I’ll keep members updated on the latest news and my “comic books to watch.”

Take a look!

The Comic Book Secrets movie watchlist and picks for this movie are:

Tales of Suspense 39 – 1st Iron Man, so it’s a natural. Plus just a great key to have for the collector/investor
Iron Man 1 – 1st self titles comic, has held up well and I love that deep blue cover!
Tales of Suspense 52 – 1st Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson in the movie
Tales of Suspense 97 – 1st Whiplash played by Mickey Rourke
Iron Man 118- 1st War Machine, played by Don Cheadle
Sergeant Fury and His Howling Commandos 1 – the Nick Fury character continues to get more and more screen time, so I am watching

In this article you’ll discover the, well, hazy truth about signed comic books.

I have to admit, I get a fair share of questions about how much a signed copy of a specific comic book issue is worth. Most people are familiar with signed books, sports memorabilia and pop culture items, so they logically assume comic books would be the same. Unfortunately, for the reasons we’ll discuss here, the trend does not continue in this hobby.

Before we get into the “why” and details of the situation I am going to be blunt, the chances of a signed comic book being worth more than an unsigned issue are very slim, and in many cases the signature may actually hurt the value. There is no price guide or established value increase for signatures, so every example ends up being unique. The only place you can start is with the standard comic book value steps, and then see what your particular comic will sell for in the marketplace. Be warned, it could be less than an unsigned issue (but it could be more, who knows)! That’s the simple truth.

But why is this?

The comic book hobby has its own subtleties, and this is one of them. First, for the most part we have no way of knowing whether the signature is genuine. Most collectors don’t want to take the time to have it authenticated and if it is a forgery guess what? You now have a comic book that is ruined because is has been written on by what may as well have been a 7 year old kid in crayon (more on this in a second)! An unauthentic signature is considered a condition flaw.

One way to help ensure the authenticity of a signature is to take a picture of yourself with the writer or artist as they sign the book. The second option is to attend one of the CGC Signature Series events, usually held a major convention. You can also buy these books on the secondary market and they are signified by their yellow “Signature Series” tag (see the picture below). You could also get lucky and find an expert to authenticate your comic signature.

CGC Signature Series Comic Book Label

If you have assured the authenticity of your signed comic book through one of the above methods you then have to find a buyer who not only wants the specific comic book you are selling, they also want it signed. This is why the value or selling price is an unknown quantity. When you attempt to make sale in any collectible market you are selling to a limited group – a subset of the population that collects your item, wants the specific item you have, want it in that condition, and have the money to purchase it. The signature limits that market a little more. Does someone out there meet all the criteria to purchase your signed book? You can see why this is an unknown, it is just such a small subset of the hobby. The only way to truly find the current value of the book is to attempt and sell it and see how it goes, there are no established guidelines.

Now let’s talk about one more strange part of the comic book collecting hobby. Remember earlier in this article I joked about a 7 year old kid writing his name on a comic book? Well, it just so happens that in some cases a specific kid writing his name on an old comic book can make it worth several times the price of similar comics – they are called pedigrees! The most famous example is probably the Larson collection, but that is a tale for another day.

To wrap this up, if you have a signed comic book, take a look at the value for an unsigned example as a starting point and hope for the best with your issue!

Under $25
Marvel Encyclopedia – an indispensable research tool for an comic book collector. This book covers the Marvel character universe with first appearances, information, important facts and more.

Under $50
40 Years of the X-Men – All X-MEN comic books from September 1963 through August 2005, including debut issue. Over 485 complete printable comics, cover to cover, that’s over 17,500 pages. This is the whole enchilada for the X-men fan.

Under $100
Spider-Man – The Motion Picture DVD Trilogy (Spider-Man / Spider-Man 2 / Spider-Man 3) – The entire Spider-man movie series in one collection.

The Sky’s the Limit!
Instead of reprints or movies, why not go for the original material. Below you’ll find several key issue picks and you’re bound to find something for any comic book fan. There is nothing more treasured as a gift than a real, original, key issue comic book.

Superman 1 Sold For 35,000

From Cave Art To Superheroes: Comic Books & Social Commentary from Network Of Disclosure on Vimeo.

Have fun!

Key Amazing Spider-man Issues:

Amazing Fantasy 15 – The old Marvel test – let’s see how this character does! Well, he did quite well, but his origin and first appearance is in this comic book.

Amazing Spider-man 1 – Spidey’s first self titled comic book.

Amazing Spider-man 14 – First appearance of one of Spider-man’s most dreaded villains – the Green Goblin

Amazing Spider-man 25 – First brief appearance of Mary Jane Watson

Amazing Spider-man 28 – First Molten Man, a forgettable villain, but very scarce in high grade due to the black cover.

Amazing Spider-man 50 – First appearance of Kingpin

Amazing Spider-man 121 – Death of Gwen Stacy

Amazing Spider-man 252 – Black suit appears

Amazing Spider-man 300 – First full Venom appearance

That should give you a good start. Make sure to check out the Amazing Spider-man comic books for sale here.

The first comic is actually featured on the cover, and it is Incredible Hulk # 1 CGC 9.2 with off-white pages. This book is quite simply a beautiful copy. Incredible Hulk #1 is considered one of the toughest early Marvels to find in high grade. It has a very deep blue cover that shows even the slightest blemish. The Overstreet Guide lists it for $32,000 in NM- (9.2) condition and there is only one copy graded higher. I’ll be watching and keep you up to date with the final sales price for this gem. To keep this sale in perspective, take a look at some of the current sales on E-bay below.

I’ll also be following up over the next week or so leading up to the auction with other pieces being offered.

In this issue Wolverine meets Mariko and if you believe Shuler Donner the relationship will be a key part of the story.

If you see this issue you may want to pick it up. Keep you eyes open for the following cover.

X-men 118 (click for current prices)

Do you wonder if you have a gold mine hidden in that closet?

In the video series below you’ll discover what you must know to find the “true” value of those comics!

Resources for the Video:
Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide
Comic Book Values Course
Comic Book Secrets Member Only Pages