: "The beginning of a new year is always exciting," said Heritage
Comics (HCA) director of auctions John Petty, "but this year in
particular is starting with a bang."
The February 6-7 Signature Sale, the gallery's first of 2004,
attracted more than 2,400 bidders, 552 of whom actually won lots.
The auction grossed $2,342,248 from 1,736 lots sold out of 2,167
offered, with additional after-auction sales still coming in.
"We decided to experiment with smaller, more frequent Signature
Sales this year, and based on the results we saw this weekend,
the experiment seems to be working out well," said Ed Jaster,
Heritage's director of acquisitions. "The comics market appears
to be quite healthy indeed. This was also the first sale held in
our new office space."
The gallery plans a total of six comics and comic art Signature
auctions this year, plus separate sales for other popular culture
items as well as sports collectibles.
Action Comics #1, the holy grail of comic books, $57,500.
Live bidders at the February comics auction enjoyed views of
downtown Dallas from the 17th floor auction gallery, while they
dined on complimentary sandwiches, pizza, salads and pasta - and
bid on comics and comic art.
Highlights included Captain America Comics #1 Mile High pedigree
(Timely, 1941), which sold for $64,400. This comic features the
origin and first appearance of Captain America and Bucky by Joe
Simon and Jack Kirby. Perennial nemesis the Red Skull also makes
his first appearance. Undeniably one of the most important comic
books of all time, this issue is currently ranked at number six
in Overstreet's list of the Top 100 Golden Age Books.
Action Comics #1 (DC, 1938), featuring the introduction of
Superman, single-handedly raised the comic industry from a
second-rate medium of strip reprints to a legitimate business
whose sales would eventually surpass even the best selling
magazines. Action #1 is the holy grail of comic books, lusted
after by virtually anyone who considers him- or herself a
collector. The comic sold for $57,500.
Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Marvel, 1963), which brought $52,900, was
a stunning copy with razor-sharp corners, a beautiful spine and
deep colors. Next to Amazing Fantasy #15, this is the
second-most-demanded Silver Age comic. This is the first
Fantastic Four crossover into another title, as Spider-Man tries
to join their group. The cover is by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko,
but interior art is all by Spider-Man's co-creator, Steve Ditko.
To date, only three copies of this issue have been graded higher
by CGC.
Amazing Spider-Man #1, $52,900.
Detective Comics #27 (DC, 1939) ranks as number two on
Overstreet's Top 100 Golden Age Comics list, behind only Action
Comics #1. Batman's creator, Bob Kane, just 22 years old when this
issue hit the stands, handled cover and interior art on this issue,
which introduced the Caped Crusader and Commissioner Gordon. The
lot realized $48,300
Finishing at $47,150 was Superman #1 (DC, 1939). The origin of
the Man of Steel is retold here by creators Joe Shuster and Jerry
Siegel, and Shuster provides a pinup for the back cover. Ranked
by Overstreet as the fourth most valuable Golden Age comic book,
it features one of those covers that quickens the heartbeat of
any serious comic book collector.
Marvel Mystery Comics #9 (Timely, 1940) sold for $42,550, while
Wally Wood's original cover art for Weird Science #9 (EC, 1951)
brought $39,100.
Other notable lots were: Marvel Comics #1 (Timely, 1939),
$37,950; Wonder Woman #1 (DC, 1942), $32,200; The Incredible Hulk
#1 (Marvel, 1962), $29,038; National Comics #7 Mile High pedigree
(Quality, 1941), $20,700; and Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, original
cover art for Star-Spangled Comics #8 (DC, 1942), $19,550.
