CGC Grading Guide for Doctor Strange: Why Grade Strange Tales #110

Stephen Strange first appeared in Strange Tales #110 in July 1963, in an eight-page backup story by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko — a feature running alongside the Human Torch stories that shared the title. The cover is by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers; the Doctor Strange interior pages are entirely Ditko's work. The character's full origin is told in Strange Tales #115 (December 1963). That dual structure — backup feature turned solo title — defines the hierarchy of keys worth grading. Doctor Strange is a Silver Age character: his first appearance dates to 1963, one of Marvel's most prolific creative years alongside The Avengers, X-Men, and The Amazing Spider-Man.

Our eBay estimator tool does not cover the Strange Tales, Doctor Strange, or Marvel Premiere series — these titles fall outside the tool's scope. All data in this guide comes exclusively from documented sources — Heritage Auctions, ComicConnect, GoCollect, sellmycomicbooks.com — and ungraded eBay prices are not cited given the absence of a reliable signal for these series.

The Doctor Strange keys worth sending to CGC

Not all Doctor Strange comics justify the cost and time of CGC grading. The market rewards first appearances and debut solo titles heavily — especially in high grade, where supply is structurally scarce for comics printed in 1963. Below are the issues that justify a CGC submission, with every documented record sourced.

Sources: Heritage Auctions, ComicConnect (via Bleeding Cool), sellmycomicbooks.com, GoCollect, active market data June 2026.

Strange Tales #110: the grade spread in practice

No other 1963 Marvel comic shows a steeper spread between CGC tiers. Sales data documented by sellmycomicbooks.com illustrates this precisely: in 2021, a CGC 9.4 copy sold for $48,000; in 2022, a CGC 9.2 reached $42,500 and a CGC 8.0 sold for $15,600. A CGC 4.0 copy traded around $4,080 that same year. And in April 2024, the known CGC 9.6 copy broke all records at $150,000 at Heritage Auctions.

This extreme gradient reflects absolute scarcity at the top end: 1963 comics circulated through spinner racks, were folded, read, and resold — the typical defects (spine stress, staple rust, edge tanning, blunted corners) accumulate on nearly every surviving copy. Finding a Strange Tales #110 in CGC 8.0 or above is exceptional; in CGC 9.0 and above, it is a genuine rarity. This is precisely why CGC grading is relevant even for mid-grade copies: the official label secures the transaction and, from CGC 7.0 upward, opens access to specialist auction venues (Heritage, ComicConnect) where the market is deepest.

Common defects on 1963 Silver Age comics and their grading impact

Before submitting a Strange Tales or Doctor Strange to CGC, a careful examination helps anticipate the likely grade and decide whether professional pressing is worthwhile. The most frequent defects on comics from this era are:

• Spine stress: small horizontal marks along the spine, typical of comics that spent time on spinner racks. Without color break, they do not prevent a VF (8.0) grade, but an accumulation caps the result.
• Staple rust: the non-stainless steel staples used in 1963 rust and migrate into the surrounding paper. Light rust is compatible with an FN/VF grade; widespread rust with staining can push a copy down to GD.
• Edge tanning: light and humidity darken the page margins over time. A comic whose interior pages remain off-white but whose edges are heavily browned cannot exceed CGC 8.5 under official criteria.
• Folds and creases: creases that break color are permanent defects that pressing cannot correct — unlike color-safe bends, which respond well to professional pressing before submission.
• Restoration: any touchup (bleaching, color retouching, paper fills) is detected by CGC and results in a purple label. Restored copies consistently sell for less than unrestored copies at a lower grade.

Is it worth grading Strange Tales #115 and the other keys?

Strange Tales #115 (December 1963, origin of Doctor Strange) is the second most important key in the run: a CGC NM+ 9.6 copy reached $16,730 in November 2017. The issue also contains the Sandman's second appearance and a Spider-Man crossover — making it one of the most content-dense Silver Age comics in a single issue. From FN (6.0) condition onward, CGC grading is fully justified: the official grade clearly distinguishes two visually similar copies that can be worth two to three times as much as each other.

For mid-tier keys like Strange Tales #126 (1st Dormammu) and #138 (1st Eternity), grading remains worthwhile from VF (8.0) upward — these are more accessible books but benefit fully from certification for online and convention sales. Doctor Strange #169 (1968), the character's first solo title, is a Silver Age key whose CGC 9.8 reached $13,100 on ComicConnect in September 2022: a record that justifies submission whenever a copy approaches VF/NM condition.

The MCU factor: how the films reshaped CGC demand

Doctor Strange (2016, Benedict Cumberbatch) grossed $677.8 million worldwide; Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) added $955.8 million. The character also appeared in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Each major MCU release triggered a wave of demand for Silver Age keys, with a particularly sharp peak on Strange Tales #110 and #115 between 2020 and 2022. The market has since normalized for common grades, but high-grade CGC copies (8.5 and above) retain a structural premium tied to the absolute scarcity of supply.