Fiction House (though some might argue barks first, I am partial to Planet, Fight, etc)
Barks
EC
Fawcett
Gator is the guru, but I would actually put Barks books at the bottom of the list. As much as I admire his work, Disney product in general will devalue over time due to a vastly changing kid's market and a move away from 2-D animation. And Barks books being the most expensive will devalue the most.
My list would be...
Fiction House
EC / Fawcett (these two are interchangeable to me. Both have adequate supply, yet both are extremely high quality in relation to present values.)
Barks
you certainly could be right, but the more I listen, the more I hear from and about "barks" collectors... actually was a little buzz not too long ago... and then I see some strong sales, like the $5500 sale on clink for a 9.4 copy of FC 147 and I say "wow"...
Maybe Barks can stand the test of time...I don't see the huge price decrease trends that the Gaines EC and most Fawcetts have experienced over the past 20 years... maybe Barks too is destined to decline, but the rate of decline seems far less "steep" than the other 2, that it might be a little less "worse"
But the question was about "future investment". Fawcett's can't go down much further. E.C.s still have a solid younger fan-base and prices are relatively low. Bark's stuff is pretty expensive. There has been some new money from foreign collectors, but long term my money says they have peaked.
it is all relative...
I guess I only think of "high grade" as investment type quality... EC's have little chance of going up (the Gaines have slipped and slipped...)... Fawcetts too, don't seem to garner much interest in high grade (look at all the Crowley's selling WAY under even minimal expectations)... but for some reason, HG barks still sell well (and maybe it is due to foreign funding)...
now, if just looking for "quality", then I would say EC #2 (they are some great reads for sure), but they have all been collected in reprints, so no real "demand" increases there, either...
Fawcetts need a lot more than a shot in the arm, but it is possible that if a Shazam! type movie hit the big screen, there could be some potential there..
but, if I was going to put $5000 in a book for the next, say 5 years ,I would put it in a nice HG key barks, before I would put it in a Fawcett or EC... but that is just me (thumbs u