Congratulations, 2013 CGC Registry Award Winners!

The CGC Registry has grown to over 43,000 registered sets in more than 2,800 set types. Requests for new set types continue to come in and we look forward to watching the progress made by collectors as new books are added each day.

Our mission was to choose three sets each in six competitive categories — Best Golden Age, Best Silver Age, Best Bronze Age, Best Modern Age, Best Copper Age and Best Presented. Additionally, we had the task of choosing one winner for Best Magazine Set, three outstanding message board contributors and just one registry participant for Overall Achievement in Comics Collecting.

Our team of judges reviewed all of the top sets across every category in the Comics Registry and after much deliberation, selected the following winners. Congratulations to all!

CGC 2013 Award for Overall Achievement in Comics Collecting

wallstreetrebel

The winner for CGC’s 2013 Award for Overall Achievement in Comics Collecting is wallstreetrebel! A Silver Age collector, loving both Marvel and DC Comics, wallstreetrebel ranks second in overall registry points. Eight of his sets are ranked No. 1, and nine are ranked No. 2. Highlights of his collection are Daredevil #1 in 9.4, Showcase #4 in 8.0, X-Men #1 in 8.5 and a Flash #105 in 9.2. Perhaps the coolest thing is wallstreetrebel’s bio, where he revels that he is collecting with his son and that these books are theirs. Here's to the next generation! Please check out wallstreetrebel’s sets homepage.

Best Golden Age Sets

4Gemworks Comic Book Emporium   4GEMWORKS COMPLETE FOUR COLOR EMPORIUM
In the words of this winner, the Four Color Collection is a marathon, not a sprint. This set has found its way to the top spot through the persistence of this dedicated collector. A Herculean effort indeed! Congratulations!

cheetah   Jumbo!
While a complete run of the standard size comics is impressive in itself, over half of this set is 9.0 or better condition. A dedicated effort!

walclark    walclark’s GA Hitler covers
As Hitler cover comics are always premium, highly sought-after gems of the Golden Age, to have over 75% of them amassed in one collection is very cool. While not a particularly “high-grade” set, the effort to search out and acquire all these classic WWII books deserves recognition. Check out all the images!

Best Silver Age Sets

kennyken9797   Ken’s X-men
When an X-Men set’s weakest link is a 9.4 #1, hyperbole becomes fact. This run is stunning. Even the copy of #41 is a rare and difficult 9.9 from the '60s. High grade, highly consistent. Again: stunning!

srbenn   AtomMan
Not even Ray Palmer, the Atom himself, could minimize the impressiveness of this collection. All Showcase tryouts are represented here, as are all the issues after the tile change to Atom and Hawkman. Most issues equal or top 9.4.

Tom Skahan   Richie Rich
Spanning most of the Silver Age, this run includes both Harvey Hits and all 83 twelve-cent issues. Grades are consistently high, with most 9.4 or above. It’s likely that only Richie Rich himself has a nicer set!

Best Bronze Age Sets

greggy   greggy’s sweet DC 100 pagers!
Making a return appearance to the Bronze Age awards, greggy’s set of DC 100-page books has undergone extensive improvements and over 16,000 points from its previous appearance three years ago. Now comprising 114 out of 115 books, it boasts an impressive 48 9.8s and 50 9.6s. Considering that these are square-bound books (which renders them prone to a variety of manufacturing defects), this was no easy feat. Well done, greggy!

electricprune   Guuud Eeeevuhning!
Somewhat tougher to get than your typical Bronze Age series from Marvel (since it was horror rather than the more widely-read superhero genre), this impressive set is a complete run of Tomb of Dracula (including the Giant-Size series) that consists solely of 9.6s and 9.8s. Further, the 9.8s in this set include the first issue, as well as what many consider the key book in the series, #10 with the first appearance of Blade, the Vampire Slayer. When you realize that several books in this series have only had one copy graded 9.8 (or even no copies as of yet!) you can imagine how much time and effort electricprune has invested in this set.

CarlD   Crom!!!!!.King Conan Set 2
The series that many believe ushered in the Bronze Age, Conan the Barbarian has always been a title in high demand, and this set comprises the first 100 issues, as well as the five Giant-Size issues and the first five Annuals. CarlD's collection here is missing only two issues from that set and of the 108 issues he *does* have, there is only a single 9.6, with the rest being 9.8s — or higher! Crom himself would envy this amazing collection!

