14 Mar Overlooked & Undervalued: Star Wars Comics to Buy Now

While Star Wars #1 has always been a relatively valuable comic, every subsequent comic book property in the expanded universe was available for $40 or less until The Mandalorian series on Disney+ revived interest in literally everything Star Wars. That very first Star Wars comic contains the first appearance of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, C-3PO, R2-D2, Grand Moff Tarkin, Stormtroopers, Jawas, Sand People, and features Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi on the cover (though not on the interior). For that reason, the most common newsstand version of that issue is generally a $5000 comic in 9.8. The popularity of Grogu (aka The Child, aka Baby Yoda) has seen an issue of the in-comics adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars #42, which features the first appearance of original Mandalorian, Boba Fett (who also appears on the cover) and the first full appearance of Yoda, rocket past $3500 in CGC 9.8. After fan-favorite Rosario Dawson was cast as Ahsoka Tano in Madalorian season two, that character’s first appearance (Star Wars: The Clone Wars #1) has been selling consistently for $2400 or more. Taken in scope, this reveals a glaring under-appreciation of the original Star Wars comics.

These quickly escalating prices have created a cottage industry of Star Wars speculation, and we’ve subsequently seen Admiral Thrawn’s first appearance in Star Wars: Heir to the Empire #1 in 9.8 selling for between $1300 – $1800 and Doctor Aphra’s first appearance in Darth Vader #3 surpassing $500. Thrawn was a regular character in the Rebels animated series and was name-dropped in the second season of The Mandalorian, but Aphra has neither appeared nor been mentioned yet on screen. That has not prevented her first appearance from being priced higher (across all conditions) than Lando Calrissian’s first appearance in Star Wars #43 –until very recently.

With so many modern first appearances creeping out of reach for most collectors, smart investors are looking back to the original series for less obvious keys–several of which are undervalued and some are not even known to be key issues by the vast diaspora of fandom.

So here’s a run down of the issues from the original Marvel Star Wars series that you should be looking for NOW.

As mentioned, a graded 9.8 issue of Clone Wars #1 is probably going to set you back $2500. But a Star Wars #2 in that same condition has only recently hit $2k. How the hell is the first appearance of Ahsoka Tano more valuable than the first appearance of Han Solo, Chewbacca, Ben Kenobi, the Death Star, the Millennium Falcon, Greedo, the Cantina band and the other patrons and employees of Moss Eisley? .

Granted, the circulation on the first six Star Wars comics in 1977 was much higher than any comic published in 2008, but the amount of high-grade copies on the census is pretty similar. In fact there are more 9.8s of The Clone Wars than either Han Solo or Lando’s debut. Now that the Disney+ Lando series has been announced, there is going to be some serious market correction for Star Wars #43, but it is unfathomable that Han Solo won’t return to the Star Wars mythos, too, and Obi-Wan Kenobi has also been given a Disney+ show, so stop reading this for a minute and go find yourself a copy of Star Wars #2 in whatever condition you can find it because they are all going up in price for the foreseeable future. And while you’re at it, Star Wars #24 is the first Ben Kenobi solo story. It’s a flashback related to his pre-Luke era, and a VERY smart book to buy right now with that new Disney+ show on the way. There are only 160 on the census and only 64 in 9.8 listed with an FMV of $265. This should be $500 already. In a year? This could be $2K. The very next issue (Star Wars #25) is the introduction of Baron Orman Tagge, the patriarch of the Tagge Dynasty & Tagge Corporation at the center of the Doctor Aphra storylines, and the first cover in which Tagge faces-off against Luke Skywalker (Star Wars #33) routinely sells for over $1000 in 9.8 for scarcity.

Star Wars #5 is the first appearance of Rogue Squadron’s Wedge Antilles, and General Dodonna. It features the first depiction of a Rebel Base, and as such the first in-story view of X-Wing and Y-Wing fighters (previously featured on the cover of Star Wars #1), and provides the first view of Yavin, which is the most storied Battle location in all Star Wars lore. The following issue (Star Wars #6) features the death of Grand Moff Tarkin and the destruction of the first Death Star, but also offers the first glimpse of Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter and Commander Bob Hudsol, who is very likely to be part of Rogue Squadron on Disney+.

