Only CGC 9.9 Fantastic Four #48 Heads to ComicConnect Auction

One of the most important Silver Age Marvel comics is heading to auction in a grade no other copy has reached. A copy of Fantastic Four #48 graded CGC 9.9 will be offered in ComicConnect’s Event Auction 67, which runs September 13 through September 17. According to CGC, it is the only example of the issue ever certified at 9.9.

Published in 1966, Fantastic Four #48 is best known for the first appearance of the Silver Surfer and the first cameo appearance of Galactus. Written by Stan Lee with art by Jack Kirby, the issue also begins the celebrated “Galactus Trilogy,” a storyline that greatly expanded the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. That combination has made the book a major key for decades, but the condition of the copy being offered by ComicConnect puts it in a category of its own.

CGC says there is no previous sales history for a Fantastic Four #48 in 9.9 because no other copy has received the grade. The closest comparisons come from CGC 9.8 examples. A Signature Series 9.8 signed by Stan Lee sold for $144,000 through Heritage Auctions in September 2021, while a Universal 9.8 brought $108,000 at Heritage earlier that same year.

The jump from 9.8 to 9.9 may be only one grading increment, but at this level it represents something much rarer. While multiple 9.8 copies exist, the ComicConnect book currently stands alone at the top of the CGC census.

ComicConnect’s Event Auction 67 closes September 13 through September 17.