CONS: The Virginia Vintage Comics & Collectibles Show

The Virginia Vintage Comics and Collectibles Show returns to the Salem Civic Center for the 15^th year on Saturday, Aug. 18. The show is billed as “the only Vintage Comic Show in the Eastern United States.”

Show promoter Roger Mannon of Floyd said, “there are lots of comic book shows, and old comics can be found at toy, hobby and card shows. But we are the only show dedicated to old comics.”

Because the show is unique, dealers and collectors from as far as Florida, New York and the Midwest attend, a total of 14 states to date. One man who has made the 1,100 mile trip from Minneapolis several times calls Virginia Vintage “the best one-day, small-city show in the United States.”

Comic books were a staple of life in the mid-20^th Century and have enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years. One reason is the proliferation of movies based on comic books.

Standard superheroes like Superman and Batman have generated popular movies for decades, but in recent years the roster has grown to include Spider-Man, X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Green Lantern and others. This year’s Avengers movie has already become one of the biggest box office hits of all time.

Another reason for renewed interest in comics is that some of them have become extraordinarily valuable. Comic books that originally sold for 10 cents 60 or 70 years ago can be worth $100,000 or more today.

In this area, a box of old comics found in Martinsville brought $3.5 million at auction in February of this year. Another old collection from central Virginia will have its public debut at this year’s show.

“This collection is not as valuable as the Martinsville collection,” Mannon said. “But it is significant because it is an original owner collection from the early 1940s, and most of the issues have war-themed covers, even the Disney and humor issues.”

Mannon notes that “not all old comics are of equal value. You can find hundreds of old comics at the Vintage Show in the $2 to $5 range.

“The most valuable are the key issues,” he said. “When significant, rare issues are in high grade condition, then you’re looking at big money.”

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The Salem Civic Center is located at 1001 Roanoke Blvd. Show hours are 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is $2, or free for ages 12 and under. Parking is free, and gas card/door prizes are awarded hourly. For additional information, call (540) 789-7056, (540) 745-2127, or visit virginiavintagecomics.com.