A Bit of Economic Theory

Hype frequently favors modern era characters, as each generation seeks validation from within. That sense of generational identity favors the buying habits of collectors in their first wave of nostalgia. This is typically a post-college, new-to-the-workforce young person. That demographic is also likely to be the most active on social media and therefore the primary target of hype. But when we look at the business of nostalgia, the data supports older comics as a better investment since nostalgia is better placated by success (which generally comes later in life).

Pop Culture is an ongoing sequence of repetition made unique by subtle adjustments to how we appreciate and celebrate the past. We reboot fads and plan anniversaries in waves, and there is a recognizable pattern of mathematical and sociological clues that provide a means for predicting fluctuation in all markets. This includes the value of collectibles. Older comic books are generally less volatile to market hype, and while all values are susceptible to peaks and valleys, the scale of variance is much tighter among older comics. They tend to follow a clear pattern of accelerating worth. This is an example of how slow and steady really does win the race. But when hype and nostalgia are both part of the synergy around a single title (or group of titles) the tipping point starts early and achieves a higher peak that will establish a higher-than-expected plateau when (or if) prices fall back down again. While not necessarily arriving every 19 years like clockwork, there is a scalable formula that you can use to get into the market on the cheap and get out before the crash. There are going to be books to which you have a personal connection that you will be willing to overpay to own, but acquiring something that inexplicably makes you happy is an investment in your own wellbeing. Wise investing helps you to bankroll these instances of frivolous collecting. Investing doesn’t mean you need to abandon joy but if you leverage a passion project with informed trades and acquisitions, you’ll be able to put together a portfolio of higher value assets that gives you greater freedom in what you’ll be able to keep and enjoy.

Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey was the template for Star Wars, and one of Campbell’s tenets is, “follow your bliss.” That’s not just good life advice, it’s astute collecting advice, because the first step in successful speculating is simply connecting to your own past, preferably ahead of your peer group. If you find yourself thinking about a toy you had as a kid or a comic book you loved reading, understand that you are not alone. Even a rather niche title has a fandom whose members are picking up on the same messages in the ether that sparked your longing. Identifying the appeal of something that was originally judged harshly but has become a sentimental favorite is a skill that can make you rich. So keep aware. A stockbroker reads The Wall Street Journal every day while utilizing market research tools to strengthen their forecasting abilities. As a comic book collector we have different news outlets that we follow and different tracking systems for reading the market. To get a leg up on fellow collectors these days, you should be subscribing to multiple price and news aggregators but comic book collecting is a community, so be a part of it. Build a network of fellow collectors and keep an index of their want lists. Since collecting has an emotional component, you’ll find that each collector values individual books differently, sometimes irrespective of the consensus value. You’ll come across books they want that you don’t and vice versa. The barter system is as alive today as it was in the Stone Age. With time and practice you’ll get savvy about recognizing the signs in the zeitgeist that either speed-up or slow-down the rhythm of the Metonic cycle.

And with that in mind, a slightly over twenty-year-old comic that should be much more valuable is Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace TPB. That’s right: the trade paperback. Bearing a street date of May 1999, the first printing of the trade paperback went on sale the same day as Star Wars: Episode I -The Phantom Menace #1. Issues #2-4 were published each week thereafter, making the TPB a tie for the first appearance of Anakin Skywalker, Qui-Gon Jinn, Padme, and Jar Jar Binks, but the TPB also has the first cover and full appearance of Darth Maul and the undisputed first published appearances of Mace Windu, Sabe, Depa Billaba, and Plo Koon –not to mention the full origin of Anakin Skywalker (soon to become Darth Vader) –all in one tome.

Because the movie was not particularly beloved, and because these were so over-printed at the time, they were never considered valuable and very few were kept in great condition. The cheap paper and binding on most trade paperbacks makes a high-grade copy of the Phantom Menace TPB extremely rare. In fact there are only 3 copies in any grade on the census (a single 9.6 and two 9.4s). They have never hit the market, which means there is no assessed Fair Market Value on a CGC graded copy, so this is something you need to find raw. On Ebay they are scarce in any condition above a raw VG, and most described as VG or Fine are really closer to VG-. The good news is that every used bookstore in America probably has this somewhere in their stacks. The trick is finding a first printing in nearly perfect condition.

