STRANGE TALES #145

Cover shows notable wear consistent with a mid-grade Silver Age book: soft, rounded corners, visible surface wear and light scuffing across the image, a diagonal crease at upper right through the eagle emblem, and general fading/toning to the cover stock. Spine area shows some stress lines though no major color break is clearly visible in this photo; edges show minor wear but no large chunks missing. The book is in a protective sleeve, which slightly obscures fine surface detail. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed.

Strange Tales #145 arrived at a pivotal moment for Marvel's split anthology title. The Doctor Strange half, written by Stan Lee with art most associated with Bill Everett and Marie Severin during this run, was deep into the celebrated Eternity/Dormammu saga, one of the most ambitious extended storylines of the early Marvel era and a formative stretch for the character's cosmic mythology. The back-up Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. feature, rooted in Jack Kirby's layouts, represents the transitional Kirby-era spy-fi material that immediately preceded Jim Steranko's game-changing tenure beginning a few issues later. The issue is not a first appearance or origin point, but it sits inside a story arc widely read and referenced by Doctor Strange collectors.

Market behavior for #145 tracks the broader pattern of mid-1960s split-book Marvel back issues: values stay modest and largely flat through the mid and low grades, then rise sharply in the top tiers as the population of high-grade white-page copies thins out. Sales data shows a pronounced climb from the 9.0-9.2 range into 9.4 and 9.6, consistent with collectors chasing the last well-preserved copies of a book that saw heavy handling as a monthly anthology title. Demand is driven primarily by Doctor Strange completists following the Dormammu saga and secondary Nick Fury/SHIELD Silver Age collectors, rather than by any single first-appearance premium.

This is a strong mid-run title for a dealer archive rather than a marquee key: expect steady turnover in lower and mid grades among Doctor Strange run-builders, with sharper competition and premium pricing concentrated at CGC 9.4 and above where true high-grade survivors are scarce. Buyers assembling complete Eternity-saga runs or Kirby-to-Steranko SHIELD transition sets are the most likely purchasers, and pricing should be expected to compress in the mid grades while remaining sensitive to census scarcity at the top end.