Archie Entered the Top Overall 1,000
What is impressive about this sneaky move is that three issues appeared in the top overall 1,000 two weeks ago. Life with Archie #1 was up 631 spots to 368, Archie Pals and Gals #161 entered the top 1,000 at 973. A 9.8 of that comic recently sold for $350, up 144% from the last sale from four years ago. Archie #271 was up 160 spots to #839. A low grade, 3.0 sold for $66 in April, and a mid-grade 6.0 sold last June is up 344% from one sold a year earlier in 2019.
Archie checks off a lot of boxes on my sneaky moves buy list. It has an amazing cast of characters, great artists, a multi-media presence, and transcends through the ages. Oh, and did I mention the innuendos? I mean, that is what the covers are noted for. The better the innuendo, the higher the value of the comic. That is a common theme I see when an Archie comic enter the charts. The bigger the innuendo, the higher the value.
Great Artists, & Did I Mention Innuendos?
Bill Waggon gave us Katy Keene. George Freese brought Archie along during the Golden Age, eventually handing the reins over to another important Archie contributor, Dan Decarlo. Stan Goldberg, well, when you contribute forty years worth of Archie, “Nuff said!” There’s a great website reviewing the history of more than a dozen contributors to the historic run of Archie comics!
Perhaps it is because of some key new leadership hires that are resulting in some sneaky moves. Speculators do love to... well... speculate. There could be anticipation that the new leadership team will usher in a new era for Archie and his friends. Jamie L. Rotante is now the Senior Director of Editorial. Ron Cacace starts his run as Director of Publicity and Social Media. Speculators could be counting on these two to bring Archie into the spotlight for years to come. After all, Rotante did bring us Betty and Veronica Vixens!
Just a Blip? Which Issues Do You Buy?
Another option to consider is that potentially, Archie comics are being pulled into the wake of increased interest in collectibles and the record prices they are getting at auctions. This could be just a case of “...things are hot, let’s move our slabs while we can,” blip.
I posted a sneaky moves Golden Age Archie post several months ago. So, I am firmly in the Archie-is-a-sneaky-move, pick-up! camp. However, my “buy” on Archie comes with a catch. If you can buy upper high-grade silver or bronze age comics raw and have the ability to clean and press them yourself, then I think it is a good sneaky move. I don’t think that you can turn a big profit if you buy the Archie comics already slabbed and sit on them for a while, then put them back up to the market.
So, that’s my take on Archie comics hitting the top 1,000. ANY Golden, Silver, or Bronze Age in upper high grade that you can press yourself, especially ones with innuendo covers, will be a sound opportunity for you!