Graphic novels, trade paperbacks and original magazine adaptations are finally starting to get their due as collectors are becoming aware of the challenges in locating these formats in high grades. With minor effort (and a little luck), you should be able to find a raw copy in the 9.0 or better range for less then twenty bucks. When one of these finally turns up in CGC 9.8 you’ll have to trade a car for it.

Another super-rare in high-grade, investment-worthy comic that has still yet to meet it’s full potential is Marvel Super Special #16: The Official Movie Adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back. Store date: April 10, 1980. This predates the adaptation within title that began with Star Wars #39 in September 1980 by five full months. And since Super Special is the full adaptation of the film it is the first appearance of Yoda, Boba Fett, Lando Calrissian, Emperor Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious), Bossk, 4-Lom, Dengar, Zuckuss, and IG-88, as well as the first appearance of Rogue Squadron, Cloud City, AT-AT’s, Carbonite, and a revelation about who’s Luke’s daddy.

Admittedly, this is not a cheap book. But considering the amount of bang for your buck, it is still somehow completely underrated. As mentioned, magazines from the 60s, 70s, and 80s are really difficult to find in high grade. That said, I bought two of these in CGC 9.6 for less than $300 each at the end of November, and at this moment on Ebay they range $1500 – $2500. A CGC 9.8 is going to run you over $4K, but you can still find 8.5s for between $150 – $400 and 7.5s for way under $100. I don’t know if the lower grades will see the same rate of appreciation since the scarcity here is really for VF+ or better, but with anther season of The Mandalorian following The Book of Boba Fett series on Disney+ you had better believe you are going to see more bounty hunters. What’s the ceiling going to be on this? I don’t know–How high is Up?

I think it’s a fair bet that the comic books retelling The Empire Strikes Back in the regular Marvel Star Wars series are going to continue to see higher demand and skyrocketing prices. While some offer less return on investment because the prices are already so high, they are still great long-term collectibles that should appreciate predictably ahead of the stock and bonds markets. The Boba Fett/Bossk/Dengar cover on Star Wars #42 (which is also the full Yoda appearance) and the later, non-canon Star Wars #68 cover featuring Fenn Shysa, a Mandalorian commonly mistaken for Boba Fett (also the first, full Dengar appearance) have both been consistently breaking records. Each is more expensive than Marvel Super Special #16 by double, but lower grade copies have a lot of room to grow at more affordable pricing. As we’ve seen with other Bronze Age comics, CGC 5.5 and 6.5s tend to appreciate at a better relative rate than other conditions, so you may want to jump-in there.

That aforementioned Star Wars #43 with the first Lando cover is a good purchase in any condition. With Justin Simien (writer/director of Dear White People) attached to produce and Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino (who also happens to be a major toy collector) rumored to reprise his role from Solo: A Star Wars Story as young Lando, we can only speculate on the impact that an Expanded Universe series from and featuring people of color will have on the culture at large. Just look at Black Panther and Miles Morales prices for a precedent. Whatever Star Wars #43 is priced right now, it’s never going any lower, and you can still get a 9.4 for $250, a mid-grade slab for under $100, and raw copies for even less.

Star Wars #41 is not just the first cameo appearance of Yoda in a standard comic book, it’s a classic Millennium Falcon cover and features within the first glimpse of Darth Vader’s meditation chamber. Likewise, Star Wars #40 is a classic AT-AT cover, and Star Wars #39 is perhaps the all-time best Darth Vader cover. Between the two of them there’s a whole slew of first appearances, from galactic Admirals Ozzel, Piett, Veers, and Lennox to Rebel General Rieekan, Major Derlin, Lietenants Farr, Jamiro, Klivian, and Zev Senesca, tauntauns, wampa and lots of new droids. While everybody has been snatching up the Boba Fett and Lando issues, these are quite overlooked and reasonably affordable.

But there are other major keys between (and after) the first two movies, that aren’t just cheap for Star Wars comics, they are underpriced for comics of their era.

It’s no secret that Akira Kurosawa’s Hidden Fortress was the main plot inspiration for George Lucas’ Star Wars : A New Hope, and so it was intuitive for writer Roy Thomas to use the Japanese director’s Seven Samurai as the inspiration for the comics that would immediately follow the movie adaptations.

