Comic Link May Featured Auction
The comic book portion of ComicLink’s May Featured Auction ended Wednesday May 28th and there were some very interesting results.
There was something for everyone in this auction, it was fun to watch. I must say I bid on about 30 books and only won 3 !!
That sweet looking CGC 4.5 copy of Batman #1 took the crown as the top book bringing in a strong $75,000. An equally sweet looking CGC 9.0 Fantastic Four #1 with White Pages was a close second earning $73,113.
Actually the top 20 comics earned about a $500,000 at the close.
I always like looking at the top 50 results. Here are some top 50 tidbits;
• 23 Golden Age books
• Top grade a CGC 9.9 New Mutants #98
• Bottom grade a 0.5 Archie #1
• 10 Marvel Keys as defined by me
• 5 high grade Spidey Villain intros made it, Vulture, Doc Oc, Lizard, Electro and Mysterio
OK so let’s look at a few of the results a bit more closely.
Wonder Woman #6, DC Comics, (Fall 1943) Graded by CGC at 9.0 with White pages sold for $6,601.00. The Overstreet price guide value for this comic at 9.0 is $2,332.00.
Wow, this book got close to triple guide. But the guide is often low on run Golden Age (the guide actually shows #4, 5 and 7 as worth more) and the market is focusing more and more on the gems within the runs and the prices of these gems are climbing faster than one can keep track. This is a gem in the run and impossible to find in high grade.
Personally I prefer this book to Wonder Woman #1 as a collectible as it brings a strong character into the mix.
Advantage Buyer
Archie Comics #1, MLJ Magazines, (Winter 1942) Graded by CGC at 0.5 with Brittle pages sold for $6,859.00. The Overstreet price guide value for this comic at 0.5 is $1,583.25.
This is an awful looking comic and it has Brittle pages. I don’t get the premium for this book, for me it’s all about the Pep #22.
Yes I know Archie Comics is the flagship title for the character but a dog 0.5 copy with brittle pages should not be getting this kind of money.
Advantage Seller
Canadian Heroes v2 #5, Educational Projects, (September 1943) Graded by CGC at 9.0 with Cream to Off White pages sold $1,225.00. This comic is not listed in the Overstreet price guide.
Nice to see some more Canadian Whites come up. ComicLink has been doing a great job getting Canadian Whites to market, hats off to them.
Comic Book Daily’s Whites write Ivan has had some great posts on past ComicLink auctions featuring Canadian Whites, click here and enjoy.
I was bidding on this book! Obviously missed out.
This is the 2nd cover appearance of Canada Jack and the grade on it is ridiculous.
I bailed too early in hindsight, just consider the prices some of the lower grade Whites were getting in a recent auction.
Advantage Buyer
Love Lessons #1, Harvey Publications, (October 1949) Graded by CGC at 8.0 with Cream to Off White sold for $110.00. The Overstreet price guide value for this comic at 8.0 is $85.00.
This book went for a song, it was second to last in sales rankings for this auction but it would have went for more had I been aware of the listing!
I need auction lessons.
Advantage Buyer
Aquaman #1, DC Comics (January/February 1962) Graded by CGC at 9.4 with Off White to White pages sold for $5,877.00. The Overstreet price guide value for this comic at 9.2 is $2,250.00.
Nah! I’m not buying it!
Again I find myself arguing that this #1 is worth too much just for being a #1. Adventure #260, even Showcase #30 are better books for me.
Advantage Seller
Fantastic Four #52, Marvel Comics (July 1966) Graded by CGC at 8.5 with Off White to White pages sold for $805.00. The Overstreet price guide value for this comic at 8.5 is $391.50.
At first glance this price seems high but as we know guide adjustments are slow and only come once a year. This book is hot but it also has legs, it will go a long way. Prices for 9.2s and up are out of reach, this is a strong grade for $800 and I’m certain it will prove a good long term hold.
Advantage Buyer
I’d love to hear about what you picked up.
