I've advised investing in Silver Surfer keys for months now, but if you haven't bought them already, they may be out of reach.
For the past year, every Surfer key (most notably those from the silver age) has been on the rise. Granted the Surfer's popularity has never truly waned, but his stock began soaring when the Disney/Fox deal was set in place. Since then, MCU fans are eager to see the chromed one himself get a second chance on movie screens.
The Surfer enthusiasm hasn't gone unnoticed at the publishing house, either; on the heels of Disney's announcement to buy Fox, Marvel Comics has thrust the Surfer into the spotlight of Defenders and the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy series.
This huge push has spiked all the keys for Silver Surfer, and they're still going up. Here's a brief rundown of the top-four.
While FF #48 may be in another stratosphere as far as price, we might as well start with Surfer's first appearance. Just for fun, I'll fill you in on the mint grades. A 9.6 sold for over $11k last month. The previous high had been just shy of $9k, so that's been obliterated.
For the rest of us on a smaller budget, there's the low grades. Of course, they're going to cost you, too. Even a bottom-rung 1.0 sold for $500 earlier this month. These prices are astronomical, certainly, but if you can afford even a lower grade, you'll see a return on your investment in a short time.
FANTASTIC FOUR #49
Second appearances aren't usually the money makers of the collector's market, but FF #49 investors have been pleased with how this comic has been performing for the past year. Regardless of grade, signed/unsigned, or even incomplete, none have shown a decrease in the 12-month averages.
Out of all four keys spotlighted here, this is the most affordable. Although it's not much less expensive than Silver Surfer #4, it is a better option for those wanting in on the action but are working with a tight budget. If you're keeping the tab under $500, then you can go as high as a 5.0. However, based on the 90-day averages, you won't find anything cheaper than $164, and that was for a 2.0 in October.
SILVER SURFER #1If you can't afford FF #48, then a solid investment option is Silver Surfer #1. The first self-titled series, issue #1 gives the full origin of Norrin Radd of Zenn-La.
SS #1 is a more affordable option than FF #48, but by no means is it cheap. A 1.0 has averaged $130 this year, and the cheapest complete copy sold in the past 90 days was the 2.5, and it brought $225 this month. Such is the case with every SS #1 sold in that span, and in some cases, such as the 8.0, the values are up $300 or more.
As with FF #48, you're not going to lose money in the short term even with the elevated 90-day averages. If you can afford it, buy it.
This is my all-time favorite Silver Surfer cover art. As I told you before, whenever we see Surfer and Thor face off in the MCU, this comic will become unattainable, and it's not like it isn't headed that way now: the prices for SS #4 are gradually catching up with those of SS #1.
The same as FF #48 and SS #1, the true story of the Silver Surfer boom is told in the lower grades. Nothing below a 2.5 SS #4 has sold this year, and the latest sale at that grade was for $195, which is a new record high.
On the plus side, if you are willing to part with about $500, you can go as high as a 7.0, which has a 90-day average of $501.
