ValiantFans.com Price Guide Information

Please use this guide as REFERENCE.

The ValiantFans.com Price Guide lists each VALIANT comic book produced
from 1991 to 1996, and each Acclaim comic book (Valiant heroes) printed 1996 to 2002,
with a link to the online library image and information for each book.
Books produced by Valiant Entertainment (2007 - present) are also included.
(This information page was last updated January 2008.)

The NEAR MINT GUIDE column represents a "reasonable current market value" for the comics.
Regular sales on auction websites like eBay(tm) indicate that buyers/sellers
generally realize approximately these prices for these books, including the cost of shipping.

A Valiant comic in approximately near mint condition that lists in this price guide for $30
would generally sell for $25-$35 including the shipping costs through eBay auctions.

Lower prices will generally be seen for these same comics when they are:
- in condition significantly less than near mint,
- in auctions held by inexperienced sellers,
- in auctions held by sellers with negative feedback,
- in auctions that do not show the comic being sold,
- in auctions that do not describe the comic correctly.

Higher prices will be seen for these same comics when they are:
- Professionally graded by CGC (premiums of guide prices are often seen for CGC 9.4 or higher)
- Professionally graded by other companies (premiums may be seen for very high grades)
- Not professionally graded, but well-described and pictured within the auction
- sold by an established seller who is familiar with the comics and market
- sold for the first time in a long time

The print run information has been compiled from various sources
and is approximated but generally accepted as reasonably accurate.

NEAR MINT GUIDE represents the price that a collector should expect to pay
if they are buying each book individually. Shipping costs are included in the price,
so books that are valued under $3 would be unlikely to be purchased individually,
and are normally bought and sold as part of a group of books.

Shipping costs should always be taken into consideration, so that no one pays
$3.50 shipping for a comic book won for $1.00 at auction, unless they feel it
is worth $4.50 in total costs in order to own the book.

Books priced at $1.00 (including shipping) are intended to demonstrate that if five of
the $1.00 books are being purchased, they should cost $5.00 including shipping costs.
If ten are purchased, it should be $10.00 total. Individually, the books are usually
worth less than $1.00 each, as indicated by the WHOLESALE BASELINE column.

The WHOLESALE BASELINE column represents a minimum price
that should be received in the event that these books are being sold
in a wholesale format. Because it is not always possible to find a buyer
who needs every book in a collection, the sale of a collection "as a whole"
often results in a much lower price being paid. Collectors and dealers
who are not in the market for these particular books are normally unwilling
to pay full guide prices when the books are being "dumped" by the owner.

The WHOLESALE BASELINE column should be considered whenever
books are being sold quickly and "all at once", and should represent
a fair estimate of what prices the seller should receive in those circumstances.

Many comics, especially those printed in 1993-1994, can be found
for prices of $1.00, $0.50, or even lower, either through local comic shops,
auctions of multiple books, comic conventions, private collector extras, etc.
Instances of collectors finding even the most expensive issues for $1 or under
are reported regularly. Many comic shops are not aware of particular issue popularity.

The CGC GRADED GUIDE columns for CGC 9.4, CGC 9.6, and CGC 9.8
represent the price that a collector should EXPECT TO PAY to obtain copies of these comics
which have been professionally graded by Certified Guaranty Company (CGC),
including the cost of shipping. Not all Valiant or Acclaim issues are available
in the CGC grades of 9.4, 9.6, and 9.8, but the guide is populated for future reference.

CGC grading has become a popular online method for obtaining top condition
copies of comic books, primarily for comic books with higher "ungraded" values.
CGC grading costs are approximately $16 per comic (published from 1975 to present),
not including the cost of shipping to and from the CGC grading location.

As demonstrated by the CGC GRADED GUIDE columns, some issues are
unprofitable with CGC grading. A low valued comic book which is graded as
CGC 9.4 condition may be worth less than $16, even when including the shipping.
As a result CGC grading makes sense only for comic books which are in the
best conditions, which already have an "ungraded value" that is significant.
The number of copies graded by CGC are displayed for each book where it applies.

Comic books graded by CGC represent only a very small portion of the print run
for any particular comic book, however, the highest prices paid and received
for comic books in top condition are generally for those which have been CGC graded.
Collectors who wish to own comic books in these top conditions do not need
to rely upon the grading skills of each individual seller, but instead rely
upon the grading skills of CGC representatives. While no process is perfect,
the CGC grading process has become trusted by collectors paying the highest prices.

The primary purpose of this guide is to give a "general idea" of actual values
taken into consideration and/or referenced by collectors of VALIANT comic books.
The demands of individuals completing collections can cause fluctuations in the
prices realized for comics which appear less often than once a week or once a month.
Comic books which are rarely bought or sold online will always have the potential
to surpass any estimates provided by this guide when a copy appears, assuming there
are multiple collectors who are competing to own that particular copy.