The Treasured Marvel Comic Book That Could Earn You More Than $3 Million

To the disappointment of many a '90s kid, comic book collections are probably not going to make you rich. Comics have always been mass-produced on cheap paper, and almost any comic produced after 1980 still exists in such quantities that they're just too common to be valuable. It's a rare few issues that can go for thousands, let alone millions, on the collector's market.

The comics that do fetch such sums tend to have a few things in common: they'll be from the Gold (1930s to 1950s) or Silver (1950s to 1970s) Ages of comics, they'll be in mint condition, and they'll have some importance to the history of the medium. Origin stories for superheroes or supervillains fit the latter criteria nicely, and many of the most beloved characters of comics were born in the Gold and Silver ages.

It should be no surprise, then, that many of the most valuable comics are origin stories. At the top of that list is a near-mint condition copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, a Marvel comic from 1962. It was the debut of the Amazing Spider-Man, one of the most famous superheroes from any publisher. And in 2021, Heritage Auctions sold its pristine copy of the book for $3.6 million.

Written by Stan Lee and drawn by Steve Ditko, Amazing Fantasy #15 wasn't just the first appearance of Spider-Man, but his origin story. It told the background of Peter Parker, the accident he had with a radioactive spider, his initial misuse of his powers, and his dedication to crime-fighting after the tragic death of his uncle Ben. It's one of the most famous Spider-Man stories around, and it's been referenced, parodied, and retold ad nauseum ever since.

The comic itself, if you happen to have it, is an excellent prospect for making some money, even if it isn't the $3.6 million spent at the Heritage auction. It's relatively old, relatively rare, and a seminal issue.  Even poor quality copies of Amazing Fantasy #15 have cracked the five-figure mark. Anderson & Garland had what they described as a very poor copy of the book that they sold for £11,500 (about $14,000). On the other hand, a high-grade copy that came into their hands shortly after set a U.K. record at £39,000 (about $48,800).

Using the grading scale of CGC, Buy Comics has published a rough price guide for copies of Amazing Fantasy #15. A 2.0 grade — described by CGC as "a collectible that shows extensive evidence of handling with numerous moderate-to-major defects" — can still sell for over $14,000. A 9.4 grade, in the near-mint category and described as "a very well-preserved collectible with minor wear and small manufacturing or handling defects," can sell for $705,000. The copy sold by Heritage was graded 9.6 and was considered the first copy of that quality to go on the market. 

At the time of its sale in 2021, the near-mint copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 was considered the most valuable comic for bringing in over $3 million. But a year later, that record would be broken by the oldest and most famous of superheroes: Superman. And it was a copy of Superman #1 from 1939 that did the job, fetching $5.3 million in a private sale.

The copy of Superman #1 sold was graded at 8.0, described by CGC as "an attractive collectible with a moderate defect or an accumulation of small defects." It's one of only two copies of the book to have that grade, and one of very few copies known to exist at all. Superman #1 is a hard find for collectors; luck has conspired to leave just six known copies in decent shape, including the two 8.0 books.

Superman #1 was a landmark in comic book history, representing the first time that a superhero had a comic all to himself. But it wasn't the debut of Superman — and, as of 2024, it isn't the record-holder for most expensive comic. That honor now belongs to Action Comics #1 from 1938, which was the first appearance of the Man of Tomorrow. There's about 100 known copies of Action Comics #1, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, an 8.5 grade copy sold at auction for $6 million.