YORK, PENN. — There was a lot of red meat for comics collectors at Hake’s July 25-26 auction, which totaled $3.5 million and was led by Amazing Spider-Man #1, March 1963, one of the foremost copies in the world. For one thing, the comic had the first appearances of J. Jonah Jameson and The Chameleon. Second, it was the first Fantastic Four crossover. And the origin of Spider-Man was retold by the Silver Age super team of Stan Lee (story) and Steve Ditko (cover and art). The CGC 9.6 NM+ copy, a fresh-to-the-market offering from a privately held collection where it had resided for 25 years sold for a record $520,380, with buyer’s premium, leading the overall two-day sale and cementing its stature as the breakout success that led to the creation of the Amazing Spider-Man title, which continues in various forms to this day. “It was a great auction!” said Alex Winter, president of Hake’s Auctions. “It was a near record turnout. We had a 94 percent sell-through rate. It was the second best auction in Hake’s 56-year history. The final price for ASM #1 was far and away a record. The last 9.6 to sell was November 2022 at Heritage for $336,000. All I can say is the bidding was hot and heavy among several serious bidders, all wanting to obtain this ‘Amazing’ copy.” Winter added that he was not surprised by the ASM #1 result. “You are talking about one of the key issues in all of comics, regardless of era. Add to it, it is near impossible to get a grade of 9.6 and that is what spurred the aggressive bidding. In the end, the winning bidder now has one of the top copies in the world of one of the most important books in the Marvel Universe.” Watch for more highlights from this sale in a follow-on review.