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Captain America - What's the Ceiling?

Started by Vision75,

63 posts in this topic

Vision75

Vision75

Posted
Posted

Dear Sages of the Golden Age,

 

Depending on which source you read, Cap #1 is somewhere between the 7th and 10th most valuable comic book. I think it should be higher. Obviously, it won't and shouldn't pass Action #1 or Tec #27, but why should it be behind Superman #1 and Batman #1? Sup 1, Bat 1, and Cap 1 are all relatively similar regarding scarcity but it's Cap's first true appearance; he's hitting Hitler in the mouth; AND it's the first mega hit of Simon and Kirby.

 

Full disclosure: I bought a Cap 1 and am trying to rationalize completing a 1 - 10 set :-) Love the covers.

 

Thanks in advance for your comments.

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Tsp99

Tsp99

Posted
Posted

I'd put Cap 1 slightly tougher than Bat 1 in terms of scarcity but no where close to Sup 1. An unrestored Sup 1 is much tougher. The recent movies certainly help with the popularity of Captain America, but worldwide I'd say Batman and Superman are much better known, hence more long term demand and therefore a higher "guide" value.

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BB-Gun

BB-Gun

Posted
Posted
Dear Sages of the Golden Age,

 

Depending on which source you read, Cap #1 is somewhere between the 7th and 10th most valuable comic book. I think it should be higher. Obviously, it won't and shouldn't pass Action #1 or Tec #27, but why should it be behind Superman #1 and Batman #1? Sup 1, Bat 1, and Cap 1 are all relatively similar regarding scarcity but it's Cap's first true appearance; he's hitting Hitler in the mouth; AND it's the first mega hit of Simon and Kirby.

 

Full disclosure: I bought a Cap 1 and am trying to rationalize completing a 1 - 10 set :-) Love the covers.

 

Thanks in advance for your comments.

 

I wouldn't focus on the first 10 issues of Cap. Issues 11-46 are all pretty good too. They seem to be selling for double guide in OK condition but even higher at near mint.

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RedFury

RedFury

Posted
Posted

I posted some comments about the importance of Superman 1 a few months ago in another thread: My Superman 1 comments

 

If you want to talk about scarcity, well, I think most old time golden age collectors will agree with me that Superman 1 is much scarcer than both Cap 1 and Batman 1, in both restored and unrestored. I know the census numbers for Sup 1 and Cap 1 are not that far apart, but I think that's because a much lower percentage of Cap 1s have been slabbed. I've been watching these books for 25 years, and I can tell you that Cap 1s and Bat 1s have always been available for sale, at all times, and are considered among the more common golden age keys. Not so for Sup 1.

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shrunkenhead

shrunkenhead

Posted
Posted

Supes 1 is a tougher book than Cap 1 or Batman 1, imho.

 

It's a cool cover, but Blue Beetle punches Hitler in the mouth on the cover of BB 32 and that's a $200 book in mid-grade.

 

Cap 1 is a great book, and congrats on the purchase. But I think the price is where it should be...and it's already pretty dang strong.

 

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RedFury

RedFury

Posted
Posted
Complete the set! :sumo:

 

can that be done?

 

No. The sheer awesomeness of such a set exceeds the capacity of any one collection to withhold.

 

supe 1 cover blows away the competition; the little whitecaps on the kinda-rectangle at the bottom are sublime.

 

Or subliminal. Most people don't even notice those. Billy's special.

 

;)

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ComicConnoisseur

ComicConnoisseur

Posted
Posted
Dear Sages of the Golden Age,

 

Depending on which source you read, Cap #1 is somewhere between the 7th and 10th most valuable comic book. I think it should be higher. Obviously, it won't and shouldn't pass Action #1 or Tec #27, but why should it be behind Superman #1 and Batman #1? Sup 1, Bat 1, and Cap 1 are all relatively similar regarding scarcity but it's Cap's first true appearance; he's hitting Hitler in the mouth; AND it's the first mega hit of Simon and Kirby.

 

Full disclosure: I bought a Cap 1 and am trying to rationalize completing a 1 - 10 set :-) Love the covers.

 

Thanks in advance for your comments.

How I rank the top 5.

 

Detective Comics 27

Action Comics 1

Captain America 1

Batman 1

Superman 1

 

You really can`t go wrong with this fab 5

as they are the kings of the keys.

 

All other golden age comics are the great pretenders to the throne.

 

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Cat-Man_America

Cat-Man_America

Posted
Posted
And I'm not trying to disparage Cap 1 or Bat 1 at all. I love those books! They're at the top of my wantlist right now. I just disagree with placing Cap 1 or Bat 1 ahead of Sup 1 on 'the list'.

 

[font:Times New Roman]I'd place Bat-Man #1 ahead of Superman #1 on the list with Batman and Cap a toss-up. I'll explain why below, trying to look at this objectively and in terms of current popularity and market growth potential.

