2007 Market Report
Greetings to everyone reading this report from Pedigree Comics, Inc. 2007 is now two-thirds over (this report was made at the end of August) and we have already eclipsed our record sales totals from 2006 ($3,000,000 in internet sales!!). We only sell CGC certified comics and magazines online (www.PedigreeComics.com) and the CGC Marvel back issue market continues to exceed all of our wildest expectations. High grade Marvels sell like hot cakes off of our website and it would take a significant portion of this price guide to list all of our sales this past year. Instead, I will comment on a few significant trends/collections/segments of the market, focusing solely on CGC certified Marvel (and DC) Silver and Bronze Age comic books (our area of expertise).
As new collectors and consignors find and register onto my website, I notice that a large percentage are baby boomers in their late 30’s and, more so, 40’s and 50’s who have re-entered the comic book market. Almost all of these new registrants are men who collected Marvels in their adolescent years, broke away from comics in their high school and college days (due to girls, sports, lack of funds, etc.) and came back to comics because they now realize how cool they really are and how much they loved collecting them in the first place. The coup de grace is the CGC, which has created a trusted and unbiased grading service, as well as a forum for new collectors to meet and exchange comic-related ideas and interests. Comic books are now in the limelight once again (all the recent motion pictures are to thank) and the days of buying over-graded and/or undisclosed restored raw comic books are almost over. Only a fool would make an expensive purchase of a key or significant comic without it being CGC’d, as the experts there check each comic for page content, restoration etc. Collector (and seller) confidence is a wonderful thing in a collectibles market and certification is here to stay (as in sports card, coins and now stamps).
All it takes is a few or even one new collector to re-fuel interest in a genre, title or issue. A perfect example of this has occurred in 2007. In the beginning of the year, a passionate Spidey lover, who wanted only ultra high grade Amazing Spider-Mans from the 60’s, began buying as many 9.4 or better ASM’s as he could find, many from pedigreed collections. He purchased a significant number of Spideys off of my web site, as well as a few other ones, and in doing so, set new sales records and created a buzz that is still reverberating in our industry. Outrageous multiples of guide were paid to secure these early Silver Age treasures. I’ll just give you a few examples of Pedigree Comics’ sales so you will see what I mean: ASM 10 9.6 (Curator) $12,500; ASM 12 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $16,500; ASM 14 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $37,500; ASM 21 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $6,600; ASM 23 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $7,000; ASM 27 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $6,000; ASM 28 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $15,000; ASM 29 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $3,250; ASM 30 9.6 (Boston) $3,400; ASM 32 9.6 (Massachusetts) $3,250; ASM 38 9.6 (Golden State) $2,800; ASM 40 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $6,400; ASM 52 9.6 $7,000 and ASM 55 9.6 (Hollywood Hills) $1,800. This same collector also purchased from us the Curator copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 for $60,000 in April.
As new collectors and consignors find and register onto my website, I notice that a large percentage are baby boomers in their late 30’s and, more so, 40’s and 50’s who have re-entered the comic book market. Almost all of these new registrants are men who collected Marvels in their adolescent years, broke away from comics in their high school and college days (due to girls, sports, lack of funds, etc.) and came back to comics because they now realize how cool they really are and how much they loved collecting them in the first place. The coup de grace is the CGC, which has created a trusted and unbiased grading service, as well as a forum for new collectors to meet and exchange comic-related ideas and interests. Comic books are now in the limelight once again (all the recent motion pictures are to thank) and the days of buying over-graded and/or undisclosed restored raw comic books are almost over. Only a fool would make an expensive purchase of a key or significant comic without it being CGC’d, as the experts there check each comic for page content, restoration etc. Collector (and seller) confidence is a wonderful thing in a collectibles market and certification is here to stay (as in sports card, coins and now stamps).
