Heritage Holding Inaugural Platinum Night Auction May 18-20 for Comics & Comic Art

DALLAS (April 27, 2017) - The Mile High Pedigree copy of Suspense Comics #3 highlights a high-end selection of comics and comic art in Heritage Auctions’ inaugural Comics Platinum Night session May 18 in New York. The evening session kicks off a three-day, 1,300-lot event May 18-20 that will include spanning original Underground Comix art, original cover art and scarce, key books spanning every genre.

“Heritage has successfully held Platinum Night auctions in its U.S. coins and sports auctions and we decided the time is right to extend the practice to our comics offerings as well,” said Barry Sandoval, Director of Operations for Comics and Comic Art for Heritage Auctions. “Just 83 lots will comprise our first Platinum Night and we think collectors will relish the selection we’ve assembled for them.” The auction will take place at the Omni Berkshire Hotel, 21 East 52nd Street, with live online bidding and phone bidding also available.

Suspense #3, 9.2 CBCS, a white-hot Golden Age issue, driven by the Nazi bondage/torture cover by Alex Schomburg, could sell for as much as $200,000 in the evening session. High-grade copies of The Avengers #4, 9.8 CGC, is expected to end at $120,000 and a near mint copy of The Avengers #1, 9.4 CGC, is expected to spark spirited bidding and a $100,000 auction price due to its high grade and the first appearance of the Avengers (Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Ant-Man and Wasp), as well as appearances by Loki, the Teen Brigade and the Fantastic Four. 

With her own movie coming this summer, the Amazing Amazon Wonder Woman never has been more popular and a copy of Wonder Woman #1, 7.5 CGC, could sell for as much as $100,000, surpassing price guide expectations. A scarce, high-grade copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #1, 9.2 CGC Massachusetts Pedigree, may bring $90,000 while the first appearance of Iron Man from Tales of Suspense #39, 9.4 CGC Bethlehem Pedigree, also could hammer for $90,000.

A Platinum Night selection of important original comic art features Robert Crumb’s iconic Fritz the Cat Cover Original Art (Ballantine, 1969) - a famous Underground Comix cover image also used to promote the character’s two animated films - is expected to sell for $150,000-$250,000. Another specialty art offering includes Frank Frazetta’s Battlestar Galactica Painting Original Art titled In Pharaoh’s Tomb, 1978, a fantastic oil published as an advertisement for the fan-favorite TV show, which could surpass $100,000.

Original comic and comic strip art ranges from Steve Ditko’s Amazing Spider-Man #23 Story Page 17 featuring a classic skirmish with the Green Goblin, which could sell for $100,000 to Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim Sunday Comic Strip Original Art dated 2-26-39 (King Features Syndicate, 1939), which may bring $70,000.

Two special pieces of art by Jack “King” Kirby include Fantastic Four #11 Sub-Mariner Pin-Up Original Art, which could bring $50,000, and Thor #136 Cover Original Art, which could sell for $40,000.

Additional Platinum Night highlights include, but are not limited to:

Neal Adams’ Batman #222 Cover Beatles Original Art, Color Guide, and Printer's Proof Group of 3 (est. $30,000+)

Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen #2 Cover Original Art (est. $40,000+)

The bombastic Page 3 Original Art from X-Men #2 by Kirby and Paul Reinman (est. $50,000+)

The Incredible Hulk #1, 8.0 CGC, (est. $75,000+)

Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.

The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has over one million registered bidder-members, and searchable free archives of four million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos.