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Official: Nazi Punching Is Good for Business as Captain America Comics #1 Price Skyrockets at Auction

Published Fri, 08 Dec 2017 14:00:24 -0600

Last updated Fri, 08 Dec 2017 14:02:37 -0600

Captain America Comics #1 is an incredibly important comic. The story by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon features the first appearance of Captain America, Bucky, and the Red Skull. It's also a very valuable comic, and has been for a long time. We told you about the sale of a CGC 9.0 copy for $343,000 in 2011, for example. But as a comic book from 1941, which is well after the initial boom of 1939 to early 1940 that saw comic print runs climb towards the million-copy mark in some cases, it's not quite as rare as some other, earlier keys such as Action Comics #1 or Detective Comics #27.

But Captain America Comics #1 is a lot more well known than it's ever been, because it's the exemplar of the Nazi-punching phenomenon. If you've read an article about Nazi Punching this year — and who hasn't? — chances are very good you've seen the canonical version of this activity as depicted on the cover of Captain America Comics #1 by Jack Kirby.

And I'm pretty sure that's driving the price of this comic way up. A low-grade CGC 1.5 copy sold for $70,051 this week at ComicConnect. That's almost triple what the same copy went for in 2013. A mere two years ago, about the same money would have gotten you a very nice-looking CGC 5.5 copy. I also note that a CGC 1.0 copy went for $36,000 in July 2017 — an eye-opening number for a copy in low grade.

It's going to be fascinating to watch what happens when the next high-grade copy goes up for sale.

We've said it before, but it bears repeating that the popularity of characters such as Captain America and the willingness of comic writers and artists to confront the Axis threat went a long way toward mobilizing a heretofore isolationist American populace in the long, dark days of the late 30s and early 40s. While many other art forms desperately avoided or ignored the ugly truth of Europe's rapid slide into fascism and Nazism in an obvious attempt to protect their own financial interests overseas, the almost entirely US-based comics business, staffed and developed largely by fugitives from those same wartime horrors, boldly waved the flag of freedom, most notably in this instant classic. Readers immediately fell in love with this gutsy, gleefully aggressive new hero, who wore his allegiance on his sleeve (well, his forehead, at any rate) and made his intent powerfully clear by taking aim directly at the mustachioed puss of the Fuhrer himself. In these pre-Pearl Harbor days, such an image was simply incendiary, and copies flew off shelves almost immediately, leading to a nearly 75 year run as the preeminent symbol of American heroism.

The premieres of the Captain America and Avengers movies have catapulted Captain America's popularity into the stratosphere. His star is on the rise. The demand for Captain America Comics 1 has grown exponentially over the last two years. Records are constantly being set and broken. With two more Cap and Avengers movies scheduled the demand will grow and grow.

This copy has obviously been enjoyed and read repeatedly by its previous owners, but it is now available to some lucky bidder out there who is looking for a copy of this classic key at a price that suits their budget.

Overstreet Guide 2017 GD (2.0) value = $21,000.