Captain America Comics #1 CGC 9.0 Sells for $716,750 at Heritage
A high-grade copy of Captain America Comics #1 has sold for $716,750 at Heritage Auctions, giving one of the most important Golden Age comic books another major six-figure result. The 1941 Timely Comics issue is graded CGC VF/NM 9.0 with off-white to white pages and comes from the Merrimack Valley Collection. Heritage sold the book as part of its September 24-26 Comic Books Signature Auction, with the final price reaching $716,750 including buyer’s premium.
Captain America Comics #1 introduced Captain America and his teenage sidekick Bucky, while also featuring the first appearance of the Red Skull. Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created the issue’s famous cover showing Captain America punching Adolf Hitler, published less than a year before the United States entered World War II. Heritage describes the book as one of the most influential comics ever published and notes that Captain America helped establish the wave of patriotic superheroes that followed.
High-grade copies are particularly difficult to find. Heritage says CGC had certified 216 copies of Captain America Comics #1 as of August, with slightly fewer than half carrying Universal grades. Only eight Universal copies were graded 9.0 or higher, including just two at 9.0 and six graded above it. The copy sold by Heritage ties the Kansas City copy at 9.0 and grades higher than examples from both the Windy City and Promise Collection pedigrees.
The Merrimack Valley provenance adds another layer to the book. CGC identifies the copy as part of that collection, and Heritage specifically highlighted its place among the handful of elite surviving examples. The auction house also noted that Captain America Comics #1 currently ranks No. 7 on Overstreet’s list of the Top 100 Golden Age Comics. Heritage listed the 2026 Overstreet value for a 9.0 copy at $448,800 and a 9.2 at $775,000. The $716,750 auction result therefore came in well above the published 9.0 guide value and much closer to Overstreet’s figure for the next grade level.
CGC’s grader notes for the book mention a crease at the top staple, a small light crease at the lower-right corner of the front cover, spine stress lines, two tiny tears along the right center of the front cover and light staining on the lower-left portion of the back cover. Even with those imperfections, the book remains one of the highest-graded Universal examples on the census.
The result also stood well above several other Captain America Comics #1 copies Heritage has sold during 2026. A CGC 4.0 Universal copy sold for $128,100 in May, while a CGC 4.0 Qualified example brought $51,240 in July. A conserved 5.5 copy with a married cover and first wrap sold for $73,200 in that same July auction.