Drum roll please as we reveal the Pre-Code Horror CPI!
We’re thrilled to announce this latest extension of our Collectible Price Indexes. We’ve introduced you to our CPIs for different eras of comic publishing, a couple comic series, and a comic character. Now, we’re focusing on a specific genre. It’s all part of our exciting plans to help you dive in deep and discover and learn about comics and their values in a way you’ve never done before and that you can’t find any place else. So, let’s get started!
Why the Pre-Code Horror CPI?
The decision to focus on a specific genre for our newest CPI is based in large part on collector focus, and no genre – other than superhero comics – is bigger than horror. Specifically, collectors have been driving up the prices of pre-code horror comics, causing many of these classics to reach new heights. It’s been one of the bright spots in comic collecting and investing over the past few years.
Why These Issues?
The issues chosen for the Pre-Code Horror CPI are, for the most part, horror comics published prior to the institution of the Comics Code Authority in 1954. Also included are a number of crime comics from the era that, while not containing strictly horror stories, contain elements that most see as being terrifying in nature. Typically, those elements revolve more around humans in extreme situations as opposed to supernatural horror.
Hundreds of comics across thirty-three publishers were investigated for inclusion in the Pre-Code Horror CPI. While some publishers’ offerings didn’t make the cut, others scored multiple inclusions. An effort was made to include a wide spectrum of publishers without sacrificing any tried-and-true issues that one would expect as a representative sampling of pre-code horror comics. The vast majority of issues included are well-known to collectors and typically are highly valued.
First Thoughts
It’s been a great year for pre-code horror comics! The index has risen 7.58% which compares favorably to the 6.03% overall rise in the past year in our Golden Age CPI. Moreover, the five-year trend line has been absolutely amazing, with no discernible dip following the COVID era comic boom:
That 69.7% increase in the index’s value over a five-year span is phenomenal and more than doubles the 33% rise in the Golden Age CPI.
The top five comics in the Pre-Code Horror CPI shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s been paying attention to the genre. Punch Comics #12 is the king and in a category all to itself, while Suspense Comics #3 takes second place and Chamber of Chills Magazine #19 takes the bronze. Crime SuspenStories #22 and Venus #19 round out the top five.
EC takes the top spot for publishers, although with more crime comics than horror comics. Atlas/Marvel – the most prolific of all horror publishers – has the second-most comics in the index.
Looking at individual issues, the one big takeaway is that very few of the them have experienced any type of significant loss over the past year. Some have seen remarkable gains while other, more well-known issues have not fared quite as well, but are still in positive territory.
What’s Next?
I’m going to continue to blog regularly about the Pre-Code Horror CPI. There’s a lot to be gleaned from the index as a whole and the individual issues contained therein. It’s a booming segment of the hobby that deserves attention, both from a historical and an investment perspective.
