The GoCollect Collectible Price Indexes are fantastic for looking at trends for the top comics in each era. The Copper Age CPI continued its downward trajectory, but there were some books that bucked the trend. Let’s take a look at the index to note some winners and losers over the past 90 days.
The Big Slide
The Copper Age CPI stayed relatively flat through April and May before plummeting around the Memorial Day Holiday. Losses were steep and there were relatively few gainers. When compared to the Silver and Bronze Age CPIs, Copper Age books, while dropping in value, hadn’t seen steep declines in the first few months of the year. Unfortunately, that has changed and the index is now performing worse than the Silver Age CPI over the past six months.
Winner – Amazing Spider-Man #298 – up 18.4%
Todd McFarlane’s first issue of Amazing Spider-Man was the top gainer over the past three months, driven entirely by rising prices in the top grade. The average price for a 9.8 has risen from $353 back in early April to $527 in late June. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the issue also includes the first cameo appearance of Venom.
Loser – Omega Men #3 – down 22.3%
In the first half of the year, Lobo’s first appearance was the big gainer – up 48.9%. Now, it’s dropping hard. Clearly, there’s been a correction, as the prices in the first quarter weren’t sustainable. The average price of a 9.8 has dropped from $349 to $302. I have my doubts that we’ll see a big bounce back for this issue. Supply is plentiful with 11,192 graded copies, and demand won’t likely increase until momentum builds for Jason Momoa’s appearance as the character in the DCU down the road.
Winner – Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 – up 13.8%
In the first quarter, this seminal Frank Miller book took a bit of a tumble and was one of our biggest losers with a 12.9% decline. Now, however, it’s managed to erase all of those losses. The average price in the 9.8 grade is up from $651 to $866. However, keep an eye on the prices in the 9.6 (and more common) grade, which have dropped from an average of $259 to $239.
Loser – Sandman #1 – down 19.9%
Neil Gaiman’s troubles continue to impact the first appearance of Dream. Last time, this book was an honorable mention loser with a 10.7% decline. It dropped even more in the second quarter. For the year, it’s down roughly 20%.
Winner – Superman #75 – up 13.1%
This book has been on a roll in 2025! The classic Death of Superman issue continues to climb in value despite (or perhaps because of) its status as one of the most well-known comics of the 1990s. The average price of a 9.8 climbed from $129 to $155 over the past 90 days. However, gains may be ephemeral as the hype around the Superman film fades.
Loser – Batman #428 – down 17.6%
Jason Todd’s death as Robin experienced quite a decline. The average price of a 9.8 dropped from $498 in early April to $361 in late June. While there doesn’t appear to be a particular cause for the slide, it is a book that – other than the COVID spike – has a sales trajectory that resembles an EKG monitor; it’s up, it’s down, all for no discernible reason.
Honorable Mentions
With such a big slide, we were only able to find one honorable mention in the Copper Age CPI winners: G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero #21, which was up 9.5%. On the loser side, honorable mentions go to The Saga of Swamp Thing #37 – down 11.9% - and Amazing Spider-Man #252 – down 10%.