All it takes is a few or even one new collector to re-fuel interest in a genre, title or issue. A perfect example of this has occurred in 2007. In the beginning of the year, a passionate Spidey lover, who wanted only ultra high grade Amazing Spider-Mans from the 60’s, began buying as many 9.4 or better ASM’s as he could find, many from pedigreed collections. He purchased a significant number of Spideys off of my web site, as well as a few other ones, and in doing so, set new sales records and created a buzz that is still reverberating in our industry. Outrageous multiples of guide were paid to secure these early Silver Age treasures. I’ll just give you a few examples of Pedigree Comics’ sales so you will see what I mean: ASM 10 9.6 (Curator) $12,500; ASM 12 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $16,500; ASM 14 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $37,500; ASM 21 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $6,600; ASM 23 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $7,000; ASM 27 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $6,000; ASM 28 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $15,000; ASM 29 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $3,250; ASM 30 9.6 (Boston) $3,400; ASM 32 9.6 (Massachusetts) $3,250; ASM 38 9.6 (Golden State) $2,800; ASM 40 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $6,400; ASM 52 9.6 $7,000 and ASM 55 9.6 (Hollywood Hills) $1,800. This same collector also purchased from us the Curator copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 for $60,000 in April.
I have noticed the after effects of all of these record purchases as sales of Amazing Spider-Man issues have been incredibly brisk throughout 2007. Sure, Amazing Spider-Man has always been a consistent top seller, but the multiples we have been seeing in 2007 has been ridiculous, a direct result of the almost crazed spending of our new customer. This same scenario occurred in the latter part of the year when a new Fantastic Four lover entered the market. His entrance mirrored the release of the second FF motion picture (“Rise of the Silver Surfer”) and he only wanted the highest or second highest CGC rated copies. Sales of ultra high grade early Fantastic Fours have not, historically, been as brisk as other mainstream titles (high guide values are to blame) but that all changed when this frenzied collector/investor hit my site.
The evidence is as follows:
FF 11 9.4 $11,200; FF 15 9.4 $4,100; FF 17 9.4 $4,850; FF 27 9.6 $5650; FF 29 9.4 $2,800; FF 34 9.4 $900; FF 53 9.6 $1050; FF 66 9.6 (Hollywood Hills) $1400; FF 70 9.6 $500; FF 84 9.6 $375; FF 87 9.6 $350 and FF 95 9.6 $300. Other strong Fantastic Four sales were a function of this new customer’s record purchases: FF 1 8.5 $50,00; FF 1 8.0 $22,500; FF 14 9.6 $6,000; FF 15 9.6 $5,250; FF 20 9.4 $5,000; FF 22 9.4 $1,700; FF 30 9.4 $1,250; FF 32 9.4 (Massachusetts) $1,325; FF 44 9.6 $900; FF 48 9.6 $3,800; FF 48 9.6 $3,600; FF 55 9.6 $2,250; FF 67 9.4 (White Mountain) $650; FF 73 9.6 (Massachusetts) $700 and many more.
It doesn’t necessarily take a new collector to push sales into the stratosphere. One of our best customers, an across the board CGC Silver Age collector, turned his attention in 2007 toward the early Tales to Astonish issues and the results have been, well, astonishing. He only likes certified 9.4’s (good luck finding 9.6’s on these early Ant-Man/Giant-Man books!) but will settle for a 9.2 if a Near-Mint isn’t available. Pedigrees are favored too as these recent sales exhibit:
The evidence is as follows:
FF 11 9.4 $11,200; FF 15 9.4 $4,100; FF 17 9.4 $4,850; FF 27 9.6 $5650; FF 29 9.4 $2,800; FF 34 9.4 $900; FF 53 9.6 $1050; FF 66 9.6 (Hollywood Hills) $1400; FF 70 9.6 $500; FF 84 9.6 $375; FF 87 9.6 $350 and FF 95 9.6 $300. Other strong Fantastic Four sales were a function of this new customer’s record purchases: FF 1 8.5 $50,00; FF 1 8.0 $22,500; FF 14 9.6 $6,000; FF 15 9.6 $5,250; FF 20 9.4 $5,000; FF 22 9.4 $1,700; FF 30 9.4 $1,250; FF 32 9.4 (Massachusetts) $1,325; FF 44 9.6 $900; FF 48 9.6 $3,800; FF 48 9.6 $3,600; FF 55 9.6 $2,250; FF 67 9.4 (White Mountain) $650; FF 73 9.6 (Massachusetts) $700 and many more.
