Debate: Did my $75 raw longbox purchase save or sink my collection?

I picked up a raw longbox from a guy on Craigslist last month for $75. He said it was full of 90s copper age stuff, but no bags or boards. I took a risk and drove 40 minutes to his house. Inside I found a near-mint New Mutants #98 and a beat up Amazing Spider-Man #300, which might pay for the box a few times over. But the rest was water damaged and smelled like old carpet. So did that gamble work out, or did I just buy someone else's junk problem? Has anyone else taken a chance on a bulk buy like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_martinez1mo ago

Whoa, hold up. You found a New Mutants #98 in near mint condition just sitting loose in a box with no bag or board? That’s insane luck. The smell and water damage on the rest sounds rough, but that one book alone probably covers your whole $75 if it’s actually clean. The ASM #300 being beat up is a bummer but still has value if the cover’s intact. Honestly, that gamble paid off way better than most blind box buys I’ve seen people try.

sethhernandez29d ago

My buddy pulled something similar a few years back at an estate sale. Paid $40 for a box of old comics and found a first print of The Walking Dead #1 right on top, no bag no board, just sitting there like junk mail. The rest of the box was moldy and beat to hell but that one issue paid for his kids' Christmas that year. Your situation reminds me of that exact kind of luck where you can't believe someone just tossed that book in with a bunch of garbage. It's a good reminder to check every box you come across because you never know what got left behind.

the_oscar19d agoMost Upvoted

Funny how the best finds are always buried in a pile of trash like that. Your buddy's Walking Dead score is basically the same kind of magic where someone's junk becomes another person's jackpot. Makes you wonder how many other gems got thrown out over the years because people didn't know what they had or just didn't care. That's the thing about estate sales and garage sales - the people running them are usually just trying to clear space fast, not research every old comic or record. If I were you I'd start checking every single box at every sale you hit from now on, even the ones that look like they got rained on. The real trick is having the patience to dig through the moldy stuff because that's where the hidden gold usually ends up.