How to identify rare comics
Among all the global categories of collectibles, comics are relatively new. At one point, only children were interested in reading them for entertainment. In June 1938, Superman, the first superhero to appear in Action Comics # 1, most children were drawn to the man in blue and red who was holding and crashing a car overhead. Suddenly a series of other types of superheroes made most kids pay a penny to buy one. If they had a dollar, they could have bought ten books without tax. However, children read them up to a certain age and their mothers usually throw them away, which is a shame because they would have been valuable.
So can comics still be lucrative investments? Absolutely. This is why so many serious collectors wish they had time machines, so they could go back in time and buy those good old ones. You could imagine getting your hands on Action Comics # 1, or Detective Comics # 27 (Batman’s first appearance) and selling them for millions of dollars today. However, collectors should put fantasy aside and look for newer and possibly less expensive prospects.
What kind (genre) of comic is it? For this article, I am referring to the most popular superheroes. Although they tend to be worth more than other genres that include: Cowboy; Romance; Famous cartoon characters like Disney, Warner Brothers; War; Comedy and others.
Period: Comic books belong to different “ages”: “Platinum Age” (printed in 1938 or earlier); “Golden Age” (1938-1955); “Silver Age (1956-1969);” Bronze Age “(1970-1981);” Copper Age “(1981-1991).
Is the book “DC” or “Marvel”? Some more well-known DC superheroes include Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern. Marvel Comics began in 1939 with Captain America, Human Torch, and the Submariner. Before 1961, Marvel Comics was originally called “Timely Comics.” Some titles became popular, such as: “Tales to Astonish”; “Amazing fantasy”; “Tales of suspense”. These titles featured some of the famous people that movies feature widely today: Tales to Astonish 27 featured Antman; Amazing Fantasy # 15 introduced the world to Spiderman; Tales of Suspense # 39 featured the first appearance of Ironman. Other well-known comics brought groups of superheroes: Fantastic Four # 1 (1961); The Avengers # 1 (1963), The Xmen # 1 (1963).
Edition Numbers: The lower the edition number, the more the book will be worth. As you know from the last paragraph, the first appearance of many heroes did not originate from issue 1. Superman originated from Action Comics # 1, but, a year later, he got his own comic: Superman # 1 (1939). Additionally, Batman had his first appearance in Detective Comics # 27, but soon got his own comic with the first appearance of Robin, Batman’s sidekick in Batman # 1 (1940). Wonder Woman’s first appearance occurred in Sensational Comics # 1, which later became “Wonder Woman.”
Original price: Comic books have gradually increased the price of newspapers. The lower the original selling price, the older they are and in most cases they are worth more: $. 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 75 (from 1938-1988). Today, the lowest priced comics cost between $ 3.99 and $ 4.99.
Condition: If your book has tears, partially peeled spine, or missing pages, it will be worth significantly less. They can be restored, but they cost more money to repair and will sell for less. The more pristine the condition, the more it will be worth, of course. All books must be placed in cardboard-backed Mylar sleeves. The maximum protection for comic books would be to seal them tightly in a hard plastic display case, which is provided by “CGC”, or the “Certified Warranty Company”. CGC is one of the only organizations that can truly give the collector peace of mind that the book has been properly rated and can hardly ever be damaged.
Recommended: Buy the “Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide” published every year.