100 Hot Comics #31:
Avengers 1, 1st Appearance of the Super-Team

100 Hot Comics: Avengers 1, 1st Appearance of the Super-Team. Click to buy a copy from Goldin

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Why Avengers 1 is a Hot Comic

2024 MARKET UPDATE: 9.2 HIGH NOTE

A CGC 9.2 sale of $66K isn't a new record, but it's close enough to be noteworthy.

Apart from that, mid-grades performed the best. Low-grade examples are common.

2023 MARKET UPDATE: SPARED THE BLOODBATH

Avengers #1 hasn't completely avoided a selloff, but while some other Marvel Silver Age keys have relatively tanked, this one has held its own in many grades.

Ten to 20 percent off isn't a terrible outcome in this market, and gives you a "time machine" back to late 2021 prices if you want to invest.

2022 MARKET UPDATE: HULK-SIZED RECORD SALE!

$369,000 is a TON of money, and that's the new record sale for a CGC 9.6!

Our target grade of 4.0 returned 47 percent this year, and in general the book looks good across many grades.

It's just not that HOT. It sells in any grade all the time. There is just not much news about the Avengers, and I guess that will remain the same until the big questions about the future of the MCU get answered.

Who's replacing the existing line-up of the super-team? Will Ironheart replace Tony Stark? Will Shuri or Tosin replace Black Panther? And on and on.

The new entry point for a CGC 0.5 is $1,100.

Recent sales:

9.6 $369,000
9.2 $72,000
9.0 $49,000
8.5 $28,800
7.5 $17,400
7.0 $15,000
6.5 $10,800
6.0 $12,000
5.5 $9,450
5.0 $6,650
4.5 $6,500
4.0 $4,600
3.5 $4,450
3.0 $4,500
2.5 $3,240
2.0 $3,050
1.8 $3,160
1.5 $3,500(!!!)
1.0 $3,120
0.5 $1,100

2021 MARKET UPDATE:

Our target grade of 4.0 returned 28 percent this year. Not too shabby!

Meanwhile, the new entry point for a CGC 0.5 is $900.

Recent sales:

9.0 $36,500
8.5 $21,600
8.0 $13,500
7.5 $9,000
7.0 $8,500
6.5 $6,600
6.0 $5,400
5.5 $4,500
5.0 $4,080
4.5 $3,000
4.0 $3,195(!)
3.5 $2,300
3.0 $2,375
2.5 $2,050
2.0 $1,900
1.8 $1,400
1.5 $1,060
1.0 $1,427(!!)
0.5 $900

IF YOU BOUGHT MY RECOMMENDED GRADE LAST YEAR:

Here's the bottom line.

CGC 4.0 2020 $2,489
LAST SALE $3,195
PERCENT CHANGE +28%

2020 MARKET UPDATE: HIGH GRADE IS UP, MID-GRADE IS DOWN

Bad news if you joined me in owning a VG copy of Avengers 1, as this is exactly the grade range which has not done well this year.

Conversely, those of us with deeper pockets and invested in VF range and nicer have seen decent, but not spectacular returns.

Let's look at recent sales:

9.2 $46,800
9.0 $36,022
8.5 $16,800
8.0 $11,183
7.5 $11,600
7.0 $7,206
6.5 $5,280
6.0 $6,000(!!)
5.5 $4,000
5.0 $3,033
4.5 $2,649
4.0 $2,230
3.5 $1,740
3.0 $1,205
2.5 $1,736(!!!)
2.0 $1,150
1.8 $1,017
1.5 $1,250(!)
1.0 $917
0.5 $830

2019 MARKET UPDATE: NEW ENTRY ON THE 100 HOT COMICS LIST

Avengers 1, by a clear margin, ties with Daredevil #1 as the most common of the Marvel mega-keys from the early-mid 1960s.

We see this book about twice as often as X-Men #1, three times as often as ASM #1 and ten times as often as Incredible Hulk #1 and Journey into Mystery #83.

Iron Man (gold version), Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man and Wasp... That truly distinctive cover with the green Loki costume and the red banner, box and Thor's red cloak. It's a classic.

If you're serious about collecting Marvels, then you really ought to own one of these. It turns out that a copy of Avengers #1 is a great investment too.

An easy book to recommend, but not so easy to pick a 'perfect' grade to invest in.

General notes about this issue: the spine shows wear, a lot, because the green of Loki's costume runs right down the length of it.

The red on the front is very prone to fading, so try to avoid any copy that looks more orangey than deep 'fire engine' red.

We see less Marvel chipping on this issue than some of the other keys.

What Can You Afford?

As with other Marvel mega-keys, your budget is the probable best starting point. Entry-level is over $500 for any ragged copy now. Naturally, the way your copy looks ("eye appeal") will affect your ability to sell it to a new owner one day.

If you're buying at the low end of the market, then you need to consider eye appeal very carefully. There is a world of difference between different low-grade comic books of the same grade.

A Silver Age book can be a 0.5 if it has half the front cover missing. It can be a 0.5 if the spine is split and held together by tape. It can be a 0.5 if it looks like it was used to start a bonfire, or if it was used to mop up a defrosted freezer.

A 0.5 can actually be reasonably presentable too. The same goes for 1.0, 1.5, 1.8 and 2.0.

Beyond 2.0, you ought to be at the very least buying a book with nothing major missing. Ideally the front cover will be less damaged than the back.

4.0 is about the level when a Silver Age book really starts looking decent. Many investors won't dip below 6.0. Beyond that, asking prices start to get expensive.

Here are recent sales. I will give my recommendation afterwards.

CGC 0.5 $600
CGC 1.0 $685
CGC 1.5 $1,100
CGC 1.8 $975 (!)
CGC 2.0 $1,649
CGC 2.5 $1,813
CGC 3.0 $1,775
CGC 3.5 $2,200
CGC 4.0 $2,640
CGC 5.0 $3,850
CGC 6.0 $7,124 (very high sale, record price, typically circa $5,300)
CGC 7.0 $7,099
CGC 8.0 $10,000
CGC 8.5 $17,925
CGC 9.0 $38,400

I'm going to presume you can't afford to drop $10K+ on a single comic book.

CGC 4.0 is my pick of the bunch. This has appreciated 25 percent per year for the past two years. Buy more than one if you can afford to.

You could buy four copies in 4.0 for the same price as one CGC 8.0.

When it's time to sell, you will have less trouble finding a buyer at $3K for a 4.0 than $12K for an 8.0, and you can offset the cost of the other copy or copies by taking a profit on one or more of the lower-grade ones.