Top 10 Rarest Comics 2020: Condition Helps Value

Dylan Schwartz

Dylan Schwartz

March 28, 2024
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Top 10 Rarest Comics 2019: Condition Helps Value

Think you may have the holy grail of comic books? To find out, here’s a look at ten of the rarest comics of all time in the nicest condition known to man.

Back in the day, when the first wave of comic readers were young, they save their quarters, their allowance and their paper route money for comic books. Now, those kids have grown up. Some of this older generation has saved up lots of money and wants to buy back there childhood. When the average person gets their hands on $300,000-1,000,000, they don’t buy a comic book, they buy a house. But, we all know comic fans love their comics.

To give you an idea what the most sought after and rarest comic books in the world are, let’s take a look at the top 10, listed in order of their highest ever sale’s value.

Let’s count them down:

10) “Incredible Hulk” #1, CGC 9.2 — $326,000

The first Big Green (well, Grey) title actually sold twice in 2014. If first sold for $320,000 in June, and then another copy went for $300,000 in August.

This is almost twice what this title went for 5 years ago, as The Hulk has exploded in popularity thanks to his role in the Avengers movies and Thor: Ragnarok. Thanks to Ang Lee.

9) “Captain America Comics” #1, CGC 9.2 — $343,057

This famous Hitler punching comic last sold in 2011, which was the highest amount this title ever sold for. Amazingly, this title was released before we were even officially at war with Germany.

But creators Jack Kirby and Joe Simon really tapped into how the US was feeling. It’s all there. The red, white and blue. The shield, and the campy outfit on Bucky.

8) “Marvel Comics” #1, CGC 9.0 — $350,000

You would think that this would rank higher on the list; given this was the very first title ever released by the current world domination machine known as Marvel comics.

This was the beginnings of Marvel(known then as Timely), the company that brought you Amazing Spider-man, Avengers, Hulk, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and yes, Captain America.

But, there is a noticeable absence of any real quality copies of this issue. Many of confirmed copies on the market are around 9.0 CGC. And, basically, you’re looking at exponentially multiplying the price for every 0.2 you raise above 9.0.

Condition of your comics matter!

Marvel Comics#1 gives you the first appearance of both Namor (Sub Mariner) and the original Human Torch. If new, better copies are someday unearthed, they will shake up these lists of the rarest comics and the whole marketplace.

7) “Tales of Suspense” #39, CGC 9.6 — $375,000

Here we have the first appearance of Iron Man. This title was last sold in 2012, and was theoretically aided by the release of the Iron Man movie. Well, the Marvel marketing machine hasn’t exactly slowed down since.

The movies have somewhat made Tony Stark the face of the Marvel franchise, as we’ve basically had 3 different Peter Parkers since the release of the first Iron Man movie. So the next sale of this copy will likely be much higher.

6) “Flash Comics” #1, CGC 9.6 — $450,000

This Golden Age classic gives us the first appearance of the Flash and Hawkman. It last sold publicly in 2010.

Well, a lot has happened since then. We have a very successful Flash TV show, and a quality big screen representation in the Justice League film, with talks of a solo project of the Flash still in development.

People holding onto comics from this era are notoriously tight-gripped on them. So we don’t expect this title to be up for grabs anytime soon. But when it does, it won’t be cheap.

5) “X-Men” #1, CGC 9.8 — $492,937.50

This 9.8 CGC comic sold in 2012 for just under half a million dollars. This is the highest rated condition of any of the comics you will find on any top 10 list of the rarest comics on the market. It is also the highest grade virtually possible to obtain on a comic, let alone one from 1963!

I love this cover so much. There are some really different approaches being used to take down Magneto there.

Cyclops blasting away on the force field, while Angel flies in with a freaking bazooka, Iceman is throwing snowballs at Magneto, and Beast is swinging in on a trapeze for some reason. Jean is just kind of… there.

4) “Batman” #1, CGC 9.2 — $567,625.00

The Batman’s first solo title was last sold in 2013 in a pretty epic bidding war.

This one gives us the first appearance of Robin, Catwoman and that bad guy who jokes a lot. This title came a year after Batman’s debut in Detective Comics (more on that later), so this doesn’t quite fetch as much as his actual debut.

3) “Detective Comics” #27, CGC 8.0 — $1,075,000

We’re talking about an 8.0 CGC comic that has sold for over a million dollars. There is a very limited number of 9.0 copies out there. If a 9.2 is found and confirmed, it would likely top the list of the rarest comics in existence. And the most expensive.

This is the first printed appearance of Batman, so it’s going to be in high demand no matter what. But if we can confirm a 9.2, this could even top the first appearance of Spiderman or even Superman.

2) “Amazing Fantasy” #15, CGC 9.6 — $1,100,000

Number 2 on our list of the rarest comics on earth is the first time Peter Parker saw Uncle Ben die. Spider-man’s first appearance comes in a story that’s been retold and rebooted too many times to count.

This is the only silver age title going for over a million dollars in pristine condition, and one of only 3 on our list to go for 7 figures.

1) “Action Comics” #1, CGC 9.0 — $3,207,852

No big surprise here. The Holy Grail of comic books, and the tops of any list of the world’s most expensive and rarest comics. Thrice the nearest competitor.

There are two confirmed 9.0 copies out there, and another that the owner refuses to have graded, that is anecdotally very well kept and estimated at 9.2 or higher.

We Can Help You Buy and Sell the Rarest Comics

Dylan Universe is proud to be a father and son team who loves comics, knows how to sell them, and can help you get the absolute best deal possible.

You can find out more by seeing how to sell, or how to sell by mail or click here to contact us.

Here’s some more useful information:

Identify Old Comics: Selling Comic Books

A Look at Time, Money, and Expertise-How to Sell Your Comic Collection

The 1990’s Market Crash of Comic Books

6 Reasons to Sell Comics by Mail with Dylan