 

General Pros & Cons of each book (comparing Supe to Cap) gauging market potential for each...

 

Superman #1 Pros...

 

1. 1939 scarcity (two years older than Cap #1)

2. Great first issue cover

3. Contains reprise of origin

4. First appearance of costumed character in own title (not counting Fox's Wonder Comics #1 which featured Wonder Man as it was also an anthology title)

5. Iconic writer/artist team associated with title (Siegel & Shuster)

6. International recognition/popularity (historic character with pop-culture longevity)

 

Cons...

 

1. Reprint book (contains the first four Action stories)

2. No well established super villain or nemesis appears

3. Origin appeared in earlier book (Action #1)

4. Commonly reprinted book (potential overexposure)

5. TV series incarnations notwithstanding, Superman hasn't had significant big screen success in over a generation (20 years)

 

Bat-Man #1 Pros...

 

1. 1939 1940 relative scarcity (over a year older than Cap #1)

2. Great first issue cover

3. Iconic artist Bob Kane associated with Bat-Man #1

4. Featured first appearance of lifelong villain nemesis The Joker & Cat-Woman

5. International recognition/popularity (historic character with pop-culture longevity)

6. Recent Dark Knight film success assures continued popularity of character for the foreseeable future

 

Cons...

 

1. Commonly reprinted book (potential overexposure)

2. Origin appeared in earlier book (Det. #27 #33 -correction)

 

Captain America #1 Pros...

 

1. Most successful/recognizable patriotic themed superhero (1st in own book)

2. Great first issue cover

3. Contains origin

4. First appearance of major recurring villain (Red Skull)

5. Hot film media property with room for growth

6. Iconic writer/artist team associated with title (Simon & Kirby)

7. International recognition/popularity (historic character with pop-culture longevity)

 

Cons...

 

1. Not the first patriotic superhero (MLJ's Pep Comics featuring The Shield)

2. Commonly reprinted book (less than Superman, but common)

3. Appeared at the height of GA comic expansion (more copies likely to exist)

 

OK, this comparison may seem biased (full disclosure: I don't currently collect Superman or DC books for that matter), but I've approached this as logically and objectively as possible, given the current status of each from a collector and popular culture interest perspective. The reprint status of books may or may not be a "Con" where collectibles are concerned, but I've included that as a criteria because saturation of the market with reprints may make the originals seem less consequential from a collecting standpoint.

 

Superman is responsible for all superhero characters that followed. However, Superman won his continued popularity not through super powers, but through super lawyers. Just ask Billy Batson.[/font]

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Straw-Man

Straw-Man

Posted
Posted
Nice list Cat. One minor correction...Bat 1 was Spring 1940.

 

he cares not. he put first appearances in my first issue/#1's thread. he didn't care then, either. but he's fun to have around.

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Monkeyman

Monkeyman

Posted
Posted
And I'm not trying to disparage Cap 1 or Bat 1 at all. I love those books! They're at the top of my wantlist right now. I just disagree with placing Cap 1 or Bat 1 ahead of Sup 1 on 'the list'.

 

[font:Times New Roman]I'd place Bat-Man #1 ahead of Superman #1 on the list with Batman and Cap a toss-up. I'll explain why below, trying to look at this objectively and in terms of current popularity and market growth potential.

 

General Pros & Cons of each book (comparing Supe to Cap) gauging market potential for each...

 

Superman #1 Pros...

 

1. 1939 scarcity (two years older than Cap #1) - Same for Bat-Man #1

2. Great first issue cover - Same for Bat-Man #1

3. Contains reprise of origin

4. First appearance of costumed character in own title (not counting Fox's Wonder Comics #1 which featured Wonder Man as it was also an anthology title)

5. Iconic writer/artist team associated with title (Siegel & Shuster) - iconic artist Bob Kane associated with Bat-Man #1

6. International recognition/popularity (historic character with pop-culture longevity)

 

Cons...

 

1. Reprint book (contains the first four Action stories)

2. No well established super villain or nemesis appears

3. Origin appeared in earlier book (Action #1)

4. Commonly reprinted book (potential overexposure)

5. TV series incarnations notwithstanding, Superman hasn't had significant big screen success in over a generation (20 years)

 

Bat-Man #1 Pros...

 

1. 1939 scarcity (two years older than Cap #1)

2. Great first issue cover

3. Iconic artist Bob Kane associated with Bat-Man #1

4. Featured first appearance of lifelong villain nemesis The Joker & Cat-Woman

5. International recognition/popularity (historic character with pop-culture longevity)

6. Recent Dark Knight film success assures continued popularity of character for the foreseeable future

 

Cons...

 

1. Commonly reprinted book (potential overexposure)

2. Origin appeared in earlier book (Det. #27)

 

Captain America #1 Pros...

