How to tell if a comic book is valuable?

The Chinese have a saying, "姜还是老的辣"

Translated, it reads as "The older the ginger, the spicier its flavour" or in the case of comic books and other antiques - the older the comic, the more valuable and sought after.

For example, Action Comics #1 (published in April 1938) - Superman and Lois Lane's comics debut - is now valued at USD$1,160,000 (valued by Comics Price Guide.com). That's a nifty price increase, considering that 50 years ago, the face value of the comic was merely 10 cents!

Before you start rummaging through your closets, old storerooms and boxes of junk for a comic book jackpot, here's a short primer on how to tell if a comic is valuable:

• When was it published?

Nor surprisingly, the most collectible comics were published between 1938 and 1979 -the "Golden Age" (1930s to 1940s), "Silver Age" (late 1950s to early 1970s) and "Bronze Age" (early 1970s to mid 1980s) of comics. Each era saw the creation of enduring superheroes such as Superman, Batman and Spiderman, to name a few.

• What is the comic book's condition?

The next most important factor in determining a comic book's worth. Most collectors use the following eight categories: Poor; Fair; Good; Very Good; Fine; Very Fine; Near Mint; and Mint.

Essentially, a "Mint" comic looks as if it had just rolled off the press while a comic rated "Poor" would look resemble one that had been left overnight in a washing machine. For condition specifics, About.com has nicely written category descriptions (comicbooks.about.com/od/glossary/g/grade.htm)

Obviously, a comic graded "Mint" would command a higher price than one graded "Poor". Collectors would pay the full price listed in Comic Price Guides (see resources) for "Mint" comics while comics falling into categories below "Mint' would cost a percentage of the listed price. For example, "Near Mint"s would command 90% of the listed price while "Good" comics would command at most 60% of the listed price. For rigorous and certified comics grading, consider submitting them to a third-party grading services (see resources). However you would have to pay a fee for their services.

• How many copies are in circulation?

A law of supply and demand: a comic with a low print run would naturally command a higher price than one with a higher print run.

The comics published later than the 1980s had inflated print runs as publishers were riding on the wave of comics being collector's items. This point applies to comics with special variations such as Superman #75: The Death of Superman. The normal versions (USD$222; Mint condition) had a print run of 4 million copies. DC also put out a platinum, retailers-only edition (USD$1,590; Mint condition). While I was unable find out the latter's print run, it is likely to be smaller and more limited, hence the almost seven times pricing difference!

• What happened to the character?

Special events that marked major milestones in a comic character's life are usually considered collectible and hence, valuable.

Here are several questions to help put it in perspective:

• a. Does this comic introduce a new character or setting? (Sin City)
• b. Does it kick off a multiple cross-over event? (The Infinity Wars series)
• c. Did a character die? (Superman #75: Death of Superman)
• d. Was there a marriage? (The Amazing Spiderman Annual #21)

• Is the character popular?

Like the real world, who cares about the small, forgotten fry? Issues with appearances by popular characters tend to make better collector's items. Is a comic with a guest appearance by Wolverine (think Hugh Jackman from the X-men movies) more valuable than an appearance by Kayla (a short-lived Marvel comic character)? My money's on the former.

• Who's the writer? Who's the artist?

Comics by popular writers (e.g. Watchmen by Alan Moore, Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis) and artists (e.g. Uncanny X-men by Jim Lee, Sin City by Frank Miller) are usually quite sought after. However, comics valuation by good creative talent usually pale in comparison to the first point "when was it published?" and when were the first appearances of their works?

The Final Word

Comic book valuation is subject to supply and demand, the potential buyers and contextual knowledge of the comic. Also, comic book prices differ from price guide to price guide, thus you might want to consult a few resources before deciding on a "true" valuation of a comic.

If you are planning to treat comic books as an investment, the above points should give you a starting point on how to sieve out "valuable" comics. Regardless of your plans, some things still remain unchanged; a comic book is always fun to read.

Resources

Third-party Grading Services:

Certified Guaranty Company (http://www.cgccomics.com/)

Professional Grading eXperts, LLC (http://www.pgxcomics.com/)

Comic Book Price Guides (online):

Comics Price Guide (http://www.comicspriceguide.com/)

Nostomania (http://www.nostomania.com/)

Comic Book Price Guides (print):

Comics Buyer's Guides (http://www.cbgxtra.com/)

Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide (http://www.gemstonepub.com/)