Amazing sales continue to happen in our hobby. There is much discussion among collectors about what this means as far as the current state of the comic book industry. Should we be buying? Should we be selling in the middle of a pandemic? Or should we hold our key issues for the next market boom? The fact of the matter is, there is much uncertainty in what will be the new norm in our society but that hasn’t stopped hardcore collectors from getting the comic books they want for there PC. Ladies and gentlemen, please take note.
Let me introduce to you the 2nd Edition of the State of the Comic Book Union. In case you missed the 1st Edition, you can catch it here. This article will continue to focus on hardcore facts, confirmed sales, and supporting data to illustrate where the Comic Book Union is today. Consider this a temperature check, of where we are, and possibly where the market is going in the near-term and possible long-term, down the road. What you decide to do with the information, buy or sell, is up to you.
There continue to be many sales that catch my eye each and every week on ComicLink, Heritage, and eBay. All of the following sales I am about to discuss are all auction type sales with multiple bids. Despite many businesses being shut down, online sales, more specifically online comic book auctions, have continued to thrive through this new world we find ourselves in. 3rd party consignment sites continue to push auctions out every week. Let us explore these amazing sales:
THE GRAILS
Fantastic Four #1 (1961) – one of those grail comic books that everybody wants in their collection, no matter what the grade. A CGC 7.0 copy popped up on ComicLink a couple of weeks back and it SOLD last week for $34,333. According to GoCollect, the Fair Market Value (FMV) for this comic book in a CGC 7.0 is $36,000. There has only been one sale so far in 2020 in a 7.0 grade and it was on 3/8/2020 for $26,400 (Heritage). Wow indeed!!
X-Men #1 (1963) – another example of a comic book that deserves a place in anybody’s collection. So many 1st appearances in this issue. We all know what this comic book is about, it’s a grail! A CGC 6.5 example was showcased last month on ComicLink with the auction ending just last week. It SOLD for $10,750. When using GoCollect FMV & Sale History tool, you can see that the FMV is $10,500 with only three sales so far in 2020. Amazing!
Hulk #1 (1962) – one of those Silver Age comic books you hardly see in person let alone for sale at an auction. A few examples were listed on both ComicLink and Heritage Auctions recently. ComicLink had a CGC 0.5 sell for $3,875 and had much interest with over 40+ bids. Being a low-grade example did not deter many collectors from trying to attain this key book. GoCollect has the FMV at $3,400 with the last sale being $3,500 on eBay (3/2020).
Heritage Auctions had a slightly higher copy for sale, CGC 1.0. The CGC 1.0 copy sold for $5,520. FMV for a 1.0 graded Hulk #1 is $5,250. Nothing is stopping collectors from getting the comic book they want!
MORE GRAILS
Avengers #1 (1963) – one of the must-have Silver Age comic books out there now. This comic book needs no introduction as I am sure we have all seen these superheroes on the big screen and enjoyed every minute of it. A CGC 6.5 sold on ComicLink last week. It had 33 bidders and probably twice as many people watching it. It SOLD for an astounding $4,651. GoCollect has the FMV at $5,250 with only 4 sales so far in 2020. This sold price is the LOWEST sale price for this comic book in this grade since 2017 time frame, someone got a great deal.
Another copy of Avengers #1 (1963) sold on eBay the same week. It was a lower CGC 5.0 copy and it sold for $3,270. Right at FMV according to GoCollect, which is $3,200.
THE KEY
Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1963) – now this is a comic book that needs no introduction. Not the 1st appearance of the web-slinger but still a key in its own right. In saying that, a copy normally sells online on any given week. A graded copy with the same grade popped up on both ComicLink and eBay. A CGC 5.0 copy sold for $11,150 on ComicLink and another CGC 5.0 sold on eBay for $10,100. According to GoCollect, the FMV for a graded 5.0 is $10,500 with only 185 copies graded at such a grade according to the CGC Census. In case you’re wondering, this comic book has been graded 3,981 times to include blue (Universal), yellow (Signature Series), green (Qualified), and purple labels (Restored).
Conclusion
There you go. Another snippet of what is going on in the Comic Book Industry as we know it. Some sales hanging around FMV, some over and some others a little below FMV. As you probably already know, especially if you were bidding on some of these comics, there are some hardcore collectors out there that no matter what the market, they are BUYERS. The hobby is strong, collectors are collecting and people are indeed selling, selling those key comic books nonetheless. Stay tuned for the next installment of the State of the Comic Book Union as I delve into more sales of graded keys and grail books. Until next time you comic book junkies…..
Please share your thoughts and comments you have on these major grail sales. What comic books are on your watch list? Did you participate in a recent auction and it ended higher than expected? Or did it end lower than expected and you jumped on it? Which 3rd party comic book sites are your favorite to participate in? Are you currently a buyer or a seller during these dire times and market uncertainty we find ourselves in?
GoCollect is the #1 comic book price guide for tracking sales data of all graded comic books in real-time. Fair market values are now at your fingertips. Check out all the features at www.gocollect.com
