Heritage’s Comics & Comic Art Auction was bolstered by many big sales, pushing the event to a total of $9,330,161. Held on August 1-3, 2019, in Dallas, the auction saw a near perfect sell-through rate with 99.7% of lots sold.

Topping the list for huge results was Captain America Comics #1 San Francisco pedigree CGC 9.4 that soared to $915,000 – selling for $165,000 more than projected. The book, which came from the storied San Francisco pedigree, saw interest from three dozen collectors. It is ranked No. 8 on Overstreet’s “Top 100 Golden Age Comics” list, featuring the first appearance of Captain America.

“We thought this Captain America #1 was one of the most desirable comics we ever had offered, and the bidders obviously agreed,” Heritage Auctions Vice President Barry Sandoval said.

Additionally, a mid-grade copy of Captain America Comics #1 CGC 5.5 reached $156,000, by two dozen bidders.

Leading the original art portion was a Frank Frazetta Creepy #17 cover painting that hammered for $264,000. The artist has been a focus for many collectors, which has also included the 1969 Egyptian Queen painting that set the world record for highest price for an artist when it sold for $5.4 million.  

Over two dozen bidders competed for Batman #1 CGC 5.0, pushing it to $204,000. As the first issue in the title and introductions of Joker and Catwoman, this issue is ranked No. 4 on the Overstreet “Top 100 Golden Age Comics” list.

Carl Barks Rug Riders’ Last Flight paining CB-OIL 97 signed original art drew $156,000, well over the $100,000 preauction estimate. Based on the cover for Uncle Scrooge #50, it appeared in Graphic Gallery #10 and Barks’ book, The Fine Art of Walt Disney’s Donald Duck.

Another major highlight was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 CGC 9.8 that fetched $90,000, making it the highest price ever paid for a comic book from the 1980s. This issue contains the origin and first appearances of the Turtles, Splinter, and Shredder, and this copy was from the 3,000-copy initial print run.

Other top lots were Fantastic Four #1 CGC 8.5 for $126,000, Sal Buscema The Defenders #9 original cover art for $102,000, Don Heck and George Roussos The Avengers Annual #1 internal splash page original art $96,000, Sal Buscema Captain America #137 Spider-Man and Falcon original cover art for $96,000, Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, and Roy Krenkel Weird Science #19 complete 7-page story original art for $90,000, and Barry Smith Conan the Barbarian #11 original cover art for $90,000.