Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 10/86 · DIRECT EDITION
UNIT ECA-002241
IRON MAN #211
Michelinie/Bright/Layton-era Iron Man from the direct market boom of the mid-1980s
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | October 1986 | Copper | Direct Edition | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-002241 | ~9.2 | Direct Edition | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows sharp corners, strong glossy surface, and vivid unfaded colors with no visible spine stress lines or ticks. There is a faint horizontal crease/bend visible near the top of the logo area that keeps this from a higher grade. The book is in a protective sleeve, which limits full assessment of edges; interior and back cover were not evaluated.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $2 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $6 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $85 |
// Archive commentary
Iron Man #211 arrived in October 1986 during the David Michelinie, Mark Bright, and Bob Layton creative stretch that carried the title through much of the mid-1980s, a period defined by tightly plotted Tony Stark corporate-and-armor storylines following the landmark Obadiah Stane arc of issues #200 and prior. This issue is a representative installment of that run rather than a storyline milestone in its own right, continuing the series' ongoing exploration of Stark Industries intrigue and the evolving armor technology that characterized Iron Man's Copper Age identity.
Market data reflects a book with modest but present collector interest: certified population is small (46 total graded, 41 in the Universal census) and sales are infrequent across most grades, with pricing clustering in the $28–$34 range through grades 8 through 9.2 and stepping up meaningfully only at the top of the census, where CGC 9.8 copies have traded for roughly $85. The scarcity of graded high-grade copies, rather than storyline importance, is the primary driver of the premium seen at 9.6 and 9.8; there is no first appearance, death, or origin story attached to this issue to independently fuel demand.
This book suits Iron Man run-builders and Copper Age completists more than speculative buyers chasing key issues. Raw copies in low and mid grade trade near cover price and are readily available, while CGC 9.8 examples command a real but modest premium reflecting their scarcity on the census rather than broad collector demand. Expect steady, unspectacular movement in this title, with value concentrated almost entirely in top-census slabs rather than across the grading spectrum.
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