It doesn’t necessarily take a new collector to push sales into the stratosphere. One of our best customers, an across the board CGC Silver Age collector, turned his attention in 2007 toward the early Tales to Astonish issues and the results have been, well, astonishing. He only likes certified 9.4’s (good luck finding 9.6’s on these early Ant-Man/Giant-Man books!) but will settle for a 9.2 if a Near-Mint isn’t available. Pedigrees are favored too as these recent sales exhibit:
TTA 37 9.4 $2,700
38 9.4 2,300
39 9.4 1,900
41 9.2 580
41 9.4 1,600
42 9.4 1,900 (Western Penn)
43 9.4 2,750 (Massachusetts)
44 9.4 2,900
45 9.4 1,300
47 9.4 1,250 (Northland)
48 9.4 1,200
50 9.4 750
54 9.4 500
55 9.4 500 (Northland)
56 9.4 650
58 9.4 900 (Northland).
38 9.4 2,300
39 9.4 1,900
41 9.2 580
41 9.4 1,600
42 9.4 1,900 (Western Penn)
43 9.4 2,750 (Massachusetts)
44 9.4 2,900
45 9.4 1,300
47 9.4 1,250 (Northland)
48 9.4 1,200
50 9.4 750
54 9.4 500
55 9.4 500 (Northland)
56 9.4 650
58 9.4 900 (Northland).
Other early Tales to Astonish issues achieved remarkable prices as well, spurred by the aforementioned customer. Some of these include: TTA 27 9.2 $17,000; TTA 38 9.4 $2,175; TTA 39 9.6 (White Mountain) $4,500; TTA 47 9.4 $750; TTA 51 9.4 $650; TTA 53 9.4 $500; TTA 57 9.6 (White Mountain) $2,650 and another TTA 57 9.6 (for $2,750).
Some flagship Marvel Silver Age titles needed no new collectors or customers to spark interest. Tales of Suspense continued to sell incredibly well in high grade. A few choice sales include TOS 39 9.2 $25,000; TOS 41 9.4 $7,000; TOS 42 9.4 $2,800; TOS 43 9.4 $4,200; TOS 44 9.4 $4,200; TOS 45 9.4 $4,200; TOS 46 9.4 $2,600; TOS 47 9.4 (Northland) $2,700; TOS 49 9.4 $3,300; TOS 52 9.4 $4,000; TOS 61 9.4 $700; TOS 63 9.6 $1,900; TOS 65 9.4 $900 and TOS 66 9.4 $1,000. Journey Into Mystery is another automatic sell. Although not as hot as in its ground-breaking years of 2003 and 2004, the Thunder God still commands a ton of respect here in South Florida, especially the issues in 9.2 and above: JIM 85 9.2 $6,000; JIM 86 9.6 (Massachusetts) $9,500; JIM 88 9.4 $5,100; JIM 88 9.4 (Northland) $5,500; JIM 91 9.2 $1,300; JIM 93 9.4 (Pacific Coast) $3,200; JIM 96 9.6 $2,600; JIM 96 9.4 (Massachusetts) $2,000; JIM 99 9.6 $3,000; JIM 100 9.4 (Massachusetts) $2,000; JIM 100 9.4 $1,900; JIM 101 9.4 $1,400; JIM 102 9.4 $1,550; JIM 104 9.6 (Massachusetts) $4,250; JIM 104 9.4 (Northland) $2,400; JIM 104 9.2 $1,050; JIM 105 9.4 $1,100; JIM 106 9.4 $1,800; JIM 108 9.4 $2,600; JIM 111 9.4 $1,600; JIM 112 9.6 (Massachusetts) ($14,500) and JIM 112 9.6 (Circle 8) $12,500.
