The GoCollect Collectible Price Indexes are fantastic for looking at trends for the top comics in each era. It was a bit of a roller coaster the past three months for the Copper Age CPI, with some comics performing well and others sliding down. Let’s take a look at the index to note some winners and losers over the past 90 days.
The Big Slide
Back on August 17, things were looking good for the Copper Age CPI. A two-week upswing saw the index’s value climb 1.5%. But then another slide took place. Since then, the index is down 1.6% and is down 1.22% overall over the past 90 days. Of the 50 books in the index, 21 were up, 28 were down, and one was flat.
Winner – Uncanny X-Men #221 – up 16.6%
The first appearance of Mister Sinister took a big jump up, particularly in the 9.8 grade where the average price climbed from $217.12 to $285.13. In fact, it’s up in all grades in the index but 9.6 and 9.4. You can see this in the 9.8 one-year, 90-day, and 30-day average prices for the issue as well that are currently at $200, $218, and $237 respectively. Those are numbers you definitely want to see when assessing a climbing book.
Loser – Silver Surfer #44 – down 18.3%
This used to be a mega-hot book, but the Infinity Saga in the MCU is far in the past now, and this book is showing that. It’s down or flat in all grades but 9.4 over the past 90 days. In the 9.8 grade, the average price is down a little more than $100 from $277.47 to $174.75. While it may not see drops this steep in the future, this is a comic that is really beginning to show its age as its popularity as a key issue wanes.
Winner – The Punisher #1 – up 14.8%
Thanks to the steady but slow drumbeat of news about the Punisher in the MCU, he’s become something of a hot commodity again. His first solo issue in the 1986 mini-series has performed particularly well of late. It’s up in all but the 9.0 and 8.0 grades in our index. The value of a 9.8 grade has risen well over the past 3 months, climbing from $583.87 to $693.50.
Loser – Uncanny X-Men #266 – down 13.7%
Woe is Gambit. His first appearance (I know, I know – Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 was earlier) has been taking a beating of late. This issue is down in all grades in the index. With more than 27,000 graded copies in the CGC census and nearly 18% in the 9.8 grade, it’s not hard to come by a copy or to haggle down the price.
Winner – Darkhawk #1 – up 13.9%
Is this somehow Swagglehaus’s doing? The YouTuber is particularly fond of this character and constantly chatting him up certainly doesn’t hurt. Darkhawk’s first appearance is up or flat in all but the 9.4 and 9.0 grades. In the 9.8 grade, the average price is up from $94.50 to $120. That’s a 27% increase in the top grade, which represents more than 30% of the census. Sales volume has stayed roughly flat over the past year, so it’s not as if there’s been a sudden lack of copies in the market. Collectors may just be starting to see some value in this character.
Loser – Batman #428 – down 9.4%
For the second report in a row, Jason Todd’s death as Robin experienced a decline and was once again one of the top losers. Last time, the fall was steeper, dropping 17.6%. This time, while the trend line isn’t quite as steep, it was down or flat in all grades. The 9.8 grade saw a roughly $30 drop from an average of $361.13 to $331.38.
Honorable Mentions
A couple honorable mention winners to note this time around: Spider-Man #1, which was up 10.7%, and Uncanny X-Men #244, which was up 10.4%. On the loser side of the bracket, we have X-Factor #6 down 9.3%. We also have to note that Amazing Spider-Man #300 – the most graded comic by CGC with nearly 40,000 copies – was down 4.5%, which really isn’t all that surprising when you consider just how many graded copies are out there. Never forget the supply side of the equation.
