First issues and first appearances are key in collecting comic books. An example of the key Fantastic Four #1 in a CGC 9.2 grade has now closed in on the $1,000,000.00 mark in a Heritage Auction and there are still 3 days remaining before the auction concludes.

According to Heritage Auctions the CGC 9.2 comic has a current bid of $837,500.00. That translates to $1,005,000.00 after the buyer’s premium. Its next bid by anyone, assuming another bid is made, will be at least $850,000.00 or $1,020,000 with buyer’s premium.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates high-end collectibles as an alternative asset class. This means key comic book issues are attracting the same capital that could have been invested into stocks or bonds. Many first appearance or #1 issues now cost tens of thousands of dollars or much more, and this proves that notion. Also at issue is that collectors with a passion to own a collectible for years frequently have to compete directly against investors whose only desire is to make a profit in the future.

Image by Heritage Auctions.

According to Heritage Auctions description:

This is the most stunning copy of the premiere Marvel Age issue we’ve seen since we offered the White Mountain copy over eight years ago in the same grade and page quality. No other copy we’ve offered in our 20+ year comic auctioning history comes close to this beauty! Frankly, it looks nicer than 9.2! But even at 9.2, it has few peers in CGC’s census. At the time the issue was published in 1961, Marvel was far behind DC in superhero title offerings. This book was the beginning of a remarkable renaissance that saw Marvel catch up and pass DC in the superhero consciousness of comic collectors, a perch it has maintained now for decades. Without showing off their new group as a guest appearance in another title or in a tryout issue, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby boldly launched the title that by its third issue was already being touted as The Greatest Comic Magazine in the World! Here was the origin and first appearance of the Fantastic Four, Marvel’s first superhero team of Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, Human Torch, and Invisible Girl. Also featured was the origin and first appearance of Mole Man. Jack Kirby was never better than with his cover and interior story art contributions for the title’s first 101 issues.

Heritage explains that only three exist in the grade and only 5 exist higher than that. With a current bid of $837,000.00 after 36 bids the issue is poised to get the attention of the entire collecting community. With 3,193 page views a lot of comic book collectors are watching this outcome. Heritage Auctions also said:

The issue is currently #3 on Overstreet’s list of Top 50 Silver Age Comics, and from Overstreet’s 2020 edition to its 2021 edition, it has appreciated in value at a faster clip than all but two other issues in the Top 25!… From the Truckee Meadows Collection.