Posted in: Comics, Vintage Paper | Tagged: jack kirby, Silver Age, spider-man, stan lee, steve ditko

Top Graded Amazing Spider-Man #1 CGC 9.8 Goes for Record $1,380,000

The highest graded copy of Amazing Spider-Man #1 CGC 9.8, the debut of an iconic Marvel series, has just gone for a record $1,380,000.

Published Thu, 11 Jan 2024 13:06:08 -0600

by Mark Seifert

Last updated Thu, 11 Jan 2024 19:46:20 -0600

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Article Summary

Highest graded Amazing Spider-Man #1 CGC 9.8 sold for a record price.
Rare Curator Pedigree comic, part of a prestigious collection.
Signature Spider-Man title debuted alongside other Marvel icons.
Key issue features first crossover with Fantastic Four.

2024 has gotten off to a strong start on the vintage comics scene, as the highest graded copy of Amazing Spider-Man #1 CGC 9.8 has just sold for a record $1,380,000 at today's opening session of the 2024 January 11 – 14 Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction #7358 at Heritage Auctions. This copy is from the Curator Pedigree, a collection assembled by a former museum worker from the 1950s-1980s and stored in the institution's vaults. It is one of two copies of this issue at the top of the CGC Census at CGC 9.8, but this will be the first time that a CGC 9.8 has hit public auction. By way of comparison a CGC 9.6 copy sold for $520,380 in 2023, and the highest graded copy of the first appearance of Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15 CGC 9.6 sold for $3.6M in 2021.

Hitting newsstands six months after the character's debut in Amazing Fantasy #15, Amazing Spider-Man #1 (on newsstands December 1962, cover-dated March 1963) launched what has become one of the most fabled and important titles in comic book history. The issue was released in the same month as Iron Man's debut in Tales to Astonish #39, and with the young Marvel Universe taking shape with the likes of Fantastic Four #12, Journey into Mystery #89 (featuring the ongoing saga of Thor) and Tales to Astonish #41 (featuring Ant Man before the debut of the Wasp) also on the newsstands that month. The story by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee and with a cover by Jack Kirby and Ditko would help set the tone for the character and the Marvel line itself for decades to come.

The Amazing Spider-Man #1 Curator Pedigree (Marvel, 1963) CGC NM/MT 9.8 White pages. Here it is web-heads, your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of only two copies of this amazing issue in this spectacular grade! To date, CGC has only bestowed a NM/MT 9.8 (the highest grade for the title) on two copies of Amazing Spider-Man #1, and this particular book has the added prestige of being a pedigree copy. This also marks a monumental moment for Heritage, as this is the first time we have had the honor of bringing Spidey's first appearance in his eponymous title to auction in this outstanding grade. Adding to the distinction of this Marvel Key, GPAnalysis does not list a single recorded sale of this key book in a 9.8 to date. If your spider-sense is tingling, make sure to listen and place your bid now! The story retells Spider-Man's iconic origin and, as a bonus, provides the first Fantastic Four crossover. First appearances of J. Jonah Jameson, John Jameson, and the Chameleon (who will appear in the upcoming Kraven the Hunter movie). Steve Ditko cover and art. Currently tied for #6 on Overstreet's list of Top 50 Silver Age Comics. Overstreet 2023 NM- 9.2 value = $120,000. CGC census 12/23: 2 in 9.8, none higher.

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