DETECTIVE COMICS #7 * CGC 6.0 Restored * 3rd Highest Purple Copy

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Author:
Title: DETECTIVE COMICS No. 7
Place Published:
Publisher:DC [Indicia: Detective Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: September, 1937
Description: CGC certified: Fine (6.0): Restored (B-5). Grader's notes: "Centerfold reinforced; cleaned; color touch on right bottom & full top & full left front cover; interior lightened; pieces added 1st wrap B-5; pieces added center spine A-3; pieces added right bottom & full top front cover A-3; spine reinforced; tear seals right center front cover Conserved". Off-white to white pages. Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.

GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A Restored 5.0 (B-4) sold for $1912 in 2016; a Restored 6.5 (A-3) sold for $2600 in 2017. For comparison purposes, an unrestored 6.0 sold for $6975 in 8/22.

CGC Census: 23 graded copies (14 Universal, 9 Restored). 3rd highest-graded Restored copy, following two 6.5s. Only one Universal copy is graded higher, a 7.5 (there are two Universal 6.5s). Gerber Photo-Journal Guide Scarcity Index: 6 ("Uncommon: 50-200 copies").

Credits: Cover: Creig Flessel. Scripts: Jerry Siegel (credited as Jerome Siegel), Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, Guy Monroe (house name), Bill Patrick, Homer Fleming (credited as H. Fleming), Bill Ely, Creig Flessel, Fred Schwab. Art: Joe Shuster (signed as Shuster), Sven Elven, Tom Hickey, Creig Flessel, Bill Patrick, Homer Fleming (credited as H. Fleming), Bill Ely, Fred Schwab.Touted by Taschen: "[Slam Bradley], the fifth of Siegel and Shuster's more reality-based, pre-Superman features, demonstrated that the pair's work was often at its best when aiming for laughs... [often] supplied by comical sidekick Shorty Morgan. 'Bradley' enjoyed a long run, ending in 1949 and by far outlasting not only Siegel and Shuster's tenure as suppliers, but their entire working relationship with DC." — Paul Levitz, 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking. Taschen: 2010, p. 39.

More About the Major: "Often appearing larger than life, Wheeler-Nicholson successfully created a legacy of comics filled with heroes and heroines, which would ultimately lead to superheroes. In April 1935 the Major, after seeing the comic strips sent to him by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster including a drawing of Superman, offered him their first pages in a comic book. Siegel would later write, '...because Nicholson had not tossed away the wrapping paper sketches, Joe and I broke into print.'" — Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson, "The Major Who Made Comics," Famous First Edition: New Fun #1, C-63. DC: 2019 (unpaginated).****************************************
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.