Best Copper Age Sets

Abner   SilentMaster
Abner’s “Silent Master” set contains a complete run of G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero! This may be impressive in itself, but did I mention they are all in 9.8? If that impressed you, maybe you'll be even more amazed to learn that a very large percentage of the comics in this set are designated Signature Series, signed by many of the creators of the run! This set has descriptions and photos of every book and Abner continues to improve this set every year by getting more and more of these books signed. G.I. Joe is an important edition to the Copper Age of comics and Abner’s collection showcases them in a fantastic way. Congratulations, Abner!

Ronnylama   Copper Rage
Ronnylama’s “Copper Rage” set contains almost a complete set of Marvel Copper Age first appearances. These books are all in high grade. Some of the highlights of his collection are Alpha Flight #1, G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero #1, Uncanny X-Men #266, New Mutants #s 87 and 98, Web of Spider-Man #1 and Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8 — all in 9.9 condition! Ronnylama also has pictures and descriptions for almost every book he has posted, and he continues to improve his collection every year! Very impressive!

Mycho   Mint McFarlane’s
The McFarlane era of Amazing Spider-Man is considered by some to be legendary. It brought us Venom, arguably the most popular new villain introduced in the last 25 years. It also led Marvel to give McFarlane his very own Spider-Man title, the first issue selling millions of copies. Last but not least, the original cover art to Amazing Spider-Man #328 (McFarlane’s last issue in this run) broke records when it sold at auction. Mycho’s “Mint McFarlane’s” set contains every issue of this memorable run of Amazing Spider-Man, 16 of those issues in 9.9; the rest are all 9.8s. This is a beautiful collection of a remarkable run of books from the Copper Age of comics.

Best Modern Age Sets

ironcorn   Star Wars: Dark Empire
It was a hard decision picking the No. 1 spot this year, but Ironcorn has put together a breath-taking collection of Star Wars: Dark Empire parts one and two. Among some of these stand-out copies is a Dark Empire #3 Platinum Edition at 9.9, signed by Mark Hamill and Dave Dorman. This set also has Dark Empire II issues #3 and #6 Gold Editions, both graded at a Gem Mint 10.

The Mongoose - Warrior Leader of Gods Army   SIEGE SIEGE
The Mongoose – Warrior Leader of Gods Army has put together an impressive and complete run of the Siege story arc, including quite a few Signature Series copies. All issues in this set are 9.8 including regular, variant and sketch covers. Plus images for each book and description for most make this a well-presented set as well.

Sensei   Sensei Ryan’s Green Lantern (2011) CGC Comic Collection
Sensei Ryan has put together a great collection of the latest Green Lantern run. All of the books are in the Near Mint range with even a couple graded at 9.9. This set has images and descriptions for every comic and some Signature Series books, as well. All of that and a Neal Adams sketch on issue 13 makes this new set a good fit for this year's winners.

Best Presented Sets

newshane   Malebolgia’s Gemstones
This set was an easy choice for the Best Presented category. In the overall set comments, the owner provides us with some insight into his early collecting days and how this character became important to him. There are photos for every book in this set, as well as detailed commentary. The special notes of interest and personal reflections included for some of the entries are a nice touch. Well done!

tec-tac-toe 27 plus   Dark is the Gotham Knight
Spend a few minutes reviewing and you will see the energy invested in the acquisition and presentation of this set. For many of the entries, he mentions the possibility of upgrades if the right book comes along. It will be fun to see how this set evolves over time.

Buzzetta   Buzzetta’s Spider-man Set
The owner of this set took some time to get this collection together, and he states in his overall set description that he will never be at the top of the rankings for this set type. We are glad that didn’t stop him from showcasing this set in the CGC registry.

Best Magazine Set

Mark Sielski   Vampirella(1969)
Being recognized as “The Best in Set Type” for the past four years in a row, and aiming for five, I suppose it was only a matter of time before this incredible collection of Vampirella magazines was awarded “Best Magazine Set”. And that time is now! Of the 115 books in this particular set, only 15 received a 9.2, with the rest all coming in at 9.4 or higher! Highlights include the early Frank Frazetta covers on #s 5, 7 and 11 all at 9.6, along with the #31 in 9.2, and of course the classic #1 in an impressive 9.4! When you can boast that nearly 90% of your Vampi run is in stunning NM (9.4) or higher, coupled with the fact that your set outranks the next best by more than 10k points, I believe it is safe to say you’ve earned the coveted title of “2013 Best Magazine Set”!

Best Forumites

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Best in Set Type

We would also like to acknowledge the top set in each set type. See our 2013 Awards Archive page for the Best in Set Type winners.

2013 Awards Archive