Complete a complete Captain America collection covers: Captain America Comics #1-78 (Timely, 1941-1954), Tales of Suspense #58-99 (1964-1968), Captain America vol. 1 #100-454 (1968-1996), vol. 2-3 Heroes Reborn/Return, vol. 5-6 Brubaker, vol. 7 Remender, and modern series. Total: around 800+ issues on the main series alone. Estimated budget for a complete collection in average condition: $500,000+.
Building a complete Captain America collection is one of the most ambitious projects a Marvel collector can undertake. With almost continuous publication since 1941 and hundreds of issues spread over ten series, the project requires methodical planning, patience and a structured budget over several years.
This guide offers a complete roadmap (series by series, segment by segment) with specific difficulties, hardest-to-find issues, and optimal acquisition strategies for each era. This is your battle plan for the ultimate Captain America collection.
Phase 1: Modern series: the foundation (budget: $500-2,000)
Start with the most accessible period to build momentum:
Captain America vol. 5 (2005-2011): Brubaker #1-50 + #600-619
69 numbers. Key issues (#1, #6, #25, #34) cost $15-30 in NM raw. Mid-run numbers are $3-5. Complete run budget: $300-500 in NM.
Captain America vol. 6 (2011-2012): Brubaker #1-19
19 numbers, all under $5 except #1 ($8-10 in NM). Complete run budget: 50-80$.
Captain America vol. 7 (2013-2014): Remender #1-25
25 numbers, almost all under $5 in NM. Budget: 60-100$.
Sam Wilson: Captain America (2015-2017) #1-24
24 numbers. #1 at $8-10 in NM, the rest under $4. Budget: 50-80$.
Captain America (2018-2021) Coates #1-30
30 numbers, all under $5 in NM. Budget: 60-100$.
Phase 2: Copper/Late Bronze Age (budget: $600-1,500)
Captain America vol. 1 #307-454: Gruenwald era and end
148 numbers. The majority are in dollar bins ($1-3 each). Key issues (#323, #332, #350, #443) between $5-15 in NM. Complete run budget: 200-400$. This is the easiest segment to complete thanks to the abundance of copies.
Difficult numbers: No real rare numbers in this run. Newsstand editions of key issues are rarer but not significantly more expensive (yet).
Captain America vol. 1 #247-306: Stern/Byrne + DeMatteis era
60 numbers. Key Byrne (#247-255) at $10-40 in NM, DeMatteis at $3-8, #241 (Punisher) at $15-30 in NM. Budget: 200-400$.
Phase 3: Bronze Age (budget: $2,000-5,000)
Captain America vol. 1 #149-246
98 numbers. This is where prices start to rise. Englehart key issues (#153-156, #169-183) are between $15-80 in French. Kirby issues back (#193-214) between $10-40 in French. Standard issues (#149-152, #184-192, #215-246) are $5-15 in French.
Difficult numbers: Captain America #176 and #180 in high condition (9.4+) are uncommon. #193 (Kirby) in 9.6+ is sought after by Kirby collectors.
Phase 4: Silver Age (budget: $10,000-40,000)
Captain America vol. 1 #100-148
49 numbers. The segment that defines serious collecting. #100 ($300-7,500 depending on grade), #109 ($100-2,500), #110-113 Steranko ($200-3,500 each), #117 ($350-44,000). Standard numbers are $20-100 in VG-FN.
Difficult numbers: #100 and #117 in high condition are the most expensive and difficult. #111 (Steranko) in CGC 9.4+ is rare in the census. #131 (low print) can take a long time to find.
Tales of Suspense #58-99
42 numbers. #58 ($600-25,000 depending on grade), #79 ($150-2,000), #86 ($120-1,500), #98 ($130-1,800). Standard issues are $30-150 in VG-FN.
Difficult numbers: #58 in high condition is the holy grail of the segment. #59 is undersupplied compared to demand. The latest issues (#95-99) have lower circulations.
Phase 5: Golden Age: the Holy Grail (budget: $100,000+)
Captain America Comics #1-78
78 numbers. #1 starts at $25,000 in CGC 1.0. #2-10 between $3,000 and $30,000 depending on grade. #11-78 between $500 and $5,000 in average condition. Realistic budget for #2-78 in modest grades (GD-VG): $150,000-300,000. With #1: add $30,000-3,000,000 depending on the targeted grade.
Most difficult numbers: #50-73 (post-war, declining print runs) are paradoxically among the rarest in high condition because fewer people kept them. #1 in any acceptable grade is an acquisition event.
Adjacent series to include
- Avengers #4 (1964): return of Cap. Unavoidable. $80-288,000 depending on grade.
- Captain America Annual #1-13: essential complement. $100-150 per lot.
- Winter Soldier #1-19 (2012-2013): Bucky/Brubaker series. Under $50 complete.
- Heroes Reborn: Captain America #1-12 (1996-1997): by Rob Liefeld. Under $20 complete.
- Captain America vol. 3 #1-50 (1998-2002): Heroes Return, Mark Waid/Ron Garney. 100-150$ complete.
Essential tracking tools
A project of this scale requires rigorous monitoring. Use a collection management application to track each number acquired, identify missing ones by segment, and prioritize your purchases. Without methodical organization, you risk duplicates and omissions on a project of 800+ numbers.
Do you own Captain America comics? Estimate the value of your collection for free to know their current rating.
Frequently asked questions
The main series alone represents around 800 issues spread across about ten series: Captain America Comics #1-78 (1941-1954), Tales of Suspense #58-99, then Captain America vol. 1 #100-454 and the modern volumes.
With the modern series, the most accessible ones: Brubaker vol. 5 and vol. 6, Remender vol. 7, Sam Wilson and Coates' series. This builds momentum before tackling the harder segments.
Captain America vol. 1 #307-454, the Gruenwald era and the end of the series. Most issues turn up in bargain bins, and no issue in this run is truly rare.
Tales of Suspense #58 in high grade is the grail of the Silver Age segment, and Captain America #100 and #117 are difficult in high grade. In the Golden Age, #50-73 are paradoxically scarce in high grade because few readers kept them.
Avengers #4 (1964), which marks Cap's return, the Captain America Annual #1-13, Winter Soldier #1-19, Heroes Reborn: Captain America #1-12 and Captain America vol. 3 #1-50 by Mark Waid and Ron Garney.