Strange Tales, X-Men, Daredevil, Thor, Silver Surfer, Avengers, Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Iron Man lead the rest of the pack in Silver Age sales. Of all of these titles, Avengers was by far the hottest and there were many old and new Avengers collectors paying high multiples of guide for 9.4-9.8 graded books (both Silver and Bronze). In fact, we sold a whole slew of Avengers off the site in December (issues in the 20’s and up), all at record prices. (9.8’s were going for 20 x guide, 9.6’s at close to 10 and 9.4’s at 5 and above). Avengers is by far the fastest selling and most popular title as of this writing and I do not foresee any change for 2008. They literally sell within minutes of being uploaded onto the site!! Two record sales of early Avengers were #3 in 9.6 for $4,900 and Avengers 11 in 9.6 (Curator copy) for $3,300.
Strange Tales, X-Men, Daredevil, Thor, Silver Surfer, Avengers, Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Iron Man lead the rest of the pack in Silver Age sales. Of all of these titles, Avengers was by far the hottest and there were many old and new Avengers collectors paying high multiples of guide for 9.4-9.8 graded books (both Silver and Bronze). In fact, we sold a whole slew of Avengers off the site in December (issues in the 20’s and up), all at record prices. (9.8’s were going for 20 x guide, 9.6’s at close to 10 and 9.4’s at 5 and above). Avengers is by far the fastest selling and most popular title as of this writing and I do not foresee any change for 2008. They literally sell within minutes of being uploaded onto the site!! Two record sales of early Avengers were #3 in 9.6 for $4,900 and Avengers 11 in 9.6 (Curator copy) for $3,300.
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Sub-Mariner, Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, Incredible Hulk and Captain Marvel also sell at multiples of guide off of our website. A few key issues from these titles created record sales for us in 2007: Sgt. Fury 1 9.4 $21,500; Strange Tales 101 9.4 $10,000; Strange Tales Annual 2 9.8 (Pacific Coast) $25,000; Nick Fury 1 9.8 $1,500; Incredible Hulk 1 6.5 $5,850; Incredible Hulk 6 9.4 $11,000; Incredible Hulk 102 9.6 $1,425. Incredible Hulk 181 9.8 (Bronze Age but an obvious key) $18,000.
Overall, the CGC Silver Age Marvel market is stronger than ever. The demand increases almost daily as new collectors learn about CGC, witness the high prices these old funny books are fetching and are more enthusiastic than ever about the hobby due to the influx of new major motion pictures starring household names depicting these characters (i.e. Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man). With more and more information at their fingertips (CGC, CGC Registry, CGC chat boards, GPA, Scoop, Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, etc.), these born again comic lovers with disposable income are getting back into comic collecting fully armed and ready to spend. The supply will never go up so it does not take a genius to figure out that this vibrant section of the hobby should stay vibrant for a long time.
As for the CGC Marvel Bronze Age, I will keep it short as my past few market reports have centered on this section of the market. I can pretty much sum up how hot Bronze Marvels are with one word: WINNIPEG. I purchased almost all of the Bronze (and Copper) Age Marvels from the Winnipeg pedigree, founded in 1996, in late 1996 and early 1997 and have been getting them graded by the CGC and selling them on my website for the past 3 years. The results have been beyond description. Whereas some non-pedigreed titles do not sell at high multiples, Winnipeg books smash all GPA sales figures and consistently sell as soon as we list them in the new arrivals section of the Pedigree Comics Website. This is not an exaggeration. The predominance of titles listed sell at the ask price, issue by issue, within moments of their listing. When these Winnipeg collectors read the Latest News portion of the site and find out when new Winnipegs are going to be uploaded, they are ready! What makes Winnipegs so enticing and attractive are the bone white pages (over 95% of Winnipegs have strict white pages); incredible cover gloss, perfect structure and an amazing, just-printed look and feel from having been meticulously stored by the original owners in the cool and dry climate of Western Canada.
