Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 3/85 · NEWSSTAND
UNIT ECA-019375
AVENGERS #253
Roger Stern and John Buscema continue the mid-1980s Avengers roster during the Wundagore Mountain storyline
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | March 1985 | Copper | Newsstand | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-022260 | ~9.0 | Newsstand | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-019375 | ~8.0 | Newsstand | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong gloss and bright inks with sharp corners overall; a small vertical crease/split is visible at the top edge near the spine, and there is minor waviness along the right edge and a few faint handling marks. The book is in a protective sleeve creating some glare, which may mask minor surface wear. No major creases, tears, or color breaks are evident on the visible cover; back cover and interior were not assessed.
// 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
Avengers #253 (cover-dated March 1985) is a mid-run issue from Roger Stern's extended tenure as the title's writer, with pencils by John Buscema and inks by Tom Palmer. It falls within the multi-issue arc that sends the team back to Wundagore Mountain and re-examines the origins tied to the High Evolutionary, a storyline that ran across several consecutive issues in this stretch of the series. The roster on hand reflects the team's composition in this period, including Captain America, Thor, the Vision, the Scarlet Witch, She-Hulk, Starfox, and Monica Rambeau's Captain Marvel.
The issue carries no first appearance, death, or other event typically tracked by price guides, and it has not attracted the kind of sustained collector demand that produces active certified sales records. Its market position is that of a solid but unremarkable installment in a long, well-regarded creative run, valued mainly by readers assembling the complete Stern/Buscema Avengers or filling gaps in a Copper Age run rather than by speculators chasing a specific event.
This is a book that circulates in dealer bins and online lots as reading material and run-filler rather than as a headline item. Raw copies in any condition remain inexpensive and easy to source, and even top-grade certified examples are bought by completists finishing a run rather than by investors, keeping demand modest and steady across all grades.
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