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I Inherited a Comic Collection. What Should I Do First?
The short answer
Leave it alone for a week. Don't tape, clean or fix anything, don't crack any slabs, and don't take the first offer.
Then sort the boxes into five piles and pull the keys before anyone quotes you a number. A bulk offer on a collection with keys in it is the most expensive mistake an heir can make, because shops commonly pay 40–50% of value on bulk.
What should you avoid in the first week?
Three things, and every one of them costs money you can't get back.
Don't fix anything. Tape is permanent damage. Amateur repair counts as restoration, which earns CGC's purple Restored label and a steep discount. Leave loose covers loose.
Don't crack slabs. A book in a CGC slab is already graded and certified. Taking it out throws that away.
Don't take the first offer, especially from someone who contacted you. And don't sell the collection as one pile. Local shops commonly offer around 40–50% of fair market value on bulk purchases, so every key sold inside a bulk lot goes at bulk rates.
How do you sort an inherited comic collection?
Sort before you value anything. Five piles:
- Slabbed books. Already certified. Look up each cert number on CGC's site, then check recent sales for that book in that grade.
- Anything before 1970. Golden and Silver Age books, whatever their condition. This pile gets a professional look.
- Keys and possible keys. First appearances and famous issues. This pile is small and usually carries most of the money.
- Commons from 1980 on. The bulk of most collections, worth pennies per book.
- Everything that isn't a comic. Magazines, original art and ephemera have separate markets and separate buyers.
That sort turns a room full of long boxes into four manageable jobs and one small stack that deserves attention.
Are comics from the 1980s and 1990s worth anything?
Most aren't worth much, and it's better to hear it now. Many collections built in the late 1980s and 1990s were bought as investments: polybagged #1s, foil covers, five copies of the same issue. Publishers printed them in enormous numbers, and today most sell for bin prices.
Dealers say so in writing. MyComicShop sells most comics from the 1980s onward for $1–$3 and buys them "for less than $1.00 or not at all." Jetpack Comics puts typical 1990-and-newer overstock at about $10 a long box.
That doesn't mean every book from those years is a dud. First appearances from the era, like Amazing Spider-Man #300 or New Mutants #98, still sell well in high grade. Pull those out before the rest goes by the box.
How do you get an honest value?
For anything substantial, pay for an appraisal from someone who isn't also offering to buy. A free appraisal from a dealer is really an offer. Nobody can set the value and pay it at the same time.
You'll need a fee-based appraisal anyway for insurance or for the estate's paperwork.
Taxes are usually lighter than heirs expect. Inherited property generally takes a basis equal to its fair market value on the date of death, under IRS rules, so a prompt sale often produces little or no taxable gain. A collection is often worth more sold soon than held. This isn't tax advice; the estate's accountant can confirm how it applies.
Where should each pile be sold?
Keys and slabs get consignment quotes or careful eBay listings. MyComicShop, for example, publishes its consignment rates: 10% on sales up to $300 and 8% above that, capped at $1,000 per item.
Clean pre-1970 books usually get graded before they're sold. CGC's Vintage tier is $45 a book for books worth up to $400.
Commons from 1980 on go to a shop in bulk or as lots on Whatnot.
Magazines and original art go to specialists.
If you need everything gone quickly, selling it all to one buyer is a fair choice. It typically costs 30–50% against routing each pile properly, so make it on purpose.
Questions people also ask
Should I sell an inherited comic collection all at once?
Not if it contains keys. Shops commonly pay 40–50% of fair market value on bulk, so pull the valuable books and sell them individually, then sell the rest in bulk.
Are old comics from the 90s worth money?
Most aren't. MyComicShop buys most comics from the 1980s onward for less than $1 each or not at all. First appearances in high grade are the exception.
Can I repair or tape an old comic before selling it?
No. Tape is permanent damage, and amateur repair counts as restoration, which earns CGC's purple Restored label and a large discount.
Do I pay tax when I sell inherited comics?
Inherited property generally takes a basis equal to its fair market value at the date of death, so a prompt sale often produces little or no taxable gain. Confirm with the estate's accountant.