WHY YOU SHOULD INSURE YOUR COMIC COLLECTION

When they're in near-perfect condition, the right comic book can be worth a real fortune. Classic comic books that sold for as little as ten cents in the '30s and '40s have been sold for millions of dollars. Depending on the rarity, importance, and quality grading, a comic book can be a real gold mine. The first issue of Captain America is valued at $353,000 (approx. ₤231,364.92). He pales in comparison to the Man of Steel, however; the most expensive comic book ever sold, a copy of the 1938 debut of Superman in Action Comics #1 with a record breaking grade of 9.0, fetched a bid of over three million (approx. ₤1,966,361.37) in an eBay auction that zoomed upwards from 99 cents in just a few hours. The crisp white pages of this perfectly preserved comic book are well protected and museum quality, proving that insuring and guarding your comics can be well worth the investment.





After all, there’s more to comic books than nostalgic sentimentality. As part of pop culture history, well preserved comic books can hold huge value among museums and private collectors. Like any valuable antique or collectible, comic books are fragile and need to be specially cared for. Protecting your rare comic books with an insurance policy can help preserve their value even if they fall victim to an unfortunate accident.

If your rare comic books are in great condition, they could potentially be worth a lot of money. A professional appraising service can give you a feel for how much your collectibles are actually worth in today’s market, and help you decide how to insure them. Companies like Metropolis Comics offer free appraisals, and you might also consider speaking with someone at your local comic shop. Appraisers determine a comic book's worth by looking at its authenticity, its scarcity, its average marketplace value, and its condition as graded on a standardized scale. The Overstreet grading system rates collectible comic books on a scale of mint condition (a perfect 10) to nearly worthless grade (0.5). Even if it is not in pristine condition, your comic book may still be worth protecting. Getting your books appraised is a really important step in seeking insurance for your collection because it ensures you don't over or under pay for your policy.

Insurance coverage for your comic books and other collectibles starts with your homeowner's insurance. A good insurance policy should cover your property and belongings, as well as special items like your rare books. You should always check with your insurance provider to see if there is a dollar value limit to the coverage they will provide, and if it isn't enough to protect your collectibles, supplemental policies can help to cover that gap. When choosing an insurance policy, It’s wise to take advantage of the websites that allow you to compare home insurance rates. You should also consider the likelihood of what kind of accidents might befall your collection and make sure that your policy offers adequate coverage for these disasters. For example, if flooding or water damage is a likely threat in your area, you'll want to make sure you have great flood coverage as part of your policy.

In addition to protecting your valuable collectible comic books with an insurance policy, you can also bump up your security to prevent theft, invest in air conditioning to help preserve your paper quality, and even get fireproof safes and storage boxes to keep your comics safe even in extreme circumstances. Even though you can take many measures to keep your comics crisp and minty fresh, accidents do happen. Adding your collectible comics to your homeowner's insurance policy gives you some peace of mind about your valuables, even in unforeseeable catastrophes.

Jared Hill is an eclectic blogger that specializes in entertainment, sports and technology. Follow him on Twitter @JaredHill341