Star Wars #7 is not just the first piece of Expanded Universe material of any kind, it offers the first appearances of the very first non-cinema characters, Crimson Jack and Jolli, who both figure prominently in the story of Han Solo. It is also the first appearance of Pera, a Verpine priest of The Sacred Way, a religion that seems like prime plot material for future seasons The Mandalorian.

Star Wars #8, which continues the events of the previous issue is a cavalcade of first appearances: Jimm Doshun aka the Starkiller Kid, Don-Wan Kihotay, Fe-9Q, Hedji, Amaiza Foxtrain and Jaxxon. Together with Han Solo and Chewbacca, they make up the team Eight for Aduba-3. “Starkiller” was of course the original surname given to Luke in the first draft of the original Star Wars script, and Jemm later crosses paths with the bounty hunter Beilert Valance (more on him later). Don-Wan Kihotay (a homophone for Don Quixote) is a faux Jedi Knight. FE-9Q is a tractor droid whose design was completely appropriated for the 1986 cheapo, Sci-Fi movie The Eliminators (which is most notable for featuring an early performance by future Star Trek: TNG actress Denise Crosby). Amaiza is an old flame of Han Solo’s partnered with the six-foot-tall rabbit, Jaxxon (of the Lepi race), who would go onto occasionally feature in the Star Wars Adventures comics. Hedji was another anthropomorphic creature: basically a giant porcupine. While it is unlikely that Hedji (or several of these characters) will see screen time as written here, it is completely possible that a member of Hedji’s Spiner race could pop-up in any of the forthcoming Disney+ shows. Jaxxon would be a fan-favorite in any context, and knowing Jon Favreau’s affinity for the original comics, let’s just say stranger things have happened.

The big, mind-bending takeaway is the potential for tying these genetically modified characters in the SW universe into the Halfworlder mutates like Rocket Raccoon, Blackjack O’Hare, Wal-rus, Lylla, and Judson Jakes –many of whom are likely to appear in the next MCU Guardians of the Galaxy movie. We’ll table that for a minute.

Star Wars #9 wraps up the first non-movie story arc and features the first appearance of the Cloud Riders (seen in the Solo movie) as well as the Behemoth from the World Below, whose origin is explained in the New Sith Wars as the dark force creation of Seviss Vaa known as Sithspawn! Take that, Todd McFarlane!

Speaking of old-school Sith-Lords, Star Wars #56 is the first appearance of Shira Brie (spelled Brei in this first appearance), who becomes Lumiya, the first female Sithlord in Star Wars #88. She’s an important Shadows of the Empire character and a former protégé of Darth Vader. With Anakin’s former padawan, Ahsoka Tano, becoming such an important part of the Disney+ universe, it seems not just likely that this character with connections back to Palpatine, Luke and Leia may get ret-conned for either Ahsoka Tano’s new adventures or the forthcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show, but also inevitable that her first appearance leaves double digits for greener three and four digit price-tag pastures. And probably way sooner than you think. Also look out for Star Wars #60 which features Shira’s origin, but is better know as the first appearance of Wald and Hanc Thorben of Rogue Squadron, and Admiral Mila Giel.

Speaking of which, here’s a Quick trivia question:
Who was the first Sith-Lord to appear in comics?

If you are like 99.9% of all comic collectors and Star Wars fans, you’ll probably answer Darth Vader, whose first appearance in Star Wars #1 will run you upwards of $5K for a pristine CGC 9.8 30¢ cover price newsstand edition and close to $100K for a CGC 9.8 35¢ newsstand edition–which makes a slabbed 35¢ Whitman Diamond-box, no UPC edition a total steal. For years, CGC has been labeling the Whitman editions of Star Wars comics as Reprints when they would be better labeled as Variants. Star Wars Reprints actually say REPRINT in the character box, top-left. The truth is that the diamond-box Whitman edition of Star Wars #1 was printed the same month as the 30¢ and 35¢ newsstand editions (in April of 1977, though all bear a cover date of July 1977), but were held back to be shipped in poly-bagged packs with the later-printed Whitman editions of #2 & #3 for 99¢ per pack. Poly-bagged comics are notoriously difficult to find in excellent condition, and these Whitman Edition Star Wars comics are very rarely seen above VG. Recently collectors have begun seeking high-grade Whitmans with the same vigor that has driven prices on newsstand copies and Mark Jewelers variants up and past the direct market editions. That means a market correction for these Whitman comics is inevitable. I picked up a CGC 8.0 of the Whitman Star Wars #1 for $75 while typing this.

