CAPTAIN AMERICA #309

Cover shows strong gloss and sharp corners with no visible creases or color breaks. Slight rub/wear is visible along the spine near the top edge, and there is minor handwriting/date notation ('JUN 13') penciled at the top of the cover, which is a defect affecting eye appeal. Edges appear clean with no chips or tears visible; the book is in a protective sleeve which limits full assessment. Interior and back cover were not assessed.

Captain America #309 arrived in September 1985 as part of Mark Gruenwald's long, character-driven run on the title, with Paul Neary and Dennis Janke supplying a cover and interior art built around the escalating threat of the Serpent Society. The issue features Madcap alongside Society members Anaconda, Constrictor, King Cobra, and Death Adder, continuing a story thread that fed into the more heavily collected issue #310. Supporting cast including Bernie Rosenthal, Jack Monroe, Jarvis, and a Nick Fury cameo round out a script typical of Gruenwald's dense, continuity-conscious plotting during this stretch of the series.

The market data reflects a common mid-1980s newsstand comic rather than a sought-after key. Census figures show a modest 51 graded copies, with the bulk clustered at 9.6 and above, and FMV climbing sharply only in the near-mint-plus range: values move from roughly a dozen dollars at grade 8.0 up to the mid-thirties at a 9.8 Universal slab. Sales activity is thin at every grade, and the raw market for lower and mid-grade copies is essentially unsupported by transaction data, suggesting demand is concentrated almost entirely on top-census pedigree copies rather than reading copies.

This is a book for run-builders and Gruenwald-era Captain America completists rather than key-issue investors. Low and mid-grade raw copies trade as inexpensive filler, priced closer to bulk-bin levels than collectible premiums, while the small population of graded 9.6 and 9.8 copies command a real but modest premium tied to scarcity at the top of the census rather than any first appearance or landmark event. Expect steady, low-volume trading with value concentrated almost entirely in the highest certified grades.