CAPTAIN AMERICA #161

Cover shows moderate wear typical of a mid-grade Bronze Age book: visible spine stress with a couple of minor ticks, slight corner blunting at the top right and bottom left, and mild surface wear/scuffing across the image. Colors remain bright with no major color breaks, fading, or stains visible, and there are no tears or creases of note in this photo. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed, and grading is based solely on this single front-cover image.

Cover-dated May 1973, this issue falls within Steve Englehart's celebrated Bronze Age run on Captain America and the Falcon, illustrated by Sal Buscema during the Doctor Faustus storyline that pitted Cap against a foe wielding psychological rather than physical weaponry. Its cataloging interest rests on the debut of Peggy Carter under that name; the character had appeared unnamed in the Silver Age wartime flashbacks of Tales of Suspense #75 and #77, but here she is identified and folded into ongoing continuity. Englehart's tenure is widely regarded as a high point for the title, blending espionage, character drama, and the era's questioning tone.

The book trades as a recognized minor key rather than a marquee issue, and the certified market reflects that. Graded population is modest but not scarce, concentrated in the 9.2 to 9.4 range, with a steep climb reserved for the small handful of 9.8 copies. Demand is driven partly by Peggy Carter's raised profile from screen adaptations and partly by collectors assembling the Englehart/Buscema run. Sales cadence is light, meaning individual transactions carry outsized weight in setting price.

Buyers here are run collectors, Englehart-era enthusiasts, and those chasing Peggy Carter first-appearance status at an accessible entry point. Raw copies in low to mid grade remain inexpensive and plentiful, making this an easy pickup for reader-grade collections, while the value concentrates sharply at the top of the census where high-grade slabs command a meaningful premium over the mid tiers. The spread between an ordinary raw copy and a 9.8 is wide, so grade discipline matters most for anyone treating this as an investment rather than a shelf book.