Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 12/89 · DIRECT EDITION
UNIT ECA-026747
CAPTAIN AMERICA #364
Mark Gruenwald-era Captain America adventure from the twilight of the 1980s, direct edition
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | December 1989 | Copper | Direct Edition | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-026747 | ~9.2 | Direct Edition | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-005211 | ~9.0 | Direct Edition | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong, glossy color with sharp registration and no visible spine stress lines or color breaks along the spine. Corners appear sharp with no whitening or blunting visible in this photo, and edges show no chipping. There is a faint diagonal crease line visible near the top edge above the Marvel logo that should be examined closer as it may be a stress mark rather than a true crease. Book is in a protective sleeve; interior and back cover 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 | $55 |
// Archive commentary
Captain America #364 arrived in December 1989 as part of Mark Gruenwald's long, meticulous stewardship of the title, a run defined by close attention to continuity and the psychological texture of Steve Rogers as a soldier restored to his identity after the John Walker interregnum. By this point in the series, Rogers had reclaimed the shield and uniform, and the book had settled into the character-driven serialized storytelling that made Gruenwald's tenure distinctive among Marvel's flagship superhero titles, with regular art chores handled by Kieron Dwyer during this stretch of issues.
The issue carries no first appearance, death, or origin story that price guides or collector consensus point to, and its market data reflects that reality: sales are thin across nearly every certified grade, and fair market values only register modestly at the mid-to-high end of the census. Demand for the book is driven almost entirely by Captain America completism and the steady collector base built around Gruenwald's celebrated run rather than by any landmark event within these pages, keeping the book's ceiling well below the marquee issues that bracket this stretch of the series.
This is a title that trades as a bread-and-butter component of a run set rather than a stand-alone target: raw low- and mid-grade copies move steadily but cheaply through dealer bins and online lots aimed at readers assembling the full Gruenwald arc, while a submitted 9.8 appeals to a small pool of census-conscious collectors chasing top-of-the-pop copies in an otherwise unglamorous back stretch of the title. Expect quiet, incremental demand rather than speculative spikes, with value tracking the broader health of Bronze-to-Copper Captain America collecting rather than any issue-specific catalyst.
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