Is the Price Right? A Hulk #1 for $15,000 at PWCC

One of the most iconic books of the Silver Age, Hulk #1, which options the first look of Bruce Banner, the Hulk, Thunderbolt and Betty Ross, is a holy grail for many comedian e-book collectors. PWCC has a CBCS 5.0 restored Hulk #1 signed by Stan Lee for sale for $15,000 (however is accepting provides). Is the value proper? Let’s have a look.

Hulk #1 is a blue chip key situation that can at all times be wanted by any severe comedian investor who has substantial means. The Hulk as a personality requires no introduction. One of the most recognizable superheroes round the world, the Hulk is a founding member of the Avengers, and, though typically debated, is usually thought of to be the “strongest Avenger.” His fights with Thor (e.g., Journey Into Mystery #112), the Thing (e.g., Fantastic Four #12), and Wolverine (Hulk #180 and #340) are legendary.

The Hulk has at all times been the king of the hill and the final measuring stick for different superheroes. He has served as the inspiration for many different incarnations together with a gray Hulk, a Red Hulk, a She-Hulk, and an Immortal Hulk. He might be the most essential character in Marvel historical past, besides for Spider-Man.

All of the above make Hulk #1 one among the most sought-after Silver Age mega-keys of all time. Let’s look nearer at the Hulk #1 that PWCC has for sale.

CBCS has verified that the legendary Stan Lee has signed this explicit copy on the inside cowl. Considering that it’s now unattainable to acquire Stan’s signature, his signature presents a serious worth add. On the different hand, it is a “restored” copy due to gentle shade contact on the cowl and trimmed edges.

Lastly, it was graded by CBCS which can be a slight detrimental since the market sometimes prefers CGC. My educated guess is that the vendor selected CBCS as a result of CBCS offers the distinctive service of verifying signatures. CGC would have supplied this copy with a inexperienced “qualified” label as a substitute of verifying Lee’s signature.

This is a tough situation to cost resulting from restricted gross sales knowledge; nonetheless, there are a couple of value factors that we will look at to offer us with directional info.

According to GoCollect, the FMV of a blue label CGC 5.0 copy of this e-book is $33,000. Back in May, a CGC 5.0 bought for $31,200. The final sale for purple label 5.0 was for $11,202 in April 2021. There’s little or no knowledge for yellow label 5.0s, however the most up-to-date sale was for $21,550 in February 2021. Seven months later, a 5.5 yellow label bought for a whopping $44,247.

There’s even much less knowledge for CBCS-graded copies, however the final sale for a CBCS 5.0 blue label was for $14,400 in June 2019. Two years later, a CBCS blue label 5.5 bought for $39,995 in May 2021 (throughout the peak of the comedian growth). There haven’t been any gross sales for any CBCS signed and / or restored copies throughout the previous seven years.

Even with all of this gross sales knowledge, there aren’t any sturdy comparables. Still, the asking value for the Hulk #1 on PWCC appears fairly cheap. This isn’t an actual science, however as a place to begin, current gross sales knowledge counsel that the FMV of a CGC 5.0 with Stan’s signature might be round $40,000.

In comparability, the PWCC copy has Lee’s signature, however it additionally suffers from some important restoration (e.g., gentle shade contact, edges trimmed). If, as a rule of thumb, you assume restored copies are value about half as a lot as their blue label counterparts (maybe a giant assumption on my half), then a CGC 5.0 purple label with Lee’s signature may promote for round $20,000. A CBCS 5.0 purple label may promote for a bit much less.

According to this casual evaluation, the asking value of $15,000 (which contains the 20% purchaser’s premium) on PWCC appears greater than cheap. In addition, as a result of the vendor is accepting provides, you may be capable to buy it at a cheaper price.