Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 3/72
UNIT ECA-012280
MARVEL TEAM-UP #1
Debut issue of Marvel Team-Up, pairing Spider-Man with the Human Torch
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | March 1972 | Bronze | — | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows a visible vertical crease/stress line running through the upper left of the cover through the Marvel Team-Up logo area, along with some corner softness at the top corners. There is minor surface wear and slight color rub along the edges, with the overall gloss appearing diminished. The book is in a protective sleeve which limits close inspection of spine ticks and edge chipping; interior and back cover were not assessed.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $15 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $53 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $2,200 |
// Archive commentary
Marvel Team-Up #1 (March 1972) launched Marvel's rotating guest-star series built around Spider-Man, opening with a team-up against the Human Torch. The book was written by Roy Thomas with pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Mike Esposito, and a cover by John Romita Sr., placing it squarely within Marvel's early-1970s push to expand Spider-Man's presence beyond his own titles. The series would run for over a decade and 150 issues, eventually prompting the companion Marvel Two-in-One, making this launch issue the foundational entry in that format.
The certified population is large, with nearly 1,500 CGC Universal copies recorded, reflecting the title's popularity among Bronze Age Spider-Man collectors and run-builders rather than scarcity-driven demand. The FMV curve rises steadily through the mid grades and accelerates through 9.0 to 9.4, where sales remain active, but drops off sharply above that point: only a handful of 9.6 copies and just three 9.8s exist on census, none with recorded recent sales, indicating that top-grade examples rarely trade and are held tightly by registry collectors.
This is an accessible, high-population Bronze Age book that moves briskly in low and mid grade among readers and Spider-Man/Human Torch completists, with pricing that tracks general Bronze Age market trends rather than key-driven spikes. At the top of the census, however, the near-total absence of 9.6 and 9.8 sales data means any example that surfaces at that level is likely to be pursued primarily by census-registry participants willing to pay a substantial premium for a condition rarity rather than for narrative significance.
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-012280 | ~6.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
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