Important Preface
Undervalued is defined as "to treat as having little value". That is how most investors and speculators define undervalued. They are searching for that diamond in the rough. Undervalued is also defined as "to value, rate, or estimate below the real worth". That is where most investors miss golden opportunities.
Years ago, Incredible Hulk #181 had a price of $900 for an ungraded 9.4 quality book (Grading Experiment Data Tease). The price of a comic book should never make it exempt from being undervalued. When people realize such a book is undervalued, the price correction could be in the thousands of dollars. That said, let's get started.
Our Army at War #83
This book is considered by many to be the first appearance of Sgt. Rock. The last sale was an eBay auction of a .5 copy on 7/10/22 for $488. That is a large price to pay for such a low-grade copy until one dives deeper into the numbers. At the time this article was written there were only 209 TOTAL copies graded! That is for a major key published in 1959.
This book also has the cross-appeal to war comic fans. When copies are available they sell for a premium because of the scarcity of this book. The potential for this book only goes upward, making it truly one of the most undervalued books one could seek out.
Giant-Size Creatures #1
This issue has the first appearance of Tigra. A human transformed into a cat creature with no morals against killing her adversaries would be a nice addition to an MCU property. Tigra has more going for her though than hoping she might appear in an MCU property. The character has the ability to appear in comics in a multitude of stories. A part of a space invasion strike force to a covert agent in the jungles of Panama, the opportunities are endless.
This issue is almost 50 years old and yet only has fewer than 600 total graded copies with a 9.6 copy having an FMV of only $625. An Avenger's first appearance that is that old should not be that low.
Adventure Comics #269
Aquaman's first appearance is probably out of the reach of most investors and collectors. That is not the same case for his sidekick and protege, Aqualad (Garth). On 2/11/23, a 7.0 copy sold on eBay for $470 in a buy-it-now sale. Aqualad has appeared in numerous comic book series and in just as many incarnations. He has also jumped from the comics to the small screen. The character is never considered in the same light as Robin/Nightwing or Superboy, and yet he is just as important.
This book has value and is a key, but it is hard to explain whyonly 118 total copies are graded at the time this article was written. The true importance of this character is often ignored, but for how long?
X-Men #64
The mutants are coming to the MCU. That is a known fact. One character that has promise is Sunfire. The visual portrayal of his powers could be accomplished in many different ways. He could also appear in a pre-mutant project as a government operative that is later revealed to be a mutant.
The MCU is not the only reason to get in on this character now. Comic book collecting is not confined to just the states. A character like this could be an important representation of other cultures. Imagine buying a 9.0 X-Men key for less than $700 for a book that once was selling for over $1000. Sunfire has long been ignored, but if done correctly, this is one character's first appearance that will heat up.
Showcase #80
The horror genre of comics is often neglected. This is a shame; horror comics are highly treasured by their fans. These types of books have some of the best covers in comics and keys are purchased for prices well over the FMV. Golden Age fans will be hard-pressed to find the first appearance of the Phantom Stranger. That book is ultra rare and is rarely seen, much less sold. That leaves fans to seek out his first appearance in the Silver Age.
This is no mere consolation prize. A 9.2 has currently an FMV of $525. That is way too low for a book like this one. An often ignored Silver Age key with artwork by Adams and Infantino makes this a book that should not be a stranger in one's collection.
X-Men #35
On first glance, most would assume that this book is important because it features a Spider-Man/X-Men crossover. Spider-Man in any early Silver Age book not his own becomes important. This book has an additional feature in that it is the first appearance of Changeling, later known as Morph. He has the distinction of being the first X-Man killed in the line of action.
Later, this character appeared in cartoons as a source of humor. Changeling/Morph is also known to comic book fans as a character from an alternate reality. All this potential has not kept the FMV that high, as a 9.0 copy is only listed at around $1000. Avengers #11, also with a Spider-Man crossover and cover, has an FMV of $2,150 for the same grade at the time this article was written. A first appearance at half the price of the Avengers issue screams undervalued.
Our Army at War #151
DC Comics has always had one clear advantage over Marvel. The war comics that DC Comics produced were legendary. Characters were well fleshed out and their stories were memorable. One character that has no real counterpart at Marvel was Enemy Ace. This was a character made famous through Joe Kubert's art.
What made this character unique was that he was a German ace in WWI and WWII that followed a code of honor. This made him kind of an anti-hero. His stories were also very compelling. One of the saddest stories involved a character named Schatzi. None of these positives translates to sales or a truly out-of-reach price.
A 7.0 copy currently has an FMV of only $350. In a time when people's differences are stressed, a character that shows the similarities shared in an enemy might be needed now more than ever.
Four Color #228
Comic book collectors and investors can sometimes be short-sighted. There are prejudices that come with certain publishers. Zorro was a character created for the pulps. He then appeared in books and in films. It was only with Four Color #228 that the character officially appeared in comic book form. The problem is that Four Color was produced by Dell Publishing.
This company has published comics with many memorable characters, and yet most of those issues are undervalued as well. The Dell Publishing stigma should not impact the importance of the first comic book appearance of Zorro. A 3.5 sold this year for under $500. That is too low for a character of this magnitude.
What would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments!
