Archie Comic Book Prices
Archie Comics Collecting & Pricing
Archie comic book prices are surprisingly high considering the family-oriented youth market that the comic book is aimed at. In a world where superhero comics are now the norm, it would seem like collecting Archie comic books would seem nerdy even to nerds. But keep in mind that when people talk about Archie Comics, they could be talking about one of two things:
- An actual comic book about a red-headed teenager named Archie Andrews.
- An entire comic book publishing company comparable to Marvel or DC.
And when it comes to talking about their publishing company, Archie Comics is one of the oldest comics publishers still in business. They’ve been publishing comic books since 1941. And not all of their publications focus on the adventures of Archie, Jughead, Reggie, Veronica, and Betty. At various times throughout their history, Archie Comics has published various lines of superhero comics too, featuring characters like Captain Flag, The Comet, Firefly, The Fly, Fly Girl, The Fox, Hangman, Jaguar, Mister Justice, The Shield, and Steel Sterling. These superheroes aren’t exactly household names, but to some collectors, these comic books, especially the older ones, are well worth collecting.
Collectors who’ve overlooked the title in the past should take a look at the Archie comics values discussed later in this article.
Archie Comic Book Values
Golden Age Archie Comic Book Prices
Any comic book that was published in the early 1940′s is now scarce, because there was no collector’s market then, and Archie comic book values reflect that scarcity. The Golden Age, for Archie comics, was the 1940′s and the first half of the 1950′s. And those are the highest valued Archie comic books for collectors.
Archie #1 is the most valuable issue of the title. A copy graded at 9.4 on ComicsPriceGuide.com is valued at $80,000, and an 8.5 graded copy sold for $167,300 in 2011. Even if your copy of Archie #1 is torn and tattered, you might still be able to get $6,400 for a copy graded at 2.0.
There’s a major drop in value after that first issue. But Archie #2 still fetches a respectable price of $10,000. Archie #3 is valued at $6,000 in near mint condition, with issues #4 and #5 appraised at $3,200.
Issues #6 thru #10 are valued at $2,000, while #11 to #20 are worth $1,200. Issues #21 to #29 are $800, then prices fall to $500 for issues 31 to 40. From there, the value decreases every five or ten issues.
Silver Age Archie Comic Book Prices
The Silver Age, for Archie comics, includes books that were published in the late 1950s and during the 1960s. By the time you get to issue #78 (published in 1956), the value has fallen to $100. The 100th issues of the series does see a bit of a bump, reversing the $80 trend to sell for $100 in near mint condition.
Modern Age Archie Comic Book Prices
Modern issues of Archie comics aren’t really collectible or valuable. This reflects the growing awareness of how collectible comic books have become. Golden Age and Silver Age comic books are valuable because they’re scarce, and they’re scarce because no one in the 40′s, 50′s, or 60′s knew that they’d eventually be worth something, so no one set aside comic books for posterity. Now it’s customary to store comic books in plastic bags with backing boards to protect their conditions.
How does that affect Archie comic book prices? Beginning with issue #401, each issue of Archie is worth $3 in near mint condition. This price trend stretches over 200 issues into the present, although older back issues should continue to increase slightly in value over the coming years. (That being said, any comic book is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Finding someone who’s willing to sell you reading copies of late-published comic books like these for a quarter each is usually pretty easy to do.)
Collectors looking for the introduction of certain characters will want to keep an eye out for the following issues: #94 (Coach Kleets), #133 (Cricket O’Dell), and Super Obama and Palin (#616). One of my favorite Archie issues is actually a 1994 one-shot crossover between Marvel and Archie Comics that sends the murderous vigilante known as The Punisher to Riverdale in to hunt down a drug dealer who looks just like our red-headed hero. While fans of either series are encouraged to give it a look, a near mint copy will only bring $3.
Like most comic books, Archie publishes a plus-sized annual, and these special issues should not be overlooked by collectors hunting for the best values of Archie comic books. Archie Annual #1 goes for $2,400 in near mint condition, while #2 is valued at $1,400. Annuals #3 thru #16 will all bring three-digit values, while #17 to #30 are still worth $20 or more. From #41 on, the value has dropped to $5 or less (which comprises more than the last 30 years).
Other Archie Comic Book Prices
But Archie is hardly the only comic book that was published by Archie Comics. Jughead, Archie’s best friend in the comics, has also had his own title. Archie’s Pal Jughead ran from 1959 to 1965, before changing its title to just Jughead. It continued publication under that title until its 352nd issue in 1987, when the title was canceled and later relaunched with a new #1.
Betty and Veronica have also been featured in their own titles. Betty and Me is the most collectible of the comics from Archie comics starring the females in the lead, and it began its run (which ended in 1992) in 1965.
Even Reggie had his own comic book for a while, titled (appropriately enough) Reggie and Me.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch is another title that’s closely related to the Archie series.
Archie Superhero Comics – Mighty Comics, Red Circle Comics, Archie Adventure Series, Spectrum Comics, and Impact Comics
Many people don’t think of superheroes when they think of Archie Comics, but did you know that they published the adventures of the first patriotic-themed superhero? The Shield was the forerunner of Captain America, and the character was featured in Pep Comics before Archie even debuted. During the Silver Age, Archie Comics also published comic books featuring Joe Simon/Jack Kirby created characters like The Jaguar and The Fly. Prices for these Silver Age comics are good, because they’re valuable and rare. Pep Comics #1, which was the first appearance of The Shield, is worth $22,000 in near mint condition. There’s a steep decline in value following that first issue, but most of the issues from the 40s are still worth over $1000 in excellent condition.
In the mid 1960′s, as superheroes became increasingly popular, Archie Comics released its Mighty Comics imprint, which featured several of their superhero characters who had now teamed up to form The Mighty Crusaders. The comic book with that title ran for less than a year though, and they’re not as valuable as you might think. You can buy every issue of the 1965-1966 run of The Mighty Crusaders for under $100 each, and that’s if they’re in excellent condition. Reading copies can be found for much less.
Various incarnations of that superhero team and those characters have popped up through the years under a variety of imprints, including Red Circle Comics, the Archie Adventure Series, Spectrum Comics, and Impact Comics. Some of these include comic books that were produced and published by DC Comics under license. Like most post-Silver Age comic books, there’s not a lot of value or high prices to be found with these books, because they’re just not that scarce.