Captain America and Batman were the biggest heroes in Heritage Auctions’ comics and comic art auctions, producing results well into the six figures for a key book and original cover. The Comic Books Signature Auction totaled $8,425,785, and the Comic Art Signature Auction brought in $9,748,344. The two auctions that were held on September 25-27, 2026, collectively realized $18,174,129.

Captain America #1 CGC 9.0 was the biggest seller when it hammered for $716,750. The book contains the first appearance and origin of Captain America and Bucky, the debut of Red Skull, and has the iconic cover of Cap punching Hitler. The Golden Age key came from the Merrimack Valley Collection, a recently discovered collection of Golden Age keys.

Original Art Sales

Jerry Robinson’s Detective Comics #68 cover of Two-Face framed in a tower window led the art sales when it sold for $475,000. The cinematic scene shows Batman holding an unconscious thug below Two-Face and Robin is on a highwire connected to the tower.

“The Merrimack Valley Collection is a wonderful discovery,” Heritage Vice President Aaron White said. “For an original-owner collection that spent the last 75 or 80 years in a cardboard box, the condition of the books was stunning. It was gratifying to see results prove that collectors appreciate top-condition examples of foundational Captain America and Batman issues.”

The art auction highlights included seven pages from Frank Miller’s run on Daredevil from the 1970s and ‘80s. Elektra’s first story page on issue 168 page 4 went for $450,000 and the title page from that issue, hand-colored by Steve Oliff, cleared $106,250. Page 35 from issue 181 showing Daredevil’s rooftop showdown with Bullseye after he killed Elektra reached $325,000. Kingpin’s first appearance in Daredevil on page 8 of issue 170 brought $231,250.

Jim Lee’s X-Men #6 cover of Psylocke, Wolverine, and Sabretooth was a Modern Age success at $437,500. The Action Comics #22 cover by Superman co-creator Joe Shuster featuring the Man of Steel lifting a steam shovel to save a man hammered for $300,000.

Carl Barks’ Pick and Shovel Laborer oil painting of Uncle Scrooge standing on his fortune sold for $275,000. Created in 1974, the painting appears in The Fine Art of Walt Disney’s Donald Duck and was the inspiration for a porcelain figurine.

Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wraparound cover, full-color homage to the first Turtles cover saw $118,750. Erik Larsen’s Spider-Man #20 page 3 of Deathlok achieved $60,000.

Top Comic Sales

The Merrimack Valley Collection produced multiple highlights among the comic sales. Captain America #3 CGC 9.4, the second finest known copy with a cover by Alex Schomburg, cleared $268,400. Captain America #2 CGC 8.5 and #5 CGC 9.0 both sold for $43,920.

The collection also contained the first nine issues of Batman, led by Batman #1 CGC 2.5 that went for $158,600. Batman #9 CGC 9.0, one of three copies at the grade with only three higher, realized $103,700. Batman #7 CGC 9.0 reached $56,120 and Batman #5 CGC 9.0 saw $39,040.

Four comics outside of the Merrimack Valley Collection sold for over $100,000. Wonder Woman #1 CGC 8.5, the Amazon’s first self-titled book and one of four at the grade with only two higher, cleared $158,600. Fantastic Comics #3 CGC 2.5 with a robot cover by Lou Fine brought $134,200. The Avengers #4 CGC 9.8 with Captain America’s first Silver Age appearance, one of seven at the grade with none higher, hit $134,200. Amazing Fantasy #15 CGC 7.0 with Spider-Man’s origin and first appearance totaled $122,000.

Modern keys also produced high sales with Amazing Spider-Man #252 CGC 9.9, which introduced Spidey’s black suit, selling for $73,200. The Walking Dead #1 CGC 9.9, the debut issue of the popular zombie book, realized $56,120.

“It’s exciting to see these elite-condition examples of modern keys get such outstanding results,” Heritage Vice President of Comics Rick Akers said. “Serious collectors are eager to add modern titles to their collections along with Golden and Silver Age copies, which is a great sign of the hobby’s market strength.”