What if I told you that a golden age first appearance of a beloved character was within your grasp? What's more, this comic book appearance is also his first appearance anywhere. I am speaking about Uncle Scrooge McDuck! Let's talk about his key issues.
Dell Four Color #178
Our friend Uncle Scrooge was created by the legendary Carl Barks in the story, Christmas on Bear Mountain, published in Four Color #178 in December of 1947. One of the things I love about this book is that unlike the other well known Disney characters, Scrooge doesn't appear first in a cartoon short or Disney film. It's right here in this surprisingly attainable golden age comic.
How attainable? As long as you (like me) are satisfied with a low-grade copy, you can find one for a few hundred dollars. I won a decent looking copy in an auction for under $200, had it pressed (be careful, this can be tricky with golden age books), and graded by CGC. It came back a 4.0.
A CGC 4.5 went for less than $500 at auction on eBay back in June. That seems like a bargain for a golden age first appearance. But the prices of raw copies can be much lower. Just make sure you are buying from a reputable seller, one who would have the skills to notice and the ethics to disclose, any issues with the book, like restoration for example.
Walt Disney Comics & Stories
This is more a nice have than a true key. But I think Walt Disney Comics and Stories #98 is worthy of mention. This book, from November of 1948, is the first appearance of Uncle Scrooge in the title. It's got a fun Halloween cover and more Carl Barks goodness. Affordable copies abound online. I have a decent raw copy that I will probably get graded at some point, but I am not in a hurry. I like this book as a value pick, though I'm not sure what the catalyst for growth (in price) would be other than more people becoming aware of it.
Uncle Scrooge
Four Color #386 from March of 1952 is also considered Uncle Scrooge #1. It's next on our list of Uncle Scrooge keys. In fact, these are the big three (or at least the big two plus one--WDC&S #98 is a minor key). I am also fortunate enough to possess a CGC 4.0 of this beauty. It had a similar path to ownership, as I purchased a raw copy at auction and submitted it for grading.
Prices for this one rival those of Four Color #178, even though it came out over four years later. The story in this issue is Only a Poor Old Man, also by Carl Barks.
Investment Potential
Uncle Scrooge seems, at least to me, to be a lock for steady appreciation. For one thing, this character is still selling comics today. After Carl Barks, Don Rosa created his own iconic take on the thrifty Scottish duck and other creators since Rosa are continuing that work. We are also talking about a golden age first appearance, which means there aren't unlimited supplies of these books. There are under 200 copies in the CGC census, for example, of Four Color #178. Compare that to modern first appearances like Deadpool (over 19,000) or Harley Quinn (over 6,000) and that doesn't include CBCS or PGX copies. I like the two Dell Four Color books and to a lesser extent, the Comics & Stories issue to be the foundation of your Uncle Scrooge collection.
If you enjoy this character, why not pick up some of these golden age stories? I think you'll be happy you did.
