More than a little precious nostalgia, the pleasures of youth are sometimes worth a lot of money. Silver age comics, those published between 1956 and 1970, are skyrocketing in popularity and increasing in value among collectors. Do you have any hidden comic boxes that might be worth money?
Like some vinyl records, baseball cards, first edition concert posters, and toys like hot wheels and barbies, many comic books now have high monetary value.
You are reading: Comic books of the 60s
The most expensive comics from the golden age (circa 1938 to 1956) can sell for more than $1 million, but comics from the youth of baby boomers are also rising in value, said Vincent Zurzolo, co-owner of metropolis collectibles in new york. , a dealer of vintage comics, and his online auction house, comicconnect.com. Superheroes like The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Black Panther, as well as the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, flourished during what is known as the Silver Age of comics, Zurzolo said. Every time one of these characters appears in a movie or TV show, the value of old comics jumps, he said.
It’s rare these days for a cache of golden age comics to be discovered, but it’s not uncommon for silver age ones to be found packed away in a closet or attic, Zurzolo said. “Our target customer is a retiree or empty nester looking to downsize. They find a collection of comics from the 1960s and they think, ‘I might have something of value in here,'” said Ashley Cotter-Cairns, president of sellmy-comicbooks.com and consultant to comics price guide overstreet. p >
Some people advocate holding on to silver age comics when they realize their value, but others are looking for a sale, Cotter-Cairns said. If your stash of comics has survived for four or five decades without damage from basement flooding or other disasters, it might be the right time to make some money, she said.
what’s the difference?
longtime collector robert letscher from the phoenix area decided to sell his collection, valued at $500,000, last summer. Growing up in the 1960s as an “air force brat” whose family moved frequently, Letscher often felt isolated and alone as the new kid in town. he turned to the comics, where heroes like the x-men resonated with him. Like Marvel’s mutants, Letscher felt ostracized, but the X-Men had special powers and could exist and thrive, he said.
letscher was hooked. “When I started collecting, during the late silver age, it already seemed like most of the golden age comics were relatively scarce. I looked at yard sales and thrift stores as we didn’t have local sources and when I found 10 cent comics I would buy them but they seemed pretty childish and bland with more primitive art and stories generally.” said.
The golden age died out when concerned parents censored comics to protect children’s innocence and even burned comics in public squares, Cotter-Cairns said. some horror comics were incredibly gory, she said. comics were blamed for juvenile delinquency, and there was a senate investigation that vilified all kinds of comics and crushed the market, zurzolo said.
“The silver age was a period of renaissance for the superhero genre,” Zurzolo said. silver age comics were “more realistic, with deeper stories and more ties to society and actual headlines,” letscher said.
“some silver age characters were new, some were new versions of golden age characters like flash, atom and green lantern, and some were continuations of golden age superheroes like superman, batman and Wonder Woman,” Zurzolo said.
“kids wanted stories that made sense to them, and stan lee gave them spider-man. when he wasn’t wearing the [spidey] suit, he was in high school or college, sitting at the soda fountain. comics were exciting again and kids could relate,” said cotter-cairns.
value assessment
How do you know if your comics are worth money? “Old does not equal valuable. there are a lot of old comics that no one cares about,” cotter-cairns said.
instead, do you recognize the character? If it’s a big name that’s been in a movie, it’s much more likely to have value, Cotter-Cairns said.
look at the cover price. “Comics with an original cover price of 10 or 12 cents (those from the 1930s-1960s) generally fetch the highest values,” Zurzolo said.
The most valuable comics are usually those that mark the debut of a popular superhero or villain, Zurzolo said.
conditions matter too, said cotter-cairns. A quick way to gauge the value of a comic is to do an online search. try comicconnect.com, comicspriceguide.com or another trusted source. then, have a professional evaluate them. distributors accept this type of consultation.
“everyone who collected comics as a child thinks they have something of value, and once in a while they do,” zurzolo said. haha
1960s comics rising in popularity and value
1. amazing fantasy #15 (Aug 1962):
origin and first appearance, spider-man
record sale: $1,100,000
minimum value (poor but complete): $3000
2. x-men #1 (September 1963): origin and first appearance, the x-men
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Record sale: $492,000
minimum value: $450
3. tales of suspense #39 (March 1963):
origin and first appearance, iron man
record sale: $375,000
minimum value: $400
4. Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962): The Origin and First Appearance of the Hulk
record sale: $375,000
minimum value: $2500
5. fantastic four #1 (November 1961):
origin and first appearance, the fantastic four
record sale: $300,000
minimum value: $1,000
6. the avengers #1 (September 1963):
origin and first appearance, the avengers
record sale: $274,000
minimum value: $500
7. journey into mystery #83 (Aug 1962): origin and first appearance, thor
record sale: $275,000
minimum value: $500
8. amazing spider-man #1 (March 1963):
first issue, classic kirby/ditko cover
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record sale: $262,000
minimum value: $500
9. tales to amaze #27 (January 1962):
origin and first appearance, ant-man
(henry pym)
record sale: $200,000
minimum value: $450
10. showcase #4 (October 1956): origin
and first appearance, the flash (barry allen)
record sale: $179,000
minimum value: $1400
source: sellmycomicbooks.com
atom and green lantern, and some were continuations of the superheroes of the golden age like superman, batman and wonder woman”, said zurzolo.
“kids wanted stories that made sense to them, and stan lee gave them spider-man. when he wasn’t wearing the [spidey] suit,
He was in high school or college, sitting at the soda fountain. comics were exciting again and kids could relate,” said cotter-cairns.
value assessment
How do you know if your comics are worth money? “Old does not equal valuable. there are a lot of old comics that no one cares about,” cotter-cairns said.
instead, do you recognize the character? If it’s a big name that’s been in a movie, it’s much more likely to have value, Cotter-Cairns said.
look at the cover price. “Comics with an original cover price of 10 or 12 cents (those from the 1930s-1960s) generally fetch the highest values,” Zurzolo said.
The most valuable comics are usually those that mark the debut of a popular superhero or villain, Zurzolo said.
conditions matter too, said cotter-cairns. A quick way to gauge the value of a comic is to do an online search. try comicconnect.com, comicspriceguide.com or another trusted source. then, have a professional evaluate them. distributors accept this type of consultation.
“Everyone who collected comics as a child thinks they have something of value, and once in a while they do,” Zurzolo said.
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