Comics Chartbusters Analysis - March

It’s been an attention-grabbing month within the excessive-priced comics world with ComicConnect’s March public sale dominating our Chartbusters record. Let’s dive deep to find out what these gross sales inform us about the marketplace for the comics each collector needs they might personal.

ComicConnect’s March Auction

ComicConnect held an enormous public sale in March with massive gross sales of Golden Age and Silver Age comics. Everything from DC to Marvel, from EC to Archie bought on this public sale and led to a dominating efficiency by one of many largest public sale homes within the passion.

I Hope ComicConnect enjoys its reign; the early April Heritage public sale had some enormous gross sales that can possible put them in first place in subsequent month’s evaluation.

Timely Captain America is #1

First place on the March Chartbusters record goes to a 7.0 graded copy of Captain America Comics #1, which bought for $300,150. While it’s an enormous sale, it’s additionally down 3.8% from a May 2022 sale in a Heritage public sale, and down 11.7% from a March 2022 sale in an earlier ComicConnect public sale.

We’re persevering with to see declines in mega-key early Timely points within the massive auctions, though the dips general don’t look to be as extreme as what we’ve seen in Silver and Bronze Age books.

Key EC Issues Setting Records

Three EC comics made our prime ten in March. The first was Crime SuspenStories #22 with its effectively-recognized grotesque Johnny Craig cowl coming in at #4. A 9.4 graded copy bought within the March ComicConnect public sale for $90,112.

It’s the one recorded sale on this grade and the best grade to ever promote, making this a document. While there are two copies with increased grades within the CGC census – a singular 9.8 and a lone 9.6 – neither has ever bought.

A 9.8 graded copy of Mad #1 was up on the market within the ComicConnect public sale for the primary time in additional than a decade, and this one was a William Gaines file copy. The closing worth when the hammer dropped was $81,000, the best worth ever paid for this comedian, besting a 2011 sale by practically $62,000.

Now, if solely the proprietor of that 9.9 graded copy of Mad #1 would ever public sale it off we might lastly see this comedian take its rightful place as a six-determine comedian.

And lastly, a 9.0 graded copy of Vault of Horror #12 bought for $31,280. The first concern within the sequence (points #1 by #11 had been titled War Against Crime) is tied for considered one of EC’s first horror comics. The sale set an general document for worth paid for this comedian, beating the earlier excessive of $29,900 paid for a 9.2 graded copy in 2002, and the one different copy of Vault of Horror #12 to promote for greater than $15,000. It’s a key e book that has seen an enormous spike in worth, and we nonetheless haven’t see that one 9.4 graded copy ever go up on the market.

Rare First Archie Sale

The March ComicConnect public sale additionally noticed the sale of a duplicate of Pep Comics #22 for the primary time in practically a yr and a half. Marking the primary appearances of Archie, Betty, and Jughead, the restored 3.0 graded copy bought for $29,000. There are solely 32 graded copies within the CGC census – and 13 of these are restored or conserved – so any sale is a uncommon incidence.

The sale marked a $5,000 improve over the $24,000 paid for a restored 3.5 in a November 2021 Heritage public sale. The earlier sale of a common graded copy was $66,000 for a CBCS 3.0 graded copy in a June 2021 Heritage public sale.

Doctor Doom Tops Silver Age List

Coming in at #1 on the March Silver Age Chartbusters record is a CBCS 9.4 graded copy of Fantastic Four #5. The $126,000 sale is the best worth paid for a CBCS-graded copy, though it pales compared to the $180,000 paid for a CGC graded 9.2 copy within the September 2022 Heritage public sale.

This sale is only a snapshot of the disparity between the values of CGC and CBCS-graded copies. While that is definitely not information to most collectors, the distinction between the 2 can generally equate to large greenback quantities as on this case.

First Silver Age Flash Flat

Sometimes gross sales within the massive auctions affirm traits somewhat than revealing them. Take the sale of a 6.0 graded Showcase #4 within the March ComicConnect public sale for instance. This copy bought for $27,000, not far off from all gross sales on this grade since 2015: $28,950 in 2015, $27,485 in 2016, and $26,400 in 2019.

That’s a reasonably constant trendline over eight years. In actual greenback values adjusted for inflation, it’s really a slight decline. If you’re a purchaser or a vendor, you’ll be onerous-pressed to pay or promote a lot outdoors that very restricted vary.