- Rick and Morty premiered on Cartoon Network on December 2, 2013. The series has come a long way from the pilot's 1.1 million viewers to the 2.6 million viewers of the latest episode.
- On April 1, 2015 the first comic book adaptation was released by Oni Press.
- A packet of Szechuan sauce sold for $99,000 on eBay.
Like the infinite universes in Rick and Morty, a wide variety of Rick and Morty keys exist. Issue #1 alone has 15 different variants. Which of these are worth collecting?
Below is the sales data for Rick and Morty #1 at CGC 9.8.
For most of 2016, the volume of sales were low and price increased slowly. Both of these noticeably increased in early 2017. This was possibly due to the release of season 3 of the animated show on April 1, 2017. Since then, the value has rocketed to a current fair market value of $1,100. If the current growth rate holds, a CGC 9.8 of Rick and Morty #1 should increase in value to $1,300 by December 2020. This represents a potential upside of 118%. Furthermore, this estimate doesn't account for the possibility that when season 4 of the show premieres, the book could see another price bump like in April 2017.
RICK AND MORTY #1 (ROILAND VARIANT COVER)
Below is the sales data for the book at CGC 9.8 and 9.6. Due to the low volume of sales for 9.8, the data was extended to include 9.6.
While the high prices that this book commands can be very enticing, it fails to hold any value as each day passes. CGC 9.8 of the Roiland variant cover has lost about 35% of its value of the last year. Likewise, CGC 9.6 has also lost about 35%. With its low volume of sales and decreasing value, the Roiland variant of Rick and Morty #1 represents a bad investment. It’d be best to get out while you can.
RICK AND MORTY: POCKET LIKE YOU STOLE IT #1 (NERD BLOCK EDITION)
The next highest selling Rick and Morty #1 is the Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It #1 (Nerd Block Edition). The primary cause of interest in this book is due to the rocky history of its release. It was originally supposed to be released as part of the Nerd Block subscription service. Unfortunately, the bankruptcy of Nerd Block threw the book’s release into a limbo. Only a few copies have since come to market.
Below is the sales data for Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It #1 (Nerd Block Edition):
Upon first hitting the market, CGC 9.8s of the book sold at high prices, peaking at $1,125. This flame burned bright, but also burned fast. Ever since hitting its peak, the book’s value has been in a steady decline. The current fair market value for a 9.8 is $850. A decline of 25% from it’s high. If the negative growth rate continues, it could very easily be worth south of $400 by the end of 2020.
MISC
Other books of note include: Rick and Morty #1 (Ryan Variant Cover) and Rick and Morty #1 (Emerald City Comicon Edition). Their current fair market values are $450 and $425, respectively. The Emerald City Comicon Edition has only seen 7 sales of CGC 9.8 since its release in 2015. The Ryan variant has been equally sparse, only 9 since 2015. While both variants currently have high market values, the lack of sales make them high risk investments.
BOTTOM LINE
Of the key Rick and Morty books, only one has demonstrated the potential for positive returns; Rick and Morty #1 at 9.8. Its current fair market value is $1,100, but should rise to $1,300 by December 2020. It would be worth the time to see if this hold true at the lower grades. As for the other variants of the #1 and the recalled Nerd Block book: at best the values will be flat; most likely they will decline.
- Rick and Morty #1 (2015): Buy at 9.8, preferably before season 4 premieres.
- All others: Sell
“I can answer that, for money.” - Government Bug
