Rare comic books sometimes have a hefty price tag. There are various factors that warrant a specific comic book having more value than others.
A few elements that can add zeros to a comic book's worth are age, condition, the content and characters. For example, the volumes that include the first time a character appeared in a comic book provide more value to that book.
These specific factors have helped the "Amazing Fantasy No. 15" comic book sell for thousands, and in some cases millions of dollars. A comic shop in Milwaukee recently got their hands on one of these highly sought after comics.
Steve Dobrzynski, the owner of Collector's Edge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, released pictures on Tuesday, Oct. 17, of the "Amazing Fantasy No. 15" comic he acquired from a couple who brought it in to sell. The pair found it among the possessions of a deceased relative.
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The 1962 comic book was written by the late Stan Lee, and includes the first appearance of beloved superhero Spider-Man. The comic book recites Spider-Man's superhero origin story of being bitten by a radioactive spider thus resulting in powers.
"It's the first appearance ever, of the character of Spider-Man. He had never appeared before that issue, and it was on the cover, it was a filler issue," Dobrzynski told Fox News Digital.
Dobrzynski detailed how the popularity of this particular comic book led to Spider-Man receiving his own title.
"So it actually came out before Spider-Man number one," Dobrzynski said.
In 2021, at an auction in Texas, a close to perfect copy of the book was sold for $3.6 million. When the comic was first sold, it hit the shelves with a price tag of a measly 12 cents. Back in 2011, a copy was sold by New York dealers ComicConnect for $1.1 million.
You can sell comic books like "Amazing Fantasy No. 15," through local shops, private sales or at auctions.
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A comic books' condition plays a major role in how much it is worth. After receiving the comic book, Dobrzynski sent it off to Florida based comics and collectibles grading service, Certified Guaranty Company, which ranked the book a 3.0 on a scale of 0.5 to 10, with the worst condition ranking at a 0.5 and the best a 10. The copy obtained by Collector's Edge is a worn copy with small tears on the edges of the book. The copy of the comic received a higher grade than Dobrzynski had expected, a bittersweet moment for the shop owner.
"Because the grade came back higher than we thought it was going to be, the people who were going to buy it at the lower grade can't afford the higher grade," Dobrzynski explained. "We got a little bit higher grade on it, but because the comic was now twice as valuable, it priced a lot of people out."
Before putting the comic book out to the public, he contacted a few of his customers to see if they were interested in purchasing, but didn't hear back from the frequent buyers.
"A comic this one is, because of the value, it's going to have a little bit lower amount of people that can afford it. So it takes a little bit longer to notify everybody, let them know it's available. And then once we have enough people that know it's available, then we're going to start getting in offers," Dobrzynski said.
Dobrzynski confirmed to Fox News Digital that at this time, the book has not yet been sold.
