First Appearance of Spider-Man From 1962 Sells for $200,000
A copy of the first comic book to feature Spider-Man, originally sold in 1962 for just 12 cents, has just sold for $200,000 which is a record sale for the issue in its condition. The comic, Amazing Fantasy #15 is in a high grade of CGC 9.0, which is one of the coveted "Near Mint" grade levels. This is one of the top sales of this historic comic books ever recorded. -
Portland, ME, July 6, 2015 (Newswire.com) - First Appearance of Spider-Man from 1962 Sells for $200,000
ComicLink reports they have brokered a private placement sale for an Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man, in a rarely available high grade of an unrestored CGC 9.0 for a record price for the 9.0 grade level of $200,000. Only a very small handful of Amazing Fantasy #15s have ever graded or sold higher. Comic books are graded by third-party certification companies including CGC on a 10 point scale. Anything 9.0 or higher is considered one of the coveted “Near Mint” grade levels and is considered very rare for comic books published more than 50 years ago.
"Amazing Fantasy #15, which originally sold for just 12 cents in 1962 on newsstands across America, remains the undisputed Holy Grail of the Silver Age of Comic Books for most collectors."
Josh Nathanson, President, ComicLink
According to ComicLink President, Josh Nathanson, “Amazing Fantasy #15, which originally sold for just 12 cents in 1962 on newsstands across America, remains the undisputed Holy Grail of the Silver Age of Comic Books for most collectors. Spider-Man is the single most popular Marvel character and his first appearance continues to be in incredible demand. This same book changed hands in 2004 for $58,000, demonstrating the tremendous investment potential that vintage comic books like this can have. Amazing Spider-Man is the most collected title in the industry and no collection is complete without the book that started it all.”
How Rare is an Amazing Fantasy #15 in High Grade?
Pretty darn rare. In the entire history of CGC, the leader in third-party grading and certification of comic books, the company has graded 2,344 copies of Amazing Fantasy #15, meaning the book itself is not that rare. However, less than 1% of those copies have received a grade of 9.0 or higher in unrestored condition. There are only three in 9.6, five in 9.4, three in 9.2 and only seven others in 9.0. Only four previous public sales of Amazing Fantasy #15 have exceeded this $200,000 sale, all in higher grades. The first was a ComicLink auction sale for $210,000 of a 9.4 in June of 2007, and the second was another ComicLink auction sale of a 9.4 for $227,000 in October of 2007 (of course, a 9.4 would sell for a lot more now). The next sales over the $200,000 threshold did not occur until four years later in 2011 when one of the 9.6 copies famously sold for $1.1 million and a 9.4 sold for $325,000.
Why is Amazing Fantasy #15 So Tough to Find in High Grade?
While Amazing Fantasy #15 had a healthy print run, its 1962 publication date puts it very early in the period when comic books were just beginning to be saved by collectors for posterity. This copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 lacks the Marvel chipping (scoop-shaped color loss among the edges of the comic) that is very common on copies of this issue along with other Marvel titles of the time. According to Nathanson, “This 9.0 is a copy that any high-grade collector would be thrilled to have in their collection.”
The Future of Spider-Man is Looking Very Bright
Spider-Man has been a huge star for Marvel for over 50 years and the latest buzz out of Hollywood indicates that the character is going to be hitting an all-time high in the next few years. Having already been featured in five solo movies, a new deal between Sony (who bought the movie rights to Spider-Man in the 90s) and Marvel Studios will allow for the integration of the character into the explosively popular Marvel Cinematic Universe. The new movie version will be completely rebooted to a feature a recast teenage Spider-Man who will be launched in series of solo movies starting in 2017, featuring a crowd-pleasing mix of Marvel action and a “John Hughes movie inspired high school soap opera” setting. The new version of Spider-Man is expected to premiere in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. According to Nathanson, “There is a palatable buzz around Spider-Man right now that is causing great excitement around his early appearances. The sky really is the limit as far as how high values can go for high grade copies of Amazing Fantasy #15 in the years to come.”
About ComicLink
ComicLink is the comic book industry’s longest running online consignment firm, providing collectors and dealers with instantaneous, unparalleled exposure to an exclusive pool of aggressive comic and art buyers, garnered over close to 20 years in the hobby. ComicLink’s quarterly Featured Auctions and monthly Focused Auctions provide an incredible array of vintage comic books and original comic art for every budget level. For more information, visit comiclink.com, email buysell@comiclink.com or call (617) 517-0062.
Contact:
Rick Hirsch
Director of Marketing, ComicLink
email: rickh@comiclink.com
Ph: (617) 517-0062 Ext. 112
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