AVENGERS #13
First appearance of Count Nefaria; Kirby/Stone cover for Marvel's Silver Age Avengers
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | February 1999 | Modern | — | First full appearance of Count Nefaria; cover by Jack Kirby with Chic Stone finishes | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-006567 | ~9.4 | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows sharp corners, strong glossy surface, and no visible spine ticks or creases in this photo; the book is in a protective sleeve which limits full inspection of edges. Colors appear vibrant with no fading or staining visible. No writing or tears are apparent on the front cover. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed, so grade is based solely on the visible front surface.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $4 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $10 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $38 |
// Archive commentary
Avengers #13 introduced Count Nefaria, one of the team's recurring high-level adversaries, in a story scripted by Stan Lee with art by Don Heck and Dick Ayers. The cover, credited to Jack Kirby with Chic Stone finishes, places Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and Giant-Man against a menacing new foe backed by his criminal empire, a hallmark of the strong cover design Kirby brought to Marvel's early team titles even when not penciling interiors. The issue sits within the foundational run of Marvel's flagship team book, an era prized by collectors for its steady introduction of villains who remained relevant across Marvel continuity for decades.
Certified population for this issue is modest, with the bulk of tracked copies concentrated in mid-to-high grades and only a handful of transactions recorded at the top of the census. Demand for the book tracks general Silver Age Avengers collecting activity and interest in Count Nefaria as a character who later resurfaced in prominent Avengers and Iron Man storylines. Recorded sales activity is thin across all grades, which tempers the confidence of any valuation but does not diminish the historical importance of the first appearance itself.
The book is chiefly sought by Silver Age Avengers completists and villain-first-appearance collectors rather than casual buyers, and it trades unevenly given its low sales volume. Raw copies in low and mid grades move as affordable pickups for readers building a run, while certified high-grade examples command outsized premiums relative to the rest of the curve due to their scarcity on census. Buyers should expect pricing to be sensitive to any fresh sales data given how few transactions currently anchor the market.
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