With the release of the 1st Guardians of the Galaxy movie, the sequel, and a cartoon series, it’s safe to say that any large catalyst for sudden value jump or acceleration has already occurred. Given this, which guardian’s 1 appearances will offer the highest returns from here on out?
COMPARING THE GUARDIANS
Sales data for the following books include the years from 2016 to the present. The purpose of the start time being 2 years after the release date of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and encompassing the latest 3 years is so that we can observe the growth in value outside the movie bump effect. This will give us a more accurate projection of future growth.
In the following comparison, the CGC grades used were as close as possible to the 10% to 23% range of the total CGC census.
Star-Lord - Marvel Preview #4 (1975)
The follow graph shows data for the grades 9.8, 9,6, and 9.4, which represent the top 8.7%, 21.0%, and 33.9% of the CGC population, respectively.
Marvel Preview #4 grows across all the grades, but the rate is drastically different. 9.8 increases in value about 4x faster than 9.6, and a whopping 10x faster than 9.4.
Gamora - Strange Tales #180 (1975)
The follow graph shows data for the grades 9.8, 9,6, and 9.4. These grades represent the top 4.3%, 18.5%, and 35.4% of the CGC population, respectively.
The growth of Strange Tales #180 is very similar to Marvel Preview #4. It also grows across all the grades, but the higher grade increase in value slower than that of Marvel Preview #4. Here, 9.8 only grows about 3x faster than 9.4. “Only.”
Groot - Tales to Astonish #13 (1960)
For this book, the sales data had to be expanded to include an extra year forward. This was due to the substantially lower volume of sales. The graph shows data for the grades 7.0, 6.5, and 6, which represent 13.4%, 17.5%, and 22.6% of the CGC population.
With the low volume of sales for this book, it’s difficult to conclusively project the future value. 7 increased in value, but 6.5 decreased.
Rocket Raccoon - Marvel Preview #7 (1976)
The sales data for this book also had to be expanded to include an extra year forward. Again due to the substantially lower volume of sales. The following graph shows data for the grades 9.4, 9.2, and 9.0, which represent 9.8%, 14.6%, and 32.4% of the CGC population.
At best, the overall fair market value of Marvel Preview #7 has been flat. The higher grade trends slightly up, but the lower grades are decreasing in value.
The value attribution of this book to Drax has huge asterisks due to it coinciding with the 1st appearance of multiple characters including Thanos, Kronos, Mentor, etc. While it’s difficult to properly credit each individual character separately, we can still evaluate the book as a whole.
The graph below uses data for grades 9.8, 9,6, and 9.4. These grades were chosen because they represent the top 8.7%, 21.0%, and 33.9% of the CGC population, respectively.
Although it doesn’t boast the faster growth of the higher grades of Marvel Preview #4, it has the most consistent growth across all the grades.
THE BOTTOM LINE
- Star-Lord - Marvel Preview #4: Strong buy 9.8. Sell 9.6 and below.
- Gamora - Strange Tales #180: Buy 9.8. Sell 9.6 and below.
- Groot - Tales to Astonish #13: Hold
- Rocket Raccoon - Marvel Preview #7: Hold 9.4 and above. Sell 9.2 and below.
- Drax - Iron Man #55: Buy
Of all the guardians, Star-Lord offers the highest growth rate with Marvel Preview #4 at a CGC 9.8. While not as fast, Drax provides a steady and consistent growth rate across the various grades of Iron Man #55.
“What a bunch of a-holes.” - Denarian Saal
