Archie Reigns
Archie Andrews’ first issue of his self-titled series, Archie Comics #1, was the big sale on the first day of the auction. A CBCS graded copy with a restored grade of 8.5 sold for $12,101. This copy had never previously had a recorded sale. To put this sale in perspective, the last time an unrestored 8.5 CBCS graded copy sold was in 2015 for $12,422.
There is one unrestored copy in the 8.5 grade in the CGC census, the highest grade. It last sold in 2011 for $167,300. Clearly, any sale of Archie Comics #1 is a big deal, but I’m really curious to see how high that top graded CGC copy could go.
Captain Marvel & the Marvel Family
There were a few sales of Captain Marvel related comics in the auction. The big one was Marvel Family #1, the first appearance of Black Adam, of which a 5.5 and a 1.5 graded copy both sold. The 5.5 sold for $10,600, a record in the grade.
The last sale was in 2019 for $5,250. The 1.5 sold for $2,650. That’s down 26% from the previous sale and continues the downward trajectory for this book in this grade.
A CBCS 2.0 graded copy of Captain Marvel Adventures #1 also sold in the auction. The winning bid was $5,878. The last time a CBCS graded 2.0 copy of this comic sold was in January 2021 for $7,680, so we’re seeing a 23% decline here. Neither of the two CGC graded 2.0 copies has a recorded sale.
Timely Sales
A few Golden Age Timely books sold in the auction, a 6.5 graded The Human Torch #9 ($2,705), a 2.5 graded Marvel Mystery Comics #33 ($903), and a 6.0 graded Young Allies #15 ($1,100). The Young Allies #15 sale marks a 22% increase from the previous sale for $900 in a December 2021 ComicConnect auction. However, it was a pretty steep drop of 37% for The Human Torch #9 from its all-time high set in the November 2021 Heritage auction for $4,320.
Analytical data is lacking for Marvel Mystery Comics #33; the only previous sale for $335 was in 2007.
Matt Baker Sales
There were a number of sales of comics featuring Matt Baker covers and/or interior artwork. The biggest by far was an 8.0 graded copy of Zoot #14(a), which went for $2,525.
The previous sale in this grade was in a January 2018 Heritage auction for $1,135. That’s more than double the previous price and nearing the FMV for a 9.4 graded copy - $2,800.
Marvel First Issues and Appearances Sales
Marvel Silver Age first issues and first appearances made the biggest splashes on the second and third days of the auction. A 4.5 graded copy of X-Men #1 sold for $12,101.
That’s in line with some of the steep declines we’ve seen in this book over the past year, although it’s interesting to note that it’s higher than the previous two sales of $10,300 (November 6) and a slashed $13,000 (December 25).
A restored 1.5 graded copy of Fantastic Four #1 sold for $6,400. Of course, that’s down from the last sale of an unrestored copy: $10,105 in an August eBay auction. Of comparable vintage, a 6.0 graded copy of Hank Pym’s first appearance in Tales to Astonish #27 sold for $6,576.
This marks a drop for this book that now moves it lower than sales in this grade prior to 2021. It’s only a 15% decrease from the December Heritage auction sale for $7,800, but it’s definitely a marker for those tracking when the gains of the past two years are completely erased.
We’re seeing similar declines in values for Daredevil #1. A 6.0 graded copy sold in the auction for $5,322, and it’s the first time since 2020 that prices in this grade have fallen below $6,000. We may, however, be seeing bit of leveling in the values for Iron Man #1, as evidenced by the sale of a 7.5 for $1,200. That’s a notch above the average of the past four sales of this book in this grade - $1,162.
The same can’t be said for the 7.5 graded copy of Tales of Suspense #57, the first appearance of Hawkeye. The $1,401 sale continued the nosedive for this book. It’s down 23% from its previous sale of $1,830 on November 14, and down a whopping 64% from its December 2021 peak of $3,840.
Marvel Bronze Age Sales – A Mixed Bag
Marvel keys dominated Bronze Age sales from the auction. The inevitable Incredible Hulk #181 had a few sales. Curiosity note: can anyone remember a big auction without a copy of Incredible Hulk #181 included?
The highest was a CBCS 8.0 graded copy selling for $6,419. That’s down from the last sale of a CBCS 8.0: $8,401 in a May 2021 eBay auction, but in line with recent CGC 8.0 sales.
The trend continued with the Punisher’s first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #129. A 9.0 graded copy sold for $3,100, very much in line with sales in this grade over the past few weeks. This comic is down an incredible 77% from it’s all-time high in this grade of a slashed $15,000 set in April 2022.
Bucking the trend was the $2,025 sale of a 7.5 graded copy of Werewolf by Night #32. This book had been in freefall since the end of the Moon Knight Disney+ series. This sale, however, marks the first sale in this grade above $2,000 since June.
Other Highlights from the Auction
On the Copper Age/Modern side, a 9.8 graded copy of Star Wars: The Clone Wars #1 sold for $1,776. Sales on this book have been bouncing up and down between a low of $1,700 and a high of $2,300 over the past month.
This sale is a little on the low end of that range but it’s hard to tell whether the trend is upward or downward. A 9.8 graded variant version, limited to 1,000 copies, of Star Wars: The Clone Wars #1 also sold in the auction for $5,900.
A 9.8 graded copy of Usagi Yojimbo #1 with verified Stan Sakai signature sold for just $785. You may remember this comic reaching astronomical heights as high as a slashed $3,500 back in July 2021. It’s fallen remarkably since.
And finally, a 9.6 graded copy of Batman Adventures #12 continued its roller coaster ride with a $990 sale. This Copper Age bellwether seems to be in a constant state of flux, as befitting a more modern book with over 8,000 graded copies. Sales over the past month have been over $1,000 in this grade after mid-December sales that went as low as $798.
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