Fantastic Four #1 has broken $1,000,000 for the first time ever! First issues and first appearances are key in collecting comic books. An example of the key Fantastic Four #1 graded as a CGC 9.2 has now closed at Heritage Auction for a record price.

According to Heritage Auctions the CGC 9.2 comic had a bid of $837,500.00 on April 4, 2022. That translated to $1,005,000.00 after the buyer’s premium. The historic issue sold for $1,500,000 after 40 bids on April 7, 2022. Image below by Heritage Auctions.

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 or hundreds of thousands of dollars (and obviously even higher). 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.

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 sale of $1,500,000 the issue is poised to get the attention of the entire collecting community. With 6,209 page views a lot of comic book collectors are watched this result. 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.