I know how you feel about too much weight being put on a book just because it is number #1. My biggest arguement always comes back to Iron Man #1. The CGC label should read “about the 80th appearance of Iron Man”…high print run….nowhere near first appearance or origin…who cares if it is number #1. All the other “Premire issues” of 1968 are undervalued in comparison…especially the Silver Surfer or Captain Marvel (I know neither of them are first appearances either…the Captains 3rd, but the Silver Surfer has a detailed origin story).
How times have changed… Actually IM#1 is an origin issue. Like Doc Strange #169, both IM#1 and SS#1 are first solo books, meaning that Marvel felt that they were popular enough to hold their own. As well, they are 2 of the most iconic covers of the Silver Age. Much more so then the 80 books prior to IM#1.
Yes, I understand that the current trend is primarily toward first appearances of movie characters, but there is much to love about these books.
Walt, i have to agree 100% with you on this all the way.
Perhaps its the lack of linear collecting continuity. Lets all go back 20 years to a time when practically all the historically important runs were still adding an issue # every month.
Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t Archie the only title that still survives as a continuous linear run?
Isn’t the next oldest from the 90s?
All I’m saying is that with dozens of reboots and new #1s coming out almost annually haven’t the #1s lost their meaning.
A #1 meant something back then and if I’m not mistaken #1 issues were roughly equal in value to first appearance issues for characters like Archie and Spider-Man.
Thanks Nestor. You pick anything up?
Picked up the Twi-light Zone 84 in 9.4 white pages (first Frank Miller).
Pretty happy with it at ~ $520 (including bid premium). Gold Keys are generally unloved, runs like Twi-light Zone even more unloved and its an obscure book by any measure – so to get one of the three best out there.. I feel I did pretty good. The print runs for these were fairly small and these weren’t books that people were rushing to shove into bags with backing boards.
By comparison I got blown out of the water on the X-Men 53 – a book that went for double GPA of just two-years ago.$2,000+ for that book is staggering.
i’ve never bought anything on comiclink. we should talk. lol. i’ve made a few purchases on comicconnect though. the only thing of real note in the last auction was a first doom patrol that i wanted. yes. it wasn’t a pretty sight when the bill came due. but it was a 9.0 … and i’ve been looking for a nice copy a long time now
It being Miller’s first work makes it a must have in my mind. I think Twi-Light zone is hurt by the fact that the title didn’t really generate pop culture characters. I think those covers are a big plus though, some of the funkiest covers were those Gold Key runs like Twi-Light Zone.
Just need a 9.8 upgrade now 🙂
I picked up Strange Worlds #4 8.0 with a great Kirby black cover and featuring artwork by Al Williamson, Steve Ditko,Joe Sinnott and Big John Buscema.I have never seen this issue and the great Kirby cover got me!
Nice pick up Dennis, I’ve always loved that cover!
I remember getting a pile of these back in the 90s, I remember this cover from that pile!
A curious #1 issue is Marvel’s Star Wars #1 from 1977. Here you have a comic book based on a movie rather than a movie based on a comic book. Yet it is the first of many Star Wars comics and was released around the same time as the movie. A 9.8 can now command around $600. With more Star Wars movies comming how do you guys think the value will be impacted?
I struck out on this auction. Closest I got was an ASM#20 8.0. I need auction lessons too.
On your Marvel top Ten list. Tales to Astonish #27 has and always will be a prototype issue for me – not a key.
Avengers #4 would be my replacement. If you include a golden age hero (Sgt. Fury) and bring him into the 60’s as Colonel Fury and on to Shield – why not Captain America. The only difference I see here is when Sgt.Fury was created (the 60’s). The re-introduction of Captain America was huge in the early development of the Marvel mythos and its future. Who said the character had to be an silver age original to be a key?
If this list was about a silver age DC, Showcase #4 would probably be at or near the top of the list, and it is about a re-creation of a golden age hero.
My 2 cents worth anyway – rounded down to zero!
I thought Star Wars #1 was overvalued at $100, I’ve been proved wrong when it cracked $200 and it continues to prove me wrong.
I’m with you Peter, it’s a movie adaptation, there are tons of them but comic collecting is popular and name me a property with more fans than Star Wars!