First Polaris
Sometimes what makes a book appear to be undervalued is all in the comparisons. Take X-Men #49 as an example. Cover dated October 1968, this issue marks the first appearance of the character Polaris. The highest number of copies graded is in the 8.0 grade – 145 of the 1,433 graded copies.
The latest sale of an 8.0 occurred on August 5 and sold for $599. Compare that to X-Men #50. There are more graded copies of X-Men #50 than X-Men #49 – 2,198. Of those, 183 are in the 8.0 grade. The latest sale? $736 in an August 28 eBay auction.
Admittedly, X-Men #50 has that amazing Jim Steranko cover and it’s also the first time we see the X-Men logo as it would come to be known and loved throughout the decades. However, it’s not Polaris’ first appearance. Additionally, X-Men #49 has a healthy amount of white on the cover. White covers often show their age worse than other colors, causing them to often fall short of the higher grades.
In comparison to X-Men #50, X-Men #49 can be considered undervalued, although no issue of X-Men below 150 could ever truly be called overlooked.
First Sinestro
Silver Age DC continues to be a bargain. Green Lantern #7, cover dated July 1961, is the first appearance of Sinestro, easily Green Lantern’s most iconic foe. There are 840 graded copies in the CGC census. Of those, the most plentiful are the 4.5 grades with 82. This book has taken an enormous tumble, with all of the 2021 gained value wiped out in the latest sale. On October 11, a 4.5 sold for $552 in a Heritage auction.
In February 2021, a 4.5 sold for $550 in a fixed-price eBay sale. If it’s selling at that low a price in a Heritage auction, it can likely be found cheaper elsewhere. If you’ve been considering picking up this Silver Age DC key, now’s the time. It’s very undervalued.
Meet George Jetson
Comics featuring cartoon characters continue to be overlooked by collectors. The Jetsons made their first appearance in The Jetsons #1, published by Gold Key in 1963. There are only 82 graded copies in the CGC census with just 9.8% grading 9.0 or higher. A file copy graded at 9.0 sold in a Heritage Auction on November 4 for a jaw-dropping $4,800.
While this book doesn’t come up for sale very often – there have only been six sales in 2022 – its relative rarity is causing it to rapidly climb in value. Two sales of 4.0 graded copies have occurred this year. The first sold in an eBay auction on April 24 for $262. The next sold in an eBay fixed price sale on June 10 for $650. That is a 148% increase in value in just seven weeks.
The Jetsons #1 has been overlooked for years but savvy collectors are beginning to catch on to its intrinsic value as a first appearance of beloved cartoon characters. If you’re sitting on any raw copies, now is the time to send them in for grading. If 4.0 grades are rising this much in value, you could be sitting on a book worth far more than you realize.
Next Week: Copper Age Undervalued & Overlooked
Well, that’s all we have time for this week. Join us next week as we take a look at some undervalued and overlooked Copper Age comics.
Do you think later X-Men #49, Green Lantern #7, and Jetsons #1 are undervalued, overlooked, or both? Let us know below.
