A Peak at Comic Book Auctions

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Comic book auctions keep making headlines

The comic books that you read to rags or your Mom threw out are making headlines at auctions.  You might have been aware that some of your childhood possessions are now desirable on the vintage market.  One of the categories that’s bubbled to the top as far as value is comic books. Like baseball cards, some are attracting bids over a million dollars.  Note my previous blog post about Christmas Memories and Rudolph the Reindeer as far as valuable childhood items.

Recently, a comic book sold by an auction company for over $3 million

So what prompted me to write about comic books?  A news item about a recent sale of a Superman comic, Action Comics #1, selling for $3.25 million.  What is special about the comic is that it was the first appearance and origin of Superman.   Published in 1938, it tells how Superman came to earth and lived as Clark Kent.  Thousands were printed and perhaps a 100 still exist and their condition varies.

Well, I wasn’t around in 1938 and I doubt that I ever saw a copy, but comic books were definitely part of my childhood.

Comic books my first auction purchase

I was an eight year old third grader and lived in the small town of Newmarket, N.H.  An auction was held in a old hall within walking distance of my house.  Somehow my Mother allowed me to take what money I had, probably no more than $5, and go.  Well, a large lot of comic books, bundled and tied with string, came up. I was an omnivorous reader and I had to have them. The bidding started low, probably 50 cents, I kept counting my money and jumped in to bid.  I don’t remember what I bought them for, but I know I was excited and bouncing up and down on the wooden folding seats.  I certainly got the auctioneer’s attention, because he eventually said, well, I better sell these to that young lady or she’s going to burst!

There were probably 75 or so comic books all told. If I had my way, I would have read all of them in short order.  My mother had other ideas.  She used them as incentives to get me to help around the house and with my younger sister and brother. I’d get permission to take one or two at a time and scoot off to read my treasures.

I have no idea what happened to those comics.  I do remember there were several Classics Illustrated.  We moved some months after the auction so I doubt my parents bothered with packing up and moving them with us.

After that auction, I don’t remember buying many comics, but my younger brother accumulated a stack.  A local gas station and store sold them with portions of their covers cut off.  For some reason, the owners let me sit by the bookcase where they displayed them, and let me read them.  Perhaps it was because my Mother would send me down to buy things from time to time.  Those were different times.

My last memory of comic books in my younger life was when I was a camp counselor.  For some reason my brother decided he didn’t want his anymore.  I took the milk crate full of his comics and put it in the staff cabin.  We all enjoyed reading them during breaks. I left them behind when the summer was over.

Sotheby’s and my first comic book auction

When I read about the record-breaking sale of the Superman comic, it reminded me that I witnessed a record-breaking sale of a Batman comic.  I dug around in my archives to find clippings about it.

Back when I was a free-lance writer writing about auctions, antiques shows, and the Antiques Roadshow, I attended Sotheby’s, first ever comic and comic art auction.  It was in December of 1991 and even Sotheby’s was becoming aware of the pull of early comics on collector’s wallets.  If you Google Sotheby’s comic book auctions, you will now find plenty of other entries.

I was in New York City to cover a separate auction and decided to look in on the comic book auction.  I was glad I did as I ended up writing about it for two publications.  Antiques and Collecting Hobbies Magazine featured it on its March 1992 cover: “Holy Record Breaker!”  $55,000 Comic:

Antiques and Collecting Hobbies cover March 1992:

The comic book auction prices were eye-opening.  Detective Comics #27, May 1939, D.C. Publications, introduced “The Batman” drawn by Bob Kane.  Batman was on the cover, swinging on his bat-line towards the bad guys. His cape was in two parts like bat wings and the cover price was 10 cents.  At the auction, the comic book sold for $55,000, a then record price.  It was the second highest lot of the day.  The #1 Batman issue, in the spring of 1940 and with the addition of Robin, The Boy Wonder, sold for $15,400.

 

 

In the same auction, Action Comics #1 with Superman’s debut, sold for $29,700.  Quite a leap to today’s record of $3.25 million.

The auction included artwork and comics from Marvel, including the “X-Men.”   Speaking of Marvel, a bidder representing Marvel turned up at the auction in a Spiderman costume.  He was there to buy some of its historic items, which Marvel never bothered to save.  “Spidey” raised his auction paddle and bought, among other things, a prototype cover for the first Marvel Comics that was never used for a reported $15,400.  Spiderman comics and artwork mostly exceeded their estimates at the sale.  Wonder Woman comics also brought top prices at the sale.

Due to the prices that some comics now command, the Baby Boomers who buy for nostalgia have heavy competition from those who buy on speculation.  At the Sotheby’s auction, Bill Woo of Comic Mania in Stanton, DE determinedly countered every bidding increment on the artwork for the original X-Men #1, August 1991.  He eventually won out with a top bid of $44,000.  He also bought the artwork for X-Force #1, July 1991.  Both of these comics ranked as the largest selling comic in history when they were issued.  And this auction was held only months later, in December. In an article reporting the comic book auction results The Washington Post quoted Woo’s reasons for buying the artwork: “First, I love his art; second, it’s an investment; and third, it’s for my store.”

 

Comic Books, Nostalgia, and being 50 plus

So, to circle back to how I came to write this post about comic books and something I realize about being a Baby Boomer.  And that is, take, or make the time to go through old records and revisit past experiences.  This does a couple of things:  you start the process of weeding out, and you find reminders of fun times and accomplishments.  It also may bring to mind things that you haven’t shared with your children or grandchildren.  There are lots of stories of people finding letters and journals of their family members and regrets because no one ever talked about the family history.

Those article clippings I mentioned I saved in binders.  I’ve moved the binders around my house a few times, but the comic book auction prompted me to start going through them.  As the saying goes, what a trip down Memory Lane.  If you have old files or boxes from your past, I suggest you go through them.  And make notes to share your stories with your children, if you haven’t.

Going to New York City and having an entry to Sotheby’s was special.  To experience the reaction of those in the auction room as the bidding wars raged was awesome.  I used to feel so privileged when I used to receive Sotheby’s auction catalogs in the mail. I had totally forgotten about that phase in my life.  I used to interview bidders and buyers, and high end antique dealers like the Keno brothers and auctioneers at Skinners, and several others that you see on Antiques Roadshow.  (In person and on the phone the Keno brothers are very polite, sociable, and easy to talk to.)

Interested in other posts about collecting and collectibles?  See my posts about British Royal Memorabilia and consignment shops.

Doing Yourself and Your Kids a Favor

My kids were young when I was covering the New England antiques scene.  I am realizing that they may not even realize the extent of my writing and antiquing adventures.  Things that mean something to me will probably end up in an dumpster.  My sons don’t seem to have the inclination to look through my things after I’m gone. I know I have to do something now to preserve, dispose of by sale or gift, or toss.

So, my resolve, and also recommendation, is to commit to a time frame to sorting through memorabilia and making a concise record of past accomplishments and items that should be saved as part of family history.  As the Pandemic has taught us, we may not have as much time as we think to do so.  I talked about going through old files in a previous blog post.

Your thoughts?

Are there things in your career path or life that you haven’t revisited or shared with younger family members?  Are there documents and archives that may prompt some good stories or memories?  Please share.

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