How rare is Fantastic Four #1 in high grade?

Extremely rare. Only two copies are graded at CGC 9.6 and two at CGC 9.4.

Fantastic Four #1 Value & Price Guide (2026)

In 1961, DC Comics had the Justice League. Marvel had nothing. Publisher Martin Goodman told Stan Lee to create a superhero team. Lee, ready to quit the industry, decided to write the kind of comic he wanted to read - no secret identities, no perfect heroes, just four flawed people who argued like a family. Jack Kirby drew it. Fantastic Four #1 launched in November 1961, and it didn't just save Marvel Comics. It created the Marvel Universe. A CGC 9.6 copy sold for $2,040,000 in 2024.

Quick Value Summary


Item	Fantastic Four #1
Year	1961
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Category	Comic Books - Silver Age
Creators	Stan Lee (writer), Jack Kirby (artist)
Condition Range
Poor (CGC 0.5–1.8)	$4,500 – $8,000
Good (CGC 2.0–3.5)	$13,000 – $19,500
Fine (CGC 5.0–6.5)	$25,000 – $35,000
Very Fine (CGC 7.0–8.5)	$88,000 – $230,000
Near Mint (CGC 9.0–9.6)	$234,000 – $2,040,000
Record Sale	$2,040,000 (CGC NM+ 9.6, Heritage Auctions, 2024)
Previous Record	$1,500,000 (CGC NM- 9.2, 2021)
Rarity	Rare - only 2 copies at CGC 9.6, 2 at CGC 9.4

The Story

Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm flew an experimental rocket into space. Cosmic rays transformed them. Reed could stretch his body. Sue could turn invisible. Johnny burst into flame. And Ben - poor Ben Grimm - became a monstrous, rock-skinned creature called the Thing, trapped in a body he never wanted.

That last detail was the revolution. Before the Fantastic Four, superheroes got powers and were thrilled about it. Ben Grimm got powers and was devastated. He couldn't go home. He couldn't look in the mirror. His fiancée couldn't touch him. Stan Lee gave readers a superhero who suffered from being super - and readers connected with it immediately.

The Fantastic Four didn't wear masks. They didn't have secret identities. They bickered. They fought amongst themselves. Sue and Reed had relationship problems. Johnny was a hothead teenager. Ben resented Reed for the accident that changed him. They were a family, with all the dysfunction that implies.

This approach - flawed heroes with real emotional lives - became the template for everything Marvel did next: Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, the Avengers. Fantastic Four #1 is often credited as launching the "Marvel Age of Comics." In a rare move, Marvel gave the team their own series outright rather than debuting them in an anthology title. Their first villain was the Mole Man.

Even poor-condition copies sell for $4,500 or more.

How to Identify It

Key Visual Markers

Cover price: 10 cents, upper left corner.
Cover image: The four heroes battling a large monster emerging from the ground. A monster's arm reaches up through pavement while the team fights back.
Marvel Comics logo - the early MC logo, not the later Marvel Comics Group banner.
Interior pages: Newsprint stock.

Common Confusions

Golden Record reprint - A 1966 reprint packaged with a comic-themed record. Has different cover markings and "Golden Record" branding. Worth a fraction of the original.
Facsimile editions - Modern reprints designed to look like the original. Check the fine print inside and the paper stock.
Other reprints - Multiple reprint editions exist. Always verify the 10-cent cover price and original newsprint interiors.

Value by Condition

Fantastic Four #1 is one of the strongest-performing Silver Age comics. Even the lowest-grade complete copies command thousands.

Grade	Description	Value Range
Poor (CGC 0.5–1.8)	Heavy damage, complete	$4,500 – $8,000
Good (CGC 2.0–3.5)	Significant wear	$13,000 – $19,500
Fine (CGC 5.0–6.5)	Moderate wear	$25,000 – $35,000
Very Fine (CGC 7.0–8.5)	Light wear	$88,000 – $230,000
NM- (CGC 9.0)	Minimal wear	~$234,000 (2020)
NM- (CGC 9.2)	Near perfect	$1,500,000 (2021)
NM+ (CGC 9.6)	Virtually flawless	$2,040,000 (2024)

A note about the 2021 CGC 9.2 sale at $1,500,000: this occurred during the pandemic-era comics boom, and the price may have been inflated by market conditions. The 2024 CGC 9.6 sale at $2,040,000 - the highest price ever for a Fantastic Four book and second-highest for any Silver Age comic - is a stronger market signal.

The CGC census shows only two copies at 9.6 and two at 9.4. Supply at the top is vanishingly small.

Key Variations

UK Pence Variant

Some copies were distributed in the United Kingdom with a pence cover price instead of 10 cents. These are legitimate first printings from the same print run, but they typically sell at a discount to US-price copies in the same grade.

Golden Record Reprint (1966)

A reprint packaged with a golden record featuring the Fantastic Four. It's a fun collectible but it's not the original. Worth far less. Easily identified by the Golden Record branding on the cover.

Authentication & Fakes

What to Watch For

Restoration: Very common on copies this old. Color touch-up on the cover, page cleaning, spine reinforcement. CGC flags restoration with a purple label. Unrestored copies carry significant premiums.
Reprints misrepresented as originals - Verify the 10-cent cover price, newsprint stock, and period-correct printing.
Trimmed copies - Edges cut to appear cleaner. CGC catches this through measurement.

Professional Grading

CGC grading is essential at every price level for this book. When $4,500 is the floor and $2 million is the ceiling, authentication matters. The CGC census is small enough that the grading community tracks individual copies - provenance and grade history are part of the book's story.

Where to Sell

Lower Grades (under $25,000)

Heritage Auctions - Deep buyer pool for Silver Age Marvel
ComicConnect - Strong Silver Age marketplace
eBay - Good for CGC-certified copies with detailed photos

High Grades ($25,000+)

Heritage Auctions - Handled the record $2,040,000 sale in 2024
ComicConnect - Competitive for marquee Silver Age books
Private sale - For discretion, though you may leave money on the table

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Common Questions

How much is Fantastic Four #1 worth?

From $4,500 in poor condition to $2,040,000 for the highest-graded copies. Mid-range copies (CGC 5.0–7.0) sell for $25,000 to $88,000. It's one of the most valuable Silver Age comics and consistently appreciates.

Why is Fantastic Four #1 so important?

It launched the "Marvel Age of Comics." Before this issue, Marvel was a minor publisher. The Fantastic Four's success led directly to Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, and the entire Marvel Universe. It also introduced a new approach to superheroes - flawed, bickering, relatable characters instead of perfect icons.

How rare is it in high grade?

Extremely. Only two copies are graded at CGC 9.6 and two at CGC 9.4. The book is 63 years old, was printed on cheap newsprint, and was read by children. Finding one in near-mint condition is almost a miracle.

Is the 2021 sale price of $1.5 million a reliable benchmark?

The pandemic-era comics market saw inflated prices across the board. The 2021 CGC 9.2 sale at $1,500,000 may have been above sustainable market value. The 2024 CGC 9.6 sale at $2,040,000 is a more reliable indicator of where the high end sits today.