CAPTAIN AMERICA #248

Cover shows strong gloss and sharp corners with no visible creases or color breaks. There is minor surface glare from the protective sleeve but no evident spine stress, wear, or staining. Edges appear clean and square; interior and back cover were not assessed. Overall a high-grade newsstand copy based on visible surface only.

Captain America #248 (August 1980) marks the first issue of the celebrated collaboration between writer Roger Stern and artist John Byrne, a run widely regarded by longtime readers as one of the character's finest creative stretches of the Bronze Age. Byrne, fresh off his career-defining work on X-Men, brought a clean, dynamic storytelling style to the title, while Stern grounded the character in tighter continuity and characterization that influenced Captain America stories for years afterward. The issue itself is not a first appearance or origin story, but it holds recognized significance among Marvel Bronze Age collectors as the launch point of this run.

Market data on this issue is sparse, reflecting its status as a mid-run Bronze Age newsstand book rather than a landmark key. The few certified sales on record show modest but steady demand across grades, consistent with a title valued primarily by completists of the Stern/Byrne arc and Captain America run collectors rather than speculative key-issue buyers. Pricing follows the flat curve typical of common Bronze Age Marvel books until reaching the uppermost survivable grades, where population scarcity begins to drive a sharper premium.

This issue trades primarily among Captain America series collectors and John Byrne completists assembling his full art bibliography. Raw copies in lower and mid grades remain affordable and readily available, making the book an accessible pickup for readers building the full Stern/Byrne arc. High-grade certified copies are scarce enough that a true Gem Mint slab would command outsized interest relative to the book's modest baseline value, appealing to Bronze Age grade-rarity specialists rather than mainstream key-issue investors.