Doug Schmell, CEO and President of Pedigree Comics, Inc., reports that his company just brokered the sale of a CGC certified 9.2 (NM-) copy of Journey Into Mystery #83 for $100,000. Featuring the origin and first appearance of Thor, JIM #83 is one of the most popular and valuable early Silver Age keys, ranked as #6 according to latest Overstreet Guide listing. It is also one of the most difficult Silver Age Marvel first appearance issues to locate in high grade, trailing only Tales to Astonish #27 and Incredible Hulk #1. Cover dated August, 1962 (the same month as Spider-Man’s initial appearance In Amazing Fantasy #15), JIM #83 is easily one of, if not the hottest books on the market right now, with record sales in each grade being recorded over the past year. A 9.0 copy from the Twin Cities Collection sold in Pedigree’s May, 2011 Grand Auction for a record price of $52,000, eclipsing the record price for a 9.0 example (similarly sold by Pedigree Comics) of $39,500 in March, 2011. The $100,000 paid for the subject 9.2 is similarly a record price. This same copy sold for a then record price of $82,800 at auction in February, 2011, the very first (and until now only) known sale of a NM- copy of Journey Into Mystery #83.
According to Mr. Schmell: “The book is characterized by unbelievable color strike, perfect centering, tight staples, razor sharp edges and corners and phenomenal white pages. It is easily the 5th best existing copy behind only one in 9.6 and three in 9.4 and looks even nicer up close than any possible description could make. Only 5 other 9.2’s have been certified by the CGC to date. The seller, a collector of high grade Silver Age Marvels, contacted me after reading about the few recent sales through my company, particularly the record sales for X-Men #1 in 9.4 ($137,500) and Amazing Spider-Man #1 in 9.2 Massachusetts copy ($90,000), late last month. He asked me if the same buyer of those two books, which similarly have white pages, would be interested in his JIM 83. I contacted the buyer, a very picky private collector who only buys Silver Age Marvel keys in 9.0 or higher and who loves perfect page quality, and after only two telephone conversations the deal was struck. Since he now owns the JIM #83 in 9.2, he just consigned back to us the 9.0 Twin Cities copy he purchased in May and that book is now one of the featured items in our upcoming November Grand Auction starting on November 7th”.