But back to the question: Who was the first Sith-Lord in comics?
Surprise! It was NOT Darth Vader.

The first Sith-Lord in comics is Rruothk’ar . And he was never in a Star Wars comic. In fact, his first appearance predates the release of the Star Wars movie by 16 months. And if the invocation of this obscure Sith-lord’s name doesn’t ring any bells it’s probably because Rruothk’ar appeared in only two comics: Marvel Preview #4 and #11 (and subsequent reprint collections). If those sound familiar it’s because they also happen to be the first and second appearances of Star-Lord/Peter Quill of the rebooted Guardians of the Galaxy.

Confused? I’ll try to explain it and by the time I’m done, you’re going to want every Rruothk’ar appearance you can lay your hands on.

Marvel Preview is another one of those pesky Marvel magazines from the 1970s that are very hard to find in high grade. Adding to the difficulty are the very dark colored covers, which hide no imperfections. This has helped propel the first Star-Lord appearance in issue #4 to $2K in CGC 9.8 while #11 is so rare in 9.8 that there hasn’t been a known sale of one in 4 years and there are only 5 of them. When the first Thor: Love and Thunder trailer hits featuring the Asgardians of the Galaxy, expect MP#4 to hit $3k and MP#11 to hit at least a grand. But this Sith-Lord thing adds a lot of value, too.

On the face of it, these two magazines from 1976 & 1977 open up a possible connection between Marvel and Star Wars that seems straight out of Patton Oswalt’s famous Parks & Recreation filibuster, but there’s even more tying the two together.

It is known that George Lucas’ original script and notes were made available to the writers in the Marvel Bullpen when Lucas first pitched a comic book tie-in to Stan Lee in 1975, but it would take nearly a year for Marvel editor Roy Thomas and Lucasfilm publicist Charles Lippincott to reach a licensing arrangement. FOOM #15 (from August 1976) is the very first public mention of Star Wars; it’s a brief editorial blurb about the forthcoming comic in development at Marvel. The classic Howard the Duck for President cover also houses the first published previews of Ms. Marvel and Captain Britain. Marvel Preview #4, however, had been released on New Year’s Eve–eight months prior to that issue of FOOM, eighteen months before Star Wars #1, and at least two weeks before the 4th draft of George Lucas’ script, dated January 15th 1976.

So, it is possible that Lucas might have got the term “Sith-Lord” from Steve Englehart, whose script for Marvel Preview #4 would have been written and sent to artist Steve Gan at least four months before street date –and whose other creation, Howard the Duck, would also be adapted by Lucasfilm a decade later. That’s the same character teased in the post credit sequence of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie and who had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in the final battle of Avengers: Endgame. Could Howard the Duck be the inter-dimensional glue that will once again connect Star Wars to the MCU? Maybe, but as previously noted, he’s not the only anthropomorphic character in Lucas-dom that you should know.

Everyone Loves a Bounty Hunter

Star Wars #16 is the first appearance of The Hunter: Beilert Vallance who had a small role in Ron Howard’s standalone Solo: A Star Wars Story film and was a prominent rival and occasional ally of Han Solo in the comics. Seems a shoe-in for tying the movies and Disney+ shows together and for adding value to the only film in the Star Wars franchise thus far to truly underperform at the box office.

With the exception of Boba Fett, the appearances of all other bounty hunters in every adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back are considered cameos. The first Full appearance of IG-88 (and more cameos of Dengar, Bossk and Zuckuss) can be found in Star Wars #50 which also has a very cool cover that features all the stars of the first movie (including Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader) but also Yoda and Lando. The IG-11 unit in The Mandalorian Season One was such a bad ass that it seems very like we’ll see one again.

Star Wars #71 is a Lando cover and also happens to be the first full appearance of Bossk. For those too young to remember, the first Star Wars action figure that required mailing in proofs of purchase (and necessitated mangling the blister-pack card-backs) was Boba Fett, but the second was Bossk. This wicked cool-looking lizard dude was barely used in the films, and everyone is hoping to see him in the The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+. A CGC 9.8 is around a hundred bucks–at least until I press publish.

