Undervalued Gems

[greg]

Note that Eternals #2 (1976) has a 25 cent cover (common) and a 30 cent cover (less common).

[IMJ]

DC Comics Presents #26
1st Cyborg
1st Raven
1st Starfire

Very recently this otherwise undervalued book has seen some activity as movie chasers turn their attention towards the newest market mover fad - in this case the 1st appearance of Cyborg. But even at an aggregated guide value of $100+ in true VF condition, this book is currently undervalued. Not only is this the key first appearance of a pop-culture up and comer, it has social relevance that has yet to be recognized, and also features two other first appearances the likes of which I believe make for great material for use in DC's very popular T.V. series universe as well.

Cyborg has become a key recurring player in much of DC media as of late, appearing in key roles in several of DC's animated movies - a division of Warner's DC Entertainment that has quite frankly put Marvel's animated efforts to shame. Kids like cartoons and superheros, ergo kids watch DC Animation, seeing Cyborg standing strong with DC's bigger name heroes, ergo Cyborg becomes a young generations household name superhero. Furthermore, it seems that Cyborg will be a point of public recognition via DC's developing cinematic Universe, appearing in Batman V. Superman and then the subsequent Justice League movies. Additionally, the character has been written into the Justice League in the New 52 as a founding member, visibly more akin to Marvel's 90's Deathlok, but in spirit more like the Justice League's grounding center of humanity. Cyborg will definitely play an upfront role in the future of DC's properties.

Socially speaking, this is an important character as well. In my opinion, we will eventually see a settling down of the extremist takeover of comics, and a return to inclusion characterization rather than the invasionist mania currently taking place. When rational minds and valid diversity eventually prevail, we will see the market turn towards truly valuable characters such as Cyborg, who represented valid diversity from the beginning. Cyborg is the real deal in terms of both valid diversity in comics, as well as a strong, meaningful characters with a moral center.

DC Comics Presents #26 is currently seeing market speculation sales, but is otherwise an undervalued book. It features the first appearance of a key member of the Justice League, soon to be household name, as well as visionary and valid racially diverse character Cyborg who has seen prominent roles lately in the comics as well as DC Animation. The book also features the 1st appearances of popular third tier characters Starfire and Raven - both strong female characters whose archetypes make for very likely use in DC's T.V. universe as well. DC Comics Presents #26 is the real deal as an undervalued book not only due to it's strong first appearances of key characters, but as well as its valid use of diversity without an agenda.

[nycjadie]

Love this thread. It also is a good list of books I need to pull for pressing and slabbing!

[StarBrand]

Some of the foremost brainiacs are dropping major knowledge in this thread.

[maraxusofkeld]

I think that X-Men 1 is undervalued compared to other Marvel Silver Age Key #1's ones in grades from CGC 1.0 to 9.0. As an example, AF CGC 1.5 just sold for $8000 last month. A CGC 7.5 X-Men #1 just sold for $8768. I understand the X-men is not very rare but that is quite a difference as far as condition. IMHO, I think that for the condition, the prices on the AF are just crazy for that low of a grade compared to what you can buy for that kind of money.

[greg]

I think that X-Men 1 is undervalued compared to other Marvel Silver Age Key #1's ones in grades from CGC 1.0 to 9.0. As an example, AF CGC 1.5 just sold for $8000 last month. A CGC 7.5 X-Men #1 just sold for $8768. I understand the X-men is not very rare but that is quite a difference as far as condition. IMHO, I think that for the condition, the prices on the AF are just crazy for that low of a grade compared to what you can buy for that kind of money.

I don't expect Amazing Fantasy #15 prices to fall... ever. In fact, I expect Amazing Fantasy #15 to quickly move past a lot of Golden Age keys that are much older and much rarer, because they're just not as important as Spider-man. Action #1, Detective #27, and Amazing Fantasy #15 will be the "big 3" in both importance and price, if they aren't already. But I do agree that other Marvel key issues are currently undervalued compared to AF #15. Both X-Men #1 and Daredevil #1 are really cheap compared to AF #15 or Hulk #1. X-Men #1 and Daredevil #1 are the first appearances of household names, and they're #1 issues, and they're pre-1965 Marvel. (Marvel became a lot more common in 1966.) I think that Avengers #1 is currently overvalued, primarily due to the popularity of the movies, because it's not the first appearance of anyone. It's the "first Avengers" as a team, yes, but when you look at who the Avengers are, it's all characters with earlier appearances.

[nycjadie]

Silver age #2 issues are also extremely affordable if you want a great 2nd best. Daredevil, Iron Man, Uncanny, FF, etc. #2 can be had in mid grade at affordable prices.

