Today Amazing Fantasy #15 (the first appearance of Spider-man) can sell for over $1, 000, 000.00 dollars. Tales of Suspense #39 (the first appearance of Iron Man) can hit sales numbers upwards of $300, 000.00. When we see this kind of money exchanged for comics with cover prices of twelve cents, the average buyer might be forgiven for experiencing a sense of something approximating despair at the thought of ever getting one’s hands on a decent high grade Silver Age key.
Believe me, I feel your pain. Yet, for all the hype these mega-keys have received after fetching six-figure sales numbers, there are still some important Marvel Silver Age keys that have not been priced to the moon in higher grades….at least, not yet.
This is a blog post for readers close to giving up on ever owning a presentable copy of Fantastic Four #1 or Avengers #1. Here I want to present some alternatives that are also notable keys and, in contrast to the above mentioned books, can be brought home in decent condition without having to sacrifice the equivalent of months' - or even years’ - worth of salary.
The following keys are nonetheless important in the sense of either presenting a major character or having a significant status in relation to an established Marvel character or group.
Silver Surfer #1 (August 1968) - First Surfer self-titled series
If like me you lament not having picked up Fantastic Four #48 when it could be bought for a lot less than it sells for today, then this may be a good second choice. FF #48 may be the first appearance of the Silver Surfer, but Silver Surfer #1 is his first solo series. This is also an expensive comic, but comparing numbers shows that what it takes to get a Fantastic Four #48 in lowly 1.5 grade (currently: $400.00) will get you an 6.0 copy of Silver Surfer #1. If Marvel makes use of the Surfer in a movie, and they very well might, that 6.0 is guaranteed to rise in value. Currently that grade has a positive rate of return on investment of (+28.4%) over the last few years.
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 (June 1968) - First issue to self-titled Nick Fury series
Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos #1 (May 1963) is the Marvel Silver Age key that features the first appearance of Sgt. Nicholas J. Fury, but it sells for hundreds of dollars in lowest grades. A 0.5 will cost you around $160.00. While this is still far less expensive than a 0.5 copy of Avengers #1, it’s still a lot for such a low grade book. For the same price, pick up a copy of Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 in 8.5 grade. Talk about an under-valued book. With its beautiful and psychedelic Jim Steranko cover, what’s not to like about this Silver Age key?
Captain America #100 (April 1968) - First issue to silver age titled Cap series
Avengers #4 is a great key to have, since it features the reintroduction of Captain America into the Marvel Silver Age. Unfortunately, even a tattered 0.5 graded copy will cost you almost four hundred dollars. Instead of spending that money on something that looks like it was dragged through a corn field, why not get a 7.5 graded copy of Captain America #100. While it’s not Cap’s first Silver Age appearance, it is the first issue of a Captain America solo title in the Silver Age (taking over from ‘Tales of Suspense’). This comic also has a classic Jack Kirby cover that really makes it stand out. The returns on this comic are also looking very good: currently up in almost all grades and gaining steadily. Whereas in 2004 that 7.5 could be bought for around 100 dollars, today it would return three times that much.
Sub-Mariner #1 (May 1968)– Namor's first solo series
The Sub-Mariner is a great character and his first Silver Age appearance can be found in Fantastic Four #4 (May 1962). A 0.5 copy of FF #4 currently sells for $270.00. If you don’t want to spend close to three hundred dollars on a beat up FF #4, why not grab the Sub-Mariner’s own solo comic? That $270.00 will get you a gorgeous 8.0 copy of Namor in all his Silver Age glory.
Iron Man & Sub-Mariner #1 (April 1968) – Pre-dates both Iron Man #1 and Sub-Mariner #1
Finally, ignoring the desire to own the out of reach Tales of Suspense #39, won’t help soothe your Iron Man blues, since Iron Man #1 , unlike Sub-Mariner #1, is also moving up quickly in price. As the third hottest Silver Age comic this month, according to GoCollect.com, a 0.5 grade of Iron Man's first solo title after his debut would cost you $100.00. Want an early Iron Man appearance in decent condition but don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars for it? I recommend Iron Man & Sub-Mariner #1. This one-off team-up book is currently selling for prices similar to Sub-Mariner #1. In this case, you get Namor and Tony Stark for the same price. For $110.00 you can pick up a quite decent 7.0 copy. This is something of an under-valued key, since as a prelude to Iron Man #1, and having a connection to the Sub-Mariner character, it was released before either Iron Man #1 or Sub-Mariner #1 hit the newsstands. So you get both an Iron Man and a Subby key.
