money to buy my monthly stack lol It’s a great time to be a buyer! …if you’ve got the money…

Great video, as always.

It’s the economy, this is a buyers market

That really hurts Mint hunter.A nightmare for those who have those books.Its a buyers market.

Love you content man

That is what it is worth today, most people get graded to lock its condition for years in the future. Many simply do it to protect their collection. Worth is defined differently among collectors.

@DrMidnight-oz1rk

7 күн бұрын

Slabbing the comic won't protect it from high temperature. High temperature will change the grade of the comic over time.

@roberthoppenrath5487

7 күн бұрын

@@DrMidnight-oz1rk Agreed but better protected than raw

@DrMidnight-oz1rk

7 күн бұрын

@@roberthoppenrath5487 I have comics that I had in the same bag and board for 30years and they're all protected the same as having it slabbed. The bags and boards are extremely worn out but they don't affect the comic and they still protect the comic. I had in my hand and looked through issue #1 of Superman from 1940, belongs to a friend of mine

Man. 25 books shipped back to Canada 150 usd!!

So I love that New Avengers from the thumbnail, because of the role in plays in the Sentry story. I collect Sentry stuff, so I had it before it went up, so I'm still ahead of the game.

I was just at my LCS during a half off back issue sale and saw a sick venom 35 Kyle Hotz cover 9.8 slab that was going for $30. I asked if the half off was for that price and the employee looked at me and goes... Yeah ill do $15 foe that. $15 for a 9.8. man oh man did i learn something that day lol

I pulled a copy of that Batman 106 out of an Ollie's pack not that long ago.

I've noticed Venom #3, Darth Vader #3, New 52 Batman #1 and Ultimate Fallout #4 have fallen in price lately.

I have almost all of these books raw. The good thing is I bought them for cover price when they came out so I'm cool.

Crazy idea: what happens if someone tries to market manipulate and goes online and buys up all the 9.8 copies of some of these books? I saw it a few years ago with a few retro video games that were uncommon but not expensive: people bought up all the copies and would relist them higher because they had a monopoly on the given game.

@MintHunterComics

24 күн бұрын

This happens every day! Haha, it’s always easy to spot a high outlier price thoguh

@williambourque926

24 күн бұрын

@@MintHunterComics I am talking about someone actually literally buying up every 9.6 or 9.8 they come across for whatever the going market rate is (because they know it's a little low for what it is).... And then sitting on it for like 6 months to a year while still stockpiling whatever copies pop up in that range... And then listing a few of them up for double or triple the price once the influx has stopped popping up online. And if someone tries to undercut you, you purchase their copy and then relist it at your price. It does come down to supply and demand in the end and if you control the supply you get to decide the price on it.

@Papa5murf1

3 күн бұрын

@@williambourque926 The problem with that strategy is time. Yes it would work, but it would take MANY years for you to make any money, because the higher you raise the price, the lower the demand. You triple the price of a 9.8, it could take ten times as long for someone to be willing to pay that price....also, the other problem is that it would literally be impossible for you to buy ALL the 9.8s, simply because a lot of people hoard 9.8s and don't want to sell, but then if they suddenly saw their 9.8s going for triple price, they would then put them on the market thereby increasing supply which adds competition and forcing you to lower the price or buy their vastly inflated copy

It’s more like $60 for grading and shipping for free account

Spawn number 1 it's on St a lot of value but the art is still amazing and the story is great

@MintHunterComics

25 күн бұрын

Spawn will forever be a $30 mint my raw haha - when you think about how many were printed that’s actually not bad

@lennon2744

25 күн бұрын

I know right

@jburker1

21 күн бұрын

I sell Spawn #1 for $20-25 all the time. I’m always amazed at other dealers trying to sell it at $50-100. Good luck.

bruh u r blessed for that price . it cost bout double for canadians to sub to cgc 😂 shipping and insurance aint no joke

I love how Green Lantern books always show up in his vids.

@MintHunterComics

25 күн бұрын

Always

@Criner05

24 күн бұрын

Keep in mind Green Lantern #20 is Jessica Cruz's first cameo appearance. Her first full appearance is in Justice League #31.

@ernienicholson7464

23 күн бұрын

Okay, so who is Jessica Cruz and does anyone care about her? It's not like it is the first appearance of the Silver Surfer or even the Falcon.

