Back in 2010 an anonymous private seller sold a rare 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1 featuring the first ever appearance of Superman, via online auction for an astounding $1 million dollars to a private buyer. Not bad for a comic that was originally sold for just 10 cents!
Whilst this is an unusually high price for a comic, it is a great demonstration of the fact that this is a serious market.
MINT CONDITION
Other copies of the rare comic I mentioned above had previously been sold for impressive six digit figures, but none of them were able to realise anything like the threshold of the $1 million mark because of their inferior condition.
Rare comics, particularly those first ever issues and comics that feature the first ever appearances of the characters we all know and love today can command high figures, but condition is a crucial factor when it comes to value. This is what makes it so important to look after your collection and maintain the condition of your comics.
GRADING THE CONDITION OF COMICS
You will see the condition of comics being graded in two different ways, using either verbal grades or numeric grades.
Verbal Grades:
- Poor
- Fair
- Good
- Very Good
- Fine
- Very Fine
- Mint
Numeric Grades:
The numeric grades tend to be used professionally as they are a lot more precise than the verbal ones. These run from as low as 0.5, which would describe a comic in extremely poor condition, right up to a maximum ‘Mint’ of 10.0
In case you were wondering by the way, that 1938 copy was graded 0.8 in the world of numeric’s, or ‘Very Fine’ to the rest of us!
LOOKING AFTER YOUR COMIC COLLECTION
Comics can soon deteriorate if they are not kept in the right conditions and their enemies include; sunlight, humidity, dust and greasy fingers!
The following basic tips will help you to protect them;
BAGGING - Whether you opt for inexpensive poly bags or some of the more expensive specially designed versions, placing your comics into individual bags ensures they are protected from moisture and oil in your fingers, accidental spills and general wear and tear that can be caused by the environment.
STIFF BACKING MATERIAL - Placed in each bag behind your comics, a simple piece of stiff backing material will prevent the comic from flexing and becoming damaged unnecessarily. This also makes your comics a lot easier to handle and move about.
STORAGE BOXES - Once packaged up placing your comics in suitably sized storage boxes is an easy way to store them, makes moving them from one place to the next convenient and offers them an additional layer of protection.
SILICA GEL SACHETS - These sachets are designed to absorb excess moisture from the air and protect items from the damage that is cause by a humid environment, making them an excellent and inexpensive extra precaution for protecting your comics.
A DASH OF COMMON SENSE - As a comic lover, chances are that you might actually like to read the odd comic once in a while, after all where is the fun in owning them if you can’t enjoy them?
Washing and drying your hands before handling more valuable comics is advisable and no matter how engrossed you are in the storyline, turn the pages carefully gently rather than rough handling them like Hulk might!
The older the comic the more delicate and brittle it is likely to be so these are the ones you need be particularly careful with.
LITTLE HANDS - Remember to keep your comics out of reach of any little ones in the house who may be drawn to the colourful artwork, but may not have quite mastered the art of handling your comics as carefully as you would like...
THE WORLD OF COMICS
Only the earliest comics can be classified as ‘antiques’ – over 100 years old – but if you love antiques, love comics and love collecting things then this is a wonderful world to be part of.
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