The man who made millions on old basement comics

The story of how a life-changing collection almost ended up in the trash bin Among collectors of a certain age, lamentations are very common, like “My mother threw away all my comics, and now they would cost a fortune.” (There is still a variation of this complaint when people moan over lost baseball cards.) In many cases, even in most of them, such statements are nothing more than a haze of youthful nostalgia clouded by clouds of greed. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that in the last ten years we have become witnesses to a real increase in the value of some comics and a rethinking of this value. For example, “Action Comics” # 1 (the first comic strip where Superman appeared), which once sold for 10 cents, can now bring its owner a seven-figure sum, provided that he is in perfect condition. The price of the story of Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics # 27 in recent years has exceeded $ 1 million, while Amazing Fantasy # 15 (Spider-Man’s debut), Flash Comics # 1, Marvel Comics ”# 1 and“ All-American Comics ”# 16, in which Green Lantern first appeared, are valued at a solid six-figure sum. It is difficult to say why this market has suddenly risen to such an extent, and rare book dealers are often amazed at such prices. Most likely, several factors play a role here at once: excitement, skillfully implicated in nostalgia; the desire of young collectors to acquire a “cool” cultural artifact; reassessing and recognizing the talents of older screenwriters and illustrators (such as Stan Lee, Continue reading →