Set Description:
OK, the name needs some work for sure, as does the set. We registered our books when we saw this set, but with a few caveats, we have never collected Action. Adventure, House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Superboy or Strange Adventures, just to name a few, so this set has never been a focus for us.
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| Slot: |
Showcase #4 (1956) |
| Item: |
Showcase 4 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1032387001
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Owner Comments
This is the biggie and probably one of the more rapidly appreciating books in the comic book world. It features the introduction of Barry Allen, the Flash, and Central City.
The book contains two stories: “The Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt” and “The Man Who Broke The Time Barrier”.
The first story introduces readers to Barry Allen, a police scientist who is doused with chemicals that are struck by lightning. Barry soon finds that he has been endowed with super-speed and creates a costume which contracts and hides in his ring). He takes on the name of his favorite comic book character: The Flash.
In his first mission as the Flash, Barry goes after the criminal known as the Turtle Man, dubbed the world's slowest man. The Turtle Man tries to rob a bank. However, he is ultimately thwarted by the Flash, despite the fact that his super-speed often worked against him going after the plodding Turtle Man. Ultimately, the Flash captures his opponent and turns him over to the police.
In ‘The Man Who Broke The Time Barrier”, Central City is hit with a number of strange crimes where a series of items begins vanishing from people's possessions. Barry Allen becomes involved as the Flash when a beaker he's experimenting with vanishes as well. Tracking down the culprit puts Barry up against Mazdan, a criminal from the future who was supposed to be sent to the 50th Century to serve his sentence on a desolate Earth but was sent to the past by mistake instead.
Able to avoid Mazdan's weapon, Flash captures the crook. However, he manages to break out of prison using his superior scientific knowledge. Catching up with Mazdan again, the Flash tries to capture him again but stops when Mazdan petitions the Flash to allow him to return to his own time. Instead of allowing him to go in his own time capsule, the Flash instead breaks the time barrier by running at super speed, turning Mazdan over to the authorities in the future. Mazdan is sent to the correct era to serve out his punishment. The Flash then returns to his own time and resumes his civilian life once more.
This copy is a very clean 9.2, one of the top 5 graded overall and certainly the best we can afford in today's market. We acquired the book from Vintage Comics, who is an old friend and knew I wanted a better copy. He bought the book raw and I received it directly from CGC. It is thus one of the few books in our collection, which has never been owned by anyone else as a graded book. As an aside, I really wish I had done an all-cash deal and not traded by Nick Cage copy as part of the transaction, which because of the appreciation of this book would be more valuable today than the 9.2 was when I bought it. But I have never been that smart LOL.
Unfortunately, I do not have a scan, but hope to add one soon.
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| Slot: |
Batman #112 (1957) |
| Item: |
Batman 112 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
4068939005
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Owner Comments
Issue #112 features the first appearances of Signalman, Phillip Cobb, and Professor Milo, along with an appearance by Doctor Carter. Our 9.8 is not only the single highest graded example, but also the only book ever graded higher than 9.0 by CGC. We acquired the book from the 8/31/2021 ComicConnect Auction.*
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| Slot: |
Showcase #6 (1957) |
| Item: |
Showcase 6 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
4355994001
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Owner Comments
Issue #7 from 1957 features the Origin and first appearance of the, Challengers of the Unknown (Rocky Davis, Prof Haley, Red Ryan & Ace Morgan). Our 8.5 is tied for second highest graded trailing several 9.0s. We acquired the book in an effort to complete a mini-Showcase run of Issues #4-14 in the 4/4/2024 Heritage Auction.
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| Slot: |
Showcase #7 (1957) |
| Item: |
Showcase 7 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
4364134011
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Owner Comments
Issue #7 features the second appearance by the Challengers of the Unknown and appearances by June Robbins and ULTIVAC. Our 9.4 is the single highest graded copy in the census. We acquired the book from the 4/6/2024 Heritage Auction.
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| Slot: |
Showcase #8 (1957) |
| Item: |
Showcase 8 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1198563002
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Owner Comments
Showcase #8 represents the second try-out issue of the SA Flash. It is unique in that regard, in that almost all try-out issue of superheroes run consecutively. Notably one of the two stories in the book introduces the DC world to Captain Cold, alias Len Snart, who will be a recurring Flash villain.
