A COLLECTOR who read comic books for fun says he now sells graphic novels for £4,000 each.
Steve, who owns A Place In Space, a comic book shop in Croydon, South London, says loyal customers spend thousands for rare editions.
The entrepreneur was buying and selling comics long before taking on the store and even supplied other a place of his own.
He told MyLondon: "Friends said that I had a good eye for products and when we were offered to buy the business, my wife and I decided to go for it."
The shop is now thriving and has some high-end stock that catches the eyes of collectors.
Steve revealed that he has items on his shelves worth up to £4,000 each because of how rare they are.
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The biggest spend was £4,000 to one customer. We had bought some originally blank covers, which had been sketched on by artists
Comics with a character's first appearances tend to be more valuable.
For example, last year an ultra-rare near-mint issue of Batman No1, which cost ten cents when it came out in 1940, sold for £1.6million in an online auction.
Steve added: "We have a number of high value customers that have been with us for many years.
"The biggest spend was £4,000 to one customer. We had bought some originally blank covers, which had been sketched on by artists.
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"We weren't sure how they would sell and we showed them to this particular customer we thought might be interested. He loved them and said that he'd take them all."
BY THE BOOK
The shop owner admits that he has given up collecting since opening his business, but confessed to still having a soft spot for one very special character.
He said: "I love old Spider-Man comics, I collected them from 5 years old and hold great memories for me."
The beloved character first appeared in Marvel's 'Amazing Fantasy' No15 in 1962.
A copy of that book sold this year, clocking in at $1.1million.
However, Steve has seen sales of rarer books decline amid the cost of living crisis.
He said: "We can see that customers are changing their buying habits and don't want to spend a lot of money on one item.
"But they are happy to spend it on lower value items, where it seems you get more value for money."
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