We started listing the Bronze Age Winnipegs in 2004 and have never stopped. Almost all the major titles from the 70’s and 80’s have already been listed with amazing results. In 2007, the following titles were met with the same unbridled enthusiasm: Fantastic Four, Captain Marvel, Creatures on the Loose, Iron Man, Master of Kung Fu, Marvel Team-Up, Marvel Two-In-One; Incredible Hulk; Doctor Strange, Spectacular Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man, Defenders, Ghost Rider, Thor, Dazzler, Daredevil, Official Index to the Marvel Universe, Doc Savage, Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Skull the Slayer, Nova, Ka-zar the Savage and more. Unbelievably, almost every Winnipeg sale constituted a record one according to the sales figures maintained by the GPA. We anticipate this trend to continue as we have hundreds more Winnipeg Bronze and Copper Marvels to list in 2008.
We started listing the Bronze Age Winnipegs in 2004 and have never stopped. Almost all the major titles from the 70’s and 80’s have already been listed with amazing results. In 2007, the following titles were met with the same unbridled enthusiasm: Fantastic Four, Captain Marvel, Creatures on the Loose, Iron Man, Master of Kung Fu, Marvel Team-Up, Marvel Two-In-One; Incredible Hulk; Doctor Strange, Spectacular Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man, Defenders, Ghost Rider, Thor, Dazzler, Daredevil, Official Index to the Marvel Universe, Doc Savage, Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Skull the Slayer, Nova, Ka-zar the Savage and more. Unbelievably, almost every Winnipeg sale constituted a record one according to the sales figures maintained by the GPA. We anticipate this trend to continue as we have hundreds more Winnipeg Bronze and Copper Marvels to list in 2008.
The final area of the market I will comment on is, surprisingly, the DC one (1960’s 70’s and 80’s The Flash in particular). Although we are associated most frequently with high grade Marvels (most likely by design as I have always collected Marvels as opposed to DC’s), the biggest spark from our site (and from the entire hobby for that matter) in 2007 came from the incredible, near-complete Flash run (issue #’s105-350) of noted collector Steve Rubin that he consigned to us in August. In fact, the listing of this #1 CGC Registry set constituted the most significant sale of any run in many, many years. An amazing 231 out of the possible 247 issues of the title were present in the collection (a whopping 93%), and almost all of the books were 9.4 or higher with most being the top certified copy. The reaction to the listing was unbelievable, as over two-thirds of the run has sold as of today’s date of August 29, 2007 (with many other anticipated sales not finalized as of this writing). There were dozens of interested collectors bidding and buying these books at a rapid pace. Many of the top certified issues were gobbled up within seconds of their respective listings even though none were pre-sold or listed as pending before being uploaded. I found myself scratching my head thinking “Make Mine DC!!”.
What made the sales even more amazing was the fact that 2 other significant (but not as voluminous or as high of grade) Flash collections were sold by the same auction house within 9 months of our listing, the second one only a few days prior to ours. With that many 9.4 or better Flashes on the market within months, I was not sure if the Flash collectors out there had had their fill. Obviously, and to Steve’s and my delight, they had not. It goes to show that quality comic books in superior certified condition will always attract attention and find new homes. Another factor in our favor was that a bunch of the issues in the 100’s were from Pedigreed collections (mostly Pacific Coast and Western Penn). The Flash has always been one of DC’s best and biggest Silver Age sellers, but there were just as many Bronze Age collectors looking to buy these books. A special thanks is due to Mr. Rubin for bringing his amazing Flash run to market. In Marvel terms, it is almost the equivalent of the highest graded Journey Into Mystery/Thor run (issues 83-300) being offered for sale. Just mind-boggling stuff when you consider how many 9.6’s were present in the first 100 issues!
