Last year we spent over $250,000 buying comic books. Contact us for our offer!
We will buy individual issues or entire collections, and not cherry pick just the good books.
Yes, Casablanca Comics does buy comic collections. We are local (based in Portland, Maine) but will also travel anywhere for large collections.
We have written some guidelines to answer the many questions we receive about this. If you wish to sell your comics to us, please read this entire page for all of the details.
What we buy:
Primarily we are looking for super-hero comic books published prior to 1980. Most of those comics will have a cover price of 40 cents each or less. If the cover price is more than that (75 cents, $1.50, etc.) it is a more recent book. Most in demand would be comics published by Marvel or DC Comics. Other publishers are in low demand.
We are interested in most comics published prior to 1965. Again, superhero books are the most popular, followed by science fiction and horror comics. Funny comics (Archie, Bugs Bunny, etc.) are not as popular.
We are always looking for golden age comics (1955 and earlier).
We are well stocked on most comics published after 1980. We will buy these collections, but understand that in many cases we may already have multiple copies of these same books in our inventory.
The exception to the pre-1980 rule would be recent high demand books such as key first appearances of characters (such as Venom in Amazing Spider-Man). Other books published after 1980 may be considered as bulk purchases only.
We are willing to look at any collection, large or small, but can not guarantee that we will make an offer.
In all cases, condition is key. As a rule we are looking for comics in nice condition.
Remember, we are buying comics for resale. Supply and demand plays a major role in our decision making. On average we receive 2-3 calls a day from people offering to sell us comics. If we already have copies of the same books in stock, or if history has shown us that the books will be slow sellers, we may not make an offer. Even though technically all comics have some value, it does not make sense for us to purchase comics that will not sell quickly for us. If we already have copies in stock, we would need to sell the copies we own first before we make any money on additional copies. In many cases, we may only sell 10-20% of any given collection that we purchase within six month’s time. The rest of the books will sit in storage or be sold in bulk.
What we do not buy:
Coverless comics
Smelly comics (mold/ mildew/smoke smell)
Pornographic comics
Comic trading cards
Most comics from the 1990’s (except as bulk purchases)
Bulk Purchases:
A bulk purchase is defined as a flat price for a box or collection. In almost all cases bulk comics are things that do not fit our buying needs. We purchase them to use for sales or promotions, but in most cases will pick a few books out for regular stock and put the rest in storage.
How to contact us:
Please call the store at (207) 780-1676 or e-mail us at rick@casablancacomics.com first before bringing your comics into the store. All purchases are made at the Portland store by Rick Lowell (owner). In most cases you will need to make an appointment. We do not buy comics on Wednesdays or the weekend unless a specific appointment has been made in advance. We will travel for large / significant collections. If you have a list of your comics please feel free to send it along. Photos of your books can also be extremely helpful in evaluating what you have for sale.
We cannot evaluate your comics over the phone. If you have any comics that might meet our buying criteria, our buyer will need to see them in person in order to judge their condition.
What else we buy:
We are always looking for original comic book artwork, pulp magazines (Shadow, Doc Savage), fanzines and vintage comic related collectibles.