Silver age comics that are heating up 26 26

[thedude]

I would pick the 6.0 X-Men 1, then I would sell my 4.0 copy and buy multiple Darkhawk #1s with the funds. 

[MatterEaterLad]

Can I go with D - None of the above and choose an FF1 6.0?

Almost as scarce as the JIM83 and fairly undervalued, I think. 

If I had to choose from the three I'd go with the X-Men 1 for sentimental reasons. 

 

[GAMBIT]

14 hours ago, Roger66 said:

So here is a question for anyone, who chooses to answer.

Without looking at GPA or any other reference guide. 

IF you were given a choice to own one of the following 3 superlative SA key comics - a gift  - which you could NOT sell or trade for 5 years - which book would you choose? 

Keep in mind in this hypothetical all 3 are the same grade, present similarly outstanding with similar innocuous defects and the same exact PQ (say OW/W)

Choose only 1 - I suspect the answers might all be evenly split. 

JIM 83 CGC 6.0

TOS 39 CGC 6.0

X-MEN 1 CGC 6.0

Being I own all in said grades, many times over.. ill go with what's my favorite of the 3.  and its TOS39,  Just an absolute beast of a cover (1 of my all time fav's).  and Iron Man is/will be a staple forever.

TOS39

Xm1

JIM83

[FoggyNelson]

JIM has the fewest graded copies in the census of all the Marvel superhero first appearances if I remember correctly

not counting Sgt Fury #1, don’t know if he counts😃

[Pantodude]

2 hours ago, FoggyNelson said:

JIM has the fewest graded copies in the census of all the Marvel superhero first appearances if I remember correctly

Actually, its TTA27's Henry Pym (Ant Man) as the rarest in universal grade by far, followed by IH1, then JIM83 with 232 more blues than that, and then ST110, FF1, TOS39, AF15, ASM1, Avengers1, and X-Men1, in that order.  I was surprised how few AF15s universal there are!   For some reason I thought it was >3000, still way low for the demand for that book  Go figure.  

TTA27 (1962):  821
IH1 (1962):  1266 
JIM83 (1962): 1498 
ST110 (1963):  1559  
FF1 (1961):  1667 
TOS39 (1963):  1731 
AF15 (1962): 2175 
AMS1 (1963):  2823
Avengers1 (1963):  3188
X-Men1 (1963):  3656 
 

Edited February 20, 2021 by Pantodude

[Mr bla bla]

X1 for me please 👍

[Pantodude]

They are all sweet goodness keys. To the lot of them I say, "live long and prosper!"   

[KCOComics]

2 hours ago, Pantodude said:

Actually, its TTA27's Henry Pym (Ant Man) as the rarest in universal grade by far, followed by IH1, then JIM83 with 232 more blues than that, and then ST110, FF1, TOS39, AF15, ASM1, Avengers1, and X-Men1, in that order.  I was surprised how few AF15s universal there are!   For some reason I thought it was >3000, still way low for the demand for that book  Go figure.  

TTA27 (1962):  821
IH1 (1962):  1266 
JIM83 (1962): 1498 
ST110 (1963):  1559  
FF1 (1961):  1667 
TOS39 (1963):  1731 
AF15 (1962): 2175 
AMS1 (1963):  2823
Avengers1 (1963):  3188
X-Men1 (1963):  3656 
 

I'm pretty surprised IH1 and JIM83 are still so low. 

And you figure some of those are double counted with people cracking and regarding. 

[Roger66]

2 hours ago, Pantodude said:

Actually, its TTA27's Henry Pym (Ant Man) as the rarest in universal grade by far, followed by IH1, then JIM83 with 232 more blues than that, and then ST110, FF1, TOS39, AF15, ASM1, Avengers1, and X-Men1, in that order.  I was surprised how few AF15s universal there are!   For some reason I thought it was >3000, still way low for the demand for that book  Go figure.  

