Comic book collecting isn’t always about finding the most pristine copy of a legendary issue. Although everyone would love to find a perfectly preserved #1 of any Golden Age comic in a discarded box in the attic, the likelihood of that happening is very slim, which means that there are people who are not put off paying serious money for a historic comic book no matter what condition it is in. One particular comic book that stands as a perfect example of this is Amazing Stories #15, the 1962 Marvel Comics release that introduced the world to Spider-Man and gave Marvel one of their first superheroes that could compete with the likes of Superman and Batman, and in time would surpass both of them as the most profitable superhero of all time. Now, this legendary comic has been to auction once again and sold for the expected sizable amount despite not being the highest graded example out there.
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Sold by Heritage Auctions, the copy is similar to several others that have recently fetched around $30,000 a piece. The issue is graded CGC VG+ 4.5 with tan to off-white pages along with several small defects such as loose binding and staples, meaning it has not aged as well it could have, but is certainly a long way from being a write-off. Essentially, when the comic book that holds the number one position on Overstreet’s list of Top 50 Silver Age Comics, then it is always going to attract attention from a large number of collectors who are still happy to pay tens of thousands just to get their hands on a copy. That is exactly what happened with this auction when the comic ended on $31,804, beating several other “firsts,” such as The Incredible Hulk #1 ($18,910), and The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (9,455).
Grading Is Only Part of This Comic’s Story
Grading can make a big difference to the price buyers are willing to pay at auction for comic books, but when considering what most of these retailed for back in the 1960s, a $31,000 hammer price is certainly not a failure. Of course, there have been some much better preserved examples of Amazing Stories #15 that have broken records. In 2021, an almost perfect copy, graded CGC 9.6, became the most expensive comic book sale ever after ending on $3.6 million, but at the other end of the scale, even copies graded as low as CGC 1.0 have still sold for over $10,000. According to the CGC, there are 201 copies of Amazing Stories #15 that are graded the same as this currently auction entry, while over 600 exist with a higher grade. The grading may certainly dictate exactly how high bids will go, but at the same time you will never see even the tattiest version of this going cheap.
Spider-Man has been Marvel’s biggest cashcow almost from the moment Peter Parker swung out for that first time in 1962. This has been proven this year, over 60 years later, by Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which arrived as not only the year’s biggest movie to date but also the highest grossing Spider-Man movie of all time with a current box office of over $2.2 billion. Spider-Man’s current cinematic dominance was not enough to elevate this particular auction above the expected amount, but with another $30,000 sale under his belt, the Marvel webslinger continues to be the biggest asset in the comic giant’s expansive arsenal. Keep your eyes peeled for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man coming to another auction near you soon.
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