The Copper Era of comics is dominating the sales charts, with the same top three books in the Copper Era rankings at GoCollect as the top three overall sales rankings. The Hot Copper books (and their rankings) are pulled from the GoCollect market overviews and based on current sales. As such, the individual rankings change daily.  It may be that collectors with an affinity to the 1980s and 90s are still in the market searching for great stories, artwork, and investments (we finally have disposable income maybe?)  The best books for any collector depend entirely on your goals -but the Copper Era books are topping the sales at the moment.

X-Men #1 is reputed to have the highest published book count in history, but that hasn't stopped this Jim Lee and Chris Claremont story from being at the top of the sales charts.

Spawn #1, the kick-off to the Todd McFarlane Image Comics empire, continues to be in the top three for sales.  It is both a great cover and a great piece of comic history all at once.

Rounding out the top three on both sales lists is Venom: Lethal Protector #1.  Venom's first solo series book is routinely at the top of the sales charts and the popularity of the character and its integration into the Spider-Man canon is here to stay.

Interestingly, a 9.8 graded book for any of these top books is fairly reasonable - GoCollect estimates a current FMV of $110 for the X-Men #1, $140 for the Venom: Lethal Protector #1 and $190 for Spawn #1.

Silver Spidey Holds Steady

Spider-Man #1 (Silver Edition) holds steady at #7 in the Copper Era sales charts.  This classic cover art by McFarlane continues to grab collectors, just as it did when it arrived at your LCS in 1990.

I was thinking of having one of my books graded at wondered what to do with the fact that it is still in the original sealed bag.  Selling it raw is an option and eBay has sellers now in the range of $25-40.  But is it worth sending it in to be graded?  A graded 9.6 has an FMV of $65 and a 9.8 has an FMV of $95.  As always, the challenges of a black cover and getting a great grade from CGC (or others) is a calculated risk.  CGC posted this on a discussion board (July 12, 2021);

"Good morning,

Thanks for your message. CGC does not certify books that are sealed in a manufacturer's poly-bag. To have a poly-bagged book certified by CGC, you must either remove the book from its poly-bag or send written approval authorizing CGC to remove it. The words “Poly-bag removed” will appear in the key comments section on the CGC label."

The real fun would happen if a book came back graded a 9.9!  That grade of a Silver Spider-Man #1 recently sold for $1,560 (April 11, 2022).

More Secret Wars

No, this is not a new CIA or KGB thriller.  But new to the current Copper Era sales list is Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #3.  For a long time, this 1984 series got no love from fans or collectors. My recollection is that this bringing together of heroes smacked of being just a gimmick at the time, with all the attraction of the Hanna-Barbera's Laff-A-Lympics, but today everyone seems to need a Secret Wars #1 and #8.

The third issue of the series is a recent addition to the current sales chart (although it has been on and off the chart before).  The important thing here is the first appearance of Titania (Mary McPherran), one of She-Hulk's greatest villains.  With She-Hulk scheduled to come out on Disney+ on August 27, 2022, naturally, related books are selling.

Hanging Around and Busting Charts

Amazing Spider-Man #252 is routinely in the top sellers for the Copper Era so it is no surprise that it is around the #30 sales ranking currently.  Also published in 1984 like Secret Wars, (who knew it would be a good year for comics, but like the music of 1984, maybe it just took us a long time to appreciate it), this homage to the classic Amazing Fantasy #15 cover is a classic in its own right.

The first appearance of Spider-Man's black costume (the origin of which is in Secret Wars #8) makes this a seminal moment in comic history and make him the true king in black.  This issue caught my eye this week, not for holding a standard place in the sale charts, but because a graded 9.9 book sold recently for $24,000!  Check out the Chart Busting section of the GoCollect Market Overview page for other sales that will stun and amaze you.

If I had a $24,000 comic budget I'm pretty sure I would spread it around to a lot of 9.8 graded books on my wish list.  How about you?

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*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.