DETECTIVE COMICS #5 * CGC 7.0 Universal * 2nd Highest-Graded Copy

Heading: 2nd Highest-Graded Copy
Author:
Title: DETECTIVE COMICS No. 5
Place Published:
Publisher:DC [Indicia: Detective Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: July, 1937
Description: CGC certified: F/VF (7.0). Grader's notes: Crease right bottom of front cover; spine stress lines. Off-white to white pages. Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.

GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. Highest-graded sale is a 5.0 that sold for $3585 in 2009. No sales in any grade since July 2020, when a 4.5 sold for $4560. This appears to be the highest-graded copy ever offered for public sale.

Overstreet: "Larry Steele begins." CGC Census: 16 graded copies (14 Universal, 2 Restored). Second-highest graded copy, following an 8.5 copy. Highest-graded copy ever offered for public sale. Gerber Photo-Journal Guide Scarcity Index: 7 ("Scarce: 21-50 copies").

Credits: Cover: Creig Flessel. Scripts: Jerry Siegel (credited as Jerome Siegel), Homer Fleming (credited as H. Fleming), Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, Whitney Ellsworth, Russell Cole (credited as Alger), Creig Flessel (credited as Fless), Bill Ely (credited as Will Georgi), Fred Schwab. Art: Joe Shuster, Homer Fleming (credited as H. Fleming), Tom Hickey, Creig Flessel (credited as Fless), Russell Cole (credited as Alger), Sven Elven, Bill Ely (credited as Will Georgi), Fred Schwab.Told by Taschen: "Even before their greatest creation debuted, Siegel and Shuster were among DC's most prolific contributors. Between 1935 and 1938, the pair wrote and drew six different features, many appearing monthly. 'Spy' was the last of these, beginning life, for one issue, as 'Bart Regan, Spy.' It debuted in Detective and ran until 1944, with Mart Bailey, followed by many others, taking over the art chores in No. 29 (July 1939). Siegel continued as writer till mid-1941." — Paul Levitz, 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking. Taschen: 2010, p. 38.

More About the Major: "What the Major envisioned and accomplished in the Great Depression, in spite of tremendous odds, with limited funds and under stress from people who wanted what he had created, is the foundation of the company that exists today. He made a large contribution to the establishment of modern comics, was far ahead of his time in so many ways and, like many creators, saw others reaping the financial rewards." — Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson, DC Comics Before Superman: Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's Pulp Comics. Hermes Press: 2018, p. 11.****************************************
The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION comprises over 40,000 comic books, encompassing every single DC comic published for retail sale from 1934 to 2014. The collection was amassed by British music producer Ian Levine over the course of several decades, and it's been hailed as the single greatest collecting accomplishment in comic book history. This collection served as the basis for former DC Comics president Paul Levitz's monumental book 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking, published by Taschen in 2017. PBA is proud to present this epic collection in a series of themed sales, including The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION Part 3: The GOLDEN AGE, coming this summer. To join the DC Universe Collection notifications list, contact pba@pbagalleries.com.

Enjoying PBA's DC Universe Collection: Pre-Hero, Ashcans and Oddities sale? A very small number of softcover and limited edition hardcover auction catalogues are available for purchase. The catalogues are fully illustrated, thoroughly researched, and make excellent reference works for DC diehards. To order a copy, or to inquire about consignment opportunities, contact Ivan Briggs, PBA's Director of Comics: ivan@pbagalleries.com.