Amazing Fantasy #15, Unique Play Station Console Lift Heritage Auctions’ Comics & Comic Art Auction Beyond $10.75 Million

DALLAS, Texas (March 10, 2020) – One of the finest known copies of the issue in which Spider-Man made his first appearance soared to $795,000, boosting the final total for Heritage Auctions’ Comics & Comic Art Auction to $10,760,781 March 5-8 in Dallas, Texas. In all, 17 different consignors will receive settlement checks of at least $100,000.

Amazing Fantasy #15 (Marvel, 1962) CGC NM 9.4 Off-white to white pages is one of just six copies known to exist with a 9.4 grade – there are only four known copies with a higher grade – of the issue considered the most valuable and in-demand comic book of the Silver Age. The final price was the highest by a wide margin for a 1960s comic sold through Heritage Auctions (the previous high was $492,937.50).

The auction also made history when the only remaining “Play Station” prototype, co-developed during the 1990s by Nintendo and Sony, sold for $360,000. Collectors cast 57 bids for the prototype, which is believed to be the only surviving example of 200 pre-production consoles spawned from a once-promising partnership between Nintendo and Sony.

“This was an exceptional auction that further strengthened Heritage’s position as the premier auction platform for comics, comic art and video games,” Heritage Auctions Co-Chairman Jim Halperin said. “Comic art, in particular, fared well, and the demand for the Play Station console reflected its importance in the evolution of video games and gaming systems.”

One of the more iconic Spider-Man covers ever offered through Heritage Auctions, John Romita Sr. Amazing Spider-Man #51 Cover Kingpin Original Art (Marvel, 1967) prompted offers from two dozen collectors before it sold for $312,000. The image is the Kingpin’s first cover and second overall appearance. The artwork had been in the same collection for nearly 30 years, and never had been offered before at auction.

A beautiful, never-restored copy of Superman #1 (DC, 1939) CGC VG- 3.5 Off-white to white pages sparked bids from more than 40 collectors before finishing at $288,000. The issue, which has proven elusive to find in unrestored condition, is recognized as one of the three most valuable comics in the hobby. The issue is revered as a book with great historical significance, because it is an entire issue dedicated to one character, and one who originated in comic books, rather than in comic strips or cartoons.

Nearly three dozen collectors pursued Captain America Comics #1 (Timely, 1941) CGC FN/VF 7.0 Off-white to white pages until it closed at $186,000. That it is in this condition and unrestored makes it a coveted rarity that could move up from its current No. 8 spot on Overstreet’s Top 100 Golden Age Comics list.

The auction featured a selection of vintage video games, including a graded and sealed cartridge of the rare Stadium Events: Family Fun Fitness Wata 9.2 A+ Sealed NES Bandai 1987 USA, (NES Bandai, 1987), which brought 30 bids before going for $66,000, a sealed copy ofMike Tyson's Punch-Out!! [Rev-A, Round SOQ, Mid-Production] Wata 8.5 A Sealed NES Nintendo 1987 USA that drew $45,600, and Super Mario Bros. [Oval SOQ TM, Late Production] Wata 9.8 A+ Sealed NES Nintendo 1985 USA, which brought $20,400.

Other top lots in the auction included, but were not limited to:

$168,000: Winsor McCay Little Nemo in Slumberland Sunday Comic Strip Original Art dated 9-6-08 (New York Herald, 1908)

$156,000: John Romita Sr. Hero for Hire #1 Cover Original Art (Marvel, 1972)

$117,000: Batman #1 (DC, 1940) CGC VG 4.0 Off-white to white pages

$102,000: Bill Watterson Calvin and Hobbes Daily Comic Strip Original Art dated 2-6-87 (United Feature Syndicate, 1987), just the second time any daily comic strip artwork has brought at least $100,000.

Heritage Auctions is accepting consignments for its April 30-May 2 and July 9-11 Comics Auctions.

Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.

The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has over 1,250,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of five million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit.

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Steve Lansdale, Public Relations Specialist

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