This is something I’ll be setting up in table form along with some other pricing information on Comichron, but here are the average prices of comics in the Diamond Top 300 back to the beginning of the Exclusive Era. The first column is the flat average (all prices divided by 300), while the second column is the dollar value of all comics ordered that month divided by units. (This method winnows out the outliers that are priced too high or too low.)
We can see that October 2008’s figures are indeed the highest all-time, but we also see the increase has been rather less steep than conventional wisdom might presume, with the march from $3 to $3.38 taking most of the 2000s.
I do need to go into some of the data sets in the early 2000s during the 10-cent promotional comic wave and pull them out, but there was only usually one such book each month. They’d affect the weighted average but not the flat average.
Average . . . Weighted Average
Sep-96 . . . . . $2.56 . . . . . $2.34
Oct-96 . . . . . $2.75 . . . . . $2.41
Nov-96 . . . . . $2.92 . . . . . $2.50
Dec-96 . . . . . $2.69 . . . . . $2.51
Jan-97 . . . . . $2.71 . . . . . $2.49
Feb-97 . . . . . $2.64 . . . . . $2.40
Mar-97 . . . . . $2.63 . . . . . $2.34
Apr-97 . . . . . $2.47 . . . . . $2.21
May-97 . . . . . $2.63 . . . . . $2.40
Jun-97 . . . . . $2.57 . . . . . $2.39
Jul-97 . . . . . $2.64 . . . . . $2.46
Aug-97 . . . . . $2.60 . . . . . $2.51
Sep-97 . . . . . $2.65 . . . . . $2.45
Oct-97 . . . . . $2.67 . . . . . $2.56
Nov-97 . . . . . $2.65 . . . . . $2.50
Dec-97 . . . . . $2.67 . . . . . $2.56
Jan-98 . . . . . $2.61 . . . . . $2.38
Feb-98 . . . . . $2.64 . . . . . $2.38
Mar-98 . . . . . $2.64 . . . . . $2.45
Apr-98 . . . . . $2.67 . . . . . $2.50
May-98 . . . . . $2.66 . . . . . $2.43
Jun-98 . . . . . $2.66 . . . . . $2.43
Jul-98 . . . . . $2.62 . . . . . $2.43
Aug-98 . . . . . $2.81 . . . . . $2.63
Sep-98 . . . . . $2.73 . . . . . $2.44
Oct-98 . . . . . $2.84 . . . . . $2.65
Nov-98 . . . . . $2.85 . . . . . $2.59
Dec-98 . . . . . $2.76 . . . . . $2.54
Jan-99 . . . . . $2.79 . . . . . $2.56
Feb-99 . . . . . $2.84 . . . . . $2.57
Mar-99 . . . . . $2.79 . . . . . $2.51
Apr-99 . . . . . $2.84 . . . . . $2.58
May-99 . . . . . $3.11 . . . . . $2.60
Jun-99 . . . . . $2.95 . . . . . $2.55
Jul-99 . . . . . $2.96 . . . . . $2.55
Aug-99 . . . . . $2.98 . . . . . $2.62
Sep-99 . . . . . $2.79 . . . . . $2.62
Oct-99 . . . . . $2.85 . . . . . $2.68
Nov-99 . . . . . $2.85 . . . . . $2.61
Dec-99 . . . . . $2.85 . . . . . $2.68
Jan-00 . . . . . $2.87 . . . . . $2.56
Feb-00 . . . . . $2.94 . . . . . $2.64
Mar-00 . . . . . $2.85 . . . . . $2.64
Apr-00 . . . . . $2.92 . . . . . $2.67
May-00 . . . . . $2.86 . . . . . $2.71
Jun-00 . . . . . $3.07 . . . . . $2.88
Jul-00 . . . . . $3.00 . . . . . $2.86
Aug-00 . . . . . $3.01 . . . . . $2.82
Sep-00 . . . . . $2.93 . . . . . $2.84
Oct-00 . . . . . $2.97 . . . . . $2.85
Nov-00 . . . . . $2.98 . . . . . $2.71
Dec-00 . . . . . $3.05 . . . . . $2.85
Jan-01 . . . . . $3.10 . . . . . $2.76
Feb-01 . . . . . $3.01 . . . . . $2.68
Mar-01 . . . . . $3.17 . . . . . $2.76
Apr-01 . . . . . $3.21 . . . . . $2.72
May-01 . . . . . $3.16 . . . . . $2.69
Jun-01 . . . . . $3.08 . . . . . $2.78
Jul-01 . . . . . $3.00 . . . . . $2.81
Aug-01 . . . . . $3.12 . . . . . $2.73
Sep-01 . . . . . $3.04 . . . . . $2.79
Oct-01 . . . . . $2.98 . . . . . $2.83
Nov-01 . . . . . $3.18 . . . . . $2.88
Dec-01 . . . . . $3.12 . . . . . $3.04
Jan-02 . . . . . $2.98 . . . . . $2.85
Feb-02 . . . . . $3.13 . . . . . $2.89
Mar-02 . . . . . $3.11 . . . . . $2.73
Apr-02 . . . . . $3.07 . . . . . $2.82
