CAPTAIN AMERICA #400

Cover shows sharp, unblunted corners and strong color with no visible fading; the black background is deep and unbroken by white stress marks. Spine appears tight with no visible ticks or creasing in this view, and there are no obvious surface scratches, stains, or writing. The book is protected in a poly sleeve, which limits full assessment of edges and spine; back cover and interior pages were not visible and were not assessed.

Captain America #400, cover-dated May 1992, capped a lengthy Mark Gruenwald-scripted run on the title with art by Rik Levins, arriving as a milestone numbered issue rather than a first appearance or origin story. The anniversary issue continued ongoing subplots from Gruenwald's tenure, including Cap's supporting cast and rogues' gallery of the period, and is representative of the dense, continuity-heavy storytelling that defined the character's book through the early 1990s.

The market profile is typical of an early-1990s direct and newsstand-era Marvel anniversary issue: certified populations are modest relative to the print run, sales volume per grade is thin, and fair market values sit in a narrow band from the low-grade end up through near-mint. There is no established 9.8 or higher on the census, meaning top-end demand has not yet produced a benchmark sale at the pinnacle grade, and pricing across the curve reflects a book bought mainly for completism within long Captain America runs rather than speculative first-appearance demand.

This issue trades as a run-filler for Captain America collectors and Gruenwald-era completists rather than a standalone investment target. Raw copies in low and mid grades move for a few dollars at most, while a true Gemint 9.8 would likely draw a modest but real premium given its absence from the census, appealing to census-registry collectors seeking top-pop status more than to speculators. Long-term demand is tied closely to broader interest in Captain America's Gruenwald years rather than to this issue in isolation.