As the market watches for the X-Men keys to enter into their own solar system, let's take a closer look at the five best-selling X-Men comics from the silver age.

1. X-MEN #1

It's no surprise that the debut issue of X-Men would be the most popular silver age X-key. While this incarnation of the team struggled to keep sales going in the 1960s, this is a classic issue that any X-Men fan would want in a collection.

A 9.8 sold for nearly $500,000 in 2012. If you don't have that much extra money lying around, you may want to opt for a 9.0, which sold for $51,600 last November. What if you would rather have a mid-grade copy? A 5.5 brought almost $9k a month ago.

As I have written many times, you can gauge a comic's popularity by its low grade values, and X-Men #1 doesn't disappoint. A coverless graded 0.5 sold for $1,150 on February 20.

 

2. X-MEN #12

This has always been a popular issue - after all, it's the first appearance of the Juggernaut - but his inclusion in last year's Deadpool 2 bolstered his status among comic collectors. Just typing that sentence has the Juggernaut song booming in my head. Now it's in yours, too. If you don't know it, it's worth a trip to YouTube. You can thank me later.

Want a copy to call your own? If you're willing to settle for a low grade, a 2.0 sold for $279 last month. Compared to that X-Men #1 (sans cover), that's a steal.

 

 

 

3. X-MEN #14

Those hands!

This is one of my favorite silver age covers, and it's because those Sentinel hands reach through the comic and grab the audience. Of course, if you look at his body position, if he's trying to grab Professor X, he's missing by several feet.

Sentinels and X-Men go hand-in-hand (pun intended), so I definitely expect Marvel Studios to incorporate them into the MCU at some point. That will drive sales of X-Men #4, not that it needs added help. Even a 3.5 will cost you over $100 at this point.

 

 

4. X-MEN #4

Coming in fourth in total sales for the month is X-Men #4. This is such an important issue not only for the X-Men lore but also the Avengers mythos. This issue contains the first appearances of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, not to mention the debuts of Toad, Mastermind, and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. With that importance comes a hefty price tag. For anything in the near-mint range, expect to spend at least $5k. Mid-grades may be a cheaper option, but they have averaged $1k or more. You could drop to the lower grades, but bear in mind that a 3.0 sold for over $500 last month.

 

 

 

5. X-MEN #2

As a whole, this comic doesn't have much historical impact on the franchise aside from it being the second issue, which is enough reason for it to be coveted. Still, I love the cover because it is stereotypical silver age fare. Everything about the Vanisher says campy storytelling.

It's surprising that this has been a better seller than Banshee's first appearance in X-Men #28 or the premieres of Blob or Ka-Zar, for that matter.

At the moment, you can still get a graded 1.5 X-Men #2 for under $200, but that won't last for long. If you want something in the 5.0 range, be ready to spend between $400-$500. What about a high grade? A 9.0 sold last month for over $3k.