Recently, a friend came to me with a big box of old comic books from the 1950’s. “Are these worth anything?” he asked. I quickly perused the box. “Yes, they’re worth something,” I said. “But probably not as much as you think.”
It may be hard for today’s generation of kids to believe, but there was a time when reading was considered a primary form of entertainment. And for kids of the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s, comic books were king. Popular titles like Donald Duck, Superman and Spiderman sold by literally the MILLIONS.
Among collectors, stories of super-valuable old comic books are legendary. But how do you know if YOUR comic books are worth anything? Read on for a quick guide:
OLDER IS USUALLY BETTER – Like most collectibles, older is generally better. For comic books, titles from the 1930’s to mid-1950’s are considered the “Golden Age” and these books often have the most value. People started seriously saving comic books as a hobby in about the mid-1970’s, so many titles published after that date are the most common. As a general rule, the more people saved it, the less it’s worth.
Which is where all those moms come in. Even though many titles in the 1950’s were published by the millions, diligent moms threw most of them out. The paper drives of World War 2 also served to increase the scarcity of any comic books published before that date.
SUPERHEROES RULE – In terms of value, Superhero titles are generally the most collected. Titles like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Fantastic Four, etc. all have legions of fans and early issues can go for thousands of dollars. Other hot categories include horror and science fiction and certain movie, sports and cartoon titles. Less valuable vintage categories include romance, funny animal and lesser-know characters. In general, if it’s a character you have heard of, it’s more likely to be valuable. For example, Walt Disney’s Donald Duck was immensely popular and is likely to be more valuable than Screwy Squirrel, who almost no one has heard of.
CONDITION, CONDITION, CONDITION – When it comes to old comic books, condition is VERY important. A comic book that is be worth only five dollars in “fair” condition (worn, lots of creases, etc.) can be worth a few hundred dollars in “near mint” (just like it came off the newsstand) condition. The vast majority of all old comic books fall into the previous (fair to good) category. When people look at comic book price guides, they tend to automatically look at the highest prices in the book. This is a big mistake. About 90% of old comic books only sell for the prices listed in the “good” category. While you don’t want to undervalue your old comics, you don’t want to overvalue them either.
SLEEPERS AND SURPRISES – There are many titles that are collected based on a certain artist who illustrated book. Highly collected comic book artists include Frank Frazetta, Carl Barks, Steve Ditko and many others. Other value surprises to watch out for include certain giveaway or “premium” books, first issues and any original comic book artwork.
As with any old collectible, knowledge is the key to keep from undervaluing your items. The best comic book price guide is the Official Overstreet Price Guide to Comic Books, which can be easily located in any larger bookstore.
Of course, if you discover your old titles aren’t worth as much as you thought, there’s always the joy of reading them!
