Rare Spider-Man Comic Sells at Auction for $454,100
It is not everyday that superheroes are born and they are not always born in their own comic book, just like our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man who debuted in "Amazing Fantasy #15" back in 1962. It just so happened that the now very rare, high-grade copy of the specific issue surfaced at Heritage Auctions and was picked up with a winning bid of $454,100.
"Amazing Fantasy #15" features the first appearance of Spider-Man, Uncle Ben and Aunt May in the Marvel Universe.
There were only roughly 5,000 to 6,000 copies of "Amazing Fantasy #15" printed in 1962 and only a handful are around now, which makes the auctioned copy incredibly rare since it received a Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) grading of 9.4. CGC is a well-known professional and thorough comic book assessment company.
"Once certified by CGC, a comic book is encapsulated in a state-of-the art, tamper-evident holder, providing superior protection and stability for long-term preservation," the CGC website explains its process.
"Note that the pesky Marvel 'chipping' so commonly found on this issue is non-existent here. This dream copy looks as if it was read once, very carefully, and then put away," Heritage Auctions described.
The auction company is not far off with its assumption because the seller, Walter Yakaboski, actually stashed the copy in a safety deposit box for the last 35 years. To be more precise, he bought the copy for $1,200 in 1980 - which made his mother think he was crazy - and kept his treasure in a safety deposit box when he started a family.
Now at 60 years old, he decided to sell it to help raise funds and enable him to purchase his late father's 17-acre farm in Long Island.
Perhaps Yakaboski's mother no longer thinks he is crazy, now that what he spent for the comic book about three decades ago gave him back more than $450,000.
"It's a very high grade on a very rare comic book ... There are only a handful of these comics in this condition that exist. Whoever buys this comic will be joining an elite club," Heritage Auctions Comics Department's Managing Director Lon Allen said.
To stress just how rare this particular comic is, a private collector was said to have paid more than $1 million for a copy of the same comic book in near-mint condition.
Vocabulary:
1. Auction - n. A public sale in which goods or property are sold to the highest bidder.
2. Certified - verb Attest or confirm in a formal statement.
3 Encapsulated - verb Enclose (something) in or as if in a capsule.
4. State of the art - n. The most recent stage in the development of a product, incorporating the newest ideas and features.
5. Stability - n. The state of being stable.
6. Precise - adj. Marked by exactness and accuracy of expression or detail.
7. High grade - adj. Of very good quality.
8. Elite - n. A select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society.
Discussion:
1. Do you agree that things of no value today may be valuable in the future?
2. What are the things you know of that may increase value over the years?
3. Do you like collecting things? Why or why not?
4. If you would start collecting something as a hobby, what would you collect? Why this item?
5. What is the most expensive thing you own? What made you purchase it despite costing an arm and a leg?
