September Heritage Auction
Out of the top 100, only five sales weren’t in the September 17 Heritage Auction, and two of those five were sales in the September 28 Heritage auction. That means 97% of our September Chartbusters list includes sales in Heritage auctions.
Of course, the number one Chartbuster for September was Action Comics #1. A 0.5 graded copy sold for $408,000 in the September 17 Heritage auction. It was nearly a year since the last sale of a graded copy and the first Universal graded copy to sell since January 2022. Additionally, it’s the first sale of a copy below the 3.0 grade since 2013.
It’s a fairly ugly-looking copy with a large tear and stains on the front cover and a back cover that is completely missing. So, clearly, the buyer just wanted to get ahold of any copy at a relatively affordable price. Being that this is the only recorded sale of a 0.5 graded copy and there’s a lack of recent low-grade sales to compare against, it’s hard to tell whether the buyer overpaid or underpaid.
Coming in at number two on our Chartbusters list was a 3.5 graded copy of Batman #1 selling for $228,00. That marks the first dip in value we’ve seen for this book in this grade. The previous sale of a 3.5 was for $264,000 in a Heritage auction a year ago. The 13.6% decrease in selling price had to be disappointing for the seller but a win for the buyer.
As with Superman #1, which I discussed in last month’s Chartbusters analysis blog, the sheer volume of graded copies of Batman #1 put up for sale recently has clearly diluted value somewhat in the lower grades. To date, 13 graded copies of Batman #1 have sold so far in 2023, three alone in the September 17 Heritage auction. Since January 2021, there have been 48 sales of graded copies of Batman #1.
That’s a large number of sales for a Golden Age comic of this level of importance. Continued sales at this rate will only cause values to continue to deteriorate in the low grades and may even begin to affect mid-grade values. If you’re a holder of Batman #1, I would continue to hold if only to keep another copy out of the market and further reducing values.
Famous Pre-Code Horror Cover Sets Record
When Heritage included an 8.0 graded Crowley Copy of Punch Comics #12 in their September 17 auction, everyone knew it would set a new record. The fact that it’s the highest graded Universal copy – and a pedigree copy to boot – ensured that this issue with its classic Gus Ricca cover beloved by Pre-Code Horror fans (despite the fact that it’s a crime comic) would draw some very high bids.
The final price when the hammer dropped was $204,000, more than double the highest price ever paid for a copy - $90,000 for a 5.5 in a November 2022 Heritage auction. With only 37 graded copies and the fame of this comic continually rising, expect future sales – as rare as they likely will be – to continue on an upward trend.
Other Golden Age sales of note in the September 17 Heritage auction included a 1.5 graded copy of Superman #1 selling for $174,000 (32% over previous sale), a 7.5 graded Conserved copy of Captain America Comics #1 selling for $168,000 (75% over previous sale), a 7.0 graded copy of More Fun Comics #73 selling for $114,000 (58% over previous sale), a 5.5 graded copy of Detective Comics #29 selling for $81,000 (21% below previous sale), a 7.0 graded copy of Phantom Lady #17 selling for $57,600 (4% below previous sale), and a 7.5 graded copy of Sub-Mariner Comics #1 selling for $55,200 (10% over previous sale).
First Silver Age Cap Leads Downward Silver Age Trend
That marked a 9% decrease in the grade from the previous sale in a 2017 Heritage auction for $143,400.
Sliding values could be found across the board for Silver Age comics. In fact, of the top five Silver Age comics sold in the September 17 Heritage auction, only an 8.5 X-Men #1 saw an increase in value, and that was only a slight 2% increase over the previous sale.
A 7.5 Incredible Hulk #1 ($84,000) was down 8% from the previous sale, a 6.0 Amazing Fantasy #15 ($75,000) was down 4%, and a 9.8 Silver Surfer #4 ($66,000) was down a whopping 27%.
Swamp Thing First Tops Bronze Age List
Topping our Bronze Age Chartbusters list was House of Secrets #92. A 9.6 graded copy sold in the September 17 Heritage auction for $33,600. This has been a hot comic for a while now, as evidenced by 47 graded copies sold just since July 1.
There’s a plentiful supply as well with 3,343 graded copies, enough to keep the good times rolling. The sale marks a 12% increase over the previous sale for $30,000 in a September 2022 Heritage auction and ties the record for the highest price in the 9.6 grade previously set in a November 2021 Heritage auction.
First Bone Sets Record
A comic you don’t see in every auction is the first printing of Bone #1. A 9.8 graded copy sold in the Heritage auction for $15,000. The sale set a record high for this comic and topped the previous high of $13,200 set in a November 2020 Heritage auction by 14%.
With only 480 graded copies of this 1991 indie comic and only 5.4% in the 9.8 grade, top-graded copies don’t come up for sale very often. Combine this with a low first print run of likely less than 10,000 copies and you have a comic that should prove to be a good long-term investment.
Do you track big comic sales? What do you think the September numbers reveal about the state of the hobby? Let us know below.
