Crazy Eights - top 75 from the Marvel Silver Age 2 2

[Black_Adam]

I'm sure this has been done before (and I'm not sure if this info is of any value to anyone here), but I have a friend who is looking to get into comic collecting and is mainly interested in Silver Age Marvel (keys/semi-keys) from Fantastic Four #1 and on - none of the pre-hero stuff. He knows the characters but has very little knowledge of the different titles and their values. Using 8.0 (VF) as a nice entry-point grade I made him the following list so he could get an idea of the different values (roughly based on current GPA with $1,000 as the cut off point) and pick out some comics he's interested in to target.

If you notice any comics that fit my criteria (Silver Age Marvel - CGC grade 8.0 - value > $1,000) I have forgotten to list please let me know so I can add it. On my first attempt at this list I forgot Amazing Fantasy #15...   

 

 

 

Amazing Fantasy	15	$150,000	1st Spider-Man	1962
Hulk	1	$90,000	1st Hulk	1962
Fantastic Four	1	$70,000	1st Fantastic Four	1961
Tales of Suspense	39	$32,500	1st Iron Man	1963
Amazing Spider-Man	1	$31,000	1st Spider-Man in own series	1963
X-Men	1	$26,700	1st X-Men	1963
Journey into Mystery	83	$22,500	1st Thor	1962
Fantastic Four	5	$16,950	1st Dr. Doom	1962
Tales to Astonish	27	$16,800	1st Ant-Man	1962
Fantastic Four	2	$10,500	1st Skrulls	1962
Fantastic Four	4	$10,200	1st Silver Age Sub-Mariner	1962
Avengers	1	$10,000	1st Avengers	1963
Strange Tales	110	$6,300	1st Dr. Strange	1963
Amazing Spider-Man	2	$5,700	1st Vulture	1963
Daredevil	1	$5,600	1st Daredevil	1964
Journey into Mystery	85	$5,500	1st Loki	1962
Amazing Spider-Man	3	$5,000	1st Dr. Octopus	1963
Hulk	2	$4,500	1st green Hulk	1962
Avengers	4	$4,000	1st Silver Age Captain America	1964
Sgt. Fury	1	$3,850	1st Sgt. Nick Fury	1963
X-Men	4	$3,850	1st Brotherhood of Evil Mutants	1964
Fantastic Four	3	$3,800	1st FF costumes	1962
Fantastic Four	12	$3,700	1st meeting with the Hulk	1963
Amazing Spider-Man	14	$3,700	1st Green Goblin	1964
Amazing Spider-Man	4	$3,600	1st Sandman	1963
Tales to Astonish	35	$3,500	2nd Ant-Man	1962
Amazing Spider-Man	13	$3,220	1st Mysterio	1964
Tales to Astonish	44	$3,100	1st Wasp	1963
Journey into Mystery	84	$2,975	2nd appearance of Thor	1962
Hulk	3	$2,900	1st Ringmaster	1962
Amazing Spider-Man	5	$2,750		1963
Fantastic Four	48	$2,700	1st Silver Surfer/Galactus	1966
Tales of Suspense	52	$2,640	1st Black Widow	1964
Amazing Spider-Man	6	$2,400	1st Lizard	1963
Amazing Spider-Man	15	$2,400	1st Kraven the Hunter	1964
Fantastic Four	52	$2,300	1st Black Panther	1966
Amazing Spider-Man Annual	1	$2,100	1st Sinister Six	1964
Amazing Spider-Man	9	$2,000	1st Electro	1964
Hulk	4	$2,000		1962
Fantastic Four	6	$1,975		1962
Hulk	5	$1,800		1963
Tales of Suspense	40	$1,700	2nd appearance of Iron Man	1963
Marvel Super-Heroes	13	$1,700	1st Carol Danvers	1968
X-Men	2	$1,650	1st Vanisher	1963
Strange Tales	101	$1,600	1st Human Torch solo series	1962
Hulk	6	$1,600		1963
Fantastic Four	49	$1,500	1st Galactus full appearance	1966
Amazing Spider-Man	7	$1,500		1963
Tales of Suspense	57	$1,475	1st Hawkeye	1964
Amazing Spider-Man	20	$1,425	1st Scorpion	1965
Fantastic Four	13	$1,400		1963
Fantastic Four	8	$1,320	1st Puppet Master	1962
Fantastic Four	9	$1,300		1963
Fantastic Four	18	$1,300	1st Super Skrull	1964
Amazing Spider-Man	11	$1,250		1964
Fantastic Four	11	$1,200	1st Impossible Man	1963
Amazing Spider-Man	50	$1,200	1st Kingpin	1967
Avengers	2	$1,200	Hulk leaves the Avengers	1963
Fantastic Four	7	$1,100		1962
Amazing Spider-Man	10	$1,100		1964
Amazing Spider-Man	16	$1,100		1964
Tales of Suspense	41	$1,100		1963
X-Men	12	$1,100	1st Juggernaut	1965
Amazing Spider-Man	8	$1,000		1964
Amazing Spider-Man	28	$1,000	1st Molten Man	1965
Avengers	8	$1,000	1st Kang	1964
Journey into Mystery	88	$1,000	2nd appearance of Loki	1963
X-Men	3	$1,000	1st Blob	1964
Silver Surfer	1	$1,000	1st Silver Surfer solo series	1968
Iron Man	1	$1,000	1st Iron Man solo series	1968
Fantastic Four	10	$1,000		1963
Fantastic Four	45	$1,000	1st Inhumans	1965

