Hierarchy of Golden Age Comics (2017 Edition) 1 1

[Wayne-Tec]

Over the years, many of us here in the GA section have put together "hierarchy" lists. I'd like to consider my list ever-evolving: the result of passion, research, knowledge of the past, feelings at the moment and projection for the future. For the sake of discussion, I'd like to see where my fellow collectors are at half-way through the year of 2017. There are no right or wrong answers. Collector's criteria can and will be different. I've taken into account historical significance, nostalgia, desirability, FMV, connections to both the past and present, interior content and exterior display (covers). My list is limited to "superhero" DC/Timely/Fawcett books, but feel free to expand your lists to include whatever you're interested in. I've separated the books in my rankings by tier, then listed them from earliest-latest newsstand appearance. While I could rank the books within each tier, I feel them close enough to be grouped together, with each book having the potential to move upward or downward. Without any further , here we go.

 

Tier-1:

Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27

Tier-2:

Superman #1, Marvel Comics #1, Batman #1, Captain America Comics #1

Tier-3:

Action Comics #7, Detective Comics #31, Whiz Comics #2 (#1)

Tier-4:

Action Comics #10, Detective Comics #29, Flash Comics #1, All-American Comics #16, All-Star Comics #8

Tier-5:

Detective Comics #1, Action Comics #2, Action Comics #13, Detective Comics #33, More Fun Comics #52, Sensation Comics #1

Tier-6:

Detective Comics #28, Adventure Comics #40, Detective Comics #35, Detective Comics #38, All-Star Comics #3, More Fun Comics #73, Wonder Woman #1

 

When I looked over the list above, a few things stood out to me, so I imagine they might also stand out to you.

1) If we were strictly talking about historical significance, I wouldn't rank Action Comics #13 over All-Star Comics #3.

2) If we were strictly talking about FMV, I wouldn't rank Detective Comics #33 over Detective Comics #35.

3) If we were strictly talking about rarity, I wouldn't rank Batman #1 over All-American Comics #16.

 

The combination of the factors I first listed above helped to arrange my list. To the old-school collectors out there, I understand how ridiculous it looks to see a book like Action Comics #7 ranked above Flash Comics #1 and All-American Comics #16. Part of my logic was taking into consideration the history of the desirability of certain books. Early Actions and Pre-Robin Tecs have long been desirable, but over the past 10 or so years, that desirability has skyrocketed and it has done so during an era when values have reached higher peaks than ever before. What does that monetary-effect tell us beyond investment potential? That these books are, arguably, more desirable than they've ever been before...for collectors. The same collectors who might not have paid more than four-figures in years past are now willing to pay five-figures to get the same exact books.

Action Comics #7 has been a top-tier book for about a decade now, so peaking and holding a place near the top during the "Golden Age of FMV" has to count for something. By the same token, I couldn't neglect history and I felt it appropriate to include books like Detective Comics #1 and Adventure Comics #40. In the not so distant past, Whiz Comics #2 (#1) appeared to be a "grail of yesteryear" that had fallen off a cliff. Fast-forward to 2017 and that appears to be a different story.

So that's my list, as of July 3rd, 2017. It could change as early as tomorrow and I expect it to continue to evolve over time. I'd love to see what other collector's lists look like.

[circumstances]

Yeah, tier three is weird for me. Above Flash 1, All American 16, More Fun 52 yadda yadda. But I understand.

[thedude]

hey, nice list. I got me a tier 2 book. 

[Wayne-Tec]

38 minutes ago, thedude said:

hey, nice list. I got me a tier 2 book. 

Which one? 

[thedude]

10 minutes ago, Wayne-Tec said:

Which one? 

Bat 1

[Wayne-Tec]

43 minutes ago, thedude said:

Bat 1

[thedude]

2 minutes ago, Wayne-Tec said:

it's very low grade though.

