COMIC DETAILS
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Comic Description:
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Amazing Spider-Man 252 Modern
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Grade:
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9.8
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Page Quality:
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WHITE
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Certification #:
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3707406002
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Owner:
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Professor Pecora
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SET DETAILS
Owner's Description
Amazing Spider-Man #252 features the 1st appearance of the black costume and an Amazing Fantasy #15 cover homage!
Overstreet 2023 NM- 9.2 value = $275.
Currently Ranked #20 on Overstreet's list of Top 25 Copper Age Comics.
According to the CGC Census Report as of Tuesday, August 22, 2023, out of a staggering total of 20,108 Universal copies graded, only 1,659 copies were graded in 9.8 with ONLY 8 copies graded higher in 9.9!
With these statistics in mind, this represents a rarity factor of only 8.25% of the total population!
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After 21 years and 9 months since Spider-Man made his historic debut in Amazing Fantasy #15 in August of 1962, cover artists Ron Frenz and Klaus Janson decided to pay homage to the classic cover as history is made once again—with the 1st appearance of Spider-Man appearing in the black costume!
The beautiful brown, red and orange cover depicts Spider-Man rescuing both a teenage girl and a teenage boy swinging through the heart of Manhattan, as the sun sets amidst the Empire State Building towering in the background. Whereas the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15 took place in the daytime in his original red and blue costume; the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #252 takes place in the evening—reflecting his new look in the black costume.
Now considered one of the landmark issues in the Amazing Spider-Man title, the black costume is later revealed as the alien symbiote that eventually bonds with Eddie Brock, turning him into the ferocious villain known as Venom, who later evolves into the anti-hero—Venom: Lethal Protector. As a result, ASM #252 will only continue to appreciate in value, especially as Venom’s popularity increases!
Although ASM #252 is not considered rare, as the combined total of Universal 9.2, 9.4 and 9.6 copies equal more than half the population on the CGC Census, it’s surprisingly rarer to acquire in Universal 9.8 with approximately ONLY 8.27% of all graded copies having received the coveted NM/M grade!
With that being said, this particular 9.8 copy is exceptional because it is PERFECTLY WRAPPED and CENTERED and contains PERFECT WHITE PAGES! The spine is super tight without even a small stress in sight; the color saturation is deep and bright, and the book was perfectly cut and contains PERFECT staple placement!
Furthermore, this stunning copy is also a rare Newsstand Edition, which is indicated by the UPC barcode in place of the Spider-Man Rectangle located on the bottom left-hand corner of the front cover.
In closing, I purchased this pristine beauty from britpopgirl70 (via eBay) in February of 2021! This was a unique and special acquisition, as I was blessed to get to know the seller on a personal level whom I befriended!
The backstory to this immaculate copy of ASM #252 is that it previously belonged to the seller’s father, who passed away several years ago. The seller’s father was a huge comic book fan and collector and more importantly—was an exceptional individual who loved and cared for others with pure motives and a selfless nature. When I asked the seller to provide me with some background information about her wonderful father, here is what she shared with me in her own words:
“He was a painter and did superhero paintings for people. Like, anyone that wanted one - he would do a full size (24"x36") painting of whichever superhero character they wanted, and he would even get it framed for them - all on his dime. Needless to say, most of the boys in my neighborhood growing up got a superhero painting to hang on their wall! I currently have a couple of his beautiful paintings of the Silver Surfer and the Fantastic Four hanging over our living room couch in his memory!”
Since the seller was never into collecting comics, she decided to have her father’s collection professionally graded by CGC and to offer his beloved books for sale to the comic collecting community on eBay, who would better appreciate owning them. With that said, I am honored to be the new owner of his MINT looking ASM #252! It’s definitely a superior-looking copy and is protected and cherished in the right home! I think he would be immensely proud to have his prized copy displayed alongside all of the other world-class ASM gems featured in Arachnophobia!
Cheers to LIFE and FRIENDSHIP! :-)
Happy Collecting & Enjoy the Hunt!
-Professor Pecora
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