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Hal Foster's Prince Valiant in Feature Book #26, Up for Auction

"Gold prospector, North woods guide and Canadian fur trapper, Harold R. Foster has led a life which in drama, color and excitement serves as a fitting background for his present role as creator," begins the Hal Foster bio page included in Feature Books #26.  The page then gets down to the point: Foster had already become legendary by 1941 for his stellar work on the Tarzan and the Prince Valiant newspaper comic strips.  Foster was enormously influential on the foundational comic book creators of the Golden Age and highly regarded by everyone who read comics in that era and beyond.  Feature Book #26, a collection of some of his Prince Valiant work in comic book format, features his only work specifically done for comic books on its cover. A collection of highly influential work that was once considered one of the most important American comic books ever published, there's a Feature Books #26 Prince Valiant (David McKay Publications, 1941) CGC FN- 5.5 Cream to off-white pages for auction in this week's 2021 July 25-26 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122130 from Heritage Auctions.

Feature Books #26 Prince Valiant (David McKay Publications, 1941)
Feature Books #26 Prince Valiant (David McKay Publications, 1941)

Feature Book #26 was once held in the highest regard by comic book collectors.  Showing a reporter at the Detroit Triple Fan Fair convention in 1967 his copies of  Single Series #20 (featuring reprints of Foster's Tarzan strip) Four Color Comics #10 (Alex Ramond work on Flash Gordon) and Feature Book #26, one attendee explained, "I think most collectors agree that these three issues are the most desirable because of the artwork, rarity, and condition. It took me years to get them."  When the Overstreet Price Guide launched in 1970, Feature Book #26 was still among the top 20 most valuable comics listed.

There are 24 entries for Feature Book #26 on the CGC Census. An important artifact of comic strip, comic book, and comic collecting history, there's a Feature Books #26 Prince Valiant (David McKay Publications, 1941) CGC FN- 5.5 Cream to off-white pages for auction in this week's 2021 July 25-26 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122130 from Heritage Auctions.

Hal Foster's Prince Valiant in Feature Book #26, Up for Auction
Feature Books #26 Prince Valiant (David McKay Publications, 1941)

Feature Book #26 Prince Valiant (David McKay Publications, 1941) CGC FN- 5.5 Cream to off-white pages. Prince Valiant by Hal Foster. The cover is Foster's only original comic book art. Prince Valiant back cover pin-up. Foster biography and photo. CGC notes, "Tape stain on back cover." Overstreet 2020 FN 6.0 value = $504. CGC census 7/21: 3 in 5.5, 12 higher.

View the certification for CGC Certification ID 913879002 and purchase grader's notes if available.

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Mark SeifertAbout Mark Seifert

Co-founder and Creative director of Bleeding Cool parent company Avatar Press. Bleeding Cool Managing Editor, tech and data wrangler. Machine Learning hobbyist. Vintage paper addict.
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