Len Snart was a down on his luck guy until one day, after reading a newspaper story that theorized that a cyclotron could possibly stop the Flash, Snart breaks into a science lab and uses the Cyclotron on a weapon of his own devising. Mostly by accident, Snart creates a freezing weapon that leads to the birth of his costumed identity: Captain Cold.
As Cold, Snart hopes to use his cold gun (and its abilities to create mirages) against the Flash and defeat the worlds fastest man. Going up against the Flash, Captain Cold's weapon works at first disorientating the Flash. However, Flash figures out the truth behind Cold's powers and is able to stop him by spinning him around at super speed, and turns him over to the police.
This copy is highest graded and one of only two 9.2s. It probably the toughest book in the whole run as the next best copies are 8.0s. The book was purchased from CL in a brokered transaction in 2014. It wasn’t cheap LOL.
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| Slot: |
Batman #113 (1958) |
| Item: |
Batman 113 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1241610001
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Owner Comments
Issue #113 features the first appearance of Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. Our 9.0 comes from the Alfred Pennyworth Collection and is tied with two other copies for second highest graded trailing a single 9.2. We acquired the book from the !/12/2023 Heritage Auction.
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| Slot: |
Detective Comics #253 (1958) |
| Item: |
Detective Comics 253 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
3962631019
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Owner Comments
Issue #253 features the first appearance of the Terrible Trio, (Fox, Shark and Vulture). While just an 8.5, our book is the single highest graded example in the census. We acquired the book from the 1/14/2022 Heritage Auction.
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| Slot: |
Detective Comics #261 (1958) |
| Item: |
Detective Comics 261 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
3932992010
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Owner Comments
Issue #261 features the first appearance of Dr. X, and Dr. Double X. Our 9.4 is the single highest graded example of this issue. We acquired the book from Nick at Comic Book Addiction in January 2022.
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| Slot: |
Showcase #13 (1958) |
| Item: |
Showcase 13 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
4068910015
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Owner Comments
This time there was a gap of four issue until Flash makes another appearance in Showcase #13. It seemed the Flash was going to make annual appearances, as Showcase #4 was published in 1956, Showcase #8 in 1957, and Showcase #13 in 1958. Obviously DC was not yet fully committed to SA superheroes.
As in Showcase #4 and #8, this issue contains two stories: “Around the World in 80 Minutes” and “Master of the Elements”. In the first story, after taking Iris on a date to see the film "Around the World in 80 Days", Iris muses how long it would take Flash to run around the world before reminding Barry that they have a date and he shouldn't be late.The next day Flash races to Paris to stop the Black Cat from blowing up the Eiffel Tower, travels to Egypt to saves Princess Tara from El Claw, stops an avalanche near Mt. Everest, and stops a pirate submarine. After recovering the crew targeted by the pirate sub, they tell him it's Tuesday. Fearing he's late for his date (Which was for Monday evening) Flash races back to the States and changes into Barry Allen, and finds to his relief that it's still Monday on his side of the world and he's just in time for his date with Iris.
The second story introduces us to Mr Element, a scientist with a bipolar personality. Interestingly, he discovered the Philosopher’s Stone many years before JK Rowland. Needless to say, Flash still always wins.
Our 9.4 is currently the single highest graded example in the census and has been for well over a decade. We have known about it for at least 10 years when we lost it in a Heritage Auction to a collector in Europe. We finally got a second shot at it in the 9/9/2021 Heritage Auction, which was where we acquired it. We paid more than we wanted for sure, but it raised the floor of this set from 8.5 to 9.2.*
2023 Update: Now this one really hurt. After finally acquiring a book we had coveted for more than a decade, our 9.4, which was two grades above the next copy, has been unseated by a 9.6. That one certainly came out of nowhere. If there was ever something that could make me quit collecting comics, this one is probably it.
