IRON MAN #87

Graded at 7.0 (FN/VF) on 2026-10-28, from new photos taken out of the sleeve: front, value stamp page, back, spine and interior page. Bright, glossy cover. Several small color-breaking ticks along the spine by the lower staple. Top-right corner lightly worn. Clean back cover. Cream pages. Value stamp still in place on the letters page.

Iron Man #87 arrived during Marvel's mid-1970s Bronze Age expansion of the Armored Avenger's solo title, a period defined by rotating creative teams working to sustain the character's momentum after the landmark Demon in a Bottle storyline that would follow shortly after. This issue falls within the George Tuska pencil era, a workhorse run that gave the book a consistent visual identity even as writers cycled through personal and professional threats facing Tony Stark. It is a standard numbered issue with no first appearance, death, or origin content, and it is not cited in price guides as a notable cover or story milestone.

Market data shows a healthy but unremarkable Bronze Age curve: certified population is substantial at 185 Universal copies, with sales concentrated at the top grades (9.6 and 9.8 account for the bulk of recorded sales) and a thin, sparsely traded tail below 7.5. The 9.8 tier commands a real premium over 9.6 and 9.4, consistent with collectors chasing top-census condition on a common but structurally sound Bronze Age comic, while raw and mid-grade copies trade for token amounts reflecting high surviving supply and no key-issue demand pressure. The one-year average above the current FMV at 9.8 suggests some recent price softening after a stronger prior stretch.

This issue functions as a run-filler for Iron Man page collectors and Bronze Age Marvel completists rather than a standalone investment target. Raw copies in low and mid grade are inexpensive and plentiful, appealing mainly to readers assembling the full 1968-1996 volume run at minimal cost. High-grade 9.8 slabs draw a narrower but more committed buyer pool willing to pay a premium for census-topping condition, and that tier is where nearly all meaningful transaction volume and price movement occurs.