Edited February 7, 2019 by Black_Adam
Sunk the Sub-Mariner

[valiantman]

You might add the year of each book.  Someone may have no idea why 1st Fin Fang Foom is so high on the list, but it's the year it was released that answers the question.  It also answers the question of why 1st Iron Man (series) #1 is so low when 1st Amazing Spider-Man (series) #1 is so high.  If you decide to add "1st Groot", the year also answers some question about value. 

Tales to Astonish            13                $10,500               1st Groot (1960)

It's likely that the $10,500 from 2017 could be higher if it sold in 2019.

Edited January 25, 2019 by valiantman

[Unca Ben]

That's a pretty cool list.

[Black_Adam]

7 minutes ago, valiantman said:

You might add the year of each book.  Someone may have no idea why 1st Fin Fang Foom is so high on the list, but it's the year it was released that answers the question.  It also answers the question of why 1st Iron Man (series) #1 is so low when 1st Amazing Spider-Man (series) #1 is so high.  If you decide to add "1st Groot", the year also answers some question about value. 

I wondered if I should even add 1st Fin Fang Foom to the list as my friend has no idea who that is (he naturally knows Groot from the movies) and I'm not even sure if Strange Tales #89 technically counts as Silver Age Marvel being published one month before FF #1 (as opposed to 1st Groot which was a year earlier). I just thought Fin Fang Foom was too cool to leave off...

[valiantman]

Just now, Black_Adam said:

I wondered if I should even add 1st Fin Fang Foom to the list as my friend has no idea who that is (he naturally knows Groot from the movies) and I'm not even sure if Strange Tales #89 technically counts as Silver Age Marvel being published one month before FF #1 (as opposed to 1st Groot which was a year earlier). I just thought Fin Fang Foom was too cool to leave off...

Well, it's hard to consider 1959+ Marvel as Golden Age, though.  It's essentially "pre-hero Silver" with Fin Fang Foom, Groot, and lots of other "monsters with fun names" before Fantastic Four #1.  Amazing Fantasy #15 is interesting because it's clearly #15, so there are 14 other books, but they started as Amazing Adventures (1961), then Amazing Adult Fantasy until #14, then Amazing Fantasy #15 and it's done (until decades later).  For what it's worth, Amazing Adventures #1 (1961) is more than $1,000 in 8.0 as well.

[Black_Adam]

2 minutes ago, valiantman said:

Well, it's hard to consider 1959+ Marvel as Golden Age, though.  It's essentially "pre-hero Silver" with Fin Fang Foom, Groot, and lots of other "monsters with fun names" before Fantastic Four #1.  Amazing Fantasy #15 is interesting because it's clearly #15, so there are 14 other books, but they started as Amazing Adventures (1961), then Amazing Adult Fantasy until #14, then Amazing Fantasy #15 and it's done (until decades later).  For what it's worth, Amazing Adventures #1 (1961) is more than $1,000 in 8.0 as well.

