SUPERBOY #139
Silver Age Superboy adventure issue from mid-1967
// Unit specification
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows moderate wear typical of a well-read Silver Age book: soft corners at all four tips, mild edge wear along the top and right border, and a faint vertical spine roll with minor stress visible near the top staple. Colors remain bright with good gloss retained on the yellow logo, and there's no significant creasing or tears noted, though a thin sheen of surface wear is visible under raking light. Interior and back cover were not assessed in this evaluation.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $6 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $18 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $1,300 |
// Archive commentary
Superboy #139 appeared on newsstands in June 1967, part of DC's long-running Silver Age chronicle of the Boy of Steel's adventures in Smallville. The title during this period was a steady if unspectacular seller for DC, offering self-contained science-fiction and superhero stories aimed at a young readership, with the era's typical rotating roster of house artists handling the interior art and covers. No first appearance, origin story, or landmark creative milestone is associated with this particular issue; it represents a standard entry in a long-running, consistently collected series rather than a recognized key.
Market data reflects that status: certified sales cluster in the lower-to-mid grade tiers with modest, incremental price steps between 9.2 and 9.6, before a pronounced jump at the 9.8 level, where only three copies have been certified and just two have traded. That jump is consistent with a thin population effect rather than any intrinsic story-driven demand — collectors chasing a 9.8 for this issue are largely registry-set completists rather than key-issue speculators. Raw and lower-grade certified copies see little sales activity, indicating the book is bought primarily as supporting-run material rather than as a standalone target.
This is a book that trades steadily but unremarkably in raw and mid-grade condition, typically moving through dealer inventory, convention bins, and general Silver Age lots rather than headline auctions. Its value proposition strengthens sharply only at the top of the census, where rarity rather than content drives price; buyers there are Superboy or Silver Age DC completists and registry builders. For most collectors, this issue is an affordable, easily sourced piece of a broader Superboy or Silver Age DC run.
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-007502 | ~6.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
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