Collector Insurance: How It Will Protect Your Comic Book Collection

When you have a collection hobby, you grow your collection and look for antiques and rare items to get your hands on. Once the value of your collection increases, you go through all the steps to ensure it is protected. For comic books, the slightest damage to the cover will diminish the worth of your collection, so you buy security protectors and get the most prized possessions in your collection graded. This will keep them safe for the time being, but there are other things that can happen.

• What if there is a fire and the comic books are destroyed or severely damaged?
• What if you let a friend look at the book and the cover is ripped because of its fragile condition?
• What if the basement floods and permanently devalues and damages your comics?
• What if there is a theft at your house and your collection is gone?

Homeowners insurance isn’t enough to properly cover your collectibles; the amount paid per claim is based on how you value your property. Collectors insurance, however, will leave your mind at ease in case of a frantic situation where your collection is ruined. At least you’ll be able to obtain additional copies that could best fill the void of your lost or stolen collection.

You’re presented with plenty of benefits through a reputable collector’s insurance firm. How helpful will they be when protecting your prized comics?

• Work with you to properly cover your comic books.
  • Will you count the entire collection as a single item, or insure each piece of the collection individually. Your agent will help you decide which works best for your scenario.
  • You estimate the value of your collection and determine the amount of insurance coverage that best meets your needs.
• Request photographs of each piece to the collection. If anything happens, they have a visual of the comic’s appearance on record. Photos are helpful for rare items or valuable issues of a comic, but snapping a photograph of each collectible will provide better insurance coverage.
• When you purchase a new item online, your coverage is extended through transport and shipment in case of damage during delivery.
• Discounted insurance prices for high-value and rare items.
• Coverage ranging through all 50 states—and internationally.

When you’re the victim of a robbery, you want to make sure you are appropriately covered. In a rare instance, three very unique and highly valued comics were stolen from protective frames mounted on the wall of Nicholas Cage’s home. You don’t want to see your mint-condition, pristine Action Comics No. 1—the first-ever appearance of Superman—vanish without a trace. Luckily, his comic was insured. It has since been found (after 11 years) and recently sold at auction for over $2 million.

There are plenty of scenarios that ruin a collection’s grade, even when it’s not stolen. Stained pages, permanent creases, wear and tear on the edges, spines, or specific pages, smoke damage, or smudging from fingerprints or other oily based materials will devalue your issue—and your collection as a whole.

Once you purchase a new addition for your collection, insurance is the last thing on your mind. Just remember, the better protected you are, the less it hurts when your collection is damaged or stolen. With the broad coverage offered by American Collector’s Insurance where new additions are automatically covered without deductibles, make sure your valuables are being protected properly.