Golden Age key list
Golden Age Key Comics List (1933–1955)
The Golden Age keys collectors want most — first appearances, origins, first issues and famous covers — by publisher, from 1933 to 1955. Own one? Get a free, current value. 100% by mail — no driving, no fees.
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The Golden Age began with the first modern comic books in 1933–34 and exploded with Superman in 1938. By the early 1950s, horror and crime comics ruled the newsstands until the 1954 Comics Code. This list covers the keys that matter most in today's market.
DC: National & All-American
| New Fun Comics #1 | 1935 | First comic published by National Allied — the company that became DC Comics — details |
| Detective Comics #1 | 1937 | First issue of the title that gave DC its name — details |
| Action Comics #1 | 1938 | First appearance of Superman — details |
| Action Comics #7 | 1938 | Second cover appearance of Superman — details |
| Detective Comics #27 | 1939 | First appearance of Batman — details |
| Superman #1 | 1939 | First issue of Superman's own title — details |
| Detective Comics #29 | 1939 | First appearance of Doctor Death — details |
| Detective Comics #31 | 1939 | Iconic cover of Batman looming over a castle — details |
| Detective Comics #33 | 1939 | First telling of Batman's origin — the murder of his parents — details |
| Detective Comics #38 | 1940 | First appearance of Robin — details |
| Batman #1 | 1940 | First appearances of the Joker and Catwoman — details |
| Action Comics #23 | 1940 | First appearance of Lex Luthor — details |
| Batman #3 | 1940 | First appearance of Catwoman in costume — details |
| Flash Comics #1 | 1940 | First appearance of the Flash (Jay Garrick) — details |
| All-American Comics #16 | 1940 | First appearance of Green Lantern (Alan Scott) — details |
| All-American Comics #19 | 1940 | First appearance of the Atom (Al Pratt) — details |
| All-Star Comics #3 | 1940 | First appearance of the Justice Society of America — the first superhero team — details |
| More Fun Comics #52 | 1940 | First appearance of the Spectre (part 1) — details |
| Adventure Comics #48 | 1940 | First appearance of Hourman — details |
| Action Comics #42 | 1941 | First appearance of the Vigilante — details |
| Detective Comics #58 | 1941 | First appearance of the Penguin — details |
| All-American Comics #25 | 1941 | First appearance of Doctor Mid-Nite — details |
| All-Star Comics #8 | 1941 | First appearance of Wonder Woman — details |
| All-Flash #1 | 1941 | First issue of the Flash's own title — details |
| Green Lantern #1 | 1941 | First issue of Alan Scott's own title — details |
| More Fun Comics #73 | 1941 | First appearance of Green Arrow and Speedy — details |
| Adventure Comics #61 | 1941 | First appearance of Starman (Ted Knight) — details |
| World's Best Comics #1 | 1941 | First issue of the title that became World's Finest — details |
| Leading Comics #1 | 1941 | First appearance of the Seven Soldiers of Victory — details |
| Superman #14 | 1942 | Classic WWII patriotic cover with Superman, an eagle and a shield — details |
| Superman #17 | 1942 | WWII cover of Superman holding Hitler and Hirohito — details |
| Detective Comics #66 | 1942 | First appearance of Two-Face (Harvey Kent) — details |
| Detective Comics #69 | 1942 | Classic Joker cover — the Joker's giant hands over Batman and Robin — details |
| Sensation Comics #1 | 1942 | Wonder Woman's first cover appearance and first solo series — details |
| Wonder Woman #1 | 1942 | First issue of Wonder Woman's own title — details |
| Adventure Comics #72 | 1942 | First Simon & Kirby Sandman story — details |
| Star-Spangled Comics #7 | 1942 | First appearance of the Newsboy Legion and the Guardian — details |
| Comic Cavalcade #1 | 1942 | First issue — details |
| Batman #16 | 1943 | First appearance of Alfred — details |
| All-American Comics #61 | 1944 | First appearance of Solomon Grundy — details |
| More Fun Comics #101 | 1945 | First appearance and origin of Superboy — details |
| Flash Comics #86 | 1947 | First appearance of Black Canary — details |
| All-Star Comics #37 | 1947 | First appearance of the Injustice Society — details |
| Detective Comics #140 | 1948 | First appearance of the Riddler — details |
| Batman #47 | 1948 | Batman's origin retold; Batman finds his parents' killer — details |
| Superman #61 | 1949 | First appearance of Kryptonite in comics — details |
| Detective Comics #168 | 1951 | Origin of the Joker as the Red Hood — details |
Timely (Marvel)
| Marvel Comics #1 | 1939 | First appearance of the Human Torch; first Timely comic — details |
| Marvel Mystery Comics #9 | 1940 | Human Torch vs. Sub-Mariner battle cover — details |
| Marvel Mystery Comics #13 | 1940 | First appearance of the Vision (Aarkus) — details |
| Human Torch Comics #2 (#1) | 1940 | First issue of the Human Torch's own title (numbered #2) — details |
| Mystic Comics #1 | 1940 | First issue — details |
| Daring Mystery Comics #1 | 1940 | First issue — details |
| Captain America Comics #1 | 1941 | First appearance of Captain America — Hitler-punch cover — details |
| Captain America Comics #2 | 1941 | WWII cover of Captain America confronting Hitler — details |