[maraxusofkeld]

I think that X-Men 1 is undervalued compared to other Marvel Silver Age Key #1's ones in grades from CGC 1.0 to 9.0. As an example, AF CGC 1.5 just sold for $8000 last month. A CGC 7.5 X-Men #1 just sold for $8768. I understand the X-men is not very rare but that is quite a difference as far as condition. IMHO, I think that for the condition, the prices on the AF are just crazy for that low of a grade compared to what you can buy for that kind of money.

I don't expect Amazing Fantasy #15 prices to fall... ever. In fact, I expect Amazing Fantasy #15 to quickly move past a lot of Golden Age keys that are much older and much rarer, because they're just not as important as Spider-man. Action #1, Detective #27, and Amazing Fantasy #15 will be the "big 3" in both importance and price, if they aren't already. But I do agree that other Marvel key issues are currently undervalued compared to AF #15. Both X-Men #1 and Daredevil #1 are really cheap compared to AF #15 or Hulk #1. X-Men #1 and Daredevil #1 are the first appearances of household names, and they're #1 issues, and they're pre-1965 Marvel. (Marvel became a lot more common in 1966.) I think that Avengers #1 is currently overvalued, primarily due to the popularity of the movies, because it's not the first appearance of anyone. It's the "first Avengers" as a team, yes, but when you look at who the Avengers are, it's all characters with earlier appearances.

Greg, I can agree with this, I do think that AF will be in the big three and part of the huge price jump is that people are starting to realize that. I do not have any data to support this, but it seemed that AF in lower grade went up hundreds of percent within a year or two, that kind of shocked me.

[Elveen]

If I was looking for a Marvel villain that could really jump in price and one that could possibly be not a one and done type, I'd look at the Taskmaster.

Marvel just "got" the rights to him. I could see him in both their TV universe and movie universe.

I also think Mr. Sinister will be used soon.

[greg]

I think that X-Men 1 is undervalued compared to other Marvel Silver Age Key #1's ones in grades from CGC 1.0 to 9.0. As an example, AF CGC 1.5 just sold for $8000 last month. A CGC 7.5 X-Men #1 just sold for $8768. I understand the X-men is not very rare but that is quite a difference as far as condition. IMHO, I think that for the condition, the prices on the AF are just crazy for that low of a grade compared to what you can buy for that kind of money.

I don't expect Amazing Fantasy #15 prices to fall... ever. In fact, I expect Amazing Fantasy #15 to quickly move past a lot of Golden Age keys that are much older and much rarer, because they're just not as important as Spider-man. Action #1, Detective #27, and Amazing Fantasy #15 will be the "big 3" in both importance and price, if they aren't already. But I do agree that other Marvel key issues are currently undervalued compared to AF #15. Both X-Men #1 and Daredevil #1 are really cheap compared to AF #15 or Hulk #1. X-Men #1 and Daredevil #1 are the first appearances of household names, and they're #1 issues, and they're pre-1965 Marvel. (Marvel became a lot more common in 1966.) I think that Avengers #1 is currently overvalued, primarily due to the popularity of the movies, because it's not the first appearance of anyone. It's the "first Avengers" as a team, yes, but when you look at who the Avengers are, it's all characters with earlier appearances.

Greg, I can agree with this, I do think that AF will be in the big three and part of the huge price jump is that people are starting to realize that. I do not have any data to support this, but it seemed that AF in lower grade went up hundreds of percent within a year or two, that kind of shocked me.

I think you're right on the lower grades. What has happened is that the standard question "Do you have a nice copy of X in your collection?" no longer applies to books like Action #1, Detective #27, or Amazing Fantasy #15. For those three books, the question has shortened to "Do you have a copy of X in your collection?", and the requirement that it is a nice copy has been removed.

[Phantom]

Note that Eternals #2 (1976) has a 25 cent cover (common) and a 30 cent cover (less common).

And a 10p cover

[Phantom]

Valiant - There are plenty here who will disagree with me, but I think Harbinger 15 first Livewire is the biggest bargain. I sell them as soon as I receive them for $45-50. It's a pretty common issue, but this character has exploded since VEI relaunched.

And for the doubters, even VEI has admitted Livewire's roots come from V1.

From memory Livewire was white and abit different in VH1, I thought the current character has been changed so much that the new appearance is the first appearance of the charactor.
If they had kept the same ethic background I could be convinced easier.

Sorry to distact the thread, if their is another thread I missed ~ I would like to read it and see peoples opinions.

Great thread, enjoy reading it ~ but do not have enough knowledge to add info

[greg]

Valiant - There are plenty here who will disagree with me, but I think Harbinger 15 first Livewire is the biggest bargain. I sell them as soon as I receive them for $45-50. It's a pretty common issue, but this character has exploded since VEI relaunched.

