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Are Commando comics worth anything? That's the usual question people want to know when visiting Commando Comic Values, and you'll find the answers on the statistics and calculator pages. For those interested in the site itself, here is a bit of background information..
Commando Comic Values is a database containing 30,228 individual selling prices of pre-owned issues of Commando, Britain's longest serving war comic. It's aim is to help collectors value their issues as well as give accurate prices for those buying and selling comics.
I do. My name is Terry and I've been a collector for over 40 years.
It all started, as with many Commando comic collectors, with me and my dad buying a few to read on the beach while on holiday. As my passion for british comic art grew, so did my Commando collection.
In 2016 my collection had grown quite considerably and I wanted to value it for insurance purposes. There were a few comic valuation websites and comic price guides, but they only had rough estimations and lots of people giving opinions on what Commandos were worth, none were based on actual sales data.
I came up with the idea of tracking eBay sales to value my own collection and as my database grew, so did the accuracy of the valuations. In 2018 it became clear that the data would be useful to other collectors, so I decided to give access to the data via a website.
Although it wasn't quite as simple as that. I didn't actually know how to design websites. So I spent months and months following YouTube videos on html, css, php and SQL, until I was able to create my own site - Commando Comic Values, all hand-coded with each entry input individually!
The database can be used by collectors, dealers, investors or anyone researching the value of Commando Comics to:
It gives you access to the average prices paid for all issues of Commando comic, right up to the present day. These figures can be a useful guide when buying and selling Commando Comics on Ebay. You'll also be able to see useful statistics including:
You'll see the highest, lowest and average sales prices for every single issue of Commando Comic.
You'll also get access to a quick search facility to help value comics when you're out and about. Perfect for car booting!
Although it takes quite a bit of time to administer, I wanted Commando Comic Values to be completely free to access. I tried having a subscription to help with hosting costs etc, but now use Google Ads instead. I've tried to keep them as unobtrusive as possible.
Prices have been gathered since January 2016 with a brief pause during 2021 and 2022.
All prices are taken from completed Ebay auctions for single issues of Commando Comic which have had at least one bid.
I try to record as many as I can. As the database is kept up-to-date manually, a few issues may slip through the net.
I decided that, as Buy It Now prices are set by the seller, they wouldn't be a good indication of what buyers are willing to pay. Auction prices on the other hand allow for accurate movement in prices based on perceived value.
Not all collectors make purchases based on condition. Poor condition issues can sell at auction for much more than high quality issues. For example, two bidders wanting the same issue can push the price of a poor quality issue up, whereas, an excellent condition issue can sell for next to nothing if only one person bids on it during the auction. Over time, average prices can produce a good indication of value based on all buying factors including rarity, current availability and auction fever, not just condition.
The average price is only a guide for people new to Commando Comics or for those wanting to make very rough calculations. It is not the price at which an average condition copy will sell, just a guide to what issues have sold for in the past. If you'd like to calculate prices based on individual issues you can use the 'Commando Comic Values Calculator'.
No. As well as the reasons given in 'Why use an average price?' above, it would be impossible to discover the accurate condition of each issue which sells.
These are not taken into consideration in the final calculation.
Over the long term pre-owned Commando Comics have risen dramatically in price. However, there has never been an accurate record to prove this. That's where Commando Comic Values comes in.
The individual issue prices can also be used as a guide to buying issues at the very best price. For example, in 2016 one lucky buyer was able to purchase on Ebay a copy of issue number 34 (Death Mission) for just 99p. The average price at the time was £26.42. That's a return of 2568.69%! If they sold it for the highest price of £53.75 they would get a return of 5329.29%! So yes, I guess Commando Comics can be a good investment.
That's one of the reasons Commando Comic Values was started. You can use the Multiple Issues calculator to estimate the value of a batch of up to ten issues at a time.
For new issues, head on over to Commando HQ at Commandocomics.com.
If you want to purchase old Commando comics eBay is a great place to start.
Of course! Any ideas are greatly received. You can email me via the link in the footer.
I'm currently working on a valuation calculator based on condition which will bring a whole new level of accuracy to the figures. It will hopefully be launched by spring 2024.
Best of luck with your collection!
