Description:
One of the holy grails of the Silver Age, and predominantly responsible
for the revival of Marvel Comics and superheros, this beauty is ranked
third amongst Silver Age titles by Overstreet. Certainly doesn't hurt
that a major motion picture was released last year with sequels to
follow!
Prices vary widely on this book. It is very uncommon, perhaps one
can say scarce, in high grade and it is not often to see one on the
market. During 2004-2005, several issues sold ranging from
$19,000 to $25,000. An identically graded copy currently on Comiclink
is seeking nearly $26,000 (with an existing bid approaching $24,000). A
9.4 copy sold for over $111,000 four years ago (which seemingly makes
my offered #1 appear relatively inexpensive)!!!
But none of the other books, to my knowledge, offer what this copy
does: presumably signed by the FF creator himself, the master Jack
Kirby!!!
Unfortunately, the signing was not done in the presence of CGC so no
verification exists. Of course, there is no guarantee that the
signature is authentic. However, I am aware of the recent history of
this book and spoken with a prior owner who is a well-known comic book
dealer. It was he who had the book certified by CGC. He told me that he
has seen many authentic copies of Kirby's signature and he was of the
opinion this signature is, in fact, authentic. Moreover, I spoke with
CGC and confirmed that had they believed it was not Kirby's signature,
it would not have been noted on the label (which is not the same, of
course, as confirming authenticity).
This copy was actually given away as the Grand prize in a sweepstakes
run by Activision. Luckily the current owner saved the book during the
flooding caused last year by Hurricane Katrina!
This book is going nowhere but up! The next buyer will not be unhappy with this copy!
Overstreet 2006 Guide: VF 8.0 $9,700; VF/NM 9.0 $22,850; NM- 9.2 $36,000.
NETWORK OF DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: This book was previously certified as
a CGC 7.5 and was resubmitted by a prior owner and graded in its
present form of a CGC 8.0. It was not pressed.
Note: This book is on consignment to EsquireComics.com.
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