Spider-Man may be the hero, but Mary Jane's Silver Age appearances are collectors' gold as her keys heat up.

Peter Parker and Mary Jane are as synonymous as Superman and Lois Lane or Reed and Sue Richards. They are an iconic couple, and it's just not the same when the two are split apart. With the success of the Spider-Man Homecoming movies, there has been a renewed interest in the character, particularly for her early appearances.

The M.J. keys have been heating up recently, but fortunately, most of her early appearances aren't out of reach just yet. Here's the latest on some of the biggest sellers.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #25

Technically, this is her first appearance, although it's only one panel with her face covered. Even so, it set up the quintessential love interest for Peter Parker. Over the decades, their relationship has shaped much of Spider-Man's character development, which makes this a pivotal issue in Spidey-lore.

 

 

 

 

 

The top sellers have been the 7.5 and the 7.0. Between those two issues, you can expect to pay anywhere from $250-$300, which isn't bad considering those are decent grades for an early issue of ASM. If you want to move into the near-mint range, the price tag jumps to $880 and well over $1k.

 

 

 

 

 

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #42

For all the Mary Jane Watson-Parker collectors out there, this is the comic to have. Sure, she's only featured on the last page, so it's a glorified cameo appearance. Still, it's the first time readers saw her face, the first time she met Peter, and the first time she uttered her famous catchphrase, "Face it, Tiger, you just hit the jackpot." It's amazing how much history is in those two panels.

Over the past 12 months, ASM #42 hasn't sold particularly well. The two most popular grades, the 7.5 and the 7.0 have only sold nine times each. Then again, this is a minor key, and those tend to have lower sales volume. On the value side of things, both of those grades have been gaining traction. The 7.5 has a 90-day fair market value of $313, which is over $100 more than last year's average sales price. The 7.0 has averaged $208 in the same span after it had a 2019 FMV of $165.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #43

Although it's still years away from M.J. and Peter being a romantic item, ASM #43 marks her third brief appearance. It's also an early Rhino comic, who debuted just two issues earlier in ASM #41. For classic Spidey fans, this is a two-for-one.

The big sellers here have been the 6.0 and the 7.0, with at least a dozen sales each in the past year. The FMVs for these two have been on the rise along with most of the other grades for ASM #43. At the moment, the 6.0 averages close to $150 while the 7.0 stays in the $180 range.

 

 

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #59

This has been a hot comic as of late. While it doesn't have the historical significance of ASM #25 or #42, ASM #59 is the first time M.J. is featured on the cover. In the decades since her introduction, many artists have been obsessed with portraying her, and it all began with this issue. It also happens to be the debut of the Brainwasher, in case you happen to be a big fan of his.

Out of all the comics on today's list, this is the most popular issue in terms of sales volume. The 8.5 has sold 19 times in the past 12 months, averaging $153 in that span. Next to that is the 9.0, which has traded hands 15 times since last spring and carries an FMV of $211.