| Captain America Comics #3 | 1941 | Stan Lee's first published work (a text story) — details |
| Sub-Mariner Comics #1 | 1941 | First issue of the Sub-Mariner's own title — details |
| Young Allies #1 | 1941 | First appearance of the Young Allies — details |
| USA Comics #1 | 1941 | First issue — details |
| All-Winners Comics #1 | 1941 | First issue — details |
| All-Select Comics #1 | 1943 | First issue — details |
| Kid Komics #1 | 1943 | First issue of Timely's kid-hero anthology — details |
| All-Winners Comics #19 | 1946 | First appearance of the All-Winners Squad — details |
| Marvel Mystery Comics #82 | 1947 | First appearance of Namora — details |
| Captain America Comics #74 | 1949 | Red Skull cover — details |
| Strange Tales #1 | 1951 | First issue of the pre-Code horror title that later introduced Doctor Strange — details |
| Journey into Mystery #1 | 1952 | First issue of the pre-Code horror title that later introduced Thor — details |
Fawcett, Quality, MLJ & other heroes
| Funnies on Parade | 1933 | Promotional giveaway from Procter & Gamble — details |
| Famous Funnies #1 | 1934 | First issue of the first ongoing monthly comic book sold on newsstands — details |
| Feature Comics #27 | 1939 | First appearance of Doll Man — details |
| Amazing-Man Comics #5 | 1939 | First appearance of Amazing-Man — details |
| Whiz Comics #2 (#1) | 1940 | First appearance of Captain Marvel (Shazam) — details |
| Pep Comics #1 | 1940 | First appearance of the Shield — the first patriotic superhero — details |
| Planet Comics #1 | 1940 | First issue of the first all-science-fiction comic — details |
| Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #1 | 1940 | First issue — details |
| Whiz Comics #25 | 1941 | First appearance of Captain Marvel Jr. — details |
| Captain Marvel Adventures #1 | 1941 | First issue of Captain Marvel's own title — details |
| Police Comics #1 | 1941 | First appearance of Plastic Man — details |
| Military Comics #1 | 1941 | First appearance of Blackhawk — details |
| Pep Comics #22 | 1941 | First appearance of Archie Andrews, Betty and Jughead — details |
| Exciting Comics #9 | 1941 | First appearance of the Black Terror — details |
| Daredevil Comics #1 | 1941 | "Daredevil Battles Hitler" WWII cover — details |
| Archie Comics #1 | 1942 | First issue of Archie's own title — details |
| Crime Does Not Pay #22 | 1942 | First issue under the title (renumbered from Silver Streak) — details |
| Four Color #9 (Donald Duck) | 1942 | "Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold" — details |
pre-Code horror & crime
| Suspense Comics #3 | 1944 | Classic L.B. Cole cover — details |
| Eerie #1 (Avon, 1947) | 1947 | Considered the first true horror comic — details |
| Adventures into the Unknown #1 | 1948 | First issue of the first ongoing horror comic series — details |
| Tales from the Crypt #20 | 1950 | First issue under the Tales from the Crypt title (continued numbering) — details |
| Vault of Horror #12 | 1950 | First issue under the Vault of Horror title (continued numbering) — details |
| Haunt of Fear #15 | 1950 | First issue under the Haunt of Fear title (continued numbering) — details |
| Weird Science #12 | 1950 | First issue (continued numbering) — details |
| Mad #1 | 1952 | First issue of Mad — details |
| Crime SuspenStories #22 | 1954 | Notorious severed-head cover by Johnny Craig — details |
Any grade, raw or graded
Golden Age books sell in every condition — coverless, restored and low-grade keys included. CGC and PSA slabs welcome. Send front and back photos for a free value.
Selling by mail
Golden Age books are fragile — don't press, clean or re-bag them. We email a prepaid, insured label and step-by-step packing instructions.
golden age key comics list (1933–1955): questions
What are the most valuable Golden Age comics?
First appearances like Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27, Marvel Comics #1, All-Star Comics #8 and Captain America Comics #1 lead, followed by other firsts and famous covers.
When was the Golden Age of comics?
Roughly 1938 to the mid-1950s, with the earliest modern comics appearing in 1933–1934.
Do you buy low-grade Golden Age comics?
Yes — keys and early issues sell in every grade, even incomplete or restored.
Can I sell by mail?
Yes — everything happens online. Send photos for a free appraisal; if you accept our offer we email a prepaid shipping label. How selling by mail works.
Who pays for shipping?
We do. The label is prepaid, and high-value insurance covers your items in transit.
What if my package is lost or damaged?
It's insured for its value, and we handle the claim — not you.
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how selling to us works
- 1Tell us what you have
Use the form below — a rough list, photos or a shared album link is plenty to start.
- 2Free appraisal
We value each key item from recent public sales at its grade and send you the breakdown.
- 3Firm offer
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- 4Ship it — on us
Accept online and we email a prepaid USPS, FedEx or UPS label, insured in transit. Paid by PayPal or Venmo, usually within 1 business day of arrival.
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