Near-Mint ‘Fantastic Four’ No. 1 Sets $2.04 Million Record at Heritage

By Intelligent Collector Staff 

A unicorn-grade copy of Fantastic Four No. 1, the 1961 comic that launched the Marvel Universe, realized $2.04 million at Heritage Auctions’ Sept. 12–15 Comics & Comic Art Signature event. The book is CGC NM+ 9.6, White pages, one of only two examples known at that grade.  

Heritage notes the issue opened live bidding at $1.05 million before surging to its record price. “The state of preservation of this copy is simply unbelievable,” said Barry Sandoval, Heritage Auctions vice president. “It’s one of the greatest single comic books we have ever handled, and the final auction price reflected that.”  

The sale sets a new auction record for Fantastic Four No. 1, surpassing the $1.5 million result for a CGC 9.2 copy sold in 2022. It also places the book as the second-most-valuable Silver Age comic behind only the CGC 9.6 copy of Amazing Fantasy No. 15 that realized $3.6 million in 2021.  

Blue-chip, first-issue keys with top-of-census grades continue to lead the market and reset expectations for Silver Age values. This result underscores Heritage Auctions’ position as a leading venue to sell high-grade Silver Age keys such as Fantastic Four No. 1. 

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