Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 2/76
UNIT ECA-039405
FANTASTIC FOUR #167
Roy Thomas and George Perez's Fantastic Four run, Sandman menaces the team
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | February 1976 | Bronze | — | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-039405 | ~8.5 | — | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-028160 | ~8.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong gloss and vibrant color retention with sharp corners and no visible creases or color breaks on the spine. Slight minor rubbing is visible at the extreme edges, and there appears to be faint whitening at the bottom right corner tip. The book is currently in a protective sleeve, and interior pages and back cover were not assessed for this grade.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $8 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $26 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $200 |
// Archive commentary
Fantastic Four #167 (February 1976) arrived during a transitional period for Marvel's flagship team title, scripted by Roy Thomas with pencils by George Perez, who was in the early stages of a notable Bronze Age run on the series inked by Joe Sinnott. The issue continues a Sandman-centered storyline pitting the villain against the FF, part of a stretch of comics valued today primarily for the Thomas/Perez creative pairing rather than any landmark event. No first appearances, deaths, or origin content are attached to this issue, and it holds no meaningful status in price-guide key lists.
Market data shows a large certified population (over 340 CGC Universal copies), reflecting steady collector interest in a well-distributed but non-speculative Bronze Age title. Values sit flat across the low-to-mid grade spectrum, with FMVs barely moving from grade 5.0 through 7.5, before rising more steeply at 9.2 and above, culminating in a sharp premium at 9.8. This pattern is typical of common-run superhero comics from the mid-1970s: demand is concentrated almost entirely at the top of the census, driven by completists building high-grade Fantastic Four runs rather than by any single defining moment in the issue itself.
This book trades as a run-filler for Fantastic Four and Bronze Age Marvel collectors, with raw copies moving cheaply in bulk lots or dollar boxes and only pristine, top-census slabs commanding real premiums. Perez-era art enthusiasts and long-run FF collectors are the primary buyers; casual or investment-driven collectors have little reason to target this specific issue over surrounding chapters in the same storyline.
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