And by the first appearance of the Joker, I literally mean his first appearance -- the actual page on which he appears for the first time in Batman #1 (page #2) without the rest of the book.
How much would you pay for just that one page?
I ask because the vast majority of us will never be able to purchase even a low-grade restored copy of Batman #1. Published in March 1940, Batman #1 is most significant because it features the first appearance of one of the most iconic villains of all-time: the Joker (in addition to Catwoman!). Arguably the greatest comic book villain of all-time (IGN ranks him second after Magneto), the Joker is one of the few villains recognizable around the world especially after memorable portrayals by Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and now Joaquin Phoenix. Even a low-grade restored copy is way outside the reach of ordinary collectors; for example, this CGC 0.5 restored copy sold for $37,200 on Heritage Auctions a little over two years ago:
I don't know about you, but I can't afford even this "entry-level" copy of Batman #1.
But maybe you could afford the most important single page in Batman #1 -- namely, the second page where the Joker appears for the very first time? ComicConnect actually sold that very same page (which was graded by CGC) in an auction that ended on October 1st for $1,700 after receiving 47 bids.
It's hard to estimate how much this single page is worth for several reasons. First, GoCollect does not track sales of "PG" grades (i.e., a graded copy of an individual page of a comic) presumably because it is not attached to the vast majority of the original comic book. Under most circumstances, most collectors wouldn't have any interest in purchasing a single page of a comic; but what if that page was one of the most important pages in comic book history? Like the splash page below?
This second page of Batman #1 is taken up almost entirely by the Joker and it is the first time the Joker has EVER been seen. And it's a great image too; purple suit, green hair, maniacal smile holding playing cards featuring his greatest enemies: Batman & Robin. Nearly 85 years later, he looks like the Joker that we all know and love. While the rest of the comic is missing, this page is the primary driver behind the book's blockbuster value (the first appearance of Catwoman being the other). And unlike graded complete copies of Batman #1, you actually are able to see the page that makes the comic historically significant. If the Joker were featured on the cover of Batman #1, then you'd think that the value of this single page would be significantly diminished.
Now, the page in question that sold on ComicConnect was in very poor condition which may also explain its low sales price. All four edges of this page have been trimmed, it's missing its left corner, and it looks like there's quite a bit of tape keeping the page together.
Still, as some would say "low grade is better than no grade." Well, in this case, the market believes that the lowest of all grades (technically, a CGC 0.3) is still worth $1,700!
