While most collectors are familiar with the big Golden Age books that sell each month, there are so many more worth investigating. Rare comics, top-of-census books, record prices – let’s take a deep dive to discover a handful of July’s unique Golden Age sales.
Wings Comics #94
The first recorded sale this year of Wings #94 took place in a July 18 Heritage auction when a top-of-census 9.0 sold for $2,520. Sporting a terrific Bob Lubbers good girl cover, the sale was only topped by a 9.0 Promise Collection copy that sold in a 2022 Heritage auction for $7,200. With 67 graded copies in the CGC census, sales are not uncommon. However, the top graded 9.0 copies are typically only available every few years or so.
Casper, the Friendly Ghost #1
A 4.5 graded copy of the first appearance of everyone’s favorite ghost, Casper, the Friendly Ghost #1, sold in a July 13 fixed price eBay sale for $2,700. That’s the highest price paid for a copy in any grade since 2021. It also marks a significant 35% jump from the price paid for a 4.5 back in 2022. While there are 64 graded copies, this 1949 St. John published book tends to be overlooked. It’s worth grabbing a copy if you can get it for a decent price.
Foxhole #2
This terrific war series by Jack Kirby is an overlooked gem. Sporting some of the best covers of his career, this short-lived series published by Mainline beginning in 1954, is fantastic. A 5.0 graded copy of Foxhole #2 was offered up in the July 1 Heritage auction and someone got it cheap. It sold for $2,880 – after a 4.0 sold in a June 12 fixed price eBay sale for $3,200 and a 3.5 sold in a June 10 eBay auction for $2,650. There are only 29 graded copies of this issue, marking it as an uncommon book. Considering the artistry, smart collectors will jump at the chance to buy an underpriced copy while others ignore it.
Donald Duck Fun Book #2
Square bound Dell Giants are notoriously hard to find in high grade. So, when the lone top-of-census 9.6 graded copy of Donald Duck Fun Book #2 was made available in the July 29 Heritage auction, everyone knew it wouldn’t be a cheap buy. The only sale of any copy this year made a splash – and set a record – with a $2,880 sale. There are only 26 graded copies and the last recorded sale was a 9.2 going for $1,200 in a 2023 Heritage auction.
Captain Marvel Jr. #9
Among the great treasures of the Golden Age are the Mac Raboy covers for Captain Marvel Jr. A top-of-census 9.0 graded copy of Captain Marvel Jr. #9 tied a record with a $3,120 sale in the July 15 Heritage auction. It’s a fairly impressive sale when you consider that it now shares the record with a 9.0 Promise Collection copy that sold in a 2022 Heritage auction. The 1943 issue is graced by a wonderfully patriotic Raboy cover that, while not the most highly regarded by collectors, is a fine example of the artist’s work.
Picture Parade #1
Now we come to the biggest oddball of July’s Golden Age sales. Picture Parade #1 has an eerie cover picturing a boy and his dog with a mushroom cloud rising into the stratosphere in the background. Published by Gilberton in 1953, this comic was meant to be used as learning material in schools for students being taught about radiation. In fact, Andy (the boy on the cover) lives only 30 miles from an atomic testing ground. His dog Spot runs into the testing ground and has to be isolated while scientists determine whether or not he was exposed to radiation. Along the way, the scientists teach Andy about radiation and atomic particles. Clearly a product of its time, it still has its fans to this day, primarily due to the odd juxtaposition of subjects on the cover. A top-of-census 8.0 graded copy smashed the previous record of $576 (for a 3.0) with a phenomenal $3,360 sale in the July 29 Heritage auction. There had only been four previous sales, and none prior had been graded higher than 5.5.