I guess I've always considered Fantastic Four #1 as the rocket that launched Marvel into the Silver Age. To me all the pre-hero monsters, westerns, suspense, etc. were Atlas' Atomic Age. But I definitely appreciate the feedback and will be making my friend aware of it! 

 

[valiantman]

Just now, Black_Adam said:

I guess I've always considered Fantastic Four #1 as the rocket that launched Marvel into the Silver Age. To me all the pre-hero monsters, westerns, suspense, etc. were Atlas' Atomic Age. But I definitely appreciate the feedback and will be making my friend aware of it! 

 

Another reason to add the year to the list for your friend is so that he can be aware of Golden Record Reprints. 

[KirbyJack]

Yeah, I don’t think you’d need to include pre-hero Marvel, though I strongly believe they are pure Silver. The guy will be confused enough!

[valiantman]

34 minutes ago, KirbyJack said:

Yeah, I don’t think you’d need to include pre-hero Marvel, though I strongly believe they are pure Silver. The guy will be confused enough!

But what if he loves Groot?  

[KirbyJack]

6 minutes ago, valiantman said:

But what if he loves Groot?  

Find out, then add Astonish 13 if needed. Everyone deserves their shot at  Groot.

[Black_Adam]

8 minutes ago, valiantman said:

But what if he loves Groot?  

I've never read the original tale but I'm guessing the Groot from 1961 is quite different from the movie version my friend knows and loves!

I've edited the list to remove the pre-hero stuff and have added the years as suggested. Thanks for the input!

[Black_Adam]

One other note - nice to know the above Crazy Eight collection can be yours (assuming you can find them in the grades and values listed) for only $626,830. Shipping and sales tax extra of course...

[valiantman]

8 minutes ago, Black_Adam said:

I've never read the original tale but I'm guessing the Groot from 1961 is quite different from the movie version my friend knows and loves!

Yep. For one thing, the 1961 version knows more words. 

[KirbyJack]

5 minutes ago, Black_Adam said:

I've never read the original tale but I'm guessing the Groot from 1961 is quite different from the movie version my friend knows and loves!

I've edited the list to remove the pre-hero stuff and have added the years as suggested. Thanks for the input!

It is a very different character, but that sort of logical, reasoned cognition has no place in collecting comic books!

If you collect key funny books and you love Groot, your hands are tied here. Own TTA 13 or your collection sucks!

[KirbyJack]

...and BTW, Cover date is Nov. 1960.

[telerites]

Way back when I first read X-Men #3, I would have never dreamed the Blob would be a part of a top 50 list unless it was for large rubbery men.  And it's a shame. DD had such corny villains early on.  I liked DD but was always an Avengers guy as my favorite title. 

 

[Black_Adam]

19 minutes ago, telerites said:

Way back when I first read X-Men #3, I would have never dreamed the Blob would be a part of a top 50 list unless it was for large rubbery men.  And it's a shame. DD had such corny villains early on.  I liked DD but was always an Avengers guy as my favorite title. 

 

Technically, the Blob, who I have always thought was awesome (and not just in size), falls at #70 on the list. But I was surprised when making the list how few Daredevil issues (exactly one) made the list. And Captain America's sole appearance was via Avengers #4. Compared to Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, both with 18 issues making the cut, that's not a lot of high-value issues other than the high grade stuff.

 

[KirbyJack]

Early Spidey’s and FFs are the foundation of the entire hobby.

[Black_Adam]

28 minutes ago, KirbyJack said:

Early Spidey’s and FFs are the foundation of the entire hobby.

Why is Hulk still so far ahead of FF when it comes to first issue values? Smaller print run? Simple supply and demand?

[KirbyJack]

What I’m referring to is that, IMO, the desire for early back issues of FF and ASM ( especially, but not exclusively) is what got the hobby really going.