Heritage Auctions

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Press Release - June 30, 2004

Heritage to Offer the Best of the Best!

Elite "Platinum Night" Sale to Showcase High-End Treasures.

Dallas, Texas: Heritage Comics Auctions (HCA) will present their first-ever "Platinum Night" Sale on July 29, 2004 in their Dallas, Texas offices. All lots will be available for viewing July 22-25, 2004 at Comic-Con International 2004: San Diego.

"This is a very exciting sale for us," said John Petty, HCA's Director of Auctions. "We've really raised the bar with this sale, and have gotten very selective about what we accepted. Basically, every lot in this sale has a fair market value of $1,000 or more, making this our most exclusive auction ever."

"It's amazing to see this much quality material in one place," said Ed Jaster, Director of Acquisitions for HCA. "We've purposely kept this sale small, only 318 lots, in order to further highlight the extreme quality of these offerings. To my knowledge, there's never been a sale quite like this in the history of our hobby."

Featured in this sale are such treasures as:

Action Comics #1 (DC, 1938) CGC GD+ 2.5 Cream to off-white pages.
The comic that officially launched the Golden Age rightfully claims the distinction of being the most valuable of any comic book. Superman's first appearance makes it a no contest between this and the comic book currently ranked second most valuable, Detective Comics #27. Of the 27 copies of Action Comics #1 that CGC has certified to date, nearly one-third are restored copies. Even at this modest grade, CGC has awarded a higher unrestored grade to 13 copies, only four of which earned better grades than VG+ 4.5! Our unrestored offering shows some foxing along the edges, mostly along the front spine, and has a moderate piece out at the top left front. But holding an otherwise complete copy of the Holy Grail of comic collecting still gives us goosebumps! Overstreet 2004 GD 2.0 value = $38,250.

The Amazing Spider-Man #3 (Marvel, 1963) CGC NM+ 9.6 Off-white to white pages.
Here's the highest-graded copy known to CGC of the first appearance of Doctor Octopus! Interest in Doc Ock has never been higher since he hit movie screens; these days every kid (and darn near every adult) in America knows the character. Ock may well be the best-known Marvel villain of all before the summer's through, moving this issue way up on the list of Silver Age keys. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko certainly packed plenty of story into this 12-cent gem: the origin story of the former Otto Octavius is recounted, the Human Torch appears, and Flash Thompson and J. Jonah Jameson find new ways to make Peter Parker's life difficult. As if that weren't enough, there's the art of the incomparable Ditko, and of course this copy's incomparable condition. Overstreet 2004 NM- 9.2 value = $4,200.

Detective Comics #3 (DC, 1937) CGC VG+ 4.5 Cream to off-white pages.
This is one tough-to-find comic book. Overstreet calls it "rare", while Gerber calls it "very rare", signifying that between six and ten are thought to exist. It's only the second unrestored copy that CGC has certified. The cover is by Creig Flessel, one of the top talents of the Golden Age, while the tales of detection inside the comic are courtesy of artists such as Flessel, Joe Shuster (this predates Action Comics #1, you'll note), and Sven Elven. Overstreet 2004 VG 4.0 value = $3,332.

Haunt of Fear #10 Gaines File pedigree 10/12 (EC, 1951) CGC NM+ 9.6 Off-white to white pages.
It's hard to imagine a nicer copy than this brilliant copy from the Gaines Files, but two copies managed slightly higher grades from CGC as of this writing. This is EC at its horror-ible best, with an Al Feldstein cover plus interior art by a peerless group -- Feldstein, Jack Kamen, Graham Ingels, Johnny Craig, and Jack Davis. Overstreet 2004 NM- 9.2 value = $570.

Showcase #19 Adam Strange - Double Cover - Big Apple pedigree (DC, 1959) CGC NM+ 9.6 Cream to off-white pages.
This book would be cool enough if it were just a nice copy of Adam Strange's third appearance in DC's foremost tryout title (he was next seen in Mystery in Space). But this copy is so much more. Start with the pedigree, one of the nicest from the Silver Age. Next there's the double cover - you don't see these every day! And the grade! This highest-graded copy of #19 to pass through CGC's offices to date has earned the outlandish certification of NM+ 9.6. The cover is by Gil Kane; the interior art is by Mike Sekowsky. Overstreet 2004 NM- 9.2 value = $1,925.

X-Men #1 (Marvel, 1963) CGC VF+ 8.5 Off-white pages.
The origin and first appearance of the X-Men is in great demand in virtually any grade, and we can't envision the popularity of the group (or this issue) flagging anytime soon. If you're joining us late, this issue has the origin of the group and the first appearances of all its mutant charter members: stern father figure Professor X, rich playboy type the Angel, the ever-eloquent Beast, moody Cyclops, junior member the Iceman, and dreamy Marvel Girl. The group's number one foe, Magneto, also makes his first appearance in this comic, which was written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby. Overstreet 2004 VF 8.0 value = $5,810; VF/NM 9.0 value = $9,405.