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| Slot: |
Batman #126 (1959) |
| Item: |
Batman 126 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
2109003010
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Owner Comments
Issue #126 features the first appearance of the Firefly, Ted Carson. Our 9.6 is easily the highest graded copy in the census. We acquired the book from MySlabs in January 2022.
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| Slot: |
Showcase #20 (1959) |
| Item: |
Showcase 20 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
3800804001
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Owner Comments
Showcase Issue #20 features the introduction of Rip Hunter, Time Master, Our 9.4 is tied for highest graded with one other copy. We acquired the book primarily for our Showcase set from the 4/4/2024 Heritage Auction. However, we do have some interest in putting together a Rip Hunter set, if the books become available.
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| Slot: |
Showcase #22 (1959) |
| Item: |
Showcase 22 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1027965002
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Owner Comments
Showcase #22 is the debut issue of the Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, and one of the major Silver Age keys. With a career spanning from the 1940 release of All-American Comics #16 (and the Golden Age Green Lantern title) to the Silver Age relaunch of the series in Green Lantern #1, the groundbreaking O’Neil and Adams run starting in Green Lantern #76, through the controversial “Emerald Twilight/Dawn” story arc and right up to the recent blockbuster “Blackest Night”, Green Lantern is one of the most popular and dynamic characters in the DC Universe. Green Lantern is also just the third major DC hero to be featured on the silver screen-OK Ryan Reynolds was probably better as Deadpool, but poor Flash is still waiting.
Time has not been kind to my issue. When I acquired this book in the 3/13/2012 ComicLink auction, it was one of the three highest graded copies. Needless to say, it was not cheap. Shortly thereafter, in August 2012, a 9.2 emerged as was also auctioned off on ComicLink. It made about $20,000 more than I paid, a relative bargain. That book has had quite a history. It was purchased by a friend of mine who sold it for more than twice what he paid in 2017. But since then, the book has bounced around several auctions and just sold again for $87,000 plus the buyer’s premium on Heritage in their May 2020 auction. That is still more than what the book made when it first emerged in August 2012, but considerably less than what my friend sold it for in 2017. Of course, one major problem for that book now is that it is no longer highest graded, as out of nowhere a 9.4 has popped onto the census. Nobody I know has seen that book or knows its origins. But all this means that my book, which started out highest graded when I bought it in March 2012, is now tied with three other books for third highest graded with a single 9.2 and 9.4 above it. Oh well, it is still top six, at least for now........
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| Slot: |
Brave and the Bold #28 (1960) |
| Item: |
Brave and the Bold 28 B-5 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1974945001
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Owner Comments
B&B #28 features the first appearance of the JLA and Starro the Conqueror. Our 9.4 is tied for second highest graded trailing a single 9.6; but, and it’s a big but, it’s restored with a purple label. This is our only restored or qualified book in this 267 book set, which is the largest in our collection-or at least it will be when finished. We acquired the book from the 9/9/2021 Heritage Auction.
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| Slot: |
Brave and the Bold #29 (1960) |
| Item: |
Brave and the Bold 29 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1270654003
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Owner Comments
This 1960 issue, which is now over 60 years old, features the second appearance of the Justice League of America and Snapper Carr, along with the first appearance of Xotar and a pretty cool robot cover. Our 9.0 is tied with five other copies for second highest graded trailing a single 9.4, which sold at auction for over $38,000 on Heritage in 2015. We acquired this book for much much less from My Comic Shop on 1/9/2021.
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| Slot: |
Brave and the Bold #30 (1960) |
| Item: |
Brave and the Bold 30 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1625872007
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Owner Comments
Brave and the Bold #30 features the third appearance of the Justice League of America and the first appearance of Amazo the Android and Professor Ivo. Our 9.4 is the single highest graded copy of this issue. We were first offered this book shortly after it was graded by Ed Jaster at Heritage, but passed at the time because we were short of cash. We were later able to pick it up at a cheaper price In the June 2021 ComicConnect Auction. I am now sure why so many Silver Age DCs have not experienced the crazy COVID bump in prices we have seen with other comics, but I certainly prefer to spend my money on single highest graded books from 1960 than books from the 70s that are one of 100 or more, and yet those later books have been trading at higher prices of late.
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