Now that the holiday season is in full swing, here are three comics that are on my Christmas wish list! I don't think Santa will leave me these books under the tree, but maybe my spouse won't mind me buying one or all of them :) Two of the three books below would be grails for me and would be overjoyed if I got either of these books. The third is easy to find, but has sentimental value since it's one of the very first comic books I ever read.
New York World's Fair #2 (DC 1940)
For good reasons, the comic book market values first appearances the most. But I personally think major crossovers are undervalued. And honestly I get the most excited for major crossover events like Avengers movies than I do for solo projects. And that's why I would love to receive a copy of New York World's Fair #2 for Christmas this year; this is the first time we see the two biggest titans in comic book history -- Superman and Batman -- appear together for the first time.
The only way this book could be better (at least for me) is if we we swapped out Robin for Wonder Woman and had the DC trinity on its cover.
While the values of low grade copies are still more affordable compared to other Golden Age key issues for Superman and Batman, there's some data that suggests there is increasing demand for this book. For example, take a look at recent sales data for a CGC 2.0 copy.
The most recent sale for a 2.0 occurred in November for $3,500. This is 43% higher than what it sold for in May 2022 ($2,000) and in December 2021 ($1,090) during the peak of the "comic boom." Notably, these three sales were for the same 2.0 copy. At least someone is making some profits during the comic book bear market!
Merry Christmas From Mickey Mouse (K.K. Publications 1939)
Another book I'd love to have this Christmas actually has Santa on its cover!
How much do you think the first appearance of Mickey Mouse is worth? How many of you even know which issue is Mickey Mouse's first appearance off the top of your head? One of the most recognizable cartoon characters in history, Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by the legend Walt Disney himself who had a pet mouse as a child. He has since become the icon and mascot for the Walt Disney Company and even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Mickey Mouse first appeared in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie, but his first appearance in a comic book didn't occur until 1939: Merry Christmas from Mickey Mouse. I think you could argue that Mickey Mouse is just as recognizable a figure in pop culture as Superman and Batman. And yet a CGC 6.0 copy of this Golden Age key issue sold for just $1,020 on Heritage Auctions earlier this year:
Furthermore, this Golden Age key issue is extremely rare; there are only TWELVE total copies of this issue on the CGC Census. There are only five copies on the Census that are graded higher than this 6.0.
Does this seem undervalued to you? It definitely does to me.
Uncanny X-Men #212
The last book on my Christmas wish list is the only one that I can really afford: a 9.8 copy of Uncanny X-Men #212. This is a pure nostalgia purchase for me. I was just eleven years old when this issue was published. It is one of the few books that got me hooked on comic books especially the X-Men. I was surprised by how dark the story was as Wolverine looked for Morlock survivors in the sewers of New York City after the Mutant Massacre. I also loved the intense rivalry between the equally matched Wolverine and Sabretooth; I had no idea at the time that this was the first time the two had ever encountered one another in comic books. This book was so important to me that it was the subject of my very first blog for GoCollect almost four years ago!
Now would be a good time for me to pick up this book since the value of a CGC 9.8 has plunged in value. The 9.8 below just sold for a mere $159 which is well below its 90-day average of $204 and far below its one-year average of $301 according to GoCollect.