And for the doubters, even VEI has admitted Livewire's roots come from V1.

From memory Livewire was white and abit different in VH1, I thought the current character has been changed so much that the new appearance is the first appearance of the charactor.
If they had kept the same ethic background I could be convinced easier.

Sorry to distact the thread, if their is another thread I missed ~ I would like to read it and see peoples opinions.

Great thread, enjoy reading it ~ but do not have enough knowledge to add info

When "new" Livewire first appeared, I assumed she was a "mixture" of the traits of the original Livewire and the Randy Cartier character from X-O Manowar #12. It seemed even more likely when Livewire was wearing the X-O armor like Randy did.

[Ramses818]

If I was looking for a Marvel villain that could really jump in price and one that could possibly be not a one and done type, I'd look at the Taskmaster.

Marvel just "got" the rights to him. I could see him in both their TV universe and movie universe.

I also think Mr. Sinister will be used soon.

And in the new previews (toys section) the new Captain America toys have.....TASKMASTER! A little foreshadowing perhaps?

[grendeljd]

If I was looking for a Marvel villain that could really jump in price and one that could possibly be not a one and done type, I'd look at the Taskmaster.

Marvel just "got" the rights to him. I could see him in both their TV universe and movie universe.

I also think Mr. Sinister will be used soon.

And in the new previews (toys section) the new Captain America toys have.....TASKMASTER! A little foreshadowing perhaps?

What's the deal with the Taskmaster rights? Was that a character they had sold to another studio at some point?

[StarBrand]

I think Civil War 1 from the first series has to move up at some point. Perhaps when the first movie hits. It's said to be the best Marvel movie ever, and there's going to be more than one Civil War movie.
Also, Civil War books were crazy hot when the first comic series hit and the first movie might spark that fever again.
Of course, at the back of my mind also is Harbinger 1 from the first series. What was the top price on that book in CGC 9.8? Around 3,000?

[greg]

Of course, at the back of my mind also is Harbinger 1 from the first series. What was the top price on that book in CGC 9.8? Around 3,000?

Two sales: $2,500 and $2,550

There were about 17 in CGC 9.8 on the census at that point.

[StarBrand]

Of course, at the back of my mind also is Harbinger 1 from the first series. What was the top price on that book in CGC 9.8? Around 3,000?

Two sales: $2,500 and $2,550

There were about 17 in CGC 9.8 on the census at that point.

[GGSAE]

I have to think Bone #1 (and by extension Bone #1 second print) are very undervalued. The latter can still be had for $15-20, I think we could easily see it break to and above $100 much like how TMNT #1 first print brought up the prices of #1 second and third print.

[StarBrand]

Interesting.

[IMJ]

Amazing Spider-Man #365 | CGC 9.8
1st Spider-Man 2099
Mark Bagley's Original Spider-Man Run

Many of you might be thinking, why on Earth would I suggest a book like this as an undervalued gem? After all, it's from the 90's mess of speculation sales, and even has one of those "highly collectible" covers that publishers used to slap on books to make them shinier (in this case a fairly well done hologram reproduction of Amazing Fantasy #15). And to top it off, this book probably had a print run of a bazillion copies as well (this guy estimates 1,871,148 copies)! Undervalued? HA! Well, let's take a closer look.....

First, let's cut a swath through that print run a bit, by limiting this to CGC 9.8's, of which there are currently 269 copies on the Universal census. That's a nice enough market load for investors to buy into and share, but not so many that they are overtly plentiful. Hell, we talk about Valiant variant print runs around this number all the time. Of course, if this book picked up, the census could skyrocket given the number of copies out in the wild, but if that happened, demand would increase for graded 9.8's anyway. So, let's run with this book as undervalued in encapsulated 9.8 condition.

Next, you've got great, mid-career Mark Bagley artwork. Bagley, a truly a seminal Spider-Man artist, contributed greatly to what was arguably the most prolific, if not popular era of ASM ever - issues 300 - 375. Of course, this is just one of many Spider-Man books drawn by Bagley, but his addition to the title is icing on the undervalued cake.

Don't forget that this issue featured the first appearance of Spider-Man 2099. In a world of a very bizarre and often hated family of Spider-Man characters, Spider-Man 2099 has had major staying power. A 90's era character that ushered in the 2099 Universe and has had three volumized series, one of which is in current publication. Spider-Man 2099 has also maintained enough readership interest that the original Volume 1 series is being reprinted completely in volumized TPB's. The character has also appeared in some of the best Spider-Man video games, and is another example of unforced, logical and entertaining diversity in comics. Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O'Hara, did it more earnestly and unannounced than the wildly liberal and unnecessarily forced Miles Morales. It's fine to like Miles, but Miguel was created without an agenda.