TTA27 (1962):  821
IH1 (1962):  1266 
JIM83 (1962): 1498 
ST110 (1963):  1559  
FF1 (1961):  1667 
TOS39 (1963):  1731 
AF15 (1962): 2175 
AMS1 (1963):  2823
Avengers1 (1963):  3188
X-Men1 (1963):  3656 
 

Excellent list, which I refer to too.   It just goes to show you that supply vs demand is what in-fact drives prices otherwise TTA27 would be worth more then it currently is (exception always being really higher graded copies). Us older-time collectors remember when FF1 was at the top of the pecking order - ahead of AF15.  I don't see AF15 ever losing its' #1 SA slot but I absolutely expect to see lots of jostling and sharp elbowing in slots 2 through 6, which includes in no particular order: X-MEN 1, JIM83, TOS39, FF1 & Hulk 1.  It will always be open to some arguable debate about what is more valuable and or desirable to own but truth be said it really doesn't matter if you are a true blue collector what is worth more or less in one's mind (unless you're a dealer).  Having one (or more) nice presentable copy of each of these blue-chip mega keys is the ultimate goal for most SA collectors , while the rest of this pontification is an arbitrary and (should be) academic fun debate.  My 2-cents. 

[Hollywood1892]

I think X-Men 1 has a long list of first appearances compared to other grails but JIM 83 and TOS39 are as equally distinguished 

[ExNihilo]

I'm going with the X-Men 1 because I'm not necessarily looking for growth potential.  I'm also looking at books that I would appreciate having in my collection.  A first X-Men, first Magneto resonates with me more than the first Thor.  Obviously, if I were a Thor fan, then I'd choose JIM83.

[Jasonmorris1000000]

2 hours ago, ExNihilo said:

I'm going with the X-Men 1 because I'm not necessarily looking for growth potential.  I'm also looking at books that I would appreciate having in my collection.  A first X-Men, first Magneto resonates with me more than the first Thor.  Obviously, if I were a Thor fan, then I'd choose JIM83.

True.  It just depends on your favorite character.  I grew up in New Mexico, my Dad was a PhD physicist who worked for government during the cold war, my Mom's the daughter of an Air Force officer who had a stick up his rear end, and I'm as dumb as Rick Jones.  I also grew up in the 70's and 80's when the Hulk TV show was really popular, so naturally I'm going to say Daredevil #1 is my favorite Silver Age key.  Ha. Ha.

[PeterPark]

10 hours ago, MatterEaterLad said:

Can I go with D - None of the above and choose an FF1 6.0?

Almost as scarce as the JIM83 and fairly undervalued, I think. 

If I had to choose from the three I'd go with the X-Men 1 for sentimental reasons. 

 

I think you'd have to bring that grade waaaay down...because who here would NOT take the FF1?

[Bluemedgroup]

10 hours ago, Pantodude said:

Actually, its TTA27's Henry Pym (Ant Man) as the rarest in universal grade by far, followed by IH1, then JIM83 with 232 more blues than that, and then ST110, FF1, TOS39, AF15, ASM1, Avengers1, and X-Men1, in that order.  I was surprised how few AF15s universal there are!   For some reason I thought it was >3000, still way low for the demand for that book  Go figure.  

TTA27 (1962):  821
IH1 (1962):  1266 
JIM83 (1962): 1498 
ST110 (1963):  1559  
FF1 (1961):  1667 
TOS39 (1963):  1731 
AF15 (1962): 2175 
AMS1 (1963):  2823
Avengers1 (1963):  3188
X-Men1 (1963):  3656 
 

Wow I didn’t know how much more X-men there are.  Almost makes it seem common.  That goes to show just how strong X-men can be.  Same with fan favorite Wolverine, there are over 14,000 CGC copies alone, not including other CBCS and PGX grades, yet a 9.8 still runs almost $50k.  Uncanny.  

[alexgross.com]

10 hours ago, Roger66 said:

Excellent list, which I refer to too.   It just goes to show you that supply vs demand is what in-fact drives prices otherwise TTA27 would be worth more then it currently is (exception always being really higher graded copies). Us older-time collectors remember when FF1 was at the top of the pecking order - ahead of AF15.  I don't see AF15 ever losing its' #1 SA slot but I absolutely expect to see lots of jostling and sharp elbowing in slots 2 through 6, which includes in no particular order: X-MEN 1, JIM83, TOS39, FF1 & Hulk 1.  It will always be open to some arguable debate about what is more valuable and or desirable to own but truth be said it really doesn't matter if you are a true blue collector what is worth more or less in one's mind (unless you're a dealer).  Having one (or more) nice presentable copy of each of these blue-chip mega keys is the ultimate goal for most SA collectors , while the rest of this pontification is an arbitrary and (should be) academic fun debate.  My 2-cents. 

great post- the big question this list begs is whether TTA27 will ever catch up value-wise with the other more popular marvel keys? antman has already had his great moment in the sun. very good and successful movies. even in the avengers. and yet, he seems unlikely to reach the popularity of the others on this list. not to mention, i consider TTA35 the real first antman cover, since i'm all about the costume. 

