The finest copy in existence of the iconic comic ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ #1 from 1963 is going up for auction right now.
The rare comic is expected to fetch a very high price and is already well on the way in the online sale, due to close on Sunday, January 14. The current winning bid – on Wednesday, January 10 – is $537,500, which rises to a full price of $645,000 with buyer’s premium.
Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s seminal Marvel comic, which introduced the world to Spider-Man, is one of only two copies graded Near Mint/Mint 9.8 by Certified Guaranty Company. This is the highest possible grade for a vintage comic, indicating the book is in virtually flawless condition.
“This is an unprecedented opportunity for serious comic collectors to acquire one of the holy grails of Silver Age comic books,” said a spokesperson for the auctioneers.
Alongside the Spider-Man comic are other top-tier Golden and Silver Age keys, including rare high-grade copies of Superman #1, Batman #1, and Showcase #4.
Further highlights include a 1963 Charlie Brown strip and a MAD Magazine cover.
This Charlie Brown strip by Schulz is also in the sale.
The ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #1 copy comes from the elite CGC Curator Pedigree, a collection assembled from the 1950s-1980s and stored in a museum vault until the 1990s. The pedigree is renowned for containing the finest condition Silver Age comics in existence. The January event also features iconic original comic art, including a classic John Romita Sr. Spider-Man cover.
Comic books can be enormously valuable, despite being mass-produced items. Printed and distributed issues may be more valuable than original artwork in some cases.
The most valuable comic book sold at auction is the Superman #1 issue sold for $5.30 million in 2022. That broke the record of $3.6 million paid for an extremely good condition Amazing Fantasy #15 at auction in September 2021. Action Comics #1 from 1938, the comic in which Superman first appeared, has also raised over $3 million at auction.
The modern comic book market is a great place for collectors to start a collection. Following personal taste rather than chasing future returns is probably the best way to collect modern comics from independent publishers. Just make sure you preserve your comics in the best possible condition.
With several days left to go in this sale, it is likely to set a very high bar for comic book sales in 2024.
