When collecting old comic books was a new idea
Superman #1 might cost $200 at Memory Lane comic shop in 1970
Comic-book fandom was unusual enough in 1970 that CBC sent out a reporter to a Toronto store to try to understand it.
But the owner of a store called Memory Lane in the city's Markham Street Village, "Captain" George Henderson, said collecting comics wasn't an especially new pursuit.
No longer an underground hobby
"It's been going since about 1951, but it was underground then," said Henderson, whose store specialized in "antique" comic books. "Now it's above ground. People aren't embarrassed anymore about admitting that they collect comic books."
To be considered "antique," a comic book had to date from between 1933 and 1945.
The camera caught Henderson's clientele browsing shelves in the tiny shop, stuffed with titles such as Thor, X-Men, and The Avengers.
A publication created by Henderson himself, called Captain George's Whizzbang, sold for 35 cents.
But prices could be far higher for some inventory.
How much? 'Depends who's selling'
"Take for instance a Batman #1, which everybody talks about, everybody wants," said Henderson. "I've gotten $250 for it."
(That's about $1,845 in 2022 dollars; according to ABC News, a copy of Batman #1 sold for $227,050 in May 2018.)
Superman #1 could fetch even more, said Henderson — or less.
"I see low prices of about $125, but I also see where it's going for about $300," he said. "It depends who's selling it and who's buying it."
Reporter Stan Rantin talked to store customer George Olshevsky, describing him as an "avid collector."
"I collect old comic books because they're rare. They're interesting because they're precursors of the modern-day comic that we see," he said. "It's just sort of a collecting instinct."
"Also the artwork in comics is quite exceptional nowadays," Olshevsky added, comparing it to engravings by French artist Gustave Doré.
As comic books increased in value, collectors were beginning to have trouble with thieves. And it got worse.
"As George Henderson points out," said Rantin, "sometimes it's hard to get anyone to take the theft seriously."
