SHOWCASE #73

This first appearance of the Creeper shows significant loss to the upper right corner with a large chunk of the cover missing/torn away, extending into the top edge. There is additional edge wear and creasing along the borders, with some surface soiling visible. The book is bagged, obscuring fine detail, and interior/back cover were not assessed. The corner loss is a major defect that caps the grade regardless of otherwise decent color and gloss.

Showcase #73 introduced Anthro, a Stone Age protagonist created and drawn by Howard Post, marking the character's debut before he graduated to his own six-issue series later that same year. As one of the last try-out features to emerge from DC's long-running Showcase anthology before the title's cancellation, the issue occupies a small but documented niche in Silver Age DC history, chronicled in standard first-appearance references and price guides as Anthro's origin point.

Demand for the book tracks the broader mid-tier Showcase try-out market: steady but modest, with a substantial certified population (over 730 Universal copies on census) that keeps supply ahead of demand at most grade levels. Pricing climbs gradually through the mid grades and then accelerates sharply at the top of the curve, consistent with typical Silver Age grade-rarity behavior — the gap between a 9.2 and a 9.4 copy is already several multiples, and the scarcity of 9.6 and 9.8 copies (only a handful combined, with almost no recorded sales) suggests a further outsized premium awaits any high-end copy that surfaces.

The book suits Silver Age completists, DC try-out specialists, and collectors building out lesser-known character debuts rather than mainstream superhero buyers. Lower and mid-grade copies move as affordable, easily sourced reading copies given the large surviving population, while true high-grade examples are scarce enough that a fresh-to-market 9.6 or 9.8 would likely set a new benchmark well above current extrapolated levels.