The comic book back issue market continues to skyrocket as a copy of Batman #1 graded 8.0 has set a record sales price of $1.2 million.
The comic book back issue market continue to rise as a copy of 1940’s Batman #1 has sold for a record-breaking $1.2 million.
The record that is being broken is for the highest price ever paid for a copy of the issue in “Very Fine” condition, as determined by an 8.0 grade from Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), a third party grading service used to verify comic book condition in sales like this one. Just recently, a Batman #1 graded 9.4 went for $2.2 million, so it appears as though we can say that, for now, that extra 1.4 grade is worth $1 million.
The highest end comic book back issues have steadily increased since the introduction of CGC in 2000 (which a created a wider possible buying audience, as buyers could feel safe in making bids online for the highest-priced comics, as they could feel secure in knowing that an independent party has verified the condition of the comic), but prices have gone even higher recently.
Stepen Fishler, vintage comic book expert and the founder of ComicsCollect, the company that handled the auction, explained the recent increases, “Vintage comics have always been great investments. Values are increasing decade by decade. But since the pandemic began, we’re seeing the same heightened activity we saw during the 2008 recession, when investors flocked to comics as a solid alternative to stocks.”
Naturally, the first appearances of key characters are the ones that have the highest demand and Batman #1 features two key debuts in the pages of the comic (which was written and drawn by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson and George Roussos), with two of Batman’s most famous foes, the Joker and Catwoman, both taking their first bows in the comic.
It is increasingly difficult for high-graded copies of Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics #27 to hit the market, so Batman #1 has become a more central comic for Bat-fans in recent years. Action Comics #1, featuring Superman’s first appearance (and essentially the comic book that kickstarted superhero comic books in the United States), remains the record holder for the highest price paid for a comic book period, recently selling for $3.25 million for an 8.5 graded copy.
This exact copy of Batman #1 sold at auction in 2006 for $80,000, and even just two years ago, another 8.0 copy of Batman #1 sold for roughly $500,000, so the market is especially hot right now.
Source: ComicsCollect Press Release
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