Let's not forget that with Spider-Man coming to Marvel films, and Sony still retaining "Universe" rights, it's entirely possible that we will somehow see Spider-Man 2099 on screen someday. Furthermore, with great Bagley artwork from one of the brightest eras of Spider-Man (this is pre-Maximum Carnage and pre-clone here, people), this book has value potential with a recognizable, but not unreasonable 9.8 census as well. I'd say that this is an undervalued book in true, market accepted 9.8.

[nycjadie]

I've always been bullish on this book, having slabbed several of those 9.8s on the census. It has great cover stock, but because it is so thick, the corners are frequently chipped. Finding a true 9.8 is difficult. The black cover is also prone to blemishes. As soon as I get a 9.8, it sells in hours when priced at $90-120. Great book. I'm keeping one long term.

[Elveen]

Amazing Spider-Man #365 | CGC 9.8
1st Spider-Man 2099
Mark Bagley's Original Spider-Man Run

Many of you might be thinking, why on Earth would I suggest a book like this as an undervalued gem? After all, it's from the 90's mess of speculation sales, and even has one of those "highly collectible" covers that publishers used to slap on books to make them shinier (in this case a fairly well done hologram reproduction of Amazing Fantasy #15). And to top it off, this book probably had a print run of a bazillion copies as well (this guy estimates 1,871,148 copies)! Undervalued? HA! Well, let's take a closer look.....

First, let's cut a swath through that print run a bit, by limiting this to CGC 9.8's, of which there are currently 269 copies on the Universal census. That's a nice enough market load for investors to buy into and share, but not so many that they are overtly plentiful. Hell, we talk about Valiant variant print runs around this number all the time. Of course, if this book picked up, the census could skyrocket given the number of copies out in the wild, but if that happened, demand would increase for graded 9.8's anyway. So, let's run with this book as undervalued in encapsulated 9.8 condition.

Next, you've got great, mid-career Mark Bagley artwork. Bagley, a truly a seminal Spider-Man artist, contributed greatly to what was arguably the most prolific, if not popular era of ASM ever - issues 300 - 375. Of course, this is just one of many Spider-Man books drawn by Bagley, but his addition to the title is icing on the undervalued cake.

Don't forget that this issue featured the first appearance of Spider-Man 2099. In a world of a very bizarre and often hated family of Spider-Man characters, Spider-Man 2099 has had major staying power. A 90's era character that ushered in the 2099 Universe and has had three volumized series, one of which is in current publication. Spider-Man 2099 has also maintained enough readership interest that the original Volume 1 series is being reprinted completely in volumized TPB's. The character has also appeared in some of the best Spider-Man video games, and is another example of unforced, logical and entertaining diversity in comics. Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O'Hara, did it more earnestly and unannounced than the wildly liberal and unnecessarily forced Miles Morales. It's fine to like Miles, but Miguel was created without an agenda.

Let's not forget that with Spider-Man coming to Marvel films, and Sony still retaining "Universe" rights, it's entirely possible that we will somehow see Spider-Man 2099 on screen someday. Furthermore, with great Bagley artwork from one of the brightest eras of Spider-Man (this is pre-Maximum Carnage and pre-clone here, people), this book has value potential with a recognizable, but not unreasonable 9.8 census as well. I'd say that this is an undervalued book in true, market accepted 9.8.

IMJ strikes again.

[StarBrand]

+1. IMJ is the man. I changed the name of this thread to undervalued gems, a term IMJ used in his last post. That name seems to have more long term implications for this thread.

[maraxusofkeld]

If you had to pick one comic that is undervalued the most, which one would it be? In other words, a comic you have long thought should sell for a lot more, but so far just doesn't seem to go up in price.

Kneel. Before. Zod.

General Zod is a household name, and his first appearance is older than Spider-man, but you can get a nice slabbed copy of his first appearance for just a couple hundred bucks.
Anything above a CGC 5.0 is one of the Top 100 copies on the CGC census after 16 years of grading.

The first appearance of the Phantom Zone would also be a great comic to own, since the Phantom Zone villains were important in the Superman movies and they're also important in the Supergirl t.v. series.

Turns out that the 1st Phantom Zone is the same comic as 1st General Zod. A two-for-one on household name first appearances. If they had appeared in Action Comics first, it would be thousands of dollars. But they're in Adventure Comics... which has less name recognition, so the price has stayed low.

Adventure Comics #283

This is a super tough book in grade, I purchased a copy for a friend's birthday, about 6 years ago, and had a hard time finding a copy with the cover attached for a decent price.