How to Value Vintage Horror Comic Books

Which Vintage Horror Comic Books are Worth Something?

A stack of old horror comics can be hard to appraise.

There are some REALLY valuable horror books, and plenty which aren't all that expensive.

There are so many variables! Where do you begin?

Horror comics didn't exist before the late 1940s.

Superhero comics, funny animal comics, western and romance comics ruled the roost for many years.

Around 1950, crime and horror comics suddenly began outselling them.

Eventually, this led to many superhero comics begin cancelled.

Briefly, some series like Wonder Woman and Captain America explored horror and suspense-themed stories.

Here are two examples:

Here are some guidelines on figuring out the value of vintage horror comic books you've discovered.

How to Identify and Value Vintage Horror Comic Books

1) How Old Are Your Comics?

It's not a given that very old comics are worth more. There are comics from the 1930s which are barely worth anything at all, and comics from the 1980s which are worth six figures.

But in general, older horror comics are worth more than more recently published horror comics. Here are two ways to tell the age of the comics you are looking at.

The price on the cover
For the most part, older comics cost less when they were sold. Sometimes there were specials and annuals with higher cover prices. But those are rare exceptions to the rule.

• 10c cover price -- 1940s to late 50s and early 60s in some cases
• 12c cover price -- 1960s
• 15c cover price -- late 1960s to early 1970s in some cases
• 20c cover price -- 1970s
• 25c cover price -- 1970s OR annuals published in the 1960s
• 30c cover price -- 1970s
• 35c cover price -- late 1970s to early 1980s in some cases
• 40c cover price -- 1980s
• 50c cover price -- 1980s OR annuals published in the 1960s and 1970s
• 75c cover price -- 1980s
• $1 cover price and beyond -- 1990s or later

The fine print inside the comic
If you look at the copyright notice inside the comic (the indicia, as it's known), each one includes the name of the comic, the issue #, and which year it was published.

2) Is there a Comics Code Authority stamp on the cover?

In 1955, the Comics Code Authority was created to protect the innocence of young comic book readers. Until then, anything was allowed to be published in comic books.

The explosion in comics featuring crime, horror, sexually suggestive clothing, bondage and extreme violence drew the wrong kind of attention -- the attention of Congress.

If the comics you've found have the following symbol on the cover, then they were published in or after 1955, and will be less desirable:

3) How disgusting, violent, sexy or gross is the art on the cover?

Pre-Code horror comics -- comics published BEFORE the Comics Code Authority came into force -- often tried to outdo rival publishers by pushing the boundaries of taste to their limits.

Almost 75 years later, the comics which manage to make you go "Yuck!!" when you look at the covers are the ones which are the most valuable, collectible, and sought-after.

Here are some examples. We also provide links to price guides on this site which show many more. (These open a new tab so you don't lose your place on this article.)

4) What condition are your comics in?

This is the toughest thing to handle yourself when you're facing a pile of old horror comics. Human nature dictates that you'll overlook small faults and believe that all your comics are in mint condition.

This article can't teach you how to grade comics. But we can give you some examples of the most commonly-found condition, so you can compare yours.

If in doubt, send us some photos.

The Easy Way to Value Vintage Horror Comic Books...

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