Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 9/78 · NEWSSTAND
UNIT ECA-017252
MARVEL TALES #92
Marvel Tales #92 reprints an early Amazing Spider-Man adventure for newsstand readers in 1978
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | September 1978 | Bronze | Newsstand | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-017252 | ~8.5 | Newsstand | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong gloss and sharp corners with no major creases or color breaks visible. There is minor surface speckling/texture in the yellow background that appears to be printing texture rather than damage, and a faint vertical crease line near the spine is possible but not certain due to the protective sleeve glare. Barcode box confirms newsstand edition. Interior and back cover were not assessed, so grade is based solely on this cover photo.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $4 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $18 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $85 |
// Archive commentary
Marvel Tales was Marvel's long-running reprint vehicle, recycling early Amazing Spider-Man stories for a new generation of newsstand readers who had missed the original Silver Age printings. Issue #92, cover-dated September 1978, continues that mission with a Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Spider-Man tale from the character's formative years, packaged with a new cover for the era. The book carries no first appearances or landmark creative firsts of its own; its value rests entirely on being an accessible, affordable entry point into classic Spider-Man storytelling rather than any intrinsic historical event.
Market data for this issue is thin, reflecting the low collector demand typical of anthology reprint titles from the mid-to-late Bronze Age. Certified sales cluster in the $18 to $50 range across mid-to-high grades, with only a handful of graded copies on record and no 9.8 or higher yet certified. The pricing curve is shallow compared to genuine key issues, meaning grade progression yields modest rather than dramatic price jumps until the very top of the population, where scarcity of high-grade newsstand survivors begins to assert itself.
This is a book bought primarily by Spider-Man completists filling out reprint runs and by budget-minded readers seeking Ditko-era stories without paying Silver Age original prices. Raw copies in low and mid grades trade cheaply and are widely available, while true high-grade slabs are scarce enough to command a real premium relative to the rest of the curve, though absolute dollar values remain modest across the board. It is not a book that anchors a serious key-issue collection, but it holds steady, low-volatility interest as supporting material in a broader Spider-Man run.
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