Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 10/91
UNIT ECA-026810
CAPTAIN AMERICA #393
Mark Gruenwald-written Captain America adventure from the twilight of his long Copper Age run
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | October 1991 | Copper | — | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-026810 | ~9.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong gloss and sharp corners with no visible creases or spine stress. Colors appear bright and unfaded, and edges look clean without chipping. The book is in a protective sleeve which limits full assessment of surface texture, and interior/back cover were not examined, so a conservative near-mint estimate is given.
// 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 | $60 |
// Archive commentary
Captain America #393 (Marvel Comics, October 1991) arrives deep into writer Mark Gruenwald's decade-long tenure on the title, a run that shaped the character's world-building and continuity through the 1980s and into the mid-1990s. By this point in the series the art chores were typically handled by Rik Levins with inks from Danny Bulanadi, part of the steady creative team that carried the book through its late Copper Age stretch. The issue is a standard numbered chapter in Captain America's ongoing volume one series, sitting among dozens of similar issues from this period rather than marking a debut, death, or other landmark moment in the character's publishing history.
As bulk stock, the issue carries no distinguishing first appearance, no notable cover artist spotlight, and no storyline widely cited in price guides as a turning point. Demand for Captain America comics from this stretch is driven almost entirely by long-run collectors filling out complete sets of Gruenwald's tenure rather than by speculators chasing a specific key. The absence of a tracked fair-market value reflects that reality: the book circulates near cover price in raw form, with only high-grade certified copies commanding a modest premium.
This is a reader's or completist's copy, suited to someone building a run of early-1990s Captain America rather than a collector targeting a marquee issue. Raw copies in low and mid grade move steadily but cheaply through dollar bins, back-issue boxes, and online lots; a certified 9.8 example draws a small premium mainly from registry-minded collectors closing out gaps in a graded run, not from broader market speculation. Expect it to trade as a supporting piece of a larger collection rather than as a standalone investment.
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