In this post, I’ll consider books I think are currently undervalued that can be picked up and sold for profit in the future. I’ll focus on three comics to buy right now, with explanations about why I think they will eventually rise in value.
Before I start: caveat time.
I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating, there are no certainties in speculation.
No one can time the market and if someone tells you that they can predict exactly what will happen in the future, don’t believe them! That said, we can still make informed guesses about what books might increase or decrease in value, and – all else being equal- we can do that in an educated way, or blindly by following gut instincts.
I prefer the former.
In that spirit, I’ll offer some informed guesses about books I think will increase in value in the coming years along with reasons for why.
If you have them already, hold on to these books, their time to shine will come.
Tales to Astonish #62 (December 1964) - First appearance of the Leader; Origin of Leader
The one golden rule of comic speculation is to buy at the right time. Selling at the ideal moment, when peak interest in a book or character arrives is also a good thing, especially if you want to off-load valuable comics. However, a high-priced sale of a book you already paid a lot of money for in the first place, even if it nets you a profit, is not an ideal situation. Especially if your sale fails to consider the work that went into: the hunt, the initial purchase and the subsequent finding of a buyer in the first place. The ideal spec scenario involves obtaining a desirable book before it peaks, and then selling for maximum profit. Right now, the rumors are that Marvel is considering a Thunderbolts movie. When the news broke, three weeks ago, see here), prices on Hulk #449 (December 1996), the first Thunderbolts, spiked big-time, with 9.8’s jumping on average $100.00 up from circa $250.00 to $350.00 sales.
Most people rushing to buy Hulk #449, however, are forgetting that the rumor also had it the Leader would be brought back. We don’t know what incarnation of the Thunderbolts will appear, but the Leader has already made an MCU appearance in Edward Norton’s 2010 ‘The Incredible Hulk’ film. It helps that this has been largely forgotten ever since the Mark Ruffalo portrayal of the Hulk made it seem like the former was part of another film Universe (although for my money it was as good a film as the Ang Lee 'Hulk' film, which I also loved). TtA #90 will probably spike when the Leader shows up. Right now sales are scarce, with the last 7.0 going for a mere $129.00 on eBay fixed price buy on 05/04/2019.
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (December 1963) - First appearance of the Sinister Six
We saw how crazy prices on even minor Spidey keys can get, when the Hydro-Man ‘Far From Home’ rumor broke a few months ago and prices on Spider-man #212 went wild. Since the latest Spider-man film looks set to introduce multiple villains, including some version of Sandman, and we already know that the Vulture and Shocker are around (from the first MCU previous Spider-film), it may be only a matter of time before we see the Sinister Six onscreen.
Since few are actively seeking this book, NOW is the time to buy. You’ll be grateful when the evil cohort makes its appearance and the value of this already pricey book surges. Right now, you can get a 3.5 for around $475.00. But this is a Silver Age Spider-man key. Compare this price with the going value of the first 6 issues of Amazing Spider-man (the 1963 books). In 3.5 grade: Spider-man #1 will run you $6, 750.00, issue #2 has a FMV of $1, 250 in 3.5, #3 = $1, 300; #4 goes for $700.00, #5 = $500.00, #6 also sells for $475.00. An argument could be made that all of these books are under-valued and, given Spider-man’s popularity - they probably all are. But SM Annual #1 gives you more bang for your buck.
Incredible Hulk #180 (October 1974) – First Cameo Appearance of Wolverine
From the Silver-Age we jump to Bronze. The king of Bronze Age books is Wolverine’s debut in Incredible Hulk #181 (November 1974) – the first appearance of Wolverine. The problem is, everybody and their dog already knows this. The result: prices on this book are sky-high with a 9.8 reaching the $31,000.00 level. But when (not ‘if’) Wolverine makes his MCU debut, another book certain to surge up in price is the very first cameo appearance of Wolvie in Hulk #180. Currently you can get a pristine 9.8 copy for $6, 750.00. That’s about five times less than #181. Don’t have $7, 000.00 handy, don’t worry, you can get a 5.0 graded copy for under $500.00. Compare that with #181: in 5.0 grade Hulk #181 will cost you $2, 100.00. Is it far-fetched to think that an MCU introduction of Wolverine will see Hulk #180 reaching the same prices?
