A recently discovered collection of Golden Age comics, stored for roughly 75 to 80 years, is heading to auction. According to Heritage Auctions, the original-owner Merrimack Valley Collection includes a 9.4 Captain America Comics No. 3, a 9.0 Captain America Comics No. 1 and the first nine issues of Batman. The books are among the highlights of Heritage's Sept. 24-26 Comic Books Signature Auction, with the first live floor session beginning at noon CT on September 24. The collection offers a rare glimpse into comics from the early years of the superhero era, with several highly sought-after issues preserved together for decades. Its discovery has brought long-hidden copies back into the spotlight for collectors.
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Inside the recently discovered Merrimack Valley Collection of Golden Age comic books
The Merrimack Valley Collection surfaced as an original-owner group of Golden Age comics that Heritage says had been stored for the last 75 or 80 years in a brown cardboard box. Heritage Auctions Vice President Aaron White described it as a "really, really exciting collection" and said the books were in terrific condition, with striking colours. The collection dates primarily to the early Golden Age of comics, and its original-owner provenance is part of what distinguishes the group. Heritage is offering the collection as part of its Sept. 24-26 Comic Books Signature Auction, which features more than 700 comic books spanning the 1930s to the present.
Why these Captain America comics stand out
Among the collection's most notable books is a 9.4 copy of Captain America Comics No. 3, which Heritage describes as the second-finest known copy. The 1941 issue contains a text story by Stan Lee, marking what Heritage identifies as his first work for Timely Comics. Only seven of the 135 copies carry a grade of 9.0 or higher, according to Heritage's listing, and only one is graded higher than this 9.4 copy.
The collection also includes a 9.0 Captain America Comics No. 1. Heritage says there are only two copies at the 9.0 grade, with six copies graded higher. The issue, published in 1941, is one of the key early Captain America comics and is currently ranked No. 7 on Overstreet's list of the Top 100 Golden Age Comics, according to Heritage.
The collection includes Batman's first nine issues
The Merrimack Valley Collection also contains the first nine issues of Batman, giving the collection an unusually substantial run of the character's earliest solo comic books. Heritage says eight of those nine issues received grades of 6.5 or higher. Among them are 9.0 copies of Batman Nos. 5, 7 and 9, all early-1940s issues. The Batman books form another major part of the collection's Golden Age offering alongside the two high-grade Captain America issues.
When the Merrimack Valley Collection goes to auction
Heritage's Sept. 24-26 Comic Books Signature Auction is taking place this week, with the first Signature Floor Session covering lots 91001 through 91235. Heritage's current auction page lists the live session for 12:00 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, September 24, while proxy bidding ends at 11:50 a.m. CT. The auction continues through September 26 with additional sessions.
The comic-book auction overlaps with Heritage's separate Sept. 25-27 Comic Art Signature Auction, which features original artwork rather than the printed comics in the Merrimack Valley Collection. Among its highlights is the opening splash page from Iron Man No. 1 by Gene Colan and Johnny Craig, consigned by Marvel Studios founding chairman David Maisel. Other featured pieces include Jerry Robinson's Detective Comics No. 68 cover and Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four No. 56 cover.
