TOP 13 LISTS | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture

May31

The TOP 13 Most Valuable Comics in 1970 — and What They’re Worth Now

Posted by Dan Greenfield on May 31, 2020

The TOP 13 Most Valuable Comics in 1970 — and What They’re Worth Now

What a difference five decades make… As the comics industry continues to slowly awaken from the coronavirus pandemic, there’s this nice surprise: Gemstone Publishing has released the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #1 Facsimile Edition, reproducing Robert M. Overstreet’s landmark 1970 comics bible. This thing kills and I’ll have more on it soon, as well as other columns celebrating Overstreet’s 50th anniversary. But at the outset, we’ve got a really groovy list for you — THE TOP 13 MOST VALUABLE COMICS IN 1970 – AND WHAT THEY’RE WORTH NOW. In other words, these are the most expensive books (in top condition) from the very first Price Guide and how much they’ve grown in value since. The most recent prices are based on the 2019 edition because the 2020 entry isn’t out until the summer. The basic softcover Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #1 Facsimile Edition – which you can click here to read more about – is $16.95. You can get it through your shop (if it’s operating) or through Gemstone – Diamond’s publishing arm. (Click here.) There are also deluxe editions. (Click here and here for info on those.) In the meantime, here’s the TOP 13: 1. Action Comics #1 – 1970: $300; 2019: $4,200,000 — 2. Detective Comics #27 – 1970: $275; 2019: $2,800,000 — 3. Superman #1 – 1970: $250; 2019: $1,500,000 — 4. Marvel Comics #1 – 1970: $250; 2019: $720,000 — 5. Whiz Comics #2 (Actually #1) – 1970: $235; 2019: $300,000 — 6. Batman #1 – 1970: $175; 2019: $830,000 — 7. Captain America Comics #1 – 1970: $150; 2019: $500,000 — 8. King Comics #1 — 1970: $150 2019: $11,900 — 9. All-Star Comics #3 — 1970: $135; 2019: $140,000 — 10. Marvel Mystery Comics #2 – 1970: $130; 2019: $102,000 — 11. Flash Comics #1 – 1970: $125; 2019: $250,000 — 12. Detective Comics #1 — 1970: $125; 2019: $110,000 — 13. Famous Funnies #1 – 1970: $125; 2019: $43,500 — Now if you notice, 11-13 were all worth the same in 1970, but we’ve listed them in order of what they’re worth now. As it happens, there are seven more comics that were worth $125 in 1970, so here they are, along with their 2019 prices: All-Star Comics #1: $26,000 Mickey Mouse Magazine #1: $19,000 (Captain Marvel) Special Edition Comics #1:...

May30

13 New FAMOUS FIRST EDITION Treasuries We Want to See

Posted by Dan Greenfield on May 30, 2020

13 New FAMOUS FIRST EDITION Treasuries We Want to See

Keep it going, DC… DC recently released its first Famous First Edition treasury in more than four decades with the oversized hardcover reprint of 1935’s New Fun Comics #1. Naturally, this compelled me to call upon the treasury expert of treasury experts Rob Kelly to summon a list of 13 more comics deserving such an august presentation. (In fact, Rob reviews the New Fun edition on the latest episode of the podcast TreasuryCast. Click here.) So here are 13 NEW FAMOUS FIRST EDITION TREASURIES WE WANT TO SEE: By ROB KELLY To celebrate its 85th anniversary, DC has revived the classic Famous First Edition series of treasury-sized comics to reprint New Fun Comics #1, the first-ever issue of all-new material — from the publisher that would eventually become DC Comics. A truly handsome book, it appears DC spared no expense to commemorate their humble (yet ambitious) beginnings as a company. As someone who owns every single Famous First Edition from the 1970s, this was a welcome addition to that series’ storied, if brief, history. To that end, we thought, why stop there? Now that DC has decades of additional historic releases under its belt, why not keep the Famous Firsts going and give some other books the deluxe treatment? Sure, comics of previous decades are a lot more accessible now than they were in the 1970s, but I still maintain that there is a lot of value — in every sense of the word — to issuing keepsake editions of comics that truly left a mark on the medium. So, to that end, here are 13 NEW FAMOUS FIRST EDITION TREASURIES WE WANT TO SEE: — Detective Comics #38 During the heyday of Famous First Edition, a lot of DC’s biggest icons — Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash — got their initial appearances enshrined in treasury-sized glory. But a few other characters just as deserving got left behind. One of them, of course, is Robin the Boy Wonder, whose 1940 debut belongs alongside the other legends of the DCU. — All-American Comics #16 Green Lantern was another hero who missed the first cut, so let’s put his 1940 first appearance in gold (not wood). — More Fun Comics #73 DC gets a two-fer with this comic, since (contra the cover) it features the 1941 debut of two more legendary...

Home » TOP 13 LISTS