Leading up to The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #50 release, Gemstone Publishing will commemorate the milestone by diving into the publication’s rich history. Over the Guide’s five decades in print, thousands upon thousands of comic books have been priced, the market has been meticulously studied, and creators, characters, and publishing houses have been featured with detailed coverage. With the 50th edition comes time to revisit how comic values have steadily (sometimes astronomically) risen over the years and reflect on contributions made in crafting the Guide.

In the 1960s, Marvel created character after character that would revive superhero comics in the Silver Age and lay the foundation for decades of great storytelling. Those characters have maintained steady popularity with comic book readers and more recently have ascertained even more fans through the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Among those characters is the beloved mead-drinking God of Thunder, Thor.

Based on the Norse deity, Thor was introduced in 1962’s Journey Into Mystery #83, which had a cover price of 12¢. Eight years later when the first Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide was published, Robert M. Overstreet priced a Near Mint copy at $10.

By the time the Guide #10 came out in 1980, Thor’s first appearance was up to $360. After another 10 years, Journey Into Mystery #83 was up to $750. In 2000, a Near Mint copy was valued at six-times the benchmark of 1990, reaching $4,500.

Things really took off for Thor in the 2010s. For the 40th Guide, his first appearance rose to $24,000 and a year later it jumped to $30,000. In 2012, after the first Thor and Avengers movies, Journey Into Mystery #83 grew to $40,000. As of the Guide #49 a Near Mint copy more than doubled its value to $82,000.