Let’s be honest – most of us are unlikely to have a mint condition copy of a rare first edition of a comic lying around at home. But there are plenty of more modern comics that you might have in your collection that are worth a few bucks, as we'll show you. Grading, in comic book terms, refers to the condition of the comic. The higher the grading out of 10, the better the condition, and therefore the more valuable the comics are.

The Sandman series was written by acclaimed fantasy and science-fiction author Neil Gaiman and has built up a passionate and loyal fanbase. This first issue was published in 1988, and includes the debut appearance of Morpheus, the central character in the story. According to the experts at GoCollect a mint copy will fetch £229 ($300), though anything less will see the value drop swiftly down to as little as £40 ($49) for an issue given a 7.8 grading.

Many of the issues in this list derive their value from being the first appearance of a character, but in the case of Silver Surfer #44 its value comes down to being the first appearance of an item, namely the Infinity Gauntlet. The gauntlet, essentially a glove worn by the villain Thanos, is a classic piece of Marvel lore, and played a central role in last year’s Avengers: Infinity War film. Top quality copies of this issue will fetch you as much as £229 ($300).

If you have a mint condition copy of the first issue of Preacher, you could sell it for as much as £229 ($300) according to GoCollect. Preacher is a series by Northern Irish writer Garth Ennis and legendary artist Steve Dillon, which has now been adapted for TV by Amazon.

This is another comic where the value has been boosted by a big-screen adaptation. Spider-Man Noir, an alternate universe version of Spider-Man, was one of the main characters in the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse movie last year, voiced by Nicholas Cage, and the success of that film has increased interest in his first appearance in comics. Got an issue with a 9.8 grading? You could expect to sell it for up to £229 ($300).

Comics readers and publishers do love a good ‘what if’ story, outside of the main continuity. This issue is a perfect example of one of these stories, and it brings together two of the most popular cult characters in all of the comic world, with a stunning cover from artist Skottie Young to boot. A top quality copy is worth as much as £250 ($325) according to GoCollect.

Saga has been one of the more popular books in recent years published by someone other than Marvel and DC. Charting the tale of lovers from warring worlds who elope in order to be together and raise their daughter, its success has boosted the value of its first issue significantly. Top quality copies will go for as much as £250 ($325), while those that are not in such good condition may still fetch upwards of £50 ($65).

Issue 608 of Batman not only marked the start of the big Hush story, which brought together all of the big names from the Caped Crusader’s rogues gallery, but it also marked the first time that superstar artist Jim Lee had worked on the title. If you happen to have a top quality copy of this issue, from its second print run, then you could cash it in for up to £277 ($350).

Not for the last time in this list, the value of this comic is down to Todd McFarlane. McFarlane created Spawn after breaking away from Marvel back in the early 90s, both writing and drawing the series, at least initially. The popularity of the character led to one unsuccessful film adaptation, though a reboot is expected to be released in the next couple of years starring Jamie Foxx in the title role. This first issue could sell for as much as £286 ($375) in top quality condition.

The reason people are interested in Marvel Super Heroes #8 is because it contains the first appearance of Doreen Green, also known as Squirrel Girl. It’s fair to say that Squirrel Girl is not exactly in the same league as Batman and Superman when it comes to fame, but her popularity has shot up in the last couple of years thanks to a brilliantly successful new run of comics, boosting interest in her older appearances too. A copy of this issue with a 9.8 grading could be worth up to £286 ($375).

There are a few different factors that come to explain the demand for this issue of The Incredible Hulk, which came out in 1988. For starters, there’s the fact that it features a fight between the Hulk and Wolverine, two of the most popular and iconic characters in Marvel. But there’s also the fact that it’s drawn by Todd McFarlane, with a classic cover to boot. If you happen to have a copy in mint condition, you could get as much as £305 ($400) for it.

This retelling of Wonder Woman’s origin is a hit with collectors, not just for the story itself, but also because of the classic front cover by British artist Brian Bolland. Interest in Wonder Woman has heightened in recent years too thanks to the success of the film starring Gal Gadot. GoCollect reckons that an issue with a grading of 9.8 could sell for as much as £305 (£400).

Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, first appeared in issues of Amazing Spider-Man, but it wasn’t long before he got his own comic book series. He is another character that has crossed over into other forms of entertainment, with a couple of unsuccessful attempts at movie adaptations before Netflix came onto the scene and developed two seasons of his own show. A mint copy of the first appearance of The Punisher could sell for as much as £325 ($425).

There’s no two ways about it, Chew is an unusual story to say the least. It follows Tony Chu, a guy who helps to solve crimes by taking a bite out of murder victims, and getting an insight into the last things they saw. Not one to read while having a meal. This series ran from 2009 to 2016, winning a host of awards along the way, and this first issue could net you as much as £325 ($425) if it has a 9.8 grading. Even those with a grading of 8 are worth at least £122 ($158).

Walking Dead was certainly hitting its stride by the time it reached its 19th issue, though what makes this issue stand out is that it is the first appearance of the sword-wielding Michonne. A copy in top condition is worth as much £362 ($475), according to GoCollect, though even copies in less impressive condition will get you more than £50 ($65).

Spider-Verse was a big crossover event from Marvel a couple of years ago that introduced a host of Spider-themed heroes from alternate realities. None had the immediate impact of the Gwen Stacy Spider-Woman, who quickly got her own Spider-Gwen spinoff title, and was also a central character in last year's Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse animated film. Edge of Spider-Verse #2 is the first time that we see this version of Gwen Stacy, and copies will fetch up to £400 ($520) depending on the quality.

