I'd say you got the better deal, even if the price jumps to insane amounts. Money != value.

jasonw1239 wrote:As with all comics, condition is paramount.

http://www.comicspriceguide.com/p-indiv ... eID=128779

As you can see from the above link, an ungraded "near mint" goes for an average price of $20.00.

If the Macross you traded was a CCG graded "Gem Mint" condition then maybe the OCE is worth less.

Gem Mint???  Where the hell do these guys come up with these stupid ass names for the condition of a comic book?  Mint is mint...period.  Gem Mint was something thought up by some jackhole at CGC so he and the rest of the comic store owners can make more money by screwing people over.  I have never bought a CGC graded comic and I never will.  I'm a collector...not an archiver.

He got the better end of the deal with the OCE.

- Gem Mint? You gotta be kidding me.  I'd like to see some asshat try to explain the difference between Mint and Gem Mint.  It would go like this: "Gem Mint means we can charge 5% more to the person whose comics we evaluate when we place them in the unopenable CGC container".  Gimme a break.[/quote]
5%???? http://www.colmorecomics.com/Default.as ... ecked=True  10.0 -- Gem Mint A comic in this grade commonly fetches between 50 and 100 times the Near Mint (9.4) guide price. Back to top. Silly/not silly??

Bidding for the comic ended at less than $12 USD, which was its exact value in the 80s. Trading one for the OCE white box was officially worthwhile; our lives to date have therefore been worth it.

I'm not so sure.  

Over a span of 20+ years, the delta between the respective masses of the collectibles comes into play.  The comic is lighter than the OCE, so it requires less energy to lug around.  Obviously, that energy comes from somewhere...food, gasoline, electricity, whatver -- it needs to be purchased.  Depending on how much you've actually moved the OCE in the last few decades, you might have lost money..and don't get me started on wind resistance, the comic is much more aerodynamic.  

That being said, the sheer joy of owning an OCE has made you happier and healthier than any comic ever could, and may have contributed to many job promotions and/or romantic interludes.  This would have increased your standard of living substantially.

So, it's a toss-up, I think.