Comic Book Road Show will be in Albany Thursday and Friday

ALBANY — Don’t know what that heirloom Superman comic or collection of old baseball cards is worth? The Comic Book Road Show, in town this week, may give you an idea.

The rule of thumb is that the older the better, and that comics in mint condition bring a much better price than dog-eared copies.

In addition to comics, Leroy Harper will be looking to purchase pre-1975 sports cards, comic- and television-related toys, original comic book art and boxed video games from the 1980s and 1990s.

Harper, who has been dealing in comics for more than 30 years, starting as a hobby before taking the business full-time, makes sales online but is on the road for much of the year giving assessments and purchasing items.

The Road Show will be held from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday at the Hilton Garden Inn at 101 Front St.

The pandemic has led to a sharp rise in interest — and value — of comics. About six years ago, Harper said, he and a fellow collector were speaking about the business and agreed it had about hit its peak.

“And then when COVID hit, it just went insane,” he said.

Old, rare comics can fetch prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, such as a Batman issue 1, published in 1940, that recently went at auction for $250,000. More recent and less rare comics also can see huge fluctuations in the price people are willing to pay.

As an example, Harper said that about five years ago a New Mutants issue 98 in nearly perfect condition might go for $1,000 to $1,700. The prices dropped to about $700 or $750 three years ago.

“COVID hits, and a lot of people have all this extra money,” he said. “Then the New Mutants 98 went from, like, $750 to $2,500.”

People also have nostalgia for childhood toys and are willing to pay for them. The catch is those Barbies and GI Joes have to be in original boxes.

“Toys usually peak in value at 30 years after they came out,” Harper said. “The reason being those children that played with them when they were 8, 9, 10 years old, they have the financial means now to go back and buy the toys they destroyed when they played with them.”

Videogames from the 1980s and 1990s also need to be in the original box to be valuable.

Individuals who get an assessment are under no pressure to sell, Harper said, and can take the information as a starting point to do more research. But he offered tips on what’s valued these days.

“For comic books, it’s the vintage,” he said. “You’ve got to go back before the 1970s. Nothing beats Spider Man. He’s it. For DC Comics, it’s Batman.”

Horror/fantasy comics from the 1940s and 1950s also are rare and can be very valuable. But it’s not good news for holders of Archie, Bugs Bunny and Donald Duck.

“You’re lucky if you can get 25 cents each,” Harper said.

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