The original art for The Amazing Spider-Man #100 sold for $478,000, at Heritage Auctions, setting a world record for the most expensive Marvel Comics Silver or Bronze Age cover ever sold at public auction. Led by the world-record $478,000 paid for the original art for The Amazing Spider-Man #100, Heritage Auctions’ Comics & Comic Art Auction soared to $8,620,797, topping its pre-auction estimate by more than $1.75 million.
It also is the most expensive piece of Spider-Man art drawn by legendary artist John Romita, Sr. The winning bidder chose to remain anonymous.
The previous public auction record for a piece of Spider-Man art drawn by Romita, Sr., was set by Heritage Auctions in 2013 when his cover for The Amazing Spider-Man #121 (Marvel, 1973) sold for $286,800.
Considered one of the most iconic covers of the 1970s, the cover masterfully portrays Spidey and dozens of famous canon characters. Collaborating with the legendary Stan Lee and artist Frank Giacoia, the trio understood the anniversary issue’s cover needed to be a masterpiece. Historians and fans alike rank the cover among the most influential of all time.
The original cover was offered during Heritage’s Comics & Comic Art Auction held online and in Dallas.
“A true work of art, the winning bidder got a lot of bang for the buck in that the cover depicts so many iconic characters,” Heritage Auctions’ Senior Vice President Ed Jaster said. “This cover was done during the peak period of John Romita, Sr.’s artwork, at a time when Spider-Man’s popularity was extremely high.”
Presented in Marvel Comics’ popular “floating heads” style, more than two dozen famous faces surround a full-body image of Spider-Man. Vicious villains such as Kingpin, Doctor Octopus, Scorpion and the Beetle appear; and Peter Parker’s girlfriends Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy, his beloved Aunt May and Parker’s boss at the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson, are also depicted.
Top sellers on the auction’s first day included a copy of Batman #1 (DC, 1940), which sold for $334,600 and the first appearance of Green Lantern from All American Comics #16 (DC, 1940), which brought $215,100.
The auction continues Saturday with a Signature Internet Session beginning at 1 p.m. CST on HA.com. The session includes a copy of Spider-Man #1 (Marvel, 1963) and a high-grade copy of Fantastic Four #52 (Marvel, 1966), which features the first appearance of Black Panther, a character that shattered box office records last week when the superhero appeared in the blockbuster film of the same name.
World Record Spider-Man Cover Art Leads Heritage Auctions’ Comics & Comic Art Auction Past $8.6 Million
Led by the world-record $478,000 paid for the original art for The Amazing Spider-Man #100, Heritage Auctions’ Comics & Comic Art Auction soared to $8,620,797, topping its pre-auction estimate by more than $1.75 million.
The Spider-Man #100 cover art established a new world record for the most expensive Marvel Comics Silver or Bronze Age cover ever sold at public auction.
“The Spider-Man #100 cover art is an extraordinary piece from an iconic artist,” Heritage Auctions Comics and Comic Art Director of Operations Barry Sandoval said. “Its impact is magnified because the dominant image of Spider-Man is surrounded by so many of the villains and supporting characters from the history of the comic.”
Frank Frazetta Tree of Death Painting Original Art (1970) sparked a flurry of competitive bidding before ultimately realizing $430,200.
Comic books fared extremely well in the sale, with four realizing six-figure results. Batman #1 (DC, 1940) CGC FN/VF 7.0 Off-white to white pages realized $334,600, All-American Comics #16 (DC, 1940) CGC FN+ 6.5 Off-white pages brought $215,100, Batman #1 (DC, 1940) CGC VG- 3.5 Cream to off-white pages drew $143,400 and Captain America Comics #1 (Timely, 1941) CGC VG- 3.5 Light tan to off-white pages yielded $119,500.
Joining Spider-Man among the prized original cover art was Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta Thor #154 Cover Original Art (Marvel, 1968), which brought $161,325.
Collectors also pursued comic strip art, including Charles Schulz Peanuts Sunday Comic Strip Snoopy and Lucy Original Art dated 9-27-53 (United Feature Syndicate, 1953) and Charles Schulz Peanuts Sunday Comic Strip Original Art dated 12-21-58 (United Feature Syndicate, 1958), each of which realized $113,525. A Bill Watterson Calvin and Hobbes Daily Comic Strip Original Art dated 5-20-86 (Universal Press Syndicate, 1986), sold for $95,600.
The auction included over 100 lots from the Simi Valley Collection, consigned by an original owner from the Los Angeles area who compiled a complete Marvel collection. He bought books off the newsstand from 1960-75, many of which earned grades between VF 8.0 and NM/MT 9.8. He was an avid customer of the Hollywood-based Cherokee Book Shop, where he acquired back issues from assorted titles, including multiple copies of Amazing Fantasy #15; Incredible Hulk #1 and a Fine Plus copy of All-American Comics #16 – the only Golden Age comic in this section of the auction. Among the auction’s top lots from the Simi Valley Collection:
- All-American Comics #16 (DC, 1940) CGC FN+ 6.5 Off-white pages: $215,100
- Amazing Fantasy #15 (Marvel, 1962) CGC FN- 5.5 Off-white pages: $45,410
- X-Men #1 (Marvel, 1963) CGC VF+ 8.5 Off-white pages: $38,240
Other top lots included, but were not limited to:
- Jack Kirby and Paul Reinman X-Men #1 Story Page 20 Original Art (Marvel, 1963): $83,650
- Olivia (Olivia De Berardinis) “Amazon Warrior” Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman Painting Original Art (DC/Warner Brothers Studio, 2017): $65,725
- Will Eisner and Ken Kelly Spirit #6 Cover Original Art and Color Guide (Warren, 1975): $59,750
- Amazing Fantasy #15 (Marvel, 1962) CGC FN 6.0 Off-white to white pages: $59,218.23
- Carl Barks “Square Eggs” (aka “Lost In The Andes”) Painting CB -OIL 52 Original Art and Correspondence Group of 3 (1973): $54,970
- Gil Kane and Tony DeZuniga Star Wars #9 Cover Original Art (Marvel, 1978): $52,580
- Captain America Comics #1 (Timely, 1941) CGC Qualified VG 4.0 Off-White to White Pages: $50,190
