We’re back with another look at our Chartbusters! These are the comics that sold for the highest prices in the month of September. There was a huge Heritage auction with a big record setter and a few other surprises. Let’s dive deep to determine what these sales tell us about the market for the comics every collector wishes they could own.
Fantastic Four Record Price
The September 15 Heritage auction was huge, dominating our September Chartbusters list. Silver Age firsts, in particular, topped the charts with none bigger than Fantastic Four #1. As you’re no doubt already aware, this first appearance of Marvel’s first family sold in the 9.6 grade for $2,040,000. It’s the highest graded copy to ever sell and the only recorded sale of one of the two 9.6 graded copies. There are no existing 9.8 copies in the CGC census.
The previous record was a 9.2 going for $1,500,000 in the April 2022 Heritage auction. We have yet to see a trickle-down effect, however, as the few low grades sold since have been for at or near the current average selling prices. It’s an impressive record for a one-of-a-kind comic, but until we start to see other grades selling for higher amounts it has to be considered a one-off top of the charts sale.
Other Silver Age Firsts
A 9.0 graded copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 came in at number 2 on the Chartbusters list, selling in the September 15 auction for $540,000. That’s up from the previous sale in the grade set in a March 2017 ComicConnect auction for $395,000. It’s been more than a year since we’ve seen a copy 9.0 or higher sell, and it’s a good sign for the high-end market that we see a nice increase for a high grade copy of Spider-Man’s first appearance.
Doctor Doom’s first appearance in Fantastic Four #5 sold in the same auction. A 9.2 went for $132,000. That’s down 27% from the previous sale in a September 2022 Heritage auction for $180,000. This is a book that rose steeply in value in the early 2020s comic boom. The glut of copies available that resulted has led to lower prices, even in the higher grades. It is worth tracking, however, as the Fantastic Four’s first MCU film looms and with Robert Downey, Jr. poised to play the good Doctor.
The comic that started the Silver Age, the first appearance of Barry Allen as the Flash in Showcase #4, also had a big showing in the September 15 Heritage auction. A 9.0 graded copy sold for $96,000, speeding far above the previous sale - $38,838 in an August 2011 Heritage auction. It’s been a good year for this book, with a January 14 sale in a previous Heritage auction setting a record when a 9.6 sold for $900,000
Turtle Tumble Finally Flatlines
Coming in at number 6 on our September Chartbusters was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1. A 9.8 graded copy sold in the Heritage auction for $87,000. While it’s the same price as the price paid in the June 23 Heritage auction, this book is down a staggering 67% from its high set in a February 2022 Goldin auction when it went for $264,000. Hopefully, the bleeding has stopped. You’ll definitely want to track future sales in the top grade, though.
Swamp Thing in the Muck
The Bronze Age darling of the past year has been House of Secrets #92 with a 10% overall increase in its standing across all grades as shown in our Bronze Age CPI. However, the heat has begun to cool a bit. A 9.4 graded copy sold in the September 15 auction for $14,400, the same price paid in the June 25 Heritage auction and down from the $15,600 paid in the April 2 Heritage auction. This comes on the heels of the slight drop in value we saw in the 9.8 grade earlier in the year. It’s worth following this issue as we’ve been seeing recent drops in value across lower graded copies as well.
