Lee Enterprises

I imagine just looking at them all together must be fun. Then, there's stacking them up, spreading them out for pictures and even fanning them out in your hand like you just need one more card for a royal flush.

I've been looking for a nice #60 but haven't found just the right one yet so you already have me beat.

I think it would be almost criminal to not stop and acknowledge this 9.8 with white pages! Very nice!

I've always loved the AF #15 cover and of course the story. Over the years I've had unrestored copies in CGC 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5. The 1.5 was special because I was able to read an original raw copy before I sent it to CGC. I also had a really nice looking Susan Cicconi restored 5.0. I was fortunate to win this AF #15 CGC 9.6 A-3 not too long ago. I love the near perfect look of the A-3 restoration and that it has not been trimmed. I know some people don't want restored books in their collections, but given the prices (of even mid grade AF #15s) over the last several years, I've been on the lookout for some key books with great eye appeal at more "affordable" prices. Regardless of the condition of an AF #15, there aren't many comic covers that can compare with the introduction of THE AWESOME MIGHT OF...SPIDER-MAN! I ended up going the same route with Hulk #1 and wound up with the only 9.6 ever graded by CGC once I submitted it. That was definitely a bonus.

Very cool group. You can never have too many AF15s, in my opinion. Just curious, do you buy these primarily for long term investment?

I was able to snag this upgrade for my GL run. Highest graded with 5 total books in 9.6. The white pages is a nice bonus. This is such a cool cover.

I almost forgot ASM Annual #4. I believe this was the release date timing. ASM Annual #4 release date 8/1/67 ASM #54 release date 8/8/67

I like this one too. I must have a soft spot for the big city background. The text block in yellow on the side of the building is a nice touch.

I've been looking for a 9.4 or 9.6 ASM #55, but not many have popped up in recent years. Here's my #56. I'm glad I'm not the only one who isn't a big fan of the covers from this era. I really miss Ditko at this point. This type of Romita cover, where there's just a drawing of a big Spider-Man and a big villain (or two) with not much in the background, isn't very exciting to me. Obviously, this was Romita's style going back to the classic #39 cover. I do like #48 a lot with the city down below. Ditko had the opportunity to introduce a bunch or new villains and then Romita had to try to keep a lot of them fresh (after the Rhino, Shocker and Kingpin were introduced and as the original villains came back around time and time again). It's still very interesting to see how the art and stories progressed over the years.

Correct. The Heritage buyer bid at least $26,000 knowing there would be a 20% Buyer's Premium added for a total of $31,200 that he or she will need to pay (the final sold price). Heritage and other auction sites take you to a second screen (or one pops up) that makes you confirm that you know how much you are agreeing TO PAY ($31,200, in this case) in the event you end up with the highest bid. In my opinion, if a bidder is not familiar with auctions that include a Buyer's Premium, it's best to start with bidding on some items valued in the hundreds, instead of in the thousands, to get the hang of the math and avoid any big financial mistakes.

It sold for $31,200. The buyer must have entered a bid of $26,000 and then a 20% Buyer's Premium was automatically added to that bid (before clicking the bid button) for a total winning bid of $31,200 ($26,000 x 1.20 = $31,200). $31,200 is the final sold price that shows up on Heritage and GPA.

The Heritage final sale price of $31,200 included the 20% Buyer's Premium. On Heritage, you have to remember the 20% when you bid (which they calculate automatically for you before you bid so you know exactly what your total bid will be). On other sites like ComicLink, there is no buyer's premium. Either way the bidder has to decide what they are willing to pay for an item whether it's a bid + 20% to arrive at the final bid of $31,200 (Heritage) or a straight bid of $31,200 (like it would be on ComicLink).

The other thing that is very helpful with GPA is that you can view images of the recent books sold to compare them with a book you're looking to buy. The view that @Math Teacher shows above with the sold prices underlined indicates that you can view the auction house images from that sale. That's where the Heritage image of the $31,200 sale I included above came from so you can see. GPA is a vital tool to have when you're buying books at any price point but especially for more expensive ones. Otherwise, you essentially have to guess at what to pay or formulate your bid/offer without all the available sales data. I just renewed my subscription for a little more than $100 for the year.

I can see that...faded. Not all AF15s are equal, especially in the plus or minus 4.0 range

Since you're buying expensive books, I would recommend you sign up for a GPAnalysis subscription right away. You'll have access to detailed price history, which is essential to avoid overpaying (especially in a down comic market like we're in now from the most recent 2021-2022 highs). Here is some GPA data for AF15 CGC 4.0. This is the $31,200 sale from 7/15/24.

This is the best #50 I've been able to get my hands on so far.

This is a decision only he and his checkbook can make.

DOOM!

Indeed. #50 is really a milestone issue with the 1st appearance of that very large man and his exquisite white jacket.