Edited February 21, 2021 by www.alexgross.com

[KCOComics]

4 minutes ago, www.alexgross.com said:

great post- the big question this list begs is whether TTA27 will ever catch up value-wise with the other more popular marvel keys? antman has already had his great moment in the sun. very good and successful movies. even in the avengers. and yet, he seems unlikely to reach the popularity of the others on this list. not to mention, i consider TTA35 the real first antman cover, since i'm all about the costume. 

It's a book I've never owned, but would like to some day.

I don't see it catching up. He's just not as strong of a character. Though I do love the cover to TTA27. It's has the Pre-hero marvel / Atlas feel to it. 

[Readcomix]

1 hour ago, Bluemedgroup said:

Wow I didn’t know how much more X-men there are.  Almost makes it seem common.  

Chronologically, its tied with Avengers #1 for second-to-last of the first wave Marvel Silver keys. Both came out in September 1963. (DD#1 - April 1964). We know that collecting/saving of one's comics became more widespread as Marvel caught on in the early 60's. It seems like late '62/early '63 is more or less when more and more began to become collectors, whether or not they thought of themselves that way. 

This is where we need old-timer collectors/dealers to tell us some more specific stories of the birth of collecting and dealering, Phil Seuling et al. My general sense of that history comes as apocrypha told to me back in the 80's by the late "Iron Vic" Bertini, my local LCS owner when I was in high school in the 80's.

[Readcomix]

30 minutes ago, KCOComics said:

It's a book I've never owned, but would like to some day.

I don't see it catching up. He's just not as strong of a character. Though I do love the cover to TTA27. It's has the Pre-hero marvel / Atlas feel to it. 

I don't know that it ever catches up either, but then again not all today's big guns have been as popular in the past as they now are, so who knows?

But I do think TTA 27's place is cemented in the Marvel keys pantheon. It's the first Hank Pym, and he's kind of the Martian Manhunter of the Marvel Universe -- a strong supporting character through all his various incarnations (Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, Dr. Pym) and a character whose story resulted in other key figures -- the Wasp, Ultron, the Vision, Bill Foster; I'm probably forgetting some.

So I think both 27 and 35 have their place as keys, the 1st Hank Pym in 27 and the birth (sort of, halfway -- you have to read it) of his first hero identity in 35. But the Pym thread woven through Marvel history is long and strong enough that 27 deserves its place; its not a situation of a "prototype" and then a full-blown superhero in 35; the 2 are halves of an evolving piece; very cool to read back to back. 

[Pantodude]

I love all the early SA keys, Marvel and DC.  And here I am, lying in bed and unable to sleep, and it just struck me how Avengers #1 is way too important a book to go barely mentioned in this thread.   Many folks’ comments went beyond a mega key’s significance to Marvel when published, by addressing the eventual impact of the franchise created by the book (be it X1, FF1, JIM83 or others).  Since I can’t sleep, I might as well extol the post-publication virtues of A1, but not without a bit of history .

I am using my phone, while in bed, so bear with me.  Yes, as already noted, FF was super important to Marvel, as it placed Marvel on the map at a volatile time, and the 1962 Marvel 1st appearances were special foundational pieces, and although X1 issued later in 1963, it gained popularity since the 1980s.  But as far as super-teams go, Avengers #1 is the all-time champ of both the Marvel and DC universes.  And it’s not even close.

Think about it.   Before there were Marvel’s superheroes, there was DC’s Brave and the Bold #28, a holy grail of the entire Silver Age as the first superhero team up.   A very special book, BB28 brought together heroes from all over the DC universe, heroes who generally had few or no preexisting ties to each other.   While FFalso consisted of heroes who banded together, it was in a very different vein from BB28.  FF’s members were all human and already family or friends who simply remained together after their transformations.   

