8 People Who Found Priceless Comic Books In Unbelievable Ways
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Who doesn’t want to find priceless treasure in their basement or garage and make an unexpected windfall? It’s why we watch reality TV shows like Antiques Roadshow and Pawn Stars. Americans love the idea of tripping over an item or piece of junk and realizing it is priceless. However, most Americans don’t appreciate the concept of priceless comic books.
Comic books produced from 1938 to 1954, or the Golden Age of comic books, are extremely rare and valuable. Many comic books of the era were publicly burned in moral panic protests. Shamed teens and adults hid them. Frustrated parents and spouses threw out entire collections. Some collections were forgotten about.
The point is that you or someone you know might have a rare comic book in your possession and not know it. Most people who happen upon priceless comic books find them accidentally or in unbelievable ways. Here are eight examples. To start, here is a short primer about priceless comic books
What Makes a Comic Book Priceless?
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Before you get too excited, your odds of finding a priceless comic book and retiring are low. Many factors make a rare comic book valuable. Among them, the comic must be rare, in aesthetically good condition, and have value to existing collectors on the collectibles market.
Every old comic book that you find is not guaranteed to be valuable. Rare comic books are only valuable to other comic book collectors willing to pay for them. Rare comic books and collectibles don’t accrue value like traditional financial investments. Consult with a trusted collectibles expert if you find a rare comic book you think may have value.
Family Finds $26,000 Comic Book in Parent’s Old Home
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A Vancouver-based family began going through the estate of their deceased parents in 2020. They found a treasure trove of over 1,300 well-preserved and priceless comic books from the 1940s and 1950s. The priceless comic books are so rare and historically vital that they were granted a special “pedigree,” status by collectibles appraisal company CGC.
Pedigree status means that the comics come from one large collection, are very rare, and have their value and status authenticated. One of the comic books, a badly-worn copy of Captain America #46 from 1941, sold for $26,000. The family might have a priceless collection on their hands when all the comics are appraised.
$35,000 Priceless Comic Found in Inherited Possessions
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In 2023, a Milwaukee couple was going through the estate items of a relative who recently passed away. While itemizing the possessions, they came across a well-worn copy of Amazing Fantasy # 15. The comic was published in 1962 and features the first appearance of Spider-Man. The couple took the priceless comic to a local comic book shop for consultation. While a pristine copy would be millions, they are trying to auction their inherited copy for $35,000.
Homeowner Finds Priceless Comic Book Used as Insulation During Renovation
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In 2013, David Gonzalez and his wife bought a home in Minnesota for $10,000. Gonzalez was an experienced construction worker and home renovator and began fixing it up. As he began tearing down a wall, he found old newspapers and a comic book used as insulation. The comic book was a weathered copy of Action Comics #1 from 1938, featuring the first appearance of Superman.
During a heated argument with a relative, the fragile comic book got torn. A collectibles expert said the damage knocked $75,000 off its potential auction value. The priceless comic book later sold for $175,000 at auction. Imagine if Gonzalez had never bought the home or thrown away the insulation without inspecting it – a priceless comic book would have been lost forever.
$436,000 Comic Book Found in Basement of Soon-To-Be-Foreclosed Home
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A family based in the southern United States was cleaning out their soon-to-be foreclosed home in 2010. The home had been in their family since 1950, but they had fallen behind on the mortgage and the bank would soon foreclose. As the family began cleaning out their basement, they found eight old-looking comic books.
One of them turned out to be Action Comics #1 from 1938, Superman’s debut. It is a pop culture relic that created the blueprint for modern superhero comic books. They hoped the priceless comic would fetch $250,000 at auction but it ended up selling for $436,000.
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In 2007, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania homeowner was cleaning out his attic when he came across a copy of Detective Comics #27 from 1939. The comic features the first appearance of Batman. Along with Action Comics #1, it is considered one of the world’s rarest comic books. The homeowner, perhaps unaware of the comic’s intrinsic value, sold the comic to a local comic book store owner, Todd McDevitt, for an undisclosed sum.
McDevitt has the comic stored in a bank vault to this day. The comic has a potential market value of $1.7 million. McDevitt sold a large swath of his collection to raise $1 million in 2015 but has yet to sell his prized Detective Comics #27.
Long-Forgotten Comic Book Collection Found in Closet Commands $3.4 Million at Auction
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Michael Rorer’s great uncle Billy Wright was an avid comic book collector in his youth, amassing a 222-issue collection. All of the comic books were from the Golden Age of comic books, an era between 1938 through 1954. Wright’s collection included Action Comics #1 and Detective Comics #27. Wright died in 1994 with his collection of priceless comic books forgotten in a closet.
Rorer inherited the collections and was spurred to get a consultation from a relative and friend. He had the comic books appraised and was shocked to learn their potential value. Wright’s forgotten comic book collection earned over $3.4 million when sold at auction. Collectible experts were also shocked such rare pop culture relics still existed.
Family Inherits a Priceless Comic Book Collection That Was Formerly a Shameful Secret
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Dale Watts was a Michigan-based attorney, family man, and lifelong comic book collector. Before comic books became culturally accepted via the MCU, they were considered a sign of immaturity for adult collectors. Watts collected 300,000 comic books along with baseball cards, and action figures for over 40 years before his death in 2020.
The comic book collection was a shameful family secret. Watt’s hobby caused stress in his marriage and led to a divorce. Watt’s son Darren inherited the well-preserved collection and started getting it appraised. One of the 300,000 comics, Action Comics #1, was estimated to be worth $3.5 million. Watt’s life and legacy are now literally a priceless collection that will take years or decades to fully appraise.
80-Year-Old Forgotten Comic Book Collection Is Now Being Auctioned Off
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Two brothers, Robert and Junie, began collecting comic books in the 1940s and 1950s. They collected over 5,000 comic books from the Golder Age of comic books and kept them in perfect condition. Both brothers fought in the Korean War. They made a vow that if one died, the other would take care of their sacred collection.
After Junie died in the war, Robert carefully cataloged, preserved, and stored the collection in an attic. The 5,000-item “Promise Collection,” of comic books were then forgotten for over 50 years. The surviving family has now begun auctioning off the collection. Over 181 comic books sold off from the 5,000-issue collection sold for $7.1 million in 2021. The total value of the Promise Collection might be incalculable.
Your Odds of Finding a Priceless Comic Book are Slim
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If you happen upon an old comic book that you think may have value, you can try using free online comic book appraisal tools to get a general ballpark value estimate. Don’t try to sell a potentially valuable collector’s item on your own if you know nothing about the collectibles market. Contact a local comic book store or trusted collectibles and appraisal expert first.
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Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including saving and investing in your own small business.
