We’re back with another look at our Chartbusters! These are the comics that sold for the highest prices in the month of November. The November 24 Heritage Signature Auction had some huge sales and these issues dominate our Chartbusters list, none more so than key Dark Knight issues. Let’s dive deep to determine what these sales tell us about the market for the comics every collector wishes they could own.
The Dark Knight Reigns
Big Batman issues reigned in the November 24 Heritage Signature Auction, so much so that, in addition to taking the top two slots, they make up fully half of the top ten. Taking the top spot is the famous “garage sale” copy of Detective Comics #27. Picked up at a garage sale a few months back, the soiled copy is lacking the original back cover. It was slabbed and graded a 0.5 and offered for sale in the auction, pulling in a phenomenal $312,000. Thus far, it’s the only recorded sale in the grade.
A 4.0 graded copy of Detective Comics #31 – one of the great classic Golden Age covers – sold for $174,000, the first sale in the grade since 2012. It’s also the highest graded unrestored copy to sell since 2020.
One of two of the highest graded copies of Batman #11 – a 9.4 - set a record with a sale for $132,000. This is double the previous record holder, the other 9.4, which went for $65,725 back in 2016.
A 6.5 graded copy of Batman’s second cover appearance in Detective Comics #29 sold for $120,000. It’s the first sale in the grade and the second highest recorded sale in any grade, topped only by an 8.5 that sold in a June 2022 Heritage auction for $276,000.
Rounding out the top Batman sales was a 1.5 graded copy of Batman #1 going for $108,000. While it’s the top price paid for the grade, it’s only marginally higher than the $103,200 paid in a May 2022 Goldin auction.
Although it didn’t make the top 10, the classic Neal Adams cover for Batman #251 set a record when a 9.8 sold for $39,600. That tops the previous high set when a 9.8 sold in a fixed price eBay sale in May 2022 for $35,000.
Bronze Age Gains and Losses
A 9.8 graded copy of X-Men #94 sold in the Heritage Select auction for $55,200. While not the highest price paid (that would be the $72,111 sale in a December 2021 ComicConnect auction) it does mark a significant gain in value for this book, as seen by a 30-day average of $55,200, a 90-day average of $41,467, and a one-year average of $38,800 in the grade. It also pulls this issue far ahead of Giant-Size X-Men #1, which also sold in the auction when a 9.8 went for $33,600. It marks the continuation of a significant downturn for this book that set a high-water mark of $72,000 back in 2021.
Speaking of losses, a 9.4 graded copy of Star Wars #1 (35 Cent Price) sold in the auction for $28,800. That’s down nearly 30% from the previous sale in the grade of $40,800 in an August 8 Heritage auction.
A 9.8 graded copy of Hero for Hire #1 sold for less than half of its record price of $102,000 set in 2022, while the $20,400 paid for a 9.8 copy of Tomb of Dracula #10 barely cracks the top 10 of all-time sales for that book. Not to be outdone, the $18,000 price paid for a 9.8 copy of Amazing Spider-Man #129 doesn’t even place it in the top thirty all-time sales in that grade.
A Big Non-Sale
Perhaps the most intriguing story of the November Heritage Selection Auction, however, was Action Comics #1. A 3.0 graded copy was billed as the highlight of the auction and fans were curious to see how the faded copy would fare. In a bit of a surprise, it didn’t sell, failing to meet the reserve price, and could later be found on the Heritage site with a buy it now price tag of $960,000. That’s a far cry from the $1,638,759 paid in a December 2021 ComicConnect auction.