By contrast, A1, like BB28, brought together heroes from wildly different backgrounds and corners of Marvel’s universe at the time, including aliens, and even the founding members lacked significant ties to each other, let alone Earth.   Some of the early and later Avengers were even considered enemies or a danger, either to Earth or to the group.

So A1, much more than FF1, was Marvel’s first true analog to BB28, while also expanding upon the concept.  This also means that A1 was the first true Marvel team-up predecessor to X-Men 1, which also brought together special beings (specifically mutants) from all over the world who might have been at odds with each other at first, and who were often also considered a danger to Earth or the group.   So A1 should be very important to X1 fans, not just Marvel fans in general.  

Some folks harp on A1 not being the first appearance of any of its members.  True, but let’s put that in perspective.   Remember that A1 came out relatively early in Marvel’s Silver Age and included heavy involvement by its founding members for many years.   That means that much of the important story lines and character development of the member heroes took place over a long time in the Avengers title.   A1 was so early in this regard that Iron Man still had his clunky armor!  And it was through the Avengers that Cap made his triumphant return to the Silver Age in A4.  As discussed next, all of these heroes’ roles as Avengers was crucial to Marvel, so their first appearance as Avengers in A1 is very important in its own right.

In addition to all of THAT, the Avengers became the most significant of Marvel’s franchises from a financial perspective.  From the outset, A1 brought together Marvel’s heavyweights, including Iron Man, the Wasp, the Hulk, Thor, and Hank Pym, and eventually involved many others important Marvel characters.    When you factor in the MCU, the importance of the Avengers and thus A1 as a holy grail cannot be overstated.   The MCU to this point, as developed through the Avengers, is the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, having grossed over $22.5 billion at the global box office. This includes Avengers: Endgame, which is the highest-grossing film of all time.   Post-pandemic, you have to wonder if any franchise or film could ever reach those heights again any time soon.   

So no matter what we think Marvel might accomplish with its other franchises going forward, be it X-Men or FF, let’s keep perspective.  I think it is fair to say that Marvel will be very fortunate to repeat, let alone surpass, the success and popularity of  Avengers to this point.   It was to Avengers that an entire generation was exposed during the past decade-plus of Marvel’s cinematic dominance.  Of course Avengers consisted of popular individual heroes, and those first appearance books deservedly appreciated, but it is to the super-team dynamic that the MCU owes most of its success the past decade-plus.   Despite not having hero 1st apps, A1 should do fine going forward because it is the book most responsible for the MCU as we know it.  While folks of late (in this thread) might have forgotten A1’s well-deserved status as a holy grail of the Silver Age, not everyone has or will.

To conclude, FF1, IH1, JIM83, TOS39, X1, TTA27 and the other books discussed here are all special in their own right as introductions of truly unique characters.  But A1 has proven to be very special to the hobby and beyond, too, in its own enduring way.  The X-Men are a promising property, no dispute there, but it has yet to prove itself as significant to Disney/Marvel as the Avengers property already has.  That is NOT a slight on X1, JIM83, tos39, IH1, FF1, or TTA27.  As far as I’m concerned, all of those books will forever belong on Marvel’s Mount Rushmore because of their importance when introduced.  This is only putting them in perspective if you are also talking about post-publication impact of the books as a franchise.  

It worked!   Now I’m tired.  Will I dream?

Edited February 21, 2021 by Pantodude

[KCOComics]

6 hours ago, Readcomix said:

I don't know that it ever catches up either, but then again not all today's big guns have been as popular in the past as they now are, so who knows?

But I do think TTA 27's place is cemented in the Marvel keys pantheon. It's the first Hank Pym, and he's kind of the Martian Manhunter of the Marvel Universe -- a strong supporting character through all his various incarnations (Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, Dr. Pym) and a character whose story resulted in other key figures -- the Wasp, Ultron, the Vision, Bill Foster; I'm probably forgetting some.

So I think both 27 and 35 have their place as keys, the 1st Hank Pym in 27 and the birth (sort of, halfway -- you have to read it) of his first hero identity in 35. But the Pym thread woven through Marvel history is long and strong enough that 27 deserves its place; its not a situation of a "prototype" and then a full-blown superhero in 35; the 2 are halves of an evolving piece; very cool to read back to back. 

I agree! It is Def a key, worthy of it's place among the Marvel big boys.