Do you want to know if your comic book is worth some real money?

Maybe you’ve acquired a book from a relative, found a comic in an attic, flea market, estate sale, garage sale or while cleaning out the house? Is there a quick way to decide whether it is valuable or not?

While no list is exhaustive, in this article I’ll give you some things to look for that may point to some real comic book treasure!

Here’s the list:

First Issues – this is the most common characteristic most people look for. “Hey, it’s a number 1!” The older the comic book, the more this holds true. If you have a comic from the 1940’s to the 1970’s, there is a fairly good chance it is worth something

First Appearances or Origin Issues – First Superman? Action Comics 1. First Batman? Detective Comics #27. First Spider-man? Amazing Fantasy #15. See the trend here? The first issue of a comic book is not always the first appearance of the character. You may be holding a comic that looks worthless but actually holds a lot of value! Make sure you check the price guides (as a research tool) to see if the comic book is historically important.

Big Name Artist – Big name artists also can bring in big bucks. Their first artwork and also their “runs” in specific titles can be worth more than the surrounding issues.