[gino2paulus2]

Cool idea!! I see Cap 3 creeping up into tier 6 land sooner than later. It's definitely about on par with Adventure 40 as far as price is concerned lately. It also has everything going for it as far Cover, 1st Stan etc. i could go on and on but us GAers know the book is hot and for good reason

[Chicago Boy]

Love me some Wayne-Tec threads!  Here's my take :

Tier-1:

Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27

Tier-2:

Superman #1, Captain America Comics #1, Batman #1 

Tier-3:

Action Comics #7, Detective Comics #31, Marvel Comics #1 , All-American Comics #16, Flash Comics #1

Tier-4:

Action Comics #10, Detective Comics #29, All-Star Comics #8, Whiz Comics #2

Tier-5:

More Fun Comics #73, Detective Comics #38,  Detective Comics #1,  Action Comics #2, Action Comics #13, Detective Comics #33, More Fun Comics #52, Sensation Comics #1

Tier-6:

Detective Comics #28, Adventure Comics #40, Detective Comics #35, All-Star Comics #3, Wonder Woman #1

[Knightsofold]

When I ranked attainable (low to mid) copies of the books against each other I came up with this list:

Ranked within the tiers as well for me.

One way I decided was if I put 2 books on a table, which one would all the boardies, dealers, and auction houses try to grab first?

Tier-1:

Action Comics #1

Detective Comics #27

Superman #1

Tier-2

Batman #1

Captain America Comics #1

Action Comics #7

Detective Comics #31

Detective Comics #29

Marvel Comics #1

Action Comics #10

Tier-3

Detective Comics #33

Detective Comics #35

Whiz Comics #2 (#1)

Action Comics #13

Flash Comics #1

All-American Comics #16

All-Star Comics #8

More Fun Comics #73

More Fun Comics #52

Detective Comics #38

Tier-4

Wonder Woman #1

Sensation Comics #1

Detective #36

Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1

Marvel Mystery Comics #9

Adventure Comics #40

Captain America #3

Detective #37

Green Lantern #1

All-Star Comics #3

[ThothAmon]

Great lists. I'd certainly put Pep 22 and Detective 1 on mine (in tier 2 no less). 

[Wayne-Tec]

8 hours ago, Chicago Boy said:

Love me some Wayne-Tec threads!  Here's my take :

Tier-1:

Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27

Tier-2:

Superman #1, Captain America Comics #1, Batman #1 

Tier-3:

Action Comics #7, Detective Comics #31, Marvel Comics #1 , All-American Comics #16, Flash Comics #1

Tier-4:

Action Comics #10, Detective Comics #29, All-Star Comics #8, Whiz Comics #2

Tier-5:

More Fun Comics #73, Detective Comics #38,  Detective Comics #1,  Action Comics #2, Action Comics #13, Detective Comics #33, More Fun Comics #52, Sensation Comics #1

Tier-6:

Detective Comics #28, Adventure Comics #40, Detective Comics #35, All-Star Comics #3, Wonder Woman #1

Solid list Corey.

[ComicConnoisseur]

Tier-1:

Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27, Captain America Comics #1(Fourth of July when I write this Happy Birthday America!)

Tier-2:

Superman #1, Marvel Comics #1, Batman #1,

Tier-3:

Action Comics #7, Detective Comics #31, All-Star Comics #8, Whiz Comics #2 (#1), All-Star Comics #3, More Fun Comics #73,

Tier-4:

Sensation Comics #1, More Fun Comics #52, Action Comics #10, Detective Comics #29,

Tier-5:

Wonder Woman #1

Detective Comics #1, Action Comics #2, Action Comics #13, Detective Comics #33,

Tier-6:

Detective Comics #28, Adventure Comics #40, Detective Comics #35, Detective Comics #38 

 

 

[sfcityduck]

My only thought is that Superman 1 is a Tier 1 book.  It is very rare (may be only one copy above 8.0 - and that is without factoring in the multiple printings issue), super-important historically (first solo superhero book), and the top copy would likely sell for well north of any book other than copies of D27 or Action 1 (a 5.5 sold for $500k). 

