THE HAWK AND THE DOVE #6

Cover shows notable surface wear including several distinct diagonal stress lines/creases running across the entire cover, likely from the way it was stored or bagged, along with general handling wear. Corners appear moderately rounded, and there's some minor foxing/discoloration in the purple field. The comic is in a protective sleeve which adds some glare but the multiple crease lines are clearly visible and would break color at the fold points. Interior and back cover were not assessed.

The Hawk and the Dove #6, cover dated July 1969, closed out the short-lived original run of DC's morally paired vigilantes, who had debuted the prior year in Showcase #75 courtesy of writer Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates. By the time this issue reached newsstands, Ditko had departed the title, and Gil Kane had taken over the visual direction of the series, giving the closing chapter a different artistic character than the launch. The book carries no first appearance, death, or origin story; its significance rests chiefly in being the terminal issue of a title that never found its footing commercially, making complete short runs of it a minor but genuine curiosity for Silver Age completists and DC team-book historians.

Market activity is thin across the board, consistent with a low-print, low-demand finale issue rather than an actively traded key. Recorded sales cluster in the mid-to-high grades, with a single 9.6 copy reaching the top of the certified ladder and no 9.8 or better yet certified, suggesting either genuine scarcity in top condition or simply insufficient submission volume for a book collectors rarely chase in pristine form. Prices step up sharply between 8.5 and 9.4, a pattern typical of lower-demand Silver Age issues where a handful of high-grade copies command outsized premiums relative to the flat curve below them.

This issue trades primarily among Hawk and Dove series collectors, Steve Ditko/Gil Kane completists, and those assembling full Silver Age DC team-title runs rather than mainstream key-issue investors. Lower grades move as inexpensive filler within larger DC Silver Age lots, while mid-grade raw copies see occasional individual sales to run-builders. Any future 9.8 submission would likely set a new high-water mark given the total absence of a top-census copy, but demand outside dedicated completists remains modest and the book is best positioned as a specialty rather than a headline lot.