Why old comic books will continue to hold their value
The rise of comic books in the former half of the 20th century created a fantasy world full of characters that became idols of self identification for American youth. While the printed medium that introduced these idols has dwindled to a low burn, their impact and presence is as strong as ever and the same figures that shaped the personalities of 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s babies are impacting their grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the same way. Comic book originating franchises like Marvel and D.C. have been solidified as primary institutions of American cultural influence. Their metamorphoses from comic book publishers to multimedia giants should not symbolize the death of comic books but rather how important comic books were and are to the formation of modern American culture and iconography. The immense success that these franchises have had beyond the pages of the comic book is what makes comic books, in the superhero category especially, the ultimate 21st century collectors item.
The rareness that comes from their modern obsolescence and delicate material combined with the cultural relevance afforded by the continuous survival of their subject matters through film, video games, and other digital mediums is what gives old comic books their immense value today. These small pieces of history that once sold for less than 10 cents (less than $1 accounting for inflation) have sold in recent years for massive numbers, a few selling in the millions. The market for comic book collecting started to appear in the late 70s and by the early 90s comic publishers really started to pander to collectors. This ignited a boom of comic book value speculation where collectors were trading almost exclusively within networks of collectors. Publishers put an emphasis on limited edition content and lost focus on creating comics for the sake of entertainment. This trend quickly imploded and signaled that American culture had moved past the comic craze and the comics had become reduced to a collectors game. This death of the industry marks old comics as sacred thus preserving their value as it becomes recognized that they will not be overshadowed. Unlike watches, handbags, furniture, and so on, the market for old comic books exists in a bubble that isn’t being impacted by the release of new products, at least not at a large scale.
If you happen to stumble upon a collection of comic books, perhaps from a passed away relative or a garage sale, make sure you don’t overlook what you see. Dig through the collection and look for the printed monetary value, the smaller the better. If you find something in the 10 cent range, you could be possessing something of great value.
