Collectibles expert Harry Rinker once famously declared that there is no such thing as a blue chip collectible. After years of attempting to find the one thing that would prove this theory wrong, I have given up hope. As I have said many times before, change is the only constant in the entire antiques and collectibles trade. The value of any antique or collectible is quite volatile as there is no guarantee in these markets. What is hot today will one day no longer be sought after and what is unwanted today could easily become tomorrows most sought-after treasure. Case in point, vintage comic books continue to be one of the most popular collecting categories in all of pop culture, even beating out vintage toys. In fact, it was only recently (April 4, 2024) that a copy of Action Comics #1 became the most valuable comic book in the world when it sold for $6 million through Heritage Auctions. Action Comics #1 features the very first appearance of Superman and is one of the most demanded comic books of the coveted golden age of comic book collecting. Running neck-and-neck with the popularity of Action Comics #1 is another first appearance of a popular comic book character known as the caped crusader. Detective Comics #27 features the first appearance of Batman and was published in May of 1939. Much like Action Comics #1, this issue is highly sought after and just as scarce. According to the population reports put out by comic book grading company CGC (Comics Guaranty Company), there have only been 76 copies of Detective Comics #27 graded and certified compared to 80 copies of Action Comics #1. This makes Batmans first appearance just a little bit scarcer than that of Supermans. Even if you know nothing about the vintage comic book market, Im sure this information would lead you to expect similar high prices being paid for Detective Comics #27, much like Action Comics #1. In fact, some comic book collectors consider Detective Comics #27 to be more sought after than Action Comics #1, simply due to the argument that Batman is a more popular comic book character than Superman at present time. However, this does not mean vintage comic books of this caliber are guaranteed blue chip collectibles, as we can easily see by what transpired at a recent auction for a copy of Detective Comics #27. On Jan. 16, 2022, a copy of Detective Comics #27 graded by CGC in 4.5 condition with tan to off-white pages sold at Heritage Auctions for $1,140,000 including buyers premium. To be fair, in January 2022, most of the pop culture collectibles market was in a speculative euphoria largely due to the pandemic. The value of a lot of these asset classes went through the proverbial roof, and smart money knew that the good times would not last forever. This contributed to the amount of money this particular comic book sold for. Make no mistake, however, that even in normal times this key book would easily be valued between $750,000 and $1 million. Fast forward to June 20, 2024, and this same exact copy of Detective Comics #27 graded by CGC in 4.5 condition with tan to off-white pages sold (drum roll, please) via the same auction company for $675,000 including buyers premium. Since this was the same copy that sold in 2022 it likely was consigned by the buyer at that sale. Now, there is always the chance that the book could have changed hands privately in that time, but given the high price paid originally, I have reason to believe that was not the case. This sales price represents a loss of $465,000 in a period of about 2.5 years time and does not take into account any fees or commissions the seller had to pay the auction house. My reaction when I saw the hammer price of this item was, Holy massive auction loss, Batman! This is a monumental loss for the seller of this item and is par for the course when attempting to speculate or invest in any kind of antique or collectible. This also tends to prove Harry Rinkers theory that no blue chip collectible exists, as you cannot get more blue chip than the first appearance of Batman. I cannot consciously end this article without giving my personal assessment of this auction from the standpoint of the new winning bidder who paid $675,000 for this key book. In all honesty, I truly believe that this was a fair price to pay for this particular book. However, in a higher than normal interest rate environment where the buyer could easily get a return of about 5 to 6 percent just by parking that money in a CD or other low risk investment instead, its still hard to remain optimistic when looking at this purchase as an investment. Lets hope, however, that the new owner does much better than the first when he or she decides to sell this coveted book. There still are lots of opportunities in the vintage comic book market just as long as you are aware of the risks and understand that Harry Rinker is right, there is no such thing as a blue chip collectible. These are words to live by. Until next time, same bat-time, same bat-channel. Shawn Surmick has been an avid collector since the age of 12. He currently resides in his hometown of Boyertown, Pa., and is a passionate collector of antiques and collectibles. His articles focus on various topics affecting the marketplace.