STRANGE TALES #137

This 1965 pre-direct/newsstand era book shows notable wear consistent with a mid-grade Silver Age copy: a vertical crease running through the upper left corner affecting the character head shots, moderate spine wear with some fraying visible at the top and bottom spine ends, and general surface rubbing/soiling across the cover giving it a slightly dull, aged appearance. There is visible waviness/warping to the paper stock (possibly from moisture exposure) and some minor edge chipping along the top edge. The book is in a protective plastic sleeve which adds glare in several areas, and the interior/back cover were not assessed.

Strange Tales #137 arrived during the title's celebrated 1965 split format, pairing Jack Kirby's espionage feature Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD with Steve Ditko's psychedelic Doctor Strange serial, both scripted by Stan Lee. The issue sits within the dense stretch of Ditko's Strange run that collectors prize for its innovative page layouts and mystical visual language, and within Kirby's SHIELD stories that helped define Marvel's Cold War-inflected spy-fiction voice. While it does not carry a marquee first appearance, it is representative of two of the most sought-after ongoing features Marvel produced in the mid-1960s.

Market data shows a broad, well-populated census across the mid and lower grades, with FMVs climbing gradually from the teens at grade 4 into the $50-70 range by grade 8, then accelerating sharply above 9.0 as high-grade survivors thin out. The jump from 9.4 to 9.6 (roughly $270 to $750) reflects the premium collectors pay for pedigree-quality Silver Age Marvel in this bracket, and the complete absence of a certified 9.8 on census underscores how few pressing-fresh copies of this title have surfaced. Demand is driven less by any single event in the issue and more by ongoing interest in Ditko's Doctor Strange artwork and the SHIELD feature's tie to Marvel's broader spy-fiction and Nick Fury film-era visibility.

This is a book that trades steadily rather than spectacularly: entry-level and mid-grade raw copies move briskly among Silver Age Marvel run-builders and Ditko/Kirby art collectors, while high-grade certified copies are scarce enough that a true 9.8 would likely draw significant attention if one were ever submitted. Buyers tend to be collectors assembling complete Strange Tales or Doctor Strange Ditko-era runs, along with Kirby completists chasing early SHIELD material, rather than speculators chasing a single key moment.