The Jon Berk Original Art and Comic Book Auction at ComicConnect delivered on its promise of arities, keys, and ephemera, and it also delivered very strong results. The company reported it was their strongest auction to date and that it attracted investment collectors from around the globe, both new devotees of the vintage comic market and old school super-fans who haven’t been active in decades.

“It’s been a really moving experience seeing how many collectors love Jon’s books, and his attention to the history and breadth of the comic book medium,” ComicConnect COO Vincent Zurzolo said. “It really has been an honor to bring his remarkable collection to the world and to ensure that he gets his due as a scholar while, obviously, reaping the reward of a lifetime of savvy collecting.”

The auction boasted original comic art from the greats of the craft, including Lou Fine, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Murphy Anderson, and many more. The cover to Planet Comics #1 by Lou Fine sold for $146,444, a Lizard page from Amazing Spider-Man #6 by Steve Ditko hit $105,000, the cover to All New Comics #8 by Alex Schomburg sold for $66,000, while the Bob Montana cover for Pep Comics #30 hammered at $61,777. The Rudy Palais cover for Catman Comics #25 went for $52,891 and a Jack Kirby page from Fantastic Four #3 sold for $44,500.

Record sales in the comic book lots included the rare Fantastic Comics #3 CGC 9.4 for $243,000, Action Comics #1 CGC 5.5 C $393,000, Action Comics #7 CGC 5.5 $188,000, Detective Comics #27 CGC 6.5 R $313,000, the Wonder/Wonderworld run broke $450,000, and a high grade run of Mystery Men Comics netted over $400,000.

“The Jon Berk Collection auction featured hundreds of issues so rare we hadn’t seen copies in decades, if at all,” Zurzolo said. “It was an education even for us – we thought we’d seen everything! This really was an historic event.”