As follows are some highlighted sales from the #1 CGC Registry Flash set: 106 8.5 $4,000; 109 9.0 $2,500; 111 8.5 $1,300; 113 9.0 $2,850; 114 8.5 $1,025; 121 9.2 $4,500; 124 9.2 (Western Penn) $1,700; 131 9.4 (Dallas Stephens) $1,250; 133 9.4 $1,175; 136 9.4 (Western Penn) $1,750; 137 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $9,500; 138 9.4 $800; 140 9.4 (Pacific Coast) $1,200; 141 9.4 (Pacific Coast) $1,100; 142 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $1,500; 143 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $2,200; 144 9.4 (Western Penn) $800; 146 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $1,650; 147 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $1,350; 151 9.6 $1,550; 153 9.8 (Pacific Coast) $1,995; 158 9.6 $975; 160 9.6 $1,575; 163 9.6 $900; 164 9.6 $900;166 9.6 (Boston) $900; 169 9.6 $1,000; 171 9.8 (Pacific Coast) $1,500; 173 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $1,500; 175 9.6 $2,300; 179 9.6 $850; 180 9.8 $1,100; 181 9.6 (Massachusetts) $650; 187 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $650; 196 9.6 $600; 200 9.6 $500; 205 9.6 $450; 214 9.6 $600; 229 9.8 $750; 232 9.6 $375; 241 9.8 $200; 275 9.8 $200 and 300 9.6 $55. Thanks in part to this run, a few other Flash consignors asked us to list their top-graded early issues and these too were met with very little resistance: Flash 109 9.2 $6,000; Flash 131 9.6 $3,000 (Pacific Coast)
As follows are some highlighted sales from the #1 CGC Registry Flash set: 106 8.5 $4,000; 109 9.0 $2,500; 111 8.5 $1,300; 113 9.0 $2,850; 114 8.5 $1,025; 121 9.2 $4,500; 124 9.2 (Western Penn) $1,700; 131 9.4 (Dallas Stephens) $1,250; 133 9.4 $1,175; 136 9.4 (Western Penn) $1,750; 137 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $9,500; 138 9.4 $800; 140 9.4 (Pacific Coast) $1,200; 141 9.4 (Pacific Coast) $1,100; 142 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $1,500; 143 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $2,200; 144 9.4 (Western Penn) $800; 146 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $1,650; 147 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $1,350; 151 9.6 $1,550; 153 9.8 (Pacific Coast) $1,995; 158 9.6 $975; 160 9.6 $1,575; 163 9.6 $900; 164 9.6 $900;166 9.6 (Boston) $900; 169 9.6 $1,000; 171 9.8 (Pacific Coast) $1,500; 173 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $1,500; 175 9.6 $2,300; 179 9.6 $850; 180 9.8 $1,100; 181 9.6 (Massachusetts) $650; 187 9.6 (Pacific Coast) $650; 196 9.6 $600; 200 9.6 $500; 205 9.6 $450; 214 9.6 $600; 229 9.8 $750; 232 9.6 $375; 241 9.8 $200; 275 9.8 $200 and 300 9.6 $55. Thanks in part to this run, a few other Flash consignors asked us to list their top-graded early issues and these too were met with very little resistance: Flash 109 9.2 $6,000; Flash 131 9.6 $3,000 (Pacific Coast)
In retrospect, 2007 has been a record-breaking year for our hobby and for my company in particular. More and more collectors and consignors are utilizing our non time-based auction services to buy and sell their prized high grade CGC certified comics and magazines. Collecting comic books can be such an amazing thing. We hope we have made it more informative, interesting and enjoyable for everyone. See you next year!
Doug Schmell
CEO/President Pedigree Comics, Inc.
CEO/President Pedigree Comics, Inc.