Comic Book Collecting

Comic book collecting is a hobby that treats comic books and related items as collectibles or artwork to be sought after and preserved. Though considerably more recent than the collecting of postage stamps (philately) or books (bibliophilia), it has a major following around the world today and is partially responsible for the increased interest in comics after the temporary slump experienced during the 1980s. Among comics fandom, the collecting of comics and the study of comics as a medium and an artform are sometimes referred to (individually or collectively) as panelology.

Overview
Comics are collected for several possible reasons, including appreciation, nostalgia, financial profit, and completion of the collection. The comic book came to light the pop culture arena in the 1940s due to the popularity of superhero characters Superman, Batman, and Captain Marvel. Since the 1960s, two publishers have dominated the comic book industry: Marvel Comics, publisher of such comics as Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four, and DC Comics, which publishes titles such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Other large non-manga publishers include Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics.As comic books regained their popularity in the 1960s during the boom of the Silver Age of Comic Books, fans organized comic book conventions, where fans could meet to discuss their favorite comics with each other and eventually with the comics' creators themselves. As of 2006, numerous conventions and festivals are held around the world, with San Diego Comic Con being the largest and best-known convention in the United States.

While some people collect comic books for personal interest in the medium or characters, others collect prefer to collect for profit. To assist both types of comic book collector, comic book price guides are available and provide estimates of comic book values as well as information on comic book creators and characters. The price guides assign values for comic books based on demand, availability, and the copy's condition. The longest running price guide is the annual Overstreet Price Guide, first published in 1970. Current monthly price guides include Comics Buyer's Guide and Wizard Magazine. The growth of the Internet in the late 1990s saw development of online databases that tracked comic book creators and character appearances and storylines, as well as websites that combine comic book price guides with personalized collection tracking to provide collection values in real-time. The Grand Comic-Book Database is a popular online resource for comic book creator and character information. Popular online price guide and collection tracking services include comicspriceguide.com, mycomicpile.com, and nostomania.com.

The increased popularity of online auctioning services like eBay or Hertiage Galleries for buying and selling comic books has greatly increased the visibility of actual comic book sale prices, leading to improved price guide accuracy, particularly for online price guides such as nostomania.com that base their values solely on sales data captured from online sources. In response to collectors' interest in preserving their collections, products designed for the protection and storage of comic books became available, including special bags; boxes; and acid-free "backing boards", designed to keep the comic book flat.

Facts quoted from wikipedia.org

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