May-02 . . . . . $3.05 . . . . . $2.80
Jun-02 . . . . . $3.14 . . . . . $2.84
Jul-02 . . . . . $3.04 . . . . . $2.75
Aug-02 . . . . . $3.00 . . . . . $2.75
Sep-02 . . . . . $3.05 . . . . . $2.77
Oct-02 . . . . . $2.99 . . . . . $2.74
Nov-02 . . . . . $3.09 . . . . . $2.83
Dec-02 . . . . . $3.19 . . . . . $2.70
Jan-03 . . . . . $3.16 . . . . . $2.78
Feb-03 . . . . . $3.03 . . . . . $2.82
Mar-03 . . . . . $3.05 . . . . . $2.81
Apr-03 . . . . . $3.01 . . . . . $2.78
May-03 . . . . . $3.09 . . . . . $2.77
Jun-03 . . . . . $3.18 . . . . . $2.91
Jul-03 . . . . . $3.06 . . . . . $2.80
Aug-03 . . . . . $3.08 . . . . . $2.79
Sep-03 . . . . . $3.06 . . . . . $2.93
Oct-03 . . . . . $3.00 . . . . . $2.90
Nov-03 . . . . . $3.08 . . . . . $2.90
Dec-03 . . . . . $3.08 . . . . . $2.85
Jan-04 . . . . . $3.34 . . . . . $2.82
Feb-04 . . . . . $3.25 . . . . . $2.85
Mar-04 . . . . . $3.16 . . . . . $2.92
Apr-04 . . . . . $3.12 . . . . . $2.82
May-04 . . . . . $3.17 . . . . . $2.85
Jun-04 . . . . . $3.06 . . . . . $2.83
Jul-04 . . . . . $3.16 . . . . . $2.91
Aug-04 . . . . . $3.17 . . . . . $2.85
Sep-04 . . . . . $3.01 . . . . . $2.85
Oct-04 . . . . . $3.05 . . . . . $2.88
Nov-04 . . . . . $3.10 . . . . . $2.90
Dec-04 . . . . . $3.08 . . . . . $2.90
Jan-05 . . . . . $3.12 . . . . . $2.79
Feb-05 . . . . . $3.10 . . . . . $2.86
Mar-05 . . . . . $3.06 . . . . . $2.84
Apr-05 . . . . . $3.18 . . . . . $2.85
May-05 . . . . . $3.12 . . . . . $2.91
Jun-05 . . . . . $3.15 . . . . . $2.94
Jul-05 . . . . . $3.19 . . . . . $2.92
Aug-05 . . . . . $3.17 . . . . . $2.92
Sep-05 . . . . . $3.01 . . . . . $2.88
Oct-05 . . . . . $3.20 . . . . . $2.96
Nov-05 . . . . . $3.19 . . . . . $3.00
Dec-05 . . . . . $3.27 . . . . . $3.05
Jan-06 . . . . . $3.21 . . . . . $2.98
Feb-06 . . . . . $3.25 . . . . . $3.01
Mar-06 . . . . . $3.15 . . . . . $3.08
Apr-06 . . . . . $3.20 . . . . . $3.12
May-06 . . . . . $3.24 . . . . . $3.11
Jun-06 . . . . . $3.28 . . . . . $3.04
Jul-06 . . . . . $3.24 . . . . . $3.06
Aug-06 . . . . . $3.27 . . . . . $3.11
Sep-06 . . . . . $3.21 . . . . . $3.09
Oct-06 . . . . . $3.29 . . . . . $3.13
Nov-06 . . . . . $3.26 . . . . . $3.09
Dec-06 . . . . . $3.28 . . . . . $3.15
Jan-07 . . . . . $3.26 . . . . . $3.12
Feb-07 . . . . . $3.29 . . . . . $3.15
Mar-07 . . . . . $3.27 . . . . . $3.20
Apr-07 . . . . . $3.32 . . . . . $3.06
May-07 . . . . . $3.28 . . . . . $3.15
Jun-07 . . . . . $3.24 . . . . . $3.19
Jul-07 . . . . . $3.26 . . . . . $3.14
Aug-07 . . . . . $3.28 . . . . . $3.20
Sep-07 . . . . . $3.33 . . . . . $3.21
Oct-07 . . . . . $3.30 . . . . . $3.21
Nov-07 . . . . . $3.17 . . . . . $3.13
Dec-07 . . . . . $3.26 . . . . . $3.22
Jan-08 . . . . . $3.23 . . . . . $3.11
Feb-08 . . . . . $3.36 . . . . . $3.13
Mar-08 . . . . . $3.24 . . . . . $3.15
Apr-08 . . . . . $3.31 . . . . . $3.20
May-08 . . . . . $3.35 . . . . . $3.28
Jun-08 . . . . . $3.34 . . . . . $3.21
Jul-08 . . . . . $3.35 . . . . . $3.25
Aug-08 . . . . . $3.35 . . . . . $3.25
Sep-08 . . . . . $3.34 . . . . . $3.24
Oct-08 . . . . . $3.38 . . . . . $3.31
Comichron founder John Jackson Miller has tracked the comics industry for more than 25 years, including a decade editing the industry’s retail trade magazine; he is the author of several guides to comics, as well as more than a hundred comic books for various franchises.
He is the author of novels including Star Wars: Kenobi, Star Wars: A New Dawn, Star Trek: Discovery – The Enterprise War, and his upcoming release, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The High Country. Read more about them at his fiction site.
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