Oh man the number of 90s comics that have completely lost their value is nuts. Ren & Stimpy, The Mask, Lobo, Stephen Platt's Prophet covers, and the end run of Mark Spector Moon Knight. Valiant books were worth quite a bit for some time, and Lady Death was insanely popular for years.

You were rhyming like Etrigan….😂😂😂😂

Comics that lost all value that I love because I don't care about value: Eternals. Carnage. Young avengers.

Kanan 6 is way way down from highs but still a great book!

I see why a LOT of people say that new books are usually not worth grading. Taking a chance more often than not.

@berardoferrari

14 күн бұрын

you can thank economics in comics for that!!!!LOL!!!!!

Most books are down! Even older Keys.. just saw a FF52 cgc 6.0 go for 700.00!

Thanks for sharing

Darn I have the Batman, Slider Boy 7 & the Avengers book all slabbed 😢great video

Opposite take should be made.. what books are worth grading. Great video

Not every grading venture is about increasing its intrinsic value. There are a lot of collectors that get books graded just for preservation purposes.

@donaldvonglitchenberger4108

9 күн бұрын

what are they preserving it for if not monetary value in the end? to look at it thru a plastic case?

@donaldvonglitchenberger4108

9 күн бұрын

“oh well they’re passing them down to their children or grand children” Yeah with the idea that most likely those children or grandchildren are going to sell them one day

@randellsnerdythingschannel7814

9 күн бұрын

@@donaldvonglitchenberger4108 Do read my initial comment again. You seem to have missed critical context.

@anthonypacino716

4 күн бұрын

Mylar does a hellava lot more to preserve the book. Slab is made of plastic (oil) which off gasses, isn't air tight or water proof or UV protected.

@randellsnerdythingschannel7814

4 күн бұрын

@@anthonypacino716. You do realize that the book is slipped in an airtight bag and then placed in a slab, right?

The big Ron reference lol

I have some slab "keys" from the new wonder woman and they are probably now not worth I paid for them. THey were basically cover price plus grading price plus 10 dollars.

The first appearance of spider boy is kind of funny. I got a first print because I subscribe to everything Spider-Man at my local comic store. When I picked it up, the guy guy behind the counters, said he couldn’t believe it. He hasn’t seen one of those in weeks because it sold out instantly. So the first thing I did was send it off to be graded and it came back at a 9.8. But I bought it for the cover price, but even at the time, and right now, there’s no fuss about this spider boy character at all. I see nobody cosplaying as him, the most I can see is they might stick him in the new spider verse movie maybe?

King spawn # 1 the 1:250 signed and numbered variant. Was well worth over 1k when I bought it,now it's worth like 450 cgc graded. Still love it tho,because spawn has been my go to comic sence I was a kid. #spawnforever

Top 10 Most Expensive Books In Poor Condition!

I'm sure you could make an endless series of videos on books that have taken a huge dump over the last 12 months. Personally I haven't sent too many ultra modern books for slabbing for this exact reason - they're too volatile and I have little faith that they will hold their value (slabbed). I don't shy away from grabbing books raw if I see them at a decent price but I also don't mind walking away. For the most part these newer characters aren't in my "collecting wheelhouse", though I enjoy reading them in stories. The collector side of me tends to stick with the stuff I am nostalgic for, or have long-term faith in (and even that is a risky thing these days).

Didn't both Larry Hama, writer of Wolverine 80 and Craig Kyle, X-23 co-creator both refute that the X-23 test tube was not related at all to Laura Kinney? Btw the Hank Henshaw figure is awesome.

I haven't lost money, because i havent sold any! 😂 I will just wait for the prices to go up. It happens with keys. I over paid on a Hulk 181 and a Werewolf by night 32. I spent $300 and $200. I was yold i was stupid by other dealers when i bought them. The hulk was a 9.6 and the WWBN was 9.4. i dont think i will ever "lose money" on thrm regardless of when i sell them. Its all a matter of perspective and time.

She-Hulk #1 I bought raw in 2022 for $300, still never got it graded 😂

@MintHunterComics

24 күн бұрын

Oh no! I have a 9.8 white pages in my antique shop for exactly $300 hahahaha

I’m paying ALOT more to ship back and forth via fedex. How are you keeping it cheap?

Press clean 3 books and grade almost 300$ last time I’ll do that 🤯 they where silver and Bronze Age….