 

1. Most successful/recognizable patriotic themed superhero (1st in own book)

2. Great first issue cover

3. Contains origin

4. First appearance of major recurring villain (Red Skull)

5. Hot film media property with room for growth

6. Iconic writer/artist team associated with title (Simon & Kirby)

7. International recognition/popularity (historic character with pop-culture longevity)

 

Cons...

 

1. Not the first patriotic superhero (MLJ's Pep Comics featuring The Shield)

2. Commonly reprinted book (less than Superman, but common)

3. Appeared at the height of GA comic expansion (more copies likely to exist)

 

OK, this comparison may seem biased (full disclosure: I don't currently collect Superman or DC books for that matter), but I've approached this as logically and objectively as possible, given the current status of each from a collector and popular culture interest perspective. The reprint status of books may or may not be a "Con" where collectibles are concerned, but I've included that as a criteria because saturation of the market with reprints may make the originals seem less consequential from a collecting standpoint.

 

Superman is responsible for all superhero characters that followed. However, Superman won his continued popularity not through super powers, but through super lawyers. Just ask Billy Batson.[/font]

 

Isn't Batman's origin in Detective 33 (still an earlier issue than Batman 1)?

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Primetime

Primetime

Posted
Posted
And I'm not trying to disparage Cap 1 or Bat 1 at all. I love those books! They're at the top of my wantlist right now. I just disagree with placing Cap 1 or Bat 1 ahead of Sup 1 on 'the list'.

 

[font:Times New Roman]I'd place Bat-Man #1 ahead of Superman #1 on the list with Batman and Cap a toss-up. I'll explain why below, trying to look at this objectively and in terms of current popularity and market growth potential.

 

General Pros & Cons of each book (comparing Supe to Cap) gauging market potential for each...

 

Superman #1 Pros...

 

1. 1939 scarcity (two years older than Cap #1) - Same for Bat-Man #1

2. Great first issue cover - Same for Bat-Man #1

3. Contains reprise of origin

4. First appearance of costumed character in own title (not counting Fox's Wonder Comics #1 which featured Wonder Man as it was also an anthology title)

5. Iconic writer/artist team associated with title (Siegel & Shuster) - iconic artist Bob Kane associated with Bat-Man #1

6. International recognition/popularity (historic character with pop-culture longevity)

 

Cons...

 

1. Reprint book (contains the first four Action stories)

2. No well established super villain or nemesis appears

3. Origin appeared in earlier book (Action #1)

4. Commonly reprinted book (potential overexposure)

5. TV series incarnations notwithstanding, Superman hasn't had significant big screen success in over a generation (20 years)

 

Bat-Man #1 Pros...

 

1. 1939 scarcity (two years older than Cap #1)

2. Great first issue cover

3. Iconic artist Bob Kane associated with Bat-Man #1

4. Featured first appearance of lifelong villain nemesis The Joker & Cat-Woman

5. International recognition/popularity (historic character with pop-culture longevity)

6. Recent Dark Knight film success assures continued popularity of character for the foreseeable future

 

Cons...

 

1. Commonly reprinted book (potential overexposure)

2. Origin appeared in earlier book (Det. #27)

 

Captain America #1 Pros...

 

1. Most successful/recognizable patriotic themed superhero (1st in own book)

2. Great first issue cover

3. Contains origin

4. First appearance of major recurring villain (Red Skull)

5. Hot film media property with room for growth

6. Iconic writer/artist team associated with title (Simon & Kirby)

7. International recognition/popularity (historic character with pop-culture longevity)

 

Cons...

 

1. Not the first patriotic superhero (MLJ's Pep Comics featuring The Shield)

2. Commonly reprinted book (less than Superman, but common)

3. Appeared at the height of GA comic expansion (more copies likely to exist)

 

OK, this comparison may seem biased (full disclosure: I don't currently collect Superman or DC books for that matter), but I've approached this as logically and objectively as possible, given the current status of each from a collector and popular culture interest perspective. The reprint status of books may or may not be a "Con" where collectibles are concerned, but I've included that as a criteria because saturation of the market with reprints may make the originals seem less consequential from a collecting standpoint.

 

Superman is responsible for all superhero characters that followed. However, Superman won his continued popularity not through super powers, but through super lawyers. Just ask Billy Batson.[/font]

 

Isn't Batman's origin in Detective 33 (still an earlier issue than Batman 1)?

yup Tec 33 nov 1939 is the first printed bat origin. Bat 1 (April 1940) reprints the origin
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Cat-Man_America

Cat-Man_America

Posted
Posted
Nice list Cat. One minor correction...Bat 1 was Spring 1940.

 

he cares not. he put first appearances in my first issue/#1's thread. he didn't care then, either. but he's fun to have around.

 

 

:sorry: [font:Times New Roman]...but ya gotta admit they were nice books![/font] :devil:

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