One of the most fun aspects about GoCollect's new Collectible Price Index (CPI) is debating which books should be contained in each of the indexes. As you may know by now, the CPI is loosely modeled on the Dow Jones Industrial Average which consists of an index of some of the most famous companies in the world such as Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, Disney, Microsoft, McDonald's, and Walmart. The CPI has a separate index for each of the major comic book ages, including the Golden, Silver, Bronze, Copper and Modern Ages.
It also includes a unique index for the "Big Spenders Club." The criteria of that index are simple: any book with a recorded sale over $250,000 is included. Which books are the blue chip books that should be included? Let's take a look at the 34 books that make up that index currently and discuss which books should (and perhaps shouldn't) make the cut.
13 of the 34 books in the Big Spenders Club Index are no-brainers.
GoCollect's Big Spenders Club Index currently includes at least thirteen books that I think few collectors would quibble with. These are the most important and most expensive books of all-time:
Action Comics #1 (1st appearance of Superman);
Detective Comics #27 (1st appearance of Batman);
Superman #1 (1st superhero solo title);
Batman #1 (1st Batman solo series and 1st appearances of the Joker and Catwoman);
Marvel Comics #1 (1st ever Marvel comic book);
Captain America Comics #1 (1st appearances of Captain America, Bucky and Red Skull);
All-Star Comics #8 (1st appearance of Wonder Woman);
Flash Comics #1 (1st appearance of the Flash);
Whiz Comics #2 (1st appearance of Captain Marvel (Shazam);
Sensation Comics #1 (1st cover appearance of Wonder Woman); and
All-Star Comics #3 (1st superhero team crossover);
Pep Comics #22 (1st appearance of Archie); and
Amazing Fantasy #15 (1st appearance of Spider-Man).
If collectors were to make a list of the Top 10 most valuable (and seminal) comic books of all-time, I bet most lists would include many of the books listed above.
I would include the 1st appearances of Green Lantern, Aquaman, Robin, and Stan Lee's first comic book in my own Big Spenders Club.
On the other hand, I think you could have a reasonable and civil debate about the remaining 21 books that are included in GoCollect's Big Spenders Club. If I were to make my own Big Spenders Index, I would definitely include these four books that are not currently included:
All-American Comics #16 (1st appearance of Green Lantern);
More Fun Comics #73 (1st appearances of Aquaman and Green Arrow);
Captain America Comics #3 (1st comic Stan Lee worked on); and
Detective Comics #38 (1st appearance of Robin).
GoCollect, of course, didn't just forget about these four books; all four of them are included in the Golden Age CPI. I'm just saying I would include these four books in my own version of the Big Spenders Club. Several of these books are rarely available for sale. In fact, at this moment, there isn't a single copy of All-American Comics #116 or More Fun Comics #73 available for public sale at this moment. I have no doubt if a high grade copy of All-American Comics #16 sold today that it would easily exceed $250,000. The last time a copy sold was a CGC 2.0 back in 2020.
I'm on the fence about Captain America Comics #3 and Detective Comics #38 since higher grade copies might not break the $250,000 threshold, but these comics are just SO important. Looking at the sales data, it sort of surprises me that these books don't sell for more.
The Big Spenders Index includes several Silver and Bronze Age books that I wouldn't include in my own index.
To make room for these four Golden Age books in the Big Spenders Club, I'd have to cut these four members from the team:
Marvel Spotlight #5 (1st appearance of Ghost Rider);
Justice League of America #1 (2nd appearance of the Justice League);
Daredevil #1 (1st appearance of Daredevil);
Avengers #1 (1st team appearance of the Avengers).
I just don't think these four should make the cut in this elite tier of books. While one CGC 9.8 pedigree copy of Marvel Spotlight #5 did exceed $250,000 back during the height of the comic boom (June of 2021), this sale was clearly an outlier. This book isn't rare (CGC has 6,246 copies) and Ghost Rider isn't even the most prominent first appearance of the Bronze Age (he might even be third after Wolverine and the Punisher). I just couldn't include this issue in my own Big Spenders Club index.
Like Ghost Rider, I wouldn't include Daredevil #1 in my index even though a CGC 9.8 copy of his first appearance recently sold for $360,000 on Heritage Auctions.
Amazing sale, but I think hypothetical 9.8 sales of the first appearances of Green Lantern, Aquaman, Green Arrow and Robin would far exceed this one.
I also wouldn't include Justice League of America #1 and Avengers #1 for the same reason. Great books, but All-Star Comics #3 already represents the very first superhero crossover team-up issue. Justice League of America #1 isn't even the first appearance of the Justice League. I don't need four superhero team crossovers in my Big Spenders Club.
This, is of course, just my opinion; there are hundreds of ways to assemble your own Big Spenders Club depending on what metrics you choose.
