The king is dead! Long live the new comic book king!  If you're following our Instagram, you would have seen us post about the 9.6 Amazing Fantasy #15 sold by Heritage Auction for a record-breaking $3.6 million dollars on Thursday. If you have $5.4 million, this buyer may sell you that copy. Most articles you will read will focus on that one sale and generalize that comic books are a great investment.  Our readers deserve more than that simple analysis.

The previous record for a sale of Amazing Fantasy #15  was a 9.4 that sold for $795,000 in March 2020.  The previous record for a comic book auction sale was a 9.0  Action Comics #1 that sold for $3.2 million just in April.

I. Future Kings?

If you study the data you will see that 9.6 copies of Fantastic Four #1 only have two copies in the universal census.  This is double the number of the 9.6 population for Amazing Fantasy #15. These Fantastic Four books could break the new record if they come to market. A sale near an MCU movie introduction would only increase the demand for those books.

Marvel may be king now but for how long is the issue.  These sales will pale in comparison if the one 9.2 Detective Comics #27  or two 9.0 Action Comics #1 come to market. The reason is because of the long-term success and viability of Superman and Batman. Both characters are iconic, decades after their first appearances.  The price these books might fetch at auction could hit eight figures if they ever come to market.

Tip for Everyday Collectors and Investors

The recent Amazing Fantasy #15 sale reveals that scarcity and condition are of supreme importance to investors and collectors.  This should impact the books you are looking at in the future.  It should also make you re-examine books that do not pass this test.  This book was almost one-of-a-kind because of the condition and age of the book. Books that are rare because of one or both of those factors will always be in demand when they hit the market.

Long Term Study

There are more 9.8 copies of Ultimate Fallout #4 than the total graded copies of Amazing Fantasy #15 in the universal census.  The question is, does this make the lower grade first appearance of Peter Parker a better investment than multiple copies of a 9.8 Ultimate Fallout #4?

II. The Effect on the Comic Book Market

The world is listening!!!

My local newspaper rarely covers collectibles.  A week before this sale, the paper took the time to publish an article stating how collectibles are rising in value. The AF #15 sale will only increase this perception. GoCollect readers have to now be smarter than ever.  Readers will see the hype from many websites, newspapers, and on television stating that comic books are the new way for people to make a fortune.   Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) will now infect the market like never before, so you must be smart.

GoCollect vs. Other Sites

I will let you in on a little GoCollect secret.  GoCollect lets the writers actually write what we believe because we have to back it up with an analysis of the numbers.  Hobbyists cannot argue that prices have been exploding since the pandemic. Harry Stone III and I constantly talk, though, that we are waiting for a negative price adjustment on some books.  We study the numbers. We see rising sales prices and an influx of people in the market. Those facts are undeniable.  The million-dollar question is what happens next if those new people leave the hobby?

The Amazing Fantasy #15 sale will make more people believe you can make a lot of money in comics.  We are one of the only sites that ask what happens if these people leave?  The answer is simple, the FMV for many books will adjust downward.  This does not mean the market will crash.  Rather, this means some books that exploded in value will see less demand. As a result, the FMV  for these books will drop.

Tip for Everyday Collectors and Investors

The more articles you see, the higher the demand for higher-grade key books there will be in the market. After the Amazing Fantasy #15 sale, I observed an auction where an ungraded mid-grade copy of Fantastic Four King-Size Special #5 (Fantastic Four Annual #5 on GoCollect) was being sold for more than $300 because of rumor and speculation.  Other books were also seeing unrealistic price increases.  FOMO has infected this market.  Readers should study the numbers and make informed decisions rather than following the hype.

Long Term Study

I will be studying books to see if there are peaks now, after the Amazing Fantasy #15 sale.  FOMO scares me.  I anticipate that the AF #15 sale and success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will cause a spike in Marvel books more than for DC Comics.  As a result, deals buying DC Comics may have been created.  This opportunity could be short-lived, though, if a DC Comic book comes to market and sells for more than a million dollars.

III. The Buyer's Impact

The Masked Individual

The identity of the buyer has not been revealed.  There is a possibility that the person's identity will never be known.  I would love to interview that person! The identity of the buyer and the reason for the purchase would be a great indicator of the future of the comic book market.

Facts left Unanswered

Free Advertising?

This person could have ties to Disney and the purchase of this book was to generate "free" advertising by buying an unregulated commodity.  Later, that book could be sold to cover more costs. Many websites and media outlets have reported on the sale. One of the outlets that reported on this sale was the Hollywood Reporter.  The article appeared in their movie news section. Imagine buying a valuable collectible and getting free publicity for a movie from that sale.

Global Market?

The buyer could also be from another country.  This would be further evidence of what many readers have been telling me - that there is a thriving comic book market in foreign countries.  These markets sell books well below the FMV here in the states, but the supply is so low that finding these books is a difficult task.  A foreign buyer making this purchase could reveal untapped market segments unknown to many in the hobby.

Tip for Everyday Collectors and Investors

The sale of this AF #15 is important.  The reason for the purchase is even more important.  I want to know more so that I can determine the effect on this market.  The problem is that many will ignore the reason.  You can try to extrapolate the reason from the sale, but this method may lead to a faulty premise. The more you know, the better you can assess the impact on the market.  I am trying to go with what I see, but I am not going to make any rash decisions based upon this sale.  You should not either.

Long-Term Study

I will be studying Spider-Man and Marvel books to see if this sale has any long-term impacts.  I will also be seeing if this sale impacts DC Comics.  This may be a great time to sell some books to buyers who have bought into the hype and sizzle of the sale and not done their homework.

IV.  Conclusion

The sale of one book is not an indicator of the long-term viability of the comic book market.  GoCollect readers should study the numbers and be wise with their decisions to determine the time to buy or to sell.  Readers should not forget that human nature should also be factored into your analysis.  Many around you will buy into the hype and become infected with FOMO.

In conclusion, the proper methodology after a record comic book sale should be to study the data and determine for yourself if this is a time to buy, sell, or hold onto your books.

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