John Romita Sr. and Harry Rosenbaum - The Spectacular Spider-Man # 1 Cover Original Art (Marvel, 1968).
For the premiere issue of their new black and white magazine featuring Spider-Man, Marvel brought in "men's magazine" artist Harry Rosenbaum to paint the finished cover. Working from John Romita's tight cover design, Rosenbaum rendered the image in acrylic paint on illustration board, striving to create a striking three dimensional image of the webbed wall-crawler in action. The magazine hit the stands in April of 1968, at the very zenith of the Silver Age. "Lo, this Monster" featured plot elements that placed it contemporaneous to the sub-plots in Amazing Spider-Man #59. Harry Rosenbaum also painted the cover for Skywald's Nightmare #4, but it is comic book legend John Romita's terrific composition that captures the excitement and essence of the Spider-Man we all know and love. The image area measures approximately 11.5" x 15", and the lettering "placement indication" is painted on an acetate overlay. The art is in Excellent condition. The cover art for Spectacular Spider-Man #2 commanded a sensational price in Heritage Comics' 2002 Signature auction, and this piece will certainly be a welcome addition to even the most distinguished collection.

Al Feldstein - Weird Science #7 Cover Original Art (EC, 1951).
This masterpiece has all of the hallmarks that an EC SF fan-addict craves: spacemen, rocket ships in outer space, and a voluptuous space girl striking a proud pose, spotlighting her space age "headlights." Hoo-HAH! This spectacular cover must number among Al Feldstein's finest SF images. The title logo and caption box at the bottom are replacements; otherwise the art is in Excellent condition. The image area measures 13.5" x 19.5". Al Feldstein's SF art has a razor sharp clarity and precision that ranks it among the tableaux by such visionaries as Chesley Bonestell and Hannes Bok.

Neal Adams - Strange Adventures #211 Cover Original Art (DC, 1968).
This tense confrontation scene comes from the very heart of the original Deadman run in Strange Adventures. The art paper measures 16.5" x 11.5", with an image area of 10" x 15". The condition of the art is Excellent. The title logo and other type elements are replacements and have been carefully color-matched to the art paper, adding to the eye-appeal of the cover. The cover has a paste-on art correction that was done by Neal Adams to eliminate a foreground figure's hand that was originally drawn along the left border's edge. This correction area is original art, not a stat. It is applied with such craftsmanship that a very close inspection is needed to even detect it. A rogue's gallery of Deadman's nefarious circus peers is portrayed crouching behind him. While these figures were obscured by the coloring scheme used in the printed comic book cover, here they are seen in vivid detail. Neal Adams's fine-lined inking style was at its most masterful throughout this era.

Jack Kirby and Chic Stone - Journey into Mystery #109, page 15 Original Art (Marvel, 1964).
It's clash of the titans, Marvel style, as Magneto wards off a blow from Thor's Uru hammer, Mjolnir. The paper measures an overall 13.5" x 21.25", while the image area is 12.5" x 18.5", and the condition of the art is Excellent. Jack Kirby has signed the art in the final panel. This is a classic Silver Age Marvel slug fest, by the "King", so bid accordingly!

Steve Ditko - Amazing Spider-Man #13, page 12 Original Art (Marvel, 1964).
Hold on to your web-spinners, Spidey fans! This page hails from "The Menace of Mysterio" and Spider-Man and Mysterio are battling in every panel, as the wall-crawler tries to land a blow on his crafty nemesis. Steve Ditko's work on the Amazing Spider-Man assured him of a spot in the comic book Hall of Fame in 1990. His peer and fellow Marvel titan Jack Kirby once remarked, "You can point to any picture that Steve Ditko makes and say, 'Ditko did that.' He's got a definite style that you recognize anywhere. He's a wonderful conceptualist." Many fans consider Ditko's work on Spider-Man to be the high point of a brilliant career. Mike Benton explains why when he wrote in his indispensable book Masters of Imagination, "Ditko was immersed in the Spider-Man universe and he covered the walls of his Manhattan studio with maps and drawings of Aunt May's house, the Daily Bugle offices, and the campus of Empire State University." In short, Steve Ditko showed a dedication to his craft that went far beyond a simple wage earner. The image size of this terrific page measures 12.5" x 18.5", and the art is in Excellent condition. Face front true believer -- if you crave a Sturdy Steve Ditko Spider-Man action page, here it is!

E. C. Segar - Popeye Sunday Comic Strip Original Art, dated 9-13-35 (King Features Syndicate, 1935).
"I yam what I yam, and tha's all I yam!" With these immortal words, Popeye puts forth his credo for all to hear, and no amount of stomping on the floor from Olive will make him change his ways! This unusual Sunday strip is unrestrained with adult content, and would be considered "cutting edge" in today's papers. Popeye's ability to be flexible is tested in this side-splitter from Segar. Tricked into a serious dalliance with Olive Oyl's friend, all is fine with our hero until Olive wants equal rights! Segar, who created Popeye, and drew the feature from 1919 until 1938, claimed that the spinach-eating champion represented his own emotions; it's clear he was involved in a romantic problem with this one! Popeye was generally good-natured and faithful to his one true love, Olive; here we see the frustrations this single love can bring. The page is in Excellent condition, and the size is approximately 21.5" x 18"; there is a small tear in the margin that does not reach the art. With a major character in every panel, this incredible page should stir up considerable interest among collectors.

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HeritageComics.com.

HCA specializes in rare, high-grade comic books, as well as vintage comic and animation art, illustration art, classic toys, movie posters and comics-related collectibles.

Prospective consignors and sellers of top-end comics material, toys, and original art are invited to call Ed Jaster at 214-252-4288 or Fred McSurley at 214-252-4293 to discuss their rare comics and original illustration and comic art. Or visit www.HeritageComics.com and click on the "consign" tab. Or simply email Ed Jaster at EdJ@HeritageComics.com or Fred McSurley at FredM@HeritageComics.com.

Movie poster consignors, please call Grey Smith at 214-668-6928 or email GreySm@HeritageMoviePosters.com.

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