If you’re a collector you almost always have to consistently watch current market conditions and stay abreast of changes that could affect your collection.  It is not hard for one to notice the amazing sales that continue to happen in our hobby each and every week.  The question for many of us is do we buy, buy before prices actually go higher, or do we sell, sell to take in our profit?  Dealers are definitely taking notice of what’s hot or not hence their amazing collection of wall books.  Collectors need to do the same and discuss with other collectors about the current state of the comic book union so you are always in the know.  Should we be buying?  Should we be selling?  Or should we hold our key issues for the next big media news?  The fact of the matter is, there is much uncertainty in the hobby as a result of major Comic Cons being canceled for the remainder of 2020 but that hasn’t stopped hardcore collectors from getting the comic books they want for their PC.  Ladies and gentleman, please take note –

State of the Comic Book Union

Let me introduce to you the 4th Edition of the State of the Comic Book Union.  In case you missed the 1st Edition, 2nd Edition, or 3rd Edition, you can catch them in the link provided.  This article will focus again on hardcore facts, confirmed sales, and supporting data to illustrate where the Comic Book State of the Union is today.  Consider this a temperature check, of where we are, and possibly what direction the market is going down the road; short-term and long-term.  What you decide to do with this information, buy, sell or hold, is up to you.

It is amazing to see the many sales that continue to catch my eye each and every week. The following sales discussed in this article are from a few of those selling platforms.  All of the following sales I am about to discuss are all auction type listings which give a good sign of demand and interest.  With major Comic Cons not opening any time soon online comic book auctions have continued to thrive through this new world we find ourselves in.  With a majority of collectors bunkered down at home, 3rd party consignment sites continue to push auctions out every week with much interest.  Let us explore these amazing sales:

SILVER

Sub-Mariner #1 (1968) – Wow!  I do not think I have ever seen this comic in such a high grade.  A must-have for many collectors after the events of Avengers Endgame.  We all know what the ocean quakes were right?!  That is what made this comic desirable for many collectors, no matter what the grade.  But a CGC 9.8 – and white pages!  A CGC 9.8 copy popped up on eBay a couple of weeks back for a 7-day listing and ended on August 23rd.  It started as a .99 cent listing and quickly escalated to an $8,405 sale.  According to GoCollect, the Fair Market Value (FMV) for this comic book in a CGC 9.8 is $8,250.  There have only been five sales in 2020 in a 9.8 grade with the last sale on ComicLink going for $8,557 on August 26th.  Not bad for a 50+year-old comic book!!

BRONZE

Daredevil #131 (1976) – Origin and 1st appearance of the new Bullseye AND he’s on the cover.  A fan-favorite character for many collectors and a must-have for any Daredevil fan.  The character makes his television debut as Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter in season three of the live-action Netflix series Daredevil, if you haven’t watched the series definitely check it out.  It was just a matter of time before we saw this character in a series as he is one of the major bad boys in the Daredevil run.  At one point this was a $2,500 book when Bullseye originally made his debut on Netflix.  A CGC 9.8 sold on eBay a couple of weeks back on August 23rd for $1,901.  GoCollect has the FMV at $2,000 with only five sales so far in 2020.  The last sale was on August 31st on Heritage for $1,920.  It seems the OW/W page quality has no effect on the comic sale and is worth noting.

MODERN

Amazing Spider-Man #300 (1988) – I don’t think I need to say anything here.  We all know what this comic book is all about.  This comic book has everything going for it:  1st appearance, cool cover, great artist, and awesome story.  I know these sell every week, it seems no matter what the grade, but I think it is always fascinating to see the positive trend this comic book continues to make no matter what the census numbers are or its print run.  In August 2019 this was a $2,000 book and it looks like in August 2018 it was ironically a bit higher at a $2,600 book, movie news more than likely.  A recent sale on eBay closed at $2,900 on August 30th.  GoCollect FMV has this book at $2,400 and this is another example of a 9.8 with OW/W pages, selling for a premium.  Go figure!

VARIANT

Vengeance #1 (2011) – Talk about a comic book going nuclear!  That’s what this comic book did and then some.  I know many of us are not fans of modern variants but if you are then you know what I am talking about here.  Some recent news about the America Chavez character and boom, this comic, as well as the regular issue Dell’Otto comic, is blowing up.  Mike Deodato Jr did the cover art for this ratio variant.   Many 1st appearances in this issue to include Ultimate Nullifier, Mako, Radioactive Kid, the new Black Knight & the new Miss America (America Chavez).  A sale on eBay ended at $1,825 on August 20th.  The last time it sold for $1,000 was in October 2019.  GoCollect has the FMV $650 where it’s fluctuated slightly each year.  Amazing sale!

Conclusion 

There you have it.  Just a few glimpses of the movers and shakers in the comic industry.  Some sales hanging around FMV, some even slightly below FMV, and others a little HIGHER in FMV.  The hardcore collectors out there are aggressively buying no matter the market conditions.  The hobby continues to be strong and healthy, new collectors are coming and old collectors are staying.  I’ve heard comments from collectors that since the majority of the major comic cons were canceled for 2020 they now have more discretionary funds to purchase online.  Makes sense but if this is what online sales are as a result of the lockdown I can’t imagine what Comic-Con 2021 season is going to look like.  Start saving up now collectors this might be a wild ride.  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 sales.  What comic books are on your watch list?   Did you participate in a recent auction that ended higher than expected?  Or did it end lower than expected and you jumped on the sale?  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?