Collectors Dashboard had already seen a strong start to the comic book market for 2022. It turns out that a strong market may be an understatement. This was not an all-time record, but what is surprising here is that a piece of original comic book art may have even kicked 2022 to a stronger start than we imagined.

Action Comic #1 needs no introduction to either comic book collectors or investors. With an original printing of 200,000 there is estimated to be less than 100 surviving examples of the iconic issue left today of Superman’s first appearance. Heritage Auctions just kicked off 2022 strong for Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and just about any superhero.

Any presence of Action Comic #1 in an auction immediately travels to any trophy collector. According to the CGC population for the issue only 43 unrestored examples of Action Comic #1 are known to exist. Heritage Auctions January 13 – 16 Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction has a CGC 6.0 unrestored example.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates high-end collectibles as an alternative asset class. The same capital that could have been invested into stocks or bonds is being used to buy high-end collectibles, and comic books that cost tens of thousands of dollars (or much more!) definitely fall into this theme. True comic book collectors are now having to compete directly against investors who only wish to sell for a profit at a later date.

There were two comic book sales north of $1 million in Heritage’s January comic book auction. The first was Superman and the second was Batman. Again, it is the original comic book art that may be the biggest surprise of all.

Action Comics #1 Rocket Copy (DC, 1938) CGC FN 6.0 (white pages) had a bid of $1,625,000 with 23 bids on January 2, then as of January 12 $1,825,000 after 26 bids…. SOLD FOR $3,180,000 after 33 bids on January 13, 2022. The guide price for CGC 6.0 is $920,500.00.

Detective Comics #27 (DC, 1939) CGC VG+ 4.5 (Tan to off-white pages) had a bid of $587,500.00 after 17 bids on January 2, then as of January 12 $600,000.00 after 18 bids…. SOLD FOR $1,140,000 after 26 bids on January 13, 2022. The guide price for a CGC 4.0 is $490,000.00.

On January 12 there were eight different original comic book art pages being sold that already were over $50,000.00 in bids. One of those was up over $220,000.00 and two other were over $100,000.00 on most recent review. January 13, 2022 Mike Zeck and Others Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #8 Story Page 25 Black Costume/Venom Original Art (Marvel, 1984) sold for $3,360,000 after 58 bids. This managed to outperform the Action Comics #1 noted above. (Image by Heritage Auctions)

Three first appearance issues of Amazing Fantasy #15 (Spider-Man’s First Appearance) are updated to reflect auction prices on both January 2 and January 12 and for all but one the sold price is included. The auction is ongoing on January 14, 2022 but here are the Spider-Man prices:

• Amazing Fantasy #15 (Marvel, 1962) CGC FN/VF 7.0 (Off-white to white pages) previously seen at $130,000.00 after 30 bids on January 2, then stood at $180,000.00 after 40 bids on January 12…. SOLD FOR $252,000.00 after 42 bids on January 13, 2022.
• Amazing Fantasy #15 (Marvel, 1962) CGC FN- 5.5 White pages previously seen at $77,500.00 after 12 bids on January 2, maintained $77,500.00 after 12 bids on January 12…. and stands at $77,500.00 on January 14 with hours to go.
• Amazing Fantasy #15 and Amazing Spider-Man #1-20 as a Bound Volume (Marvel, 1962-65) previously seen at $24,000.00 on January 2, stood at $34,000.00 after 35 bids on January 12…. SOLD FOR $90,000.00 after 46 bids on January 13, 2022.

Below are the other high dollar comics that were sold by Heritage.

Marvel Comics #1 (Timely, 1939) CGC VG+ 4.5 (Off-white to white pages) had a bid of $210,000.00 after 33 bids on January 2, maintained $210,000.00 after 33 bids on January 12… SOLD FOR $360,000.00 after 36 bids on January 13, 2022. The guide price for a CGC 4.0 is $88,000.00 and a CGC 6.0 is $132,000.00.

Superman #1 (DC, 1939) CGC PR 0.5 Off-white pages previously seen at $52,500.00 after 26 bids on January 2 despite the back cover missing and the book being incomplete with detached cover, maintained $52,500.00 after 26 bids on January 12… SOLD FOR $96,000.00 after 32 on January 13, 2022.

More Fun Comics #73 (DC, 1941) CGC FN+ 6.5 Off-white to white pages previously seen at $39,000.00 after 39 bids on January 2, stood at $82,500.00 after 51 bids on January 12…. SOLD FOR $192,000.00 after 56 bids on January 13, 2022.

Sensation Comics #1 The Promise Collection Pedigree (DC, 1942) CGC VG 4.0 (Off-white pages) is Wonder Woman’s second appearance anywhere, and it is the origin and first appearances of Wildcat, Mr. Terrific, and the Gay Ghost are highlights of the issue. Previously seen at $25,000.00 after 25 bids on January 2, stood at $28,000.00 after 27 bids on January 12…. SOLD FOR $43,200.00

X-Men #1 (Marvel, 1963) CGC VF- 7.5 White pages had a bid of $38,000.00 after 21 bids on January 2…. stands at $43,000.00 after 25 bids on January 12…. and maintains $43,000.00 on January 14, 2022 with hours to go.

Turtlemania Special #1 Gold Edition (Metropolis Comics, 1986) CGC Qualified NM+ 9.6 (White pages) had a bid of $32,000.00, stood at $52,500.00 after 38 bids on January 12…. SOLD FOR $66,000.00 after 40 bids on January 13. Talk about a small print run: only 10 copies of the Gold edition were produced; consequently, it’s safe to call this the rarest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic in the world. We offered a CGC Qualified 9.2 copy earlier this year that sold for $72,000, so suffice it to say, we think demand for this Qualified 9.6 copy, the highest-graded copy of the issue, will be very strong indeed.

The Incredible Hulk #1 (Marvel, 1962) CGC FN 6.0 Off-white to white pages has a current bid of $35,000.00 after 34 bids…. and stands at $45,500.00 after 37 bids with hours to go.

It’s also important to consider that the current prices above do not include the 20% buyer’s premium and do not include other charges that will drive a net purchase price up even further.