Tales of the Teen Titans 44 first Nightwing has gone down A TON since Covid and man that sucks. But still love it because NW still my favorite hero

I Would Like To See This Issue Drop In Value $$ ( NYX-3 ) 😮 1st X-23 Why it's Becouse I Don't Have One! 😂

$2.50 shipping.?! Do you live next door to CGC??!

I see Whatnot show after Whatnot show of unsellable no key slabs or low value key slabs going for barely the cost of grading. Do not slab baby new modern books.

@MintHunterComics

24 күн бұрын

I've got tons of that stuff in the antique shop - I've slashed em all down to $30 and some even lower. Gotta submit keys only this day and age, non-key slabs will always suffer

Well I think there should be a way to put a seal on either the case or inner bag that matches each other and would if broken it would be more noticeable Just my thoughts on it

Papergirls had a show which was quite good but still got cancelled after season 1. That can’t help things

@Atomic_Comic512

14 күн бұрын

It got cancelled? It was pretty good. That sucks

I must have been above the average then when I sold my 9.8 copy of Paper Girls #1 for $60 two months ago. Either way that book sure came down hard mostly because the show sucked. The more valuable book for Jessica Cruz however is Justice League #31 (her first full appearance) especially if you have either the 1:25 or the Combo Pack editions.

comics will lose the value overtime especially when people think certain ones will be worth big money cause of the mcu or the dcu. vote with your wallet and not with your greed.#IWANTCAPTAINCARROTPLEASE

Thor #1 Vol. 4. Crashed and Burned. Wish I had offloaded all my copies when I had the chance.

New avengers 4 is so in the tank

$2.50 for shipping?? What am I missing? The writer of Wolverine 80 has come out publicly to state that the "X23" on the vial was not related to the actual X-23, which is probably what caused the drop. Honestly, it looks more like "#23" than "X23."

@MintHunterComics

23 күн бұрын

The average cost of sending a batch of books to get graded. Most people send 25 books off to get graded so that’s about what it costs per book when you break it down

@Markus465

23 күн бұрын

@@MintHunterComics Ah! Got it!

Iron Man #9 1st appearance of Riri Williams. Doesn't this book fall in this category? I've seen prices as low as $50 for a graded copy!

I knew since the start of the pandemic bubble that all the comic book spec was bunk spec. And a lot of thoae inflated values were going to drop.

@MintHunterComics

22 күн бұрын

They didn't even drop - they're now FAR below what they were before the pandemic

Would you rather own the first appearance of bizarro in a cgc 2.5 or the first appearance of the doom patrol in a cgc 2.5 or first appearance of the reverse flash in a cgc 3.5?

@MintHunterComics

24 күн бұрын

Bizarro easily

New Avengers 4 was the one I took a hit on. Thankfully I wanted it for my PC but I thought it would hold value

@MintHunterComics

25 күн бұрын

Weird seeing it so low!

@Rhett-Christopher

24 күн бұрын

We have no idea what the future holds. Think long term hold?

Slabs were the way to go for keeping a nice rare book safe for a bit.. but there's plenty of options for protection now. CGC is manipulating the market.. if you didnt know that by now, then ya kinda deserve to lose a few bucks for what i call "ignorance tax"..

Captain America 25 McNiven variant. Ugh.

Can someone please clarify what he means when he says something doesn't include a press? I'm not up on the terminology.

@dannbon7727

24 күн бұрын

Press is a process similar to pressing your clothes. It helps to press out creases that may have formed on the book over time. Depending on the type of creasing, the press can eliminate it completely or more severe creasing significantly improving the look of the book. It helps to improve grading scores.

@bobunyun

24 күн бұрын

@@dannbon7727 ah, thanks!

I blame alot id buff comic KZreadrs that peddled a lot of these modern books as MOST OWN comics.... i tried to warn people about modern comics and called then FLAVORES OF THE MONTH BOOKS...

Karma comes to comic book speculating. Books with zero time on market and no rarity. Though I do have some newer books, I'll stick with the Marvel Silver age.

The only Modern books worth grading is Limited Variants, or something hard to come by. That said, Is something worth grading...Is it worth spending the money to grade, if you break even? Are you losing money grading? Even if you break even, is the market trending downward? You could almost lump every Modern book into this category. Rarity and Condition, That's it. For modern, if it's not a 9.8 it isn't worth it. Even with Vintage books, it's pretty much at 9.0 when things start spiking hard upward. It's all really quite depressing for the hobby.