Hake’s Offers Duke Caldwell Signed Comic Collection

Hake’s Auctions opened their premier Auction #239, on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. The auction features 1,909 lots of historical and pop culture memorabilia, including over 100 signed comic books from the Duke Caldwell Collection.

Duke Caldwell began collecting comics in the 1960s, scouring Los Angeles area bookstores and comic shops for the nicest copies he could find. His curated collection became populated by high grade examples of key Silver and Bronze Age books, then in 1990, he started adding signed books to his collection. Caldwell acquired many signatures in person, taking boxes of comics to conventions like San Diego Comic-Con, where he met the likes of Stan Lee, Julius Schwartz, Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and many others. Caldwell meticulously cataloged his collection by creating his own certificate that states who signed the book, at what venue, and when.

Caldwell’s collection comprises over 21,000 signatures from nearly 650 creators on more than 12,000 comics. The vintage signatures in the Duke Caldwell Collection were authenticated by CBCS’s Verified Signature service and other books hail from CGC’s Signature Series.

Top highlights in the collection are:

• Amazing Spider-Man #667 CBCS 9.8 Verified Signature Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos, Gabriele Dell’Otto retailer incentive variant
• Amazing Spider-Man #1 CBCS 4.5 Verified Signature Stan Lee, twice signed (first appearance J. Jonah Jameson and the Chameleon, first Fantastic Four crossover, Spider-Man’s origin retold)
• Amazing Spider-Man #3 CGC 4.5 Signature Series Stan Lee (origin and first appearance of Doctor Octopus)
• Incredible Hulk #181 CGC 7.5 Signature Series Len Wein and Herb Trimpe (first full appearance of Wolverine)
• Journey Into Mystery #83 CBCS 3.0 Verified Signature Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Dick Ayers, and Joe Sinnott (Thor’s origin and first appearance)
• Showcase #4 CBCS 5.5 Verified Signature Joe Kubert, Carmine Infantino, and Julius Schwartz, Restored Amateur (origin and debut of Silver Age Flash Barry Allen)
• Star Wars #1 CBCS 5.5 Verified Signature Roy Thomas, Howard Chaykin, and Tom Palmer, 35¢ variant (first issue of Star Wars: A New Hope adaptation)
• Ultimate Fallout #4 CBCS 9.0 Verified Signature Brian Michael Bendis and Jonathan Hickman, Marko Djurdjevic retailer incentive cover (debut of Spider-Man Miles Morales)

Featured signed books also include:

• Action Comics #252 CGC 4.0 Signature Series Al Plastino (origin and first appearance of Kara Zor-El and Metallo)
• Amazing Spider-Man #50 CGC 7.5 Signature Series John Romita and Stan Lee (Kingpin’s debut)
• Amazing Spider-Man #129 CBCS 8.5 Verified Signature Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas (first appearance of the Punisher and the Jackal)
• Batman #232 CGC 9.4 Signature Series Neal Adams and Denny O’Neil (first appearance of Ra’s al Ghul, origin of Batman and Robin retold)
• Brave and the Bold #28 CGC Restored 4.0 Signature Series Murphy Anderson (debut of the Justice League of America, Starro, and Snapper Carr)
• Detective Comics #233 CGC 3.5 Signature Series Sheldon Moldoff (Batwoman Kathy Kane’s debut and origin)
• Green Lantern Vol. 2 #87 CGC 9.4 Signature Series Neal Adams and Denny O’Neil (first appearance of John Stewart)
• House of Secrets #92 CBCS 6.0 Verified Signature Bernie Wrightson, Carmine Infantino, Len Wein, Louise Simonson, Michael Wm. Kaluta, Tony DeZuniga, and Mark Evanier (Swamp Thing’s debut)
• Iron Fist #14 CGC 9.6 Signature Series Chris Claremont (Sabretooth’s first appearance)
• Vampirella #1 CGC 7.0 Signature Series Neal Adams (origin and first appearance Vampirella)

These highlights are joined by nearly 100 other signed key comics from Caldwell’s collection. Hake’s Auction #239 is open for bids now through Tuesday and Wednesday, November 14-15, 2023.