Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 4/76
UNIT ECA-022408
AVENGERS #146
Steve Englehart script with early George Perez art on Marvel's flagship team title
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | April 1976 | Bronze | — | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-022408 | ~8.5 | — | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-019278 | ~8.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong gloss and sharp corners with only minor edge wear visible along the right border. Spine appears tight with no visible stress lines or color breaks in this image. Slight surface handling wear and light waviness may be present but not clearly visible through the protective sleeve; interior and back cover were not assessed.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $6 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $16 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $300 |
// Archive commentary
Avengers #146, cover-dated April 1976, arrived during Steve Englehart's lengthy run as the title's writer, at a point when George Perez was building his reputation as the book's rising art talent. The issue features the Avengers lineup of the period, including the Vision, Scarlet Witch, Iron Man, Thor, the Beast, and Captain America, working through the character-driven plotting and shifting team dynamics that defined Englehart's tenure. It carries no first appearance, death, or origin story, and its historical weight rests primarily on being part of a tightly-collected run rather than on any single landmark event within its pages.
Market data shows a book that trades as a bread-and-butter Bronze Age Avengers issue rather than a speculative target: FMVs climb steadily but modestly from the mid-grade range up through 9.4 and 9.6, with no runaway premium evident until the very top of the census, where 9.8 slabs simply do not exist yet despite a healthy 93-copy graded population. The one-year average at 9.6 running noticeably above its most recent FMV hints at some recent buyer interest, but sales volume at every grade above 7.0 remains thin, meaning pricing here is sensitive to even a small number of transactions.
This is a book for run-builders and Avengers Bronze Age completists rather than key-issue speculators. Raw copies in low and mid grade move cheaply and steadily as reading and filler copies for long-box collections, while the real action is concentrated at the unclaimed 9.8 tier, where the first certified example would likely command a real premium simply for being first to market at that grade. Demand is tied closely to the broader Englehart/Perez Avengers run rather than to anything unique to issue #146 itself.
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