VALUATION: COMPLETE SET OF 2000AD & MEGS WITH ALL GIFTS & RARITIES

[inkymonkey]

Hey all!

It's a sad day - downsizing at the moment, and those 20-odd boxes of 2000ADs and Megazines are having the pointy end of the "they've got to go" stick aimed at them... sniff...

What I have there - amassed over many years - is the complete collection of Progs and Megs, up to the present day. Almost all of them are near mint, with a small number in very good condition (a run from 700 - 900). No newsagents' marks or price stickers anywhere.

There's actually a run from around 130 - 200 that is MINT - never read, an absolute find I had from a US seller who'd had them sitting in a warehouse for many years waiting for a customer to pick them up - he obviously never showed. They're in beautiful condition.

What's even more fun, I have every single free gift that came with the Progs and Megs (yes, even the bubblegum), and hundreds of issues with the flyers and leaflets  included as distributed in the UK. Prog 1 with the Space Spinner, Prog 2 with the Biotronic stickers, Prog 3 with the Space Wallet (unmade), and so on - every gift and flyer that I know about are there.

Prog 1 even has a letter from Tharg himself, with a signed photograph that went out to the senders of the first 50 letters opened by the folks at IPC. It's in really lovely condition.

There's also every variant that I know of - the Rogue Trooper Prog 2005 cover for instance, and the "Tooth X-ray" variant cover, as examples. Even that bloody Diesel "Ice Crusaders" Prog, which was extremely hard to find...

Added to all this are nearly all the Annuals and Specials, all the FCBD issues, Poster Progs, Dice Man issues, Dredd/Batman/Lobo/Predator issues, as well as Starlord and Tornado. All the more recent 2000AD-related specials are there as well.

Subscribers' gifts are all included as well, from about the year 2005 onwards.

They've all been bagged and boarded (where correct size boards were available) and stored neatly in boxes.

I have no real idea whether it's worth trying to sell the whole collection together - I imagine many here will already have sizeable collections - but I thought it worthwhile seeing if anyone has a decently informed idea of the possible value...

There's one tricky bit - I'm down in Oz. So shipping will obviously be a challenge - unless you're local - hence why I suspect I'll have to split the collection up. But we'll see...

Anyway, if anyone's got any thoughts, I'm keen to hear them!

Cheers!

P.S. I've attached a list of what's in the collection, just to show what a pedant I've been. Marvel and be horrified  at the same time...

You cannot view this attachment.

[Fortnight]

I've been looking for a way in to 2000 AD for years, and there are probably others looking for the same. So selling the lot together isn't impossible. I have 5 boxes of issues from somewhere in the toilet-paper era to circa 2000, but they're scattershot in terms of condition and not really suitable for reading since they're also scattershot in terms of continuity.

I've no real idea of the value of a complete set. There's a similarly complete collection on ebay right now for £6000, but, if my memory hasn't completely deserted me, it's the same collection that has been up for sale for over a decade, growing as issues come out, price growing with it. I remember umming and ahhing for about a year over buying that collection back when I was doing employed work (as opposed to self-employed which I started in about 2016).

The problem as you say is whether to sell in one go or not. It's a shame to break up such a great collection, but if you want to get the best price, you'll be best off selling separately. Some will sell like hot cakes, but others will likely never sell. Be prepared for the long haul going this way - not ideal if you need to downsize quickly.

Selling in one go is going to be similarly troublesome - you'll be waiting, possibly years, for someone who's interested and looking for a quick way in (like me!) but also can afford the lot in one go (not like me - although I can probably afford in instalments if that were an option). I'm umming and ahhing over this one too now.

You may have to accept either a long wait for a sale, or a low price for a quick sale.

You could try local off-site storage, either to keep them and save space, or sell them over the long haul.

I have a similarly complete set of bagged & boarded Eagle (80s) with all the flyers and junk and free gifts. Except the Wham bar which I suspect no-one has any more. I have a sealed wrapper from one! The contents rotted and seeped through into the comic - and about 20 nearby comics Many comics ruined and yet it's one of my most prized items    Sad, I know.

[inkymonkey]

I appreciate the thoughtful answer Fortnight!

In an ideal world, I'd obviously love the collection to go to one buyer who'd appreciate it as much as I have... But reality is a harsh mistress. I find myself looking down the barrel of {erk} EvilBay, with a series of listings.

I did try inquiring at Heritage Auctions, but sadly their only interest is in 2000AD#2 with the first appearance of Dredd. Ho hum...

[bmcphail]

I do think that your best bet is probably to break them up into much smaller lots centered around specific types of collector interest.  There have been a couple of sellers on Ebay over the years that have sold large lots of all the progs and all the megazines, but when you look at what they got for them, they likely ended up leaving a lot of value on the table as anything above the first hundred or so progs is worth a fraction of the earlier ones, even in high grade.  The magazines are almost all low value, even in high grade.  As a US based collector, I will say that postage from Australia is fairly reasonable and I frequently buy comics from dealers like Kings and Alternate Worlds.  I know I would love to purchase your Diesel variant and anything else more unusual that you have including variants or unique items, so if you do decide to go the auction route, I hope you'll give me a heads up.

[inkymonkey]

I know I would love to purchase your Diesel variant and anything else more unusual that you have including variants or unique items, so if you do decide to go the auction route, I hope you'll give me a heads up.

Cheers bmcphail - it's looking like {choke} eBay is the best option... I'll let you know if/when it happens!

[Funt Solo]

Sounds like an absolutely dream collection. Feels like it should go into a museum. In my imagination. Bah - reality.