Posted by innerinsanity666 at 0-2pool250-3.nas18.holland1.mi.us.da.qwest.net on November 15, 2003 at 19:46:17:
In Reply to: Comic book question posted by fluffy on November 15, 2003 at 18:23:59:
I like the question, many people will tell you that an autograph actually decreases the value of a comic...this is false, I have in my lifetime had the privalage to get many an autograph, I have sold and bought comics with and without auto's but the fact of the matter is, a comic book's value is determined by one soul factor, finding a buyer, now it's usually easier to unload a comic without an autograph, but true collectors, like myself will always apreciate the rarity of an autographed book, take for example my copy of Marvels Greatest starring the fantastic 4 #70, autographed by jack kirby and stan lee, now the value of the comic is only $4.00, but with the autograph's I was able to get $300.00 for it. This was because of a few things:
1. Stan Lee's auto is easy to unload, and many will pay buko bucks for it.
2. Jack is THE legend in the feild, and he has passed from this world, which means that it is no longer possible to score a signature, so those wanting a peice of the Legend are willing to cough it up.
Of course with all things it differs, some collectors dont like auto's, and thats ok for them, but the vast majority of TRUE collectors prefer signed comics. Now the probelem is, how do you know that its really Jack's auto? You have to get it authenticated, the easiest way it to have it done by cgc, they have recorde with nearly everyones auto enclosed, they can authenticate it for you for around $25 at a convention, and around $40 through the mail, I prefer the convention line.
The actual value of a signature also vary's, McFarline has signed well over 300,000 comics during his carear, which makes it fairly easy to obtain, in fact you can get one for $5.00 at a convention, Jack Kirby Signed less than 40,000 autographs in his day, that coupled with his legendary status will gross much harder to get, next to impossible.
The actual value of a comic really lies in how much you would be willing to part with it for, and how much someone else is willing to pay for it.
I think you can get a book on amazon.com, or at a barns and nobles that gives the actual credited values of varying artists and legends, I have it around here somewhere, its called the Universal Book of Comic Book Autographs..or something like that.