It’s time once more for Undervalued and Overlooked Comics! This time we’ll be looking at the Silver Age. Take a look at the comics that are flying under most collectors’ radars.

Superman Silver Age Origin

Superman’s origin has been retold many times in the pages of comic books across multiple ages. Arguably, the most important retelling in the Silver Age occurred in Superman #146. With 176 graded copies and 99 recorded sales, this comic could hardly be called overlooked. But undervalued? That’s a completely different story.

An 8.0 graded copy sold in the December 2022 Goldin auction for $312. While that’s up from the 2019 price of $204 – as one would expect – it’s down from the 2017 peak in this grade of $400. We see this as well in other grades. A 6.0 graded copy sold in the March 22 Hake’s auction for $236, down nearly 60% from the 6.0 high of $573 set in a September 2022 eBay sale.

A 4.5 graded copy sold in a January 27 eBay auction for $158, down from its 2018 peak of $210. While some DC Silver Age comics are beginning to rise in value, we’re still a long way from minor Silver Age keys like Superman #146 seeing similar value gains to those we’ve see for minor Marvel Silver Age keys.

Silver Age Hitler Cover

Adolf Hitler was a common villain used on the cover of Golden Age comics, particularly those published during World War II. While his cover appearances would fade with time, he would still show up occasionally, including on the cover of Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #35.

While there are slightly more graded copies – 83 compared to 58 for each of the issues surrounding it – it’s still an appreciably low number when considering the (I shudder to say the term) popularity of Hitler covers. Sales are rare and low.

There are no recorded sales of graded copies in 2023 and only two in 2022: a 9.0 selling for a slashed $110 and a CBCS graded 9.2 going for $69, and both of those were more than a year ago. You’d have to think that prices are even lower now, which makes for a perfect buying opportunity.

First Appearance of a Future Valiant Hero

In 1962, Gold Key published Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1, little knowing that the character would still be a going concern decades later.

Capitalizing on the burgeoning superhero craze of the early 1960s and the omnipresent stories of radiation and nuclear weaponry, the comic wouldn’t exactly set the world on fire at the time. Nor did collectors pay much mind to the title until the 1990s, when the character was reborn via the publisher Valiant. Since then, the comic has again languished.

A 7.0 graded copy sold on March 1 for a slashed $388, down from its June 2018 peak of $400; and a 4.5 sold on January 23 for just $158, down $5 from the previous sale for $163 in November 2020. While I don’t expect a quick rise in prices for Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1, it does look to be a solid long-term investment, one where you could easily opt-in at or near a current floor.

Do you think Superman #146, Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandoes #35, and Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1 are undervalued, overlooked, or both?  Let us know below!

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.