Sabretooth is up! Blade is down! Comics are gaining and losing value in the Bronze Age CPI. Will gains offset losses? Let’s take a look to note some winners and losers over the past 90 days.
Bronze Age Trends
Overall, the Bronze Age CPI dropped 13 points from an index value of 1,127 to 1,114 over the past three months. That’s a cumulative index loss of 1.15%. The biggest hit came the week ending April 6 when the index lost four points. It’s been a general downward trend, although a few weeks ended with a slight uptick. Of the 50 comics in the index, 17 were gainers while 33 were losers.
Winner – Iron Fist #14 – up 12.3%
This key issue, featuring Sabretooth’s first appearance, had been fading for a while. Now, it’s finally beginning to make a comeback. Much of the increase in the CPI is due to recent sales in the 9.8 grade. One sold in the April 6 Heritage auction for $3,840, while another sold in a May 18 fixed price eBay sale for $3,950. It’s been a year since we’ve seen prices at this level. While it’s still quite a bit off from the $5,000 level this book was reaching in 2023, it’s definitely a positive sign. For now.
Loser – Tomb of Dracula #10 – down 14.1%
Blade’s first appearance is in the midst of a significant tumble. All of the grades 8.5 and up are down over the past three months. The most troubling is the 9.8 grade, where the average price is down more than $5,000. Four have sold since March 4 for $15,000, $11,700, $12,000, and $11,520 respectively, and all in Heritage auctions. The sub-$12,000 prices are the lowest we’ve seen since 2020. In fact, all of the higher grades, those 8.5 and above, have CPI averages last seen in early 2021. It’s even worse in many of the lower grades, with CPI averages down to 2020 levels. The MCU Blade film has been indefinitely delayed, which is certainly not helping values.
Winner – X-Men #94 – up 6.9%
While much of the first new team's appearance of the X-Men in the Bronze Age CPI can be attributed to the rise in the 9.8 grade, only the 9.4 grade of those higher than 5.0 has seen a loss over the past three months. The big bump in the 9.8 value is due to the April 6 Heritage auction sale for $52,800. There are similar increases in other grades. Overall, values have bounced back since the CPI for this issue hit its floor in November 2024.
Loser – Amazing Spider-Man #101 – down 13.7%
After experiencing climbing values last fall, the first appearance of Morbius is currently cratering. Every value above 6.0 has seen a slide. The average price in the higher grades has dropped quite a bit in the last three months – 9.8 down more than $4,000, 9.6 down $450, and 9.4 down more than $200. Overall, this book is down to 2021 values, and if the drop continues, we could soon be seeing prices at 2020 levels.
Winner – Amazing Spider-Man #194 – up 6.3%
The Black Cat’s first appearance is showing signs of life once more. Every grade 5.5 and above is up or flat. Even the 9.0 grade, which is down overall for the past three months, has climbed over the past month. March 2 marks the current floor for this issue, which is pretty recent. It bears watching to see if the rally we’re presently seeing is sustainable.
Loser – Wolverine Limited Series #1 – down 10.0%
For a while, it looked like Wolverine’s first solo issue was immune to market forces; it just kept climbing and climbing. But now that Deadpool and Wolverine fervor has finally faded, reality has hit for this book. While there have been some peaks over the past 90 days, particularly in the 9.8 and 9.6 grades, the overall trend is downward across nearly all grades. It’s an issue that many fans desire, but there’s also plentiful inventory in the form of more than 31,000 graded copies.
