April is almost here, so Heritage is celebrating the new month with a Comics and Comic Art Showcase Auction! This auction is full of great items, ranging from vintage movie props to modern comic art. If you collect the weird or unusual, do not overlook this one. There are a ton of things featured here that have caught my eye, so finding the real gems was a challenge! Here are a few standout pieces that everyone should keep an eye on this weekend.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon "Gill Man" Mask
Universal's Creature from the Black Lagoon is considered by many to be one of the best monster movies of the era. Created by Milicent Patrick, the Creature - or Gill Man - would go on to become an iconic figure. I myself have an extensive Creature collection, and I'm always excited to see anything Creature pop up in an auction.
This Gill Man mask from 1954 may have been one of the masks used in The Creature from the Black Lagoon for long shots or stunt work. Collecting movie props from that era of Hollywood is incredibly rewarding, but also expensive. While there are no proper price guides for items such as this, this mask could sell for over $6K.
Are you ready for the 30th anniversary of Power Rangers? The show absolutely changed Western pop culture, though Super Sentai had been popular in Japan for many years prior. In 1994 Antarctic Press capitalized on the sudden popularity of Power Rangers and released a fanzine called Sentai. The series was short lives with only seven issues being produced. Issue number 2 focused on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and its original Japanese counterpart Zyuranger. This is also the first appearance of the Power Rangers in a Western comic.
This CGC blue label 9.0 features white pages, and is one of the best examples I've seen. Only 72 have been given a blue label by CGC, and only a hair over 20 issues was graded higher. The one-year average for a 9.0 is $677, making this an affordable key piece in Power Rangers lore. By comparison, a 9.2 blue label has a one-year average of $1,560 -- but higher-graded copies tend to not come up for sale too often.
Marvel Comics #1
While there are many important comics that came out during the Golden Age of comics, there is only a handful that I consider truly important. Marvel Comics #1 from Timely is one such comic. This comic introduced the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. Other characters also made their debut in this book, but I think it's safe to say those two are arguably the most important. Timely would eventually turn into Atlas Comics, and then finally into Marvel Comics in June of 1961. This comic is one of the top comic book grails for any collector, but much like Action Comics #1 and Detective Comics #27, this is a pricey book.
This CGC blue label 7.5 has white pages, making it one of the nicest key Golden Age books I've ever seen. Heritage notes this is also one of the best copies they've ever offered, and the only copy to have white pages. There is light foxing on the back cover and some off-register color, but this is still a wonderful book.
The last time a CGC blue label 7.5 sold was in February of 2012 for $113,525. At the time of this writing, this book is already over $150,000 before Heritage's fees -- and frankly, I could see it going for much more. If there's a book to watch this week, it's this one.
*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.