Spider-Man First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy #15 Value

Spider-Man first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 (cover date August 1962), published by Marvel, by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby. The source puts it this way: "Just the first appearance of this little character called (*checks notes*) Spider-Man.".

PriceCharting values for Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962) by CGC grade, based on recorded sales and updated September 25, 2026:

• CGC 2.0: $22,000
• CGC 3.0: $26,840
• CGC 4.0: $31,804
• CGC 5.0: $46,775
• CGC 6.0: $70,341
• CGC 7.0: $96,121
• CGC 8.0: $244,000
• CGC 9.0: $280,600
• CGC 9.2: $317,200
• CGC 9.4: $584,365

The spread from CGC 2.0 ($22,000) to CGC 9.4 ($584,365) shows how much condition matters on a key issue. Restored, trimmed or incomplete copies sell far below these figures, and reprints and facsimiles (see below) are worth a small fraction. Grade and restoration are confirmed by a grading service such as CGC or CBCS; prices move with the market and the character's popularity.

• This was the final issue of the series: Marvel initially rejected the concept, then later agreed to let Stan Lee print the story in what turned out to be Amazing Fantasy's final issue.
• Cover artist differs from interior artist: Stan Lee developed the issue's interior story with artist Steve Ditko, while Jack Kirby drew the cover.

• Indicia: the small print on the first page or inside cover gives the issue number, date and publisher; reprints usually say so there.
• Cover price and barcode: a price or barcode format that did not exist in the year printed means a later edition.
• Paper and staples: decades-old newsprint is tan at the edges; bright white pages on an old date are a warning sign.
• Restoration: color touch, trimmed edges and married covers are common on expensive keys; a grading service can detect them.

Shoot the front cover flat, straight on, in even light, then the indicia page and the back cover. Include the top edge and staples in one frame. The app reads the title, issue number and cover and matches it against the checks above; the indicia photo settles most reprint questions.

Amazing Fantasy #15 is cover-dated August 1962 but went on sale June 5, 1962 (Wikipedia). Stan Lee wrote it and Steve Ditko drew the story; Lee rejected Ditko's cover and had Jack Kirby pencil it, with Ditko inking. The title was already slated for cancellation, and strong sales of #15 led Marvel to launch The Amazing Spider-Man seven months later, with #1 cover-dated March 1963.

CGC's feature of December 2, 2025 gives the census as of November 24, 2025:

• 4,140 copies in the CGC Population Report
• Median grade: CGC 2.5
• Highest grade: CGC 9.6, with four Universal-label copies plus one Signature Series copy signed by Stan Lee
• 437 Signature Series copies signed by Stan Lee

A CGC 9.6 copy sold at Heritage Auctions for $3.6 million in September 2021, a Guinness World Record at the time; another CGC 9.6 had sold for $1.1 million in 2011 (Wikipedia). With a median of 2.5, most surviving copies sit near the bottom of the price table above.

Two different books are called "Spider-Man #1". Neither is his first appearance. PriceCharting, September 25, 2026:

• The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963): his second appearance and the first appearance of J. Jonah Jameson and the Chameleon. $5,000 ungraded, $18,300 in CGC 6.0, $45,600 in CGC 8.0, $144,000 in CGC 9.2 and $724,573.59 in CGC 9.8.
• Spider-Man #1 (1990): Todd McFarlane's series debut, which sold over three million copies across several covers with the same interior (Wikipedia). $14.40 ungraded, $52.50 in CGC 9.2 and $105.55 in CGC 9.8. Green, silver, black and bagged versions are priced separately, so name the cover when you look it up.

Amazing Fantasy #16-18 (December 1995 to March 1996) are new flashback stories by Kurt Busiek and Paul Lee, not reprints of #15.

The 1977 film was Spider-Man, a live-action TV film that aired on CBS on September 14, 1977, starring Nicholas Hammond and directed by E. W. Swackhamer. It was released in theaters outside the US and served as the pilot for the 1977 TV series The Amazing Spider-Man (Wikipedia).