Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 9/87 · DIRECT EDITION
UNIT ECA-019354
AVENGERS #283
Late-1980s Avengers issue from the Roger Stern/John Buscema era, direct edition
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | September 1987 | Copper | Direct Edition | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-019354 | ~9.4 | Direct Edition | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-022040 | ~9.0 | Direct Edition | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong, glossy color with sharp, unblunted corners and no visible spine stress or ticks. No creases, tears, or discoloration are apparent, and the image registration and print quality look crisp. No barcode box is visible on the cover, consistent with a direct-market edition. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed, so the grade reflects front-cover appearance only.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $2 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $4 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $55 |
// Archive commentary
Avengers #283 (September 1987) arrived near the close of Roger Stern's long, well-regarded run as the title's writer, with pencils by John Buscema and inks by Tom Palmer providing the polished, classical superhero art that defined the Avengers through the mid-1980s. The issue is a mid-run chapter rather than a landmark one: it carries no first appearance, origin, or death of note, and its place in the collector record rests on being part of a consistently admired creative stretch on a flagship Marvel team title rather than on any single event within its pages.
Market activity for the issue is thin and grade-driven, typical of a Copper Age direct-market comic printed in large quantities. Certified sales cluster at the top of the census, with 9.8 copies commanding a real premium over 9.6 and below, while mid and low grades see little to no tracked activity, reflecting how common raw copies remain in the wild and how little demand exists for anything short of a pristine slab. There is no indication of scarcity pressure at any grade; value here is a function of condition rarity rather than content-driven demand.
This is a book for run-completists and Avengers team-set collectors rather than key-issue speculators. Raw copies in low and mid grade trade as inexpensive filler suitable for reading or box-set completion, while the CGC 9.8 slab is the only meaningful price point, sought by census-chasers and those assembling a complete high-grade run of the Stern/Buscema Avengers. Long-term appreciation prospects track the broader Copper Age superhero market rather than any intrinsic story significance.
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