Cross Paths with Black Cat Collection of High-Grade Horror Books at Heritage Auctions

'Chamber of Chills' No. 19 could scare up $100,000 in November's Comics & Comic Art event DOWNLOAD DIGITAL PRESS KIT DALLAS, Texas (November 1, 2021) — A selection of rare comic books from a curated collection that has ridden a groundswell of acclaim on social media into must-have status will be up for grabs in Heritage Auctions' Comics & Comic Art Signature® Auction November 18-21. The Black Collection was meticulously assembled by Gabriel Vaughn because of his fascination with Black Cat Mystery #50, and consists of some of the highest-graded books of the era, a time during which the comic industry almost met its destruction. Vaughn has a shrewd eye for grade, rarity and desirability, and is a fixture on Instagram with a significant following that includes thousands collectors. "The popularity of this collection on Instagram has vaulted these books into legendary status," Heritage Auctions Comics Consignment Director Brian Wiedman said. "I have talked to many people regarding this collection, and everyone keeps saying the same thing: 'I just want one book, please just let me win just one book.'" The highest-graded copy of Chamber of Chills #19 (Harvey, 1953) CGC NM+ 9.6 Cream to off-white pagesboasts a Lee Elias cover that was used in an homage on the Die, Die My Darling single by the horror-punk band The Misfits. "With our record-smashing sale of the original cover art in October 2020 and the crossover popularity with the image being used for a Misfits album cover, this gorgeous book could reach $100,000 or more and is sure to crush all previous Chamber of Chills 19 records," Wiedman said. Considered "the book that started the Black Cat Collection," the cover image of Black Cat Mystery #50 (Harvey, 1954) CGC NM+ 9.6 Cream to off-white pages includes an unforgettable cover that has been attributed by Overstreet to Warren Kremer and by CGC to Elias. Regardless of which actually did the cover, it is known that Bob Powell and Sid Check provided the interior art for the issue. The offered copy carries the highest grade of any seen in 20 years of comics auctions at Heritage. Another face-melting highlight in the collection is the highest-graded copy known of Tomb of Terror #15 (Harvey, 1954) CGC NM+ 9.6 Cream to off-white pages, the penultimate issue of the title. The sci-fi-themed issue features a classic "exploding face" cover by Elias, and interior art by Powell and Joe Certa. Mister Mystery #12 (Aragon, 1953) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white to white pages is so rare that Heritage Auctions experts have not seen a copy graded this highly since 2003, and the offered copy is tied for CGC's highest grade for the issue. This horrifying classic includes an infamous injury-to-the-eye cover by Bernard Baily, and the interior of the book, which includes art by Hy Fleishman, includes a decapitation panel. Considered by many to be the first all-horror comic book, and featuring a bondage cover, Eerie #1 (Avon, 1947) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white pages is ranked No. 20 on Overstreet's Top Ten Horror Comics list. Other top lots include, but are not limited to:   •  Who Is Next #5 (Standard, 1953) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white pages   •  Mike Sekowsky Who Is Next? #5 Complete 7-Page Story "Don't Let Me Kill" Original Art (Pines/Standard Comics, 1953)   •  True Crime Comics #3 Davis Crippen ("D" Copy) Pedigree (Magazine Village, 1948) CGC VF+ 8.5 Cream to off-white pages   •  Lawbreakers Suspense Stories #15 River City Pedigree (Charlton, 1953) CGC VF- 7.5 Cream to off-white pages   •  Roly Poly Comic Book #14 (Green Publishing Co., 1946) CGC GD/VG 3.0 Cream to off-white pages   •  Weird Tales of the Future #5 White Mountain Pedigree (Aragon, 1953) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white to white pages For images and information for all lots in the auction, visit HA.com/7248. Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong. Heritage also enjoys the highest online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet's most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,400,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of five million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit. For breaking stories, follow us: HA.com/Facebook and HA.com/Twitter. Link to this release or view prior press releases. Steve Lansdale, Public Relations Specialist 214-409-1699; SteveL@HA.com