Since June 2024, Heritage Auction has been auctioning off pieces of the Roger Hill Collection. Roger was an all-time great fan and historian of pre-code horror who passed away in December 2023. Let’s take a look at the pieces of his collection that are currently up for bidding.
Good Starter Copies
If you’re new to collecting pre-code horror comics, this could be the auction for you. Heritage is offering up some low grade and restored copies of all-time classics in the Roger Hill Collection of Pre-Code Horror and SF/Fantasy Comics auction closing on January 23 that could serve as good entry level comics. One of the most intriguing is a 1.8 graded copy of Black Cat Comics #50. There are no recorded sales in this grade. The closest comp is the sale of a 1.5 for $7,700 in a fixed price eBay sale on November 5, 2024.
There’s also a 5.0 restored copy of Chamber of Chills #19. None of the restored copies of this comic has ever sold. It should be interesting to see what the final price will be when the hammer falls. It likely won’t come close to our current FMV of $16,000 for an unrestored copy, but it should definitely fetch at least a few thousand dollars.
Then there’s the 0.5 graded copy of Eerie #1. Long lauded as the first horror comic book, low grade copies typically sell for less than $3,000 and this should go for an even lower price.
The final one I’ll mention – although there are many more – is a 3.0 restored copy of Strange Tales #1. A 3.5 restored copy sold in March 2023 for $1,481, so this could have the makings of a very inexpensive entry level copy.
The Good Stuff
Of course, there are some higher graded books available in the auction as well. A lone top-of-census 9.0 graded Venus #17 is included in the auction. This will be the first sale in this grade. An 8.5 graded copy last sold in 2018 for $10,158.
A much nicer looking copy of Eerie #1 might be more to your liking if you have the means. This one is graded 6.5 and the previous sale in the grade was for $21,000 on September 19, 2024.
An 8.5 graded Gaines file copy of Vault of Horror #31 is up for sale. It’s been more than a decade since a copy in this grade last sold for $371 in 2012. Expect the final price to be much higher this time around.
There’s also a 7.0 graded file copy of Tomb of Terror #16. While only in the top third of the CGC census, expect bidding to be fairly robust. A 6.0 just sold in December for $4,000.
Nice But Not Horror
Roger Hill’s collection encapsulated more than just pre-code horror comics. So, we would be remiss if we didn’t point out The Spirit #22. It’s a 6.0 graded copy, and a nice looking one at that. Expect to pay more than $5,000 if you’re bidding. A 6.5 sold in November for $5,520, while a 5.5 sold nearly a year ago for $5,290.
