Green Lantern: the most expensive comics at auction

Green Lantern is one of the rare DC titles that spans four distinct eras of comics history. Alan Scott, the Golden Age hero who debuted in July 1940, shares nothing beyond a code name with Hal Jordan, the Silver Age reinvention of 1959 — two wholly separate characters who happen to wear the same ring. John Stewart followed in 1972, DC's first Black superhero, and a string of modern relaunches under writers Geoff Johns (2004) and Tom King extended the mythology further. This breadth makes Green Lantern collecting unusually diverse: six-figure Golden Age books at one end, accessible Bronze Age issues for a few dozen euros on eBay at the other.

This guide sticks to the verifiable: eBay data from our estimator (eBay.fr + eBay.com, June 2026) and records documented by Heritage Auctions and specialist sources. The two greatest keys — All-American Comics #16 and Showcase #22 — belong to separate series not covered by our tool; the figures cited are therefore confirmed auction results, never invented eBay medians.

Green Lantern key issue ranking (documented auction records, June 2026)

The top two entries in the table belong to distinct series (All-American Comics, Showcase): our eBay estimator does not cover them and returns no usable median. For the Green Lantern vol.2 series, eBay volume is sufficient (≥ 15 listings), but the all-grades-combined median sits very low — far below the high-grade copies that set the real price records.

Record sources: Heritage Auctions, GoCollect, sellmycomicbooks.com.

All-American Comics #16 (1940): the Golden Age grail

Published in July 1940, All-American Comics #16 presents the origin and first appearance of the Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott — a railroad engineer who forges a ring from a mysterious green flame lantern. The story is drawn by Martin Nodell (working under the pen name Mart Dellon) from a script by Bill Finger. The issue is extraordinarily scarce: the CGC Census listed only 58 certified copies as of 2020, compared to 270 for Batman #1 published a few months earlier. Only two unrestored high-grade copies are known (a 8.0 and a 9.4), and neither has ever come to public auction. Even so, a CGC 6.5 copy — in mid-grade condition — achieved $215,100 at Heritage Auctions in 2018, surpassing the previous record of $203,150 set in 2013 by a CGC 8.0 Billy Wright pedigree copy. The fact that a lower-grade example eclipsed a higher-grade predecessor illustrates just how relentlessly this book is pursued by Golden Age collectors.

Showcase #22 (1959): the Silver Age reinvention

Published in October 1959, Showcase #22 discards the magic-ring mythology of Alan Scott in favour of hard science fiction. Hal Jordan, a test pilot chosen by the dying ring of an alien policeman named Abin Sur, becomes the first human member of the Green Lantern Corps — an interplanetary police force answering to the Guardians of the Universe on Oa. The script is by John Broome; the art is by Gil Kane. The issue ranks among the foundational pillars of the Silver Age alongside Showcase #4 (Flash) and Amazing Fantasy #15 (Spider-Man). In 2017, a CGC NM 9.2 copy sold for $149,375 at Heritage Auctions — the all-time record for the title. Lower-grade copies trace a consistent curve: a CGC 8.5 Savannah pedigree sold around $36,000, and a CGC 7.5 has transacted in the $20,000–$50,000 range. Our eBay estimator lists Showcase as a separate series and returns no reliable median for this issue.

Green Lantern #76 (1970): the O'Neil and Adams run

In April 1970, Green Lantern #76 marked a sharp editorial turn: editor Julius Schwartz handed the series to writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams. Over fourteen issues, the pair confronted Hal Jordan — alongside his co-headliner Green Arrow — with the social realities of 1970s America: racism, poverty, drug addiction. The run is considered one of the defining moments in the maturation of American comics, and Neal Adams' original cover art for this issue sold for $442,000 at Heritage in 2015 — a figure that underscores its canonical status. For the comic itself, high-grade copies are scarce: a CGC 9.6 has traded at around $7,000 in the recent market. Our eBay estimator returns a median of €9 across all grades on 69 active listings — a figure representative of low-grade copies, far removed from the top of the spectrum.

Green Lantern #87 (1972): the first appearance of John Stewart

Published in December 1971 (cover-dated December 1971–January 1972), Green Lantern #87 introduces John Stewart, a Black architect from Detroit selected as Hal Jordan's backup ring-bearer. Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams again provided the script and art; the same issue includes a brief cameo by Guy Gardner, the abrasive ring-slinger who would become a Corps mainstay. John Stewart was DC's first Black superhero, and his profile surged with the animated Justice League series (2001) in which he was the primary GL. Collector demand intensified further when HBO announced Lanterns, a noir thriller series set to premiere on 16 August 2026, starring Aaron Pierre as John Stewart alongside Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan. In January 2025, a CGC 9.8 copy of Green Lantern #87 sold for $10,800 at Heritage Auctions. Our estimator returns a median of €9 on 66 active eBay listings — reliable volume, but heavily weighted down by low-grade copies.