Among all the global categories of collectibles, comics are relatively new. At one time, only children were interested in reading them for entertainment. In June 1938 Superman, the first superhero to appear in Action Comics #1, most children were drawn to the man dressed in blue and red who was holding and crashing a car over his head. Suddenly, a host of other types of superheroes made most kids pay a pretty penny to buy one. If they had a dollar, they could have bought ten books with zero tax. However, children read them up to a certain age and their mothers usually throw them away, which is a shame because they would have been valuable.
So can comic books still be lucrative investments? Absolutely. This is why so many serious collectors wish they had time machines, so they can go back in time and buy those good oldies. You could imagine getting your hands on Action Comics #1, or Detective Comics #27 (Batman’s first appearance) and selling them for millions of dollars today. However, collectors should put fantasy aside and look for newer and possibly less expensive prospects.
What kind of comic is it? For this article, I am referring to the most popular superheroes. Although they are usually worth more than other genres that include: Cowboy; Romance; Famous cartoon characters like Disney, Warner Brothers; War; Comedy and others.
Period: Comic books belong to different “eras”: “Platinum Age” (Printed in or before 1938); “Golden Age” (1938-1955); “Silver Age (1956-1969); “Bronze Age” (1970-1981); “Copper Age” (1981-1991).
Is the book “DC” or “Marvel”? Some of the best known DC superheroes include Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern. Marvel Comics began in 1939 with Captain America, the Human Torch, and the Submarine. Prior to 1961, Marvel Comics was originally called “Timely Comics”. Some titles became popular, such as: “Tales to amaze”; “Amazing Fantasy”; “Suspense Tales”. These titles featured some of the famous characters that movies widely feature today: Tales to Astonish 27 featured Antman; Amazing Fantasy #15 introduced the world to Spiderman; Tales of Suspense #39 featured Ironman’s first appearance. Other well-known comics brought groups of superheroes: Fantastic Four #1 (1961); The Avengers #1 (1963), The Xmen #1 (1963).
Edition numbers: The lower the edition number, the more the book is worth. As you know from the last paragraph, many heroes’ first appearances didn’t originate in issue #1. Superman originated in Action Comics #1, but a year later he got his own comic from him: Superman #1 (1939). Also, Batman had his first appearance in Detective Comics #27, but soon got his own comic with the first appearance of Batman’s sidekick Robin in Batman #1 (1940). Wonder Woman’s first appearance occurred in Sensational Comics #1, which later became “Wonder Woman.”
Original price: Comic books have been increasing their newspaper prices. The lower the original sale price, the older they are and in most cases worth more: $.10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 75 (from 1938 to 1988). Today lower priced comics are around $3.99-$4.99.
Condition: If your book has tears, a partially detached spine, or missing pages, it will be worth much less. They can be restored, but they cost more to repair and will sell for less. The more pristine the condition, the more it will be worth, of course. All books must be placed in Mylar sleeves with cardboard backs. The ultimate protection for comic books would be to seal them hermetically in a hard plastic display case, which is provided by “CGC”, or the “Certified Guarantee Company”. CGC is one of the only organizations that can truly give the collector peace of mind that the book has been properly graded and can almost never be damaged.
Recommended: Shop the “Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide” that comes out every year.
