Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 5/80 · NEWSSTAND
UNIT ECA-026523
CAPTAIN AMERICA #245
Frank Miller cover art over a Roger McKenzie/Carmine Infantino Captain America story, with a Moon Knight guest appearance
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | May 1980 | Bronze | Newsstand | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-026523 | ~9.0 | Newsstand | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong gloss and sharp corners with no visible creasing or color breaks. Spine appears tight with only minimal stress at the very top and bottom, and edges look clean without chipping. Slight softness at the top-left corner tip is visible, and the book is in a protective sleeve which may hide minor edge wear; interior and back cover were not assessed.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $4 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $9 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $125 |
// Archive commentary
Captain America #245 arrived during Roger McKenzie's run as regular writer on the title, with veteran Carmine Infantino handling interior pencils on a story centered on street-level villainy in New York rather than any cosmic threat. The issue's chief point of interest for collectors is its cover, drawn by a young Frank Miller and inked by Joe Rubinstein shortly before Miller's career-defining run on Daredevil began later that same year. Moon Knight appears as a guest character, reflecting Marvel's practice of cross-promoting the newly popular vigilante through team-ups in established titles, though this is not a first or origin appearance for the character.
Market activity for the issue is modest and consistent with a mid-run Bronze Age Captain America book that lacks a first appearance or landmark story beat. Demand is driven almost entirely by the Miller cover rather than the McKenzie/Infantino interior, which keeps raw and mid-grade copies inexpensive while high-grade CGC 9.6 and 9.8 slabs command a real premium from Miller completists and Bronze Age cover collectors. Sales volume at the top of the census is thin but steady, suggesting a small, dedicated pool of buyers rather than broad speculative interest.
This is a book collected primarily by Frank Miller cover-run completists, Captain America series runs, and Moon Knight crossover chasers, rather than by investors seeking a marquee key. Raw copies in low and mid grade trade cheaply as reading or run-filling copies, while the value curve steepens sharply at the top of the grading scale, rewarding well-preserved 9.6 and 9.8 slabs disproportionately. It is best positioned in a dealer archive as an affordable Bronze Age cover book with crossover appeal rather than as a headline key.
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