Amazing Spider-Man #1 Sells for $520,380 at Auction

A CGC 9.6 copy of Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963) – one of only five of its type and grade known to exist – rocketed to a final price of $520,380 at Hake’s latest auction of pop culture memorabilia. The comic had been displayed at Comic-Con in San Diego.

“Collectors knew what made the book special," said Hake’s president, Alex Winter. "It came from the John B Goodrich collection, had desirable white pages, and was one of only three at that grade level to reach the auction marketplace in more than a decade. Eight months prior to our sale, a CGC 9.6 Spider-Man #1 which had off-white as opposed to white pages sold for $336,000, so the result did not surprise us. Now the winning bidder owns one of the world’s top copies of one of the most important books in the Marvel universe.”

More than 300 CGC-certified comic books were offered, including examples of nearly all of Marvel’s key Silver Age titles. The company’s August 1962 production Amazing Fantasy #15, CGC-graded 7.5 VF, is notable for its introduction of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, as well as the character’s cover debut. Like the auction’s top lot, it came with provenance from the Goodrich collection and boasted bright colors and stunning condition overall. It sold at the upper end of its estimate range for $170,844. 

A third highlight from the Goodrich trove was a CGC 9.4 example of Amazing Spider-Man #14 (July 1964), an issue that is important for its first appearance of Green Goblin and first meeting of Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk. Not only did it surpass its high estimate, selling for $38,615, it also set a new auction record for the title/grade in so doing.

Original comic book art showed its strength at auction, starting with Neal Adams’ original pen-and-ink art for Page 19 of DC Comics’ Green Lantern Vol. 2, #80 (October 1970). A depiction from the Even An Immortal Can Die storyline, the artwork zeroed in on Green Lantern’s distinctive power ring, which was visible in three of the four panels. The lot reached the midpoint of its estimate range, selling for $25,057. 

Another sought-after item was Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez’s original pen-and-ink comic book cover art for DC Comics’ Super-Team Family #15 (April 1978), featuring The Flash, Orion, Lightray, and Metron of the New Gods. It sold at the upper end of its estimate range, for $17,653.