Believe it or not, the value of this issue has absolutely nothing to do with Spider-Man. Instead it’s all down to the hero he teams up with, Carol Danvers, as this is the first time in which she took up the mantle of Captain Marvel. With the first Captain Marvel film hitting the big screen this year interest in the character is only likely to increase from here. Top-quality copies of this issue are worth as much as £400 ($525) according to GoCollect.

You may have noticed from this list that there is often quite a bit of interest in Todd McFarlane’s artwork, and Batman #423 is yet another example of that. This is an issue that collectors are keen on almost entirely because of McFarlane’s classic cover art. He didn’t actually draw the story inside, which was instead handled by Dave Cockrum and Mike DeCarlo. A quality copy of Batman #423 will fetch as much as £420 ($525).

Back when this issue came out in 2011, writer Scott Snyder was not exactly a big name. That has certainly changed in the years since, with Snyder since enjoying a lengthy run on the main Batman title. The relatively small print run of Detective Comics, combined with the increased focus on Snyder’s work writing Batman, has meant demand for these issues have rocketed. It’s also helped by an incredible cover from artist Jock. A top-quality copy of #880 is worth as much as £475 ($625).

Issue 37 of The Saga of Swamp Thing is particularly notable as it marks the first appearance of John Constantine, an expert on the occult from Liverpool. Constantine is a hugely popular character, and has been adapted both for the big screen (with Keanu Reeves playing the role) and for TV. GoCollect reckons that a mint copy of this issue could fetch as much as £480 ($620), while an issue graded at an 8 is worth around £69 ($90).

Few comics are as important as Watchmen. The series is the perhaps the most revered comic book of all time, and even made it onto a list of the 100 most important novels ever by TIME magazine. A mint copy of the first issue will fetch as much as £515 ($675) according to GoCollect, though anything less than mint and the value will quickly drop down to between £40 (£55) and £84 ($110).

Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo began life in a surprisingly violent black and white comic, long before they became the kid-friendly stars of cartoons and movies as we know them today. The third printing of this first issue is worth up to £550 ($725) according to GoCollect, though earlier printings have gone for thousands.

The New Mutants was a spin-off title launched by Marvel back in the 1980s to cash in on the enormous success of the Uncanny X-Men. This particular issue is the first appearance of a character who has long since broken out of the shadow of the X-Men though: Deadpool. Deadpool is one of the most popular characters in all of comics, to the point that he has now had two blockbuster films starring Ryan Reynolds. According to GoCollect, a copy with a grade rating of 9.8 sells for around £590 ($775).

Y: The Last Man is a hugely popular book written by Bryan K. Vaughan all about what would happen if every male on the planet, humans and animals alike, suddenly died. All except for one man called Yorick and his pet monkey. There has been talk of some form of adaptation for years. While that’s never quite got off the ground, interest in this first issue of the series is strong already. GoCollect suggests that a copy of the first issue with a 9.8 grading is worth up to £615 ($800).

Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns is one of the most famous and important Batman stories ever written, looking at what happens when Bruce Wayne comes out of retirement to once again take up the mantle of the Bat. A 9.8 graded copy of the first issue could be worth as much as £725 ($950), according to GoCollect, though the value plummets after that. For example a copy graded as a 9 is worth just £92 ($120).

NYX is not exactly a household name as far as comics titles go. It was a seven-issue miniseries from Marvel back in 2003 which again looked at young mutants. This particular issue features the first comic book appearance of Laura Kinney, otherwise known as X-23, a clone of Wolverine who in recent years has taken up that mantle. High-quality copies will sell for as much as £740 ($975) according to GoCollect.

It’s not just the first issue of the Walking Dead that collectors are after. There were actually fewer copies of the second issue printed, so it’s even rarer, while it also includes the first appearance of characters like Glenn, who has gone on to become a huge hit with fans of the series. GoCollect reckons a mint copy is worth up to £875 ($1,150), with less pristine copies selling for anything from £45 ($60) to £305 ($400).

The popular animation show got its own comic book spin-off from Oni Press back in 2015, and if you managed to pick up a copy early on it could be worth a few bucks. The price you can get for a copy of this first issue will vary significantly according to its quality. According to the experts at GoCollect, copies with a grade rating of 7.5 will sell for around £90 ($120), though copies with a rating of 9.8 can change hands for a massive £950 ($1,250).

Go to any comics-themed event and you can guarantee that you will see people dressed as Harley Quinn. The former Dr Harleen Quinzel began life as the Joker’s girlfriend but is now a pop culture icon in her own right, again to the point that she gets a starring role on the big screen in the likes of Suicide Squad and the upcoming Birds of Prey. Her first appearance in comics was in The Batman Adventures #12 from 1993, and top-quality copies will sell for up to £1,300 ($1,700).

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The Walking Dead has become a phenomenon. This black and white comic from Robert Kirkman has spawned not one but two TV shows, but initially just 7,200 copies were printed of the first issue. If you have a first printing copy in mint condition then you could be looking at a comic worth more than £1,500 ($2,000), though even those in less than pristine condition will still fetch at least £190 ($245).

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This issue, drawn by the enormously influential Todd McFarlane, marks the first full appearance of one of Spidey’s most iconic villains, Venom. Venom has gone on to become a huge star in his own right, not only enjoying spin-off comics of his own but even a blockbuster movie in 2018 starring Tom Hardy. Top-quality copies of Amazing Spider-Man #300 will fetch up to £1,500 ($2,000), while those that are a little more worn and thumbed could bag you between £60 ($80) and £180 ($235).

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