Heritage Auction House is an auction site most of us know very well by now. Known for getting some of the hardest collectibles and high-end items, Heritage continuously commands high dollar amounts in the collectors market. But did its much-hyped Promise Collection live up to the buzz surrounding it?

The Backstory

Earlier this year, Heritage acquired the 5,000 piece Promise Collection. Comprised of mostly high-grade Golden Age books -- an unusually rare find in the Golden Age market -- collectors went crazy for them.

First, we should note that the Promise Collection was the collection of a young man who was growing up during World War 2. He went overseas to help in the war effort, but sadly never made it back home. His brother kept guard over these books, which brings us to the auctions that just recently ended. Bittersweet backstory aside, did they bring in the money?

Movin' On Up

Let's start with a book most of us know. Batman #1. It's one of the top Golden Age keys; this book has been shooting up in value since even before grading was a thing.

This Pedigree grade 2.0 with cream to off-white pages might seem low, but it's likely because the cover is detached. It sold for a cool $240,000 in November 2021, a jump from the $222,000 price a Universal 2.0 commanded in September 2021. This Pedigree book has set a new high bar for other 2.0's.

Surprisingly, Captain America Comics #1 with a Pedigree grade of 3.5 with cream to off-white pages also ended at $240,000. A Universal 3.5 sold for $90,000 in July 2020 -- a drop from its prior sale of $119,500 in February of 2018. While the pedigree label likely helped, this is a good sign for other lower grade Captain America #1 copies.

But what about lesser valued Golden Age Books? The Promise Collection copy of Mary Marvel Comics #1, which currently holds the highest grade for this book -- 9.8 with off-white to white pages, closed at $45,600.

This is the highest recorded sale for this book. A Universal 9.6 sold for $2,868 in 2013, by comparison.

Batman #50, with a Pedigree 9.6 with white pages closed at $60,000. This is also the highest recorded grade for this book. A Universal 9.4 sold for $15,000 in 2016, while other lower grade copies have seen a slight price bump over this year alone.

Terry Toons #38, the first appearance of Mighty Mouse, drew plenty of action as well. This Pedigree 9.6 with white pages ended at $60,000 -- the highest price ever paid for this book. A Universal 9.4 sold for $7,200 in August of 2019.

Captain Aero Comics #26 with a Pedigree 9.8 with off-white to white pages ended at $55,200 -- to date, this is the highest-graded copy of Captain Aero Comics #26, with the net highest being an 8.0 that sold for $5,209 in April of 2018. Prior to this sale, most other copies of this book have stayed under the $10K mark.

As we've seen, many of these prices were largely inflated, most likely due to the Pedigree. It's unclear if these record-breaking prices will help drive up prices, or if this is just an anomaly.

Conclusion

If you're looking to suddenly invest in lower-grade copies of the same books, use your best judgment. While Terry Toons #38 is a cool, little-known key, funny animal comics don't always perform as well unless they are a Disney or Warner Brothers character. I would give it about two years to see if there was a ripple effect from the sales of the Pedigree auctions, but I could also be completely wrong. This was still a fun auction to watch; I'm excited to see how the rest of the Promise collection does.

Did you win anything from the Promise Collection? Do you have a Pedigree book you just want to talk about? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, happy bidding!

*Advice and opinions offered in this blog are those of the author and do not represent any investment advice on the behalf of GoCollect.