[Wayne-Tec]

2 hours ago, sfcityduck said:

My only thought is that Superman 1 is a Tier 1 book.  It is very rare (may be only one copy above 8.0 - and that is without factoring in the multiple printings issue), super-important historically (first solo superhero book), and the top copy would likely sell for well north of any book other than copies of D27 or Action 1 (a 5.5 sold for $500k). 

It's a good argument. I'd say Superman #1 floats between the books I listed in Tier-1 and Tier-2, but is still closer to Tier-2. FMV might put it closer to Tier-1, but the historical significance of Marvel #1, Batman #1 and Cap #1 cannot be denied. Content-wise, Superman #1 would rank towards the bottom of Tier-2, so it's FMV isn't enough for me to put it in Tier-1.

[Wayne-Tec]

On 7/4/2017 at 1:28 AM, gino2paulus2 said:

Cool idea!! I see Cap 3 creeping up into tier 6 land sooner than later. It's definitely about on par with Adventure 40 as far as price is concerned lately. It also has everything going for it as far Cover, 1st Stan etc. i could go on and on but us GAers know the book is hot and for good reason

It's rising up the ranks for sure. After Cap #1 and Marvel #1, there is a significant drop off as far as Timely's are concerned. Something to consider is the mentality of the GA collector who loves Marvel but is uninterested in DC. We saw tremendous growth in Pre-Robin Tecs after Tec #27 and Batman #1 pulled out of range. Cap #1 and Marvel #1 have now pulled out of range for most collectors. For Marvel Zombie's, what's next? Cap #2-3 and Marvel Mystery #2, #4 and #9 come to mind.

[Wayne-Tec]

22 hours ago, ComicConnoisseur said:

Tier-1:

Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27, Captain America Comics #1(Fourth of July when I write this Happy Birthday America!)

Tier-2:

Superman #1, Marvel Comics #1, Batman #1,

Tier-3:

Action Comics #7, Detective Comics #31, All-Star Comics #8, Whiz Comics #2 (#1), All-Star Comics #3, More Fun Comics #73,

Tier-4:

Sensation Comics #1, More Fun Comics #52, Action Comics #10, Detective Comics #29,

Tier-5:

Wonder Woman #1

Detective Comics #1, Action Comics #2, Action Comics #13, Detective Comics #33,

Tier-6:

Detective Comics #28, Adventure Comics #40, Detective Comics #35, Detective Comics #38 

 

 

Due to scarcity and the popularity of Cap vs. Superman and Batman, it's tough for me to see Cap #1 moving into Tier-1. But as I stated previously, one has to consider the mentality of the "Marvel Zombie" GA collector. Some just don't care for D.C. And vice versa. Cap #1/Marvel #1 then becomes the "Action #1" of the Timely collector. In that respect, there sits massive potential.

[porcupine48]

16 minutes ago, Wayne-Tec said:

Due to scarcity and the popularity of Cap vs. Superman and Batman, it's tough for me to see Cap #1 moving into Tier-1. But as I stated previously, one has to consider the mentality of the "Marvel Zombie" GA collector. Some just don't care for D.C. And vice versa. Cap #1/Marvel #1 then becomes the "Action #1" of the Timely collector. In that respect, there sits massive potential.

I'd take Marvel or Cap 1 over the others anyday.

[Wayne-Tec]

46 minutes ago, porcupine48 said:

I'd take Marvel or Cap 1 over the others anyday.

And you're not alone.

I would take an Action #1 over anything. But every time I watch a new MCU film (Spider-Man: Homecoming anyone?), I'm not thinking about Action #1. I trace my thoughts back to the early days of the Marvel Universe. From a GA perspective, that's Marvel #1 and Cap #1.

 

[porcupine48]

I wouldn't throw Subby out of bed either!