MarvelCGC
Tales of Suspense
#39 · 1963
8.0
Authorised CGC & CBCS submission centreBuy graded comics.
Buy graded comics.
Grade yours. Know what it's worth.
A vetted inventory of CGC and CBCS key issues, plus the grading, pressing, appraisal and consignment services that turn a shelf of long boxes into a documented, insurable collection.
- Books graded & brokered
- 200K+Books graded & brokered
- Years combined expertise
- 42Years combined expertise
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- 99.4%Positive buyer feedback
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- $60MInsured vault coverage
Featured in the vault this week · see all 46,372 listings
Authenticity guaranteed
Every slab is cert-verified and every book restoration-checked before it is listed. Undisclosed restoration is refunded in full, forever.
Insured, tracked shipping
Double-boxed, signature-required and insured to full value on every order. Free within the US.
14-day inspection window
Buy with confidence. Return any book within 14 days in its original holder for a full refund.
Real market pricing
We price against realised sales, not guide values, and publish the comparables that back every listing.
The store
Graded keys, ready to ship
Every slab is cert-verified, every book restoration-checked and photographed. Buy now for immediate checkout, or add to your cart and keep browsing.
MarvelCGC
Avengers
#1 · 1963
8.5
MarvelCGC
X-Men
#1 · 1963
9.0
MarvelCGC
Incredible Hulk
#1 · 1962
6.0
MarvelCGC
Amazing Fantasy
#15 · 1962
6.5
MarvelCGC
Fantastic Four
#1 · 1961
7.0
DCCGC
Showcase
#4 · 1956
5.0
DCCGC
Flash Comics
#1 · 1940
7.0
Looking for something specific? Send us a want list — we source books privately for clients every week.
Collecting guides
Grading explained, first appearances, what drives a book's value — written by the people who handle the books.
CGC / CBCS
How to Look Up a CGC Cert Number and Check What It Tells You
A CGC cert look up means entering the certification number printed on the slab's label into the grader's online verification tool and comparing the record it returns to the book and label in your hand. A match on title, issue, grade and label details is the check that matters.
Updated Oct 11, 2026
Characters
What is the first appearance of Deadpool?
Deadpool first appeared in The New Mutants #98, cover-dated February 1991, created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, as a mercenary hired to kill Cable. The same issue introduced Gideon and Domino (revealed later to be the impostor Copycat). It is the most valuable comic of the early 1990s and the standard example of a Modern Age key.
Updated Oct 11, 2026
Collecting
TMNT Debut: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (1984), First Appearance
The TMNT debut is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, published by Mirage Studios in May 1984, which introduced the four Turtles. Only the first printing, of about 3,000 copies, is the high-value key; later printings look similar but carry the printing in the indicia.
Updated Oct 11, 2026
Values
Why a Price Guide Number Is Only a Starting Point for Comic Values
A comic book values price guide gives a reference figure for a title, issue and grade, but it is not what a particular copy will sell for. The real value comes from the exact condition of your copy and what comparable copies have recently sold for.
Updated Oct 11, 2026
Collector services
Everything that happens after you own the book
Grading, pressing, authentication, appraisal, consignment and storage — run in-house by graders who have handled six-figure books.
CGC & CBCS Grading Submission
We are an authorised submission centre for both CGC and CBCS. Send us your books and we handle packing, declared values, tier selection and the entire round trip.
$39per book, plus grader tier feeDetails →
Professional Pressing & Dry Cleaning
Heat and humidity pressing removes non-colour-breaking bends, spine roll, and dents. Correctly done, it is fully accepted by both CGC and CBCS and is not restoration.
$25per bookDetails →
Restoration & Authenticity Detection
Long-wave UV examination, high-magnification inspection, and paper-weight analysis to detect colour touch, trimming, married pages, glue, and reproduction covers.
$19per bookDetails →
Collection Appraisal & Valuation
Formal written appraisals for insurance scheduling, estate settlement, divorce proceedings and charitable donation, built on realised auction data rather than guide prices.
Quotedquoted by collection size — from $250Details →
Consignment & Private Brokerage
List your books through the Rare Comics Collectors store and our auction channels. Professional photography, market-priced listings, and payout within seven days of a cleared sale.
Quoted8–15% commission, no listing feesDetails →
Insured Vault Storage
Climate-controlled, humidity-stabilised, fire-suppressed storage for high-value slabs, with per-item insurance and 48-hour retrieval.
$12per book, per yearDetails →
How grading works
Four steps from long box to slab
Most collectors lose money on grading before the book is even opened — wrong tier, wrong declared value, or damage in transit. We take that risk off your desk.
- 01
Request a kit
Tell us what you're sending. We ship archival supplies and a rigid shipper at no charge.
- 02
We pre-screen
A Rare Comics Collectors grader estimates the grade, flags press candidates and checks for restoration.
- 03
You approve
Per-book recommendations with tier costs and expected value. Nothing is submitted without your sign-off.
- 04
Slab, sell or store
Take your slabs back, list them on consignment, or leave them in the insured vault.
Visit the vault
Comic grading & collectible sales in Austin, Texas
Bring books in for a free counter appraisal, inspect a high-value slab in person before you buy, or drop off a submission and skip the shipping entirely.
- Address
- 418 Congress Avenue, Suite 210
Austin, TX 78701 - Opening hours
- Monday – Friday · 10:00 AM – 7:00 PMSaturday · 10:00 AM – 6:00 PMSunday · 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Rare Comics Collectors · 418 Congress Avenue, Suite 210, Austin, TX 78701
Open in Maps →What collectors say
Trusted with collections from one book to forty thousand
“They talked me out of submitting four of the eight books I sent — said the tier fees wouldn't pay for themselves. Nobody does that. The four they did submit all came back at or above their estimate.”
“I inherited a 6,000-book collection and had no idea what to do with it. Rare Comics Collectors appraised it, consigned the top 200 and handled the rest. The insurance schedule alone was worth the fee.”
“Bought a five-figure Silver Age key sight-unseen. It arrived double-boxed with a condition report and photos of the slab from six angles. Exactly as described.”
Free, no-obligation
Find out what your collection is actually worth
Send photos or a cert list and we'll return a written market estimate within two business days — whether you sell to us, consign, or keep it all.
From $39 per bookNo minimum collection size