THE FLASH #162

Cover shows moderate wear consistent with a mid-grade Silver Age book: visible vertical creasing and surface texture/waviness across the central image, spine shows stress with some whitening, and there is a small edge tear/wear at the left spine near the middle. Corners appear slightly blunted but not badly rounded, and colors remain bright with no major staining visible. The book is in a protective sleeve, and only the front cover was assessed; interior and back cover condition are unknown.

The Flash #162 (June 1966) is a mid-1960s Silver Age issue from DC's flagship speedster title, produced during the celebrated John Broome/Carmine Infantino run that defined the character for a generation. The issue arrived one month ahead of Flash #163, which introduced the landmark Golden Age/Silver Age Flash team-up storyline; #162 itself is a standard entry in the ongoing series without a recognized first appearance, origin story, or other landmark distinction that collectors and price guides single out as a key.

Market data shows a typical Silver Age demand curve for a well-collected but non-key issue: values stay modest and fairly flat through the mid grades before climbing sharply at the top of the census, where only three CGC 9.8 copies exist against ninety-plus total graded copies. Sales activity is thin but present across nearly every grade tier, with the small population of top-grade copies driving proportionally large prices whenever they change hands, a pattern common to Silver Age Flash issues where high-grade survivors are scarce relative to demand from run collectors.

This is a book that trades primarily on completism rather than headline key status — Flash run collectors and Infantino/Broome-era enthusiasts are the natural buyers. Raw copies in low and mid grades move steadily but inexpensively as reading or filler copies for long-box runs, while the handful of surviving 9.6 and 9.8 slabs command outsized premiums reflecting their rarity rather than any narrative significance. Expect it to remain a modestly priced, steadily traded supporting piece within a broader Silver Age Flash collection.