High-grade Copy of First Silver Age Captain America Offered

A copy of Avengers #4 that is one of the highest graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®) is being offered by ComicLink. The book — one of only five in the CGC Census to receive a grade of CGC 9.8 — is being offered for $475,000, with lower bids considered.

The character of Captain America was created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon and first appeared in Captain America Comics #1, by Timely Comics in 1939. The story is about a frail U.S. soldier named Steve Rogers who was injected with a super-soldier serum to transform him into the model soldier known as Captain America. The debut issue also features the first appearance of Captain America’s sidekick Bucky and the villain Red Skull.

Avengers #4 graded CGC 9.8. Click image to enlarge

Originally selling nearly a million copies of each issue, the popularity of Captain America began to fade over the years. Captain America Comics ended in 1949; a short-lived attempt to reintroduce the character by Timely successor Atlas Comics failed in the 1950s.

Captain America successfully made his return in 1964, in the pages of Avengers #4 by Marvel Comics (previously Timely/Atlas). In the comic by Jack Kirby and George Roussos, it was revealed that Captain America’s plane crashed into the ocean, where he was frozen in suspended animation for decades until his body was recovered and revived.

Afterward, Captain America regularly appeared in the Marvel comic book series Tales of Suspense, until the series was rebranded Captain America with issue #100. Ever since, the star-spangled hero has remained a central figure in the Marvel Comics mythology.

It’s uncertain how much this issue might sell for, but another CGC 9.8 copy of Avengers #4 sold for $143,400 in a Heritage Auctions sale in 2017. Given recent increases in market values, this might be one to watch very closely.