Like many of us, a year ago, confined at home, I rediscovered my love for comic book collecting. When I saw an advertisement for blogging for GoCollect during the 2020 holiday season, I felt eager to turn my pent-up energy towards an old hobby, comic spec. It’s been a wonderful experience! It helped me get re-engaged with comic book collecting again, met other members of the community, and even appeared on a Regie Collects podcast. I've had a blast. Here’s a look back on my first year blogging for GoCollect, including several of my hits and misses.

In One Year, Uncanny X-Men #212 Produced a 300% ROI.

For my first blog, I argued that Uncanny X-Men #212 should be considered a key issue. When I got back into the hobby, I naturally looked up the value of my comics and was surprised by how affordable this 33-year-old comic was.

When I wrote the blog in late December 2020, I noted that on eBay, a CGC 9.6 copy of this book sold for a mere $44. Today, according to GoCollect, the FMV of the same book is $130, or nearly a 300% return on your investment.

The 90 day average for a 9.8 copy is $343. Considering that Wolverine and Sabretooth haven’t even appeared yet in the MCU, it’s safe to say that Uncanny X-Men #212 still hasn't hit its ceiling. 

Red Guardian Survived Black Widow.

The next month, I suggested that investors should sell Avengers #43, the first appearance of the Red Guardian. I noted that Red Guardian died in the very next issue and that two CGC 9.6 copies had recently sold for $5,000 on eBay.

Trusting the adage of buying low and selling high, I suggested selling Avengers #47 in my blog since sales were at an all-time high. In addition, I didn’t think we’d see Red Guardian after Black Widow.

Nearly 11 months later, sales prices for Avengers #47 have held steady; for example, according to GoCollect, the FMV for a CGC 9.6 copy is $4,800. Considering that Red Guardian survived, it's clear that most investors believe we’ll see David Harbor’s character at some point again.

No One Cared About Venom's First Kill.

I misfired when I recommended investing in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #26. With Venom 2 on the horizon, I predicted collectors would begin looking for more affordable Venom keys, including this early Venom solo story.

Roughly a year later, high-grade copies of this book are still selling for around $5 or less.

The 1st appearance of Batgirl is now out of reach for most investors.

Back in April of 2021, I wrote that "it’s only a matter of time before Batgirl receives her own big-budget movie or HBOMax series. And once she does, her first appearance [in Detective Comics #359] could return to 2018-levels." In that blog, I noted that a "CGC 8.0 copy of this book has lost just over 9% of its value during the past three years."

Back in the summer, Warner Bros. announced that it will indeed produce a Batgirl film for HBOMax. Since that announcement, Detective Comics #358 has exploded in value and is now out of reach for most investors.

Again, it has been a real pleasure writing for GoCollect for the past year; thank you for reading, fellow comic book collectors!

*Any perceived investment advice contained within this blog is that of the freelance author and does not reflect recommendations from GoCollect