CGC certified: VG- (3.5) Qualified (page 16 missing). Off-white pages. STEVE DITKO COLLECTION. Cover: Jack Kirby pencils, Steve Ditko inks. Script: Stan Lee. Art: Steve Ditko Origin and first appearance: Spider-Man. Provenance: From the Steve Ditko Estate, CGC-certified as Steve Ditko's personal copy, and with a certificate of authenticity signed by Mr. Patrick S. Ditko, Steve Ditko's brother. Not cleaned and pressed in order to preserve all traces of Steve Ditko's handling. GPAnalysis: A non-Ditko Collection Qualified 3.5 (married pages) sold for $7450 in 2014. A non-Ditko Collection Universal 3.5 sold for $34,800 in 9/22. A note on the Ditko Collection: Steve Ditko owned from one to three copies of each of the 41 Spider-Man comics that he drew (comprising Amazing Fantasy #15, Amazing Spider-Man #s 1-38, and Amazing Spider-Man Annual #s 1 & 2). The only complete set of 41 Spidey comics belonging to Ditko is featured in this sale; an incomplete set of 23 Spidey comics was offered last year by another auction house; and a final incomplete set of 19 Spidey comics will be offered by PBA next year. Ditko Collection Census: This is the only Ditko Collection copy of Amazing Fantasy #15. HERE IT IS, Steve Ditko's only copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, featuring the origin and first appearance of the Amazing Spider-Man. Like the other Ditko Collection comics in this sale, this mag has not been cleaned and pressed. It's preserved just as it was when Ditko stashed it away decades ago, still imbued with the enigmatic artist's ghostly fingerprints and DNA, with every crease and flaw, aside from the Marvel chipping, the result of Ditko's own handling. Even the missing page (which does not affect the Spider-Man story) was extracted by Ditko himself, for mysterious reasons all his own. Ditko preferred not to dwell on the past. As he wrote in a letter to a fan named Dan Grozden, "The one thing in doing comic books is that the past work is irrelevant. As a freelancer, my focus is on — 'What next?'" It's evident from this mag's well-handled condition, however, that Ditko scrutinized this copy repeatedly. Was he basking in the glow of a job well-done, or revisiting his efforts with an eye towards improvement? Did the artist return again and again to his foundational Spidey story as a touchstone to guide his future efforts? Or did he handle it roughly because he considered it useless detritus of the past, unworthy of preservational measures? As with many of the mysteries that swirl around Ditko, it's impossible to say. The only certainty is that this book is the single most significant copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 in existence: the ur-copy of Marvel's keystone character, ground zero for all things Spidey. As such, its true worth is incalculable, its growth potential unlimited. The original art to AF 15 is permanently enshrined in the Library of Congress, which makes Ditko's sole personal copy of AF 15 the most totemic artifact of Spider-Man's genesis that will ever be available to collectors. Enjoying the Spidey Sale? Order a fully-illustrated softcover catalogue for 30 bucks. Only about 100 copies were printed and they're going fast. To reserve a copy, contact PBA's Director of Comics: [email protected] Consign to PBA Galleries. Our comic sales average a 98% sell-through rate, our prices realized are top-of-the-market, and our research-intensive catalogues are the best in the business. Seeking Silver Age Marvel, Golden Age superheroes, and pre-Code horror. Contact [email protected]
CGC certified: VG- (3.5) Qualified (page 16 missing). Off-white pages. STEVE DITKO COLLECTION. Cover: Jack Kirby pencils, Steve Ditko inks. Script: Stan Lee. Art: Steve Ditko Origin and first appearance: Spider-Man. Provenance: From the Steve Ditko Estate, CGC-certified as Steve Ditko's personal copy, and with a certificate of authenticity signed by Mr. Patrick S. Ditko, Steve Ditko's brother. Not cleaned and pressed in order to preserve all traces of Steve Ditko's handling. GPAnalysis: A non-Ditko Collection Qualified 3.5 (married pages) sold for $7450 in 2014. A non-Ditko Collection Universal 3.5 sold for $34,800 in 9/22. A note on the Ditko Collection: Steve Ditko owned from one to three copies of each of the 41 Spider-Man comics that he drew (comprising Amazing Fantasy #15, Amazing Spider-Man #s 1-38, and Amazing Spider-Man Annual #s 1 & 2). The only complete set of 41 Spidey comics belonging to Ditko is featured in this sale; an incomplete set of 23 Spidey comics was offered last year by another auction house; and a final incomplete set of 19 Spidey comics will be offered by PBA next year. Ditko Collection Census: This is the only Ditko Collection copy of Amazing Fantasy #15. HERE IT IS, Steve Ditko's only copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, featuring the origin and first appearance of the Amazing Spider-Man. Like the other Ditko Collection comics in this sale, this mag has not been cleaned and pressed. It's preserved just as it was when Ditko stashed it away decades ago, still imbued with the enigmatic artist's ghostly fingerprints and DNA, with every crease and flaw, aside from the Marvel chipping, the result of Ditko's own handling. Even the missing page (which does not affect the Spider-Man story) was extracted by Ditko himself, for mysterious reasons all his own. Ditko preferred not to dwell on the past. As he wrote in a letter to a fan named Dan Grozden, "The one thing in doing comic books is that the past work is irrelevant. As a freelancer, my focus is on — 'What next?'" It's evident from this mag's well-handled condition, however, that Ditko scrutinized this copy repeatedly. Was he basking in the glow of a job well-done, or revisiting his efforts with an eye towards improvement? Did the artist return again and again to his foundational Spidey story as a touchstone to guide his future efforts? Or did he handle it roughly because he considered it useless detritus of the past, unworthy of preservational measures? As with many of the mysteries that swirl around Ditko, it's impossible to say. The only certainty is that this book is the single most significant copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 in existence: the ur-copy of Marvel's keystone character, ground zero for all things Spidey. As such, its true worth is incalculable, its growth potential unlimited. The original art to AF 15 is permanently enshrined in the Library of Congress, which makes Ditko's sole personal copy of AF 15 the most totemic artifact of Spider-Man's genesis that will ever be available to collectors. Enjoying the Spidey Sale? Order a fully-illustrated softcover catalogue for 30 bucks. Only about 100 copies were printed and they're going fast. To reserve a copy, contact PBA's Director of Comics: [email protected] Consign to PBA Galleries. Our comic sales average a 98% sell-through rate, our prices realized are top-of-the-market, and our research-intensive catalogues are the best in the business. Seeking Silver Age Marvel, Golden Age superheroes, and pre-Code horror. Contact [email protected]
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
