Heritage Offers Two (Potentially Obtainable) Examples of Batman #1 Certified by CGC

A powerhouse lineup of comics graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®) is up for grabs in Heritage Auctions’ Key Comics Showcase Auction on August 7, 2025. The auction is headlined by a dynamic duo of Batman #1, as well as a trove of Silver Age Marvel keys.

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Leading the way in the auction is a Batman #1 graded CGC 1.5 Qualified (lot 82021), and another graded CGC .5 Qualified (lot 82022). Published in 1940 by DC Comics following the character’s Golden Age debut in Detective Comics a year earlier, Batman #1 is the first appearance of the Joker and Catwoman. A Qualified label is used by CGC for collectibles that have a significant defect that needs specific description. In these instances, the CGC 1.5 has a married centerfold (meaning the centerfold is from another copy, and is not original to this copy), and the CGC .5 has a married cover. A mere 317 copies of this Golden Age grail of one of the most popular superheroes of all-time are found in the CGC Population Report, a testament to the scarcity that drives intense bidding among collectors whenever any CGC-certified example is offered at auction.

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From Marvel Comics, the auction offers an Incredible Hulk #181 graded CGC 9.8 (lot 82069), featuring the first full appearance of Wolverine after his cameo (hotly debated by collectors) in issue #180. More than 19,000 copies of this comic can be found in the CGC Population Report, but fewer than one percent are found in this grade, and only a single copy is graded higher.

Also available is an X-Men #1 graded CGC 8.5 (lot 82109), featuring the undisputed first appearance of the X-Men. Since their introduction in 1963, the X-Men have starred in multiple animated series, video games and movies. The team will be rebooted once again to join the current Marvel Cinematic Universe in the near future, according to Marvel Studios.

Other CGC-certified comics in this auction include:

• an Amazing Fantasy #15 graded CGC 7.5 Restored (lot 82003)
• an Amazing Spider-Man #1 graded CGC 5.5 (lot 82004)
• an Amazing Spider-Man #129 graded CGC 9.8 (lot 82013)
• a Fantastic Four #1 graded CGC 9.2 Restored (lot 82049)
• a Giant-Size X-Men #1 graded CGC 9.8 (lot 82059)
• an Incredible Hulk #1 graded CGC 5.0 Restored (lot 82066)
• a Journey into Mystery #83 graded CGC 7.5 (lot 82074)
• a Silver Surfer #1 graded CGC 9.6 (lot 82088)
• a Strange Tales #110 graded CGC 7.0 (lot 82092)
• a Tales to Astonish #27 graded CGC 8.0 (lot 82098)

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for sports cards, TCGs and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray and more. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services.