Star Wars #81 is actually the last Star Wars comic I bought on the newsstand. It was the origin of Boba Fett and had a full-cast painted cover by Tom Palmer that looked like a Richard Amsel or Drew Struzan movie poster. As with other Boba Fett keys, this is becoming expensive in high grade, but even in 9.4 you can still score one for about $250, which seems cheap for one of the last key issues of the Bronze Age (released in March, 1984), and the first Boba Fett solo story.

Another strategy for sure-fire Star Wars Spec is collecting Darth Vader covers. There really aren’t that many in the original Marvel series, and some of them are pretty badly drawn, but that never stopped a Joker or Wolverine appearance from spiking the pricing. Star Wars #21 is the first post-film Darth Vader cover and it’s legitimately rare and therefore a bit pricey. There are twenty-three 9.8s and twenty-four 9.6s on the census and only 21 copies in ALL other conditions. As usual, the GoCollect FMV is off the actual market pricing by about 30% so expect to pay in the neighborhood of $350 for a 9.8, but this is worthwhile to find raw and get graded since nothing in a lower grade has been sold in a very long time. Star Wars #23 has more going for it since it’s got Vader and the Millennium Falcon and runs about a third cheaper. Other Vader covers from that run include #29, #35 (which also features the first appearance of Dr. Aphra adversary Domina Tagge) and the iconic Empire Strikes Back cover of Star Wars #39. The first Post-Empire cover with Vader, Star Wars #52 is really beautiful, and #63 is pretty great, too.

With a visible trend of rising value for comics aimed at kids (TMNT adventures, Muppet Babies, My Little Pony, etc.) it’s only a matter of time before Droids #1 (from the Star Comics imprint) becomes stupidly expensive. But I’d start my Droids collection with Star Wars #18, a classic cover of C-3PO holding Luke’s unconscious body with R2-D2 beside him, flanked by stormtroopers under text reading “The Empire Strikes!” This predates the announcement of the film title The Empire Strikes Back by at least a year, precedes that film by almost two years, and hit newsstands about 8 years before Droids #1, making this the first Droids feature cover. There are only 218 on the census, with most of them (80) graded 9.6. Fair Market Value for a 9.8 is about $150. It’s one of my favorite Infantino covers from any comic of the era, and if you need an extra reason to buy one, this is also the first appearance of Commander Strom and Senator Simon Greyshade.

Were you an Ewoks fan? Then you need the first Ewok cover, which is Star Wars #94 from April 1985. But chose your moment, because there have been three sales this year for 9.8s. On January 30th one sold for $177. Then on March 8th one sold for $157, but then later that day one sold for $281. I don’t know if that means three Ewok fanatics have been fighting over these books on eBay recently or if it reflects a sustainable trend. Ewoks really weren’t my thing, but for a slightly younger fandom, Return of the Jedi was their childhood touchstone, and 1983 leaves a lot of room for pricing to have homogeneously risen. This issue predated Ewoks #1 by about three weeks. They are similarly priced with Ewoks #1 between $160 and $281 as well.

And not to beat a dead horse, but the first serialization of Return of the Jedi was Marvel Super Special #27, published in December 1982. The comic-sized issues of the Return of the Jedi mini series didn’t begin streeting until October 1983. 9.8s are hard to come-by in any magazines of this era, but a 9.6 will cost about $250. This is already less than any of the individual comics in similar condition. Scroll back up to see my data on Marvel Super Special #16 The Empire Strikes Back and expect a corresponding rate of increase since this isn’t just the first Ewoks, it’s the first true appearance of Emperor Palpatine, Jabba the Hutt, Mon Mothma of Rogue One, Admiral Akbar, Boba Fett’s Sarlacc Pit fate, etc.

When I sat down to write this nearly two weeks ago, I had no idea it would be nearly 5100 words and require so much research. I didn’t anticipate that the fluctuating market would necessitate going back and replacing the pricing of several books mentioned herein only to see auctions closing late on Sunday night (as I posted this) blow past the existing records one after another after another. But every market correction supports my thesis that the first Star Wars series has a lot of gold yet to be fully mined and that should steer you toward searching for raw copies at your local LCS before they pull all their back stock and send it to CGC, themselves.

In any event, May the force be with you…