Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 1/76
UNIT ECA-002612
IRON MAN #82
A routine Bronze Age Shellhead outing from the Mike Friedrich/George Tuska run
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | January 1976 | Bronze | — | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-002612 | ~8.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
The cover shows strong gloss and vivid color with sharp corners and no visible creases or tears. There is minor edge wear along the top and right border and slight softness at the bottom right corner. The book is in a protective sleeve, which obscures fine surface detail; interior pages and back cover were not assessed. No major spine stress lines or color breaks are visible in this image.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $10 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $20 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $125 |
// Archive commentary
Iron Man #82 arrived in early 1976 as a mid-run installment during the Mike Friedrich scripting stint, with art handled by George Tuska, one of the character's most prolific and recognizable Bronze Age pencilers. The issue does not carry a first appearance, origin, or any other landmark event that price guides or collector consensus flag as historically significant. It exists as a solid but unremarkable chapter in the ongoing Iron Man title, valuable primarily to readers assembling a complete run of the series rather than to key-issue speculators.
The certified population data shows a book that is common in the marketplace, with the bulk of the 89 census copies clustered in the 8.5 to 9.6 range and steady, if unspectacular, sales activity across those grades. Pricing climbs gradually rather than sharply from mid-grade to near-top grade, reflecting typical Bronze Age filler-issue behavior: modest raw values, modest high-grade slab values, and no evidence of speculative spikes. The absence of any recorded 9.8 sale, despite nine copies existing at that grade, suggests limited demand pressure at the very top of the census rather than genuine scarcity.
This is a book that trades within long-run Iron Man collections and dollar-bin Bronze Age boxes rather than at headline auctions. Raw low- and mid-grade copies serve run-builders and back-issue browsers, while a Universal 9.8 appeals mainly to census-completionists and Tuska-cover collectors looking to round out a high-grade Iron Man set. Values are expected to track broader Bronze Age Marvel trends rather than move independently, with steady but unspectacular liquidity across all grade tiers.
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