As we’ve been tracking on TG, classic comic prices have been going up since the insane success of The Avengers, and apparently they’ve gone even higher in recent weeks.
It’s been quite a summer of agony and ecstacy for comic flicks, but after a limp summer last year, comic films are indeed back bigger than ever, and there’s quite a feeding frenzy going on for the really good rare stuff.
As The Hollywood Reporter tells us, a “near-pristine” copy of the first X-Men just sold for over $492,000, while a copy of the first issue of The Avengers just went for $274,850.
Both comics were up for grabs at a heritage Auction that took place on July 26, and the X-Men comic is reportedly one of the best copies you can get of the first issue, graded 9.8 out of 10.
Previously, the record for the first X-Men was $200 Gs, and it’s now the second most valuable comic of Marvel’s silver age. (#1 is Amazing Fantasy #15, which has the debut of Spider-Man). The Avengers record was previously $250,000, and again, this one had a high rating, 9.6, one of three that are in top condition.
The Reporter also mentioned that an original Spider-Man drawing from Todd McFarlane also sold for $675,250, from Amazing Spider-Man #328, an illustration that also features the Hulk. Another MacFarlane Spider-Man illustration for 1990’s Spider-Man #1 also sold for big bucks, $358,500.
Of course, this is still quite a ways from the record for comic art, which went to Tintin in America for a cool $1.6 at auction.
So will comic prices, and original comic art prices, continue to go through the roof? I can’t see any reason why they won’t, even in such perilous economic times. And at the rate these prices are going, this stuff can make great investments for the future, provided you’ve got the bucks and the bravery to roll the dice on one.
Since we’re all curious how much the value on rare comics could potentially increase when The Avengers makes another brinks truck of money on DVD and Blu-ray this fall, be sure to stay tuned to TG for further developments.
