CGC-certified Pedigree Collection Jungle and Jumbo Comics Offered at Auction

More than 3,500 comics graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®) and pedigreed to the Promise Collection have been sold, but selections are still available to collectors. In a series of sales since June 2021, Heritage Auctions has been offering the comics, including two that each realized over $400,000.

Heritage Auctions currently has over 130 comics from the Promise Collection available for bid. They include issues of Jungle Comics and Jumbo Comics, both from the publisher Fiction House.

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Fiction House published American comic books and pulp magazines beginning in 1921. The publisher was known for its pinup-style “good girl” artwork on titles such as Sheena: Queen of the Jungle in 1938, which was so successful it inspired an entire line of “jungle girl” books.

The artwork, which often included bondage themes, caught the attention of Dr. Fredric Wertham, who cited them in his book "Seduction of the Innocent." In the book, Wertham accused comic books of publishing lewd and dangerous content for children, which led to public book burnings, Senate committee hearings and the eventual creation of the Comics Code Authority.

The Promise Collection is one of the largest pedigree collections CGC has graded to date, some of which have the highest grade of their respective Golden Age issues. The collection began in the early 1950s, when a young man by the name of Robert was drafted by the Army to fight in Korea. His younger brother, Junie, enlisted in the hopes of keeping watch over Robert.

Junie told his brother that if anything should happen to him in battle, Robert should take care of his beloved collection of comic books. Knowing how much his brother treasured the collection, Robert promised to look after his comics should anything happen to him. Tragically, Junie died in battle shortly after at the age of 21. Eventually, Robert came home from the war and fulfilled his promise to his brother. He assembled the comic books and meticulously packed them and stored them away in an attic for over half a century.

Highlights from the Promise Collection include:

• a Detective Comics #140 graded CGC 9.6 that sold for $456,000 on June 18, 2021
• a Phantom Lady #17 graded CGC 9.6 that sold for $456,000 on June 18, 2021
• a Captain America Comics #1 graded CGC 3.5 that sold for $240,000 on Nov. 18, 2021
• a Batman #1 graded CGC 2.0 that sold for $240,000 on Nov. 18, 2021
• a Captain America Comics #36 graded CGC 9.4 that sold for $204,000 on June 18, 2021
• a Captain America Comics #74 graded CGC 9.2 that sold for $204,000 on June 18, 2021
• a Marvel Family #1 graded CGC 9.4 that sold for $186,000 on Sept. 8, 2021
• a Captain America Comics #46 graded CGC 9.2 that sold for $162,000 on June 18, 2021
• a Detective Comics #114 graded CGC 9.8 that sold for $156,000 on June 18, 2021
• an All-American Comics #61 graded CGC 9.6 that sold for $138,000 on June 18, 2021

Prices realized include buyer's premium.