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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
#1 · 1985
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Mirage Studios · 1985 · CGC 9.6 · Signature Series (Yellow)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (Mirage Studios, 1985) — Origin and first appearance of the Turtles (third printing), signed and sketched by Kevin Eastman. CGC 9.6, white pages.
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Mirage Studios. Third printing. Back cover has been signed in silver paint pen by "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" co-creator Kevin Eastman (Sept. 13, 2014). Additionally, Eastman has added a head sketch of one of the Turtles. Origin and first appearance of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shredder and Splinter. Wraparound cover. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird story and art. Cover by Kevin Eastman. White pages.
This copy is encapsulated by CGC at 9.6 on a Signature Series (Yellow) label. The holder is intact and has not been cracked, re-sealed or altered.
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What is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 worth? See the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 price guide (1 copy on sale by grade).
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Background on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the grade and what drives the price.
Collecting
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
History
Mirage Studios was the name Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird gave the company they formed to self-publish Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 in May 1984 from Dover, New Hampshire — a mirage because there was no studio. The black-and-white comic's success made it the model for the 1980s independent boom, and the licensing that followed built a global franchise. Laird bought out Eastman in 2000 and sold the property to Viacom (Nickelodeon) in 2009.
Updated Oct 11, 2026
Characters
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first appeared in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, cover-dated May 1984, self-published by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird as Mirage Studios in Dover, New Hampshire. The first printing was a black-and-white, magazine-sized comic of about 3,000 copies. Later printings from 1984 and 1985 look similar but are clearly marked, and only the first printing carries the high value.
Updated Oct 10, 2026
Key issues
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 was printed at least five times by Mirage Studios between May 1984 and 1985, and the printings look alike at a glance. Only the first printing, of about 3,000 copies, is the high-value key. Later printings state the printing in the indicia and are collectible in their own right at much lower prices. Read the indicia before you buy, and grade or authenticate a claimed first printing.
Updated Oct 11, 2026
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