By Ed Sum (The Vintage Geek)
I have to say this, but Superman is a partially Canadian invention, and he’s being honoured with several 75th anniversary commemorative coins by the Royal Canadian Mint this year.
Cleveland born Jerry Siegel and Toronto born Joe Shuster created this iconic character, and their simple ideals were at the forefront of what the Golden Age character was like. Superman’s ideals hardly ever changed in comic-book land. While the films took on a different front, that’s hardly the point of what I found great about this superhero. He’ll always be the ideal boy scout. This hero is supposed to represent the best of what the United States of America should be like. And I’ll leave the commentary about current political climate out of this exposition.
Collectors like me can salivate over which coin can be bought. New pressings of coins are being manufactured and they will be limited to 15000. In what will be coming they will range in pricing, starting from $29.95 for a Lenticular Coin and Stamp Set – Superman™: Then and Now to $119.79 for a 1 oz $20 Fine Silver Coin – Superman™’s S-shield.
The higher priced ($750 CAD) item, a $75 14-Kt. Gold Coin – Superman™: The Early Years are now gone.
Not everyone may want to shell out a lung to own a piece of celebratory memorabilia. When the coin is truly limited in number, the price will no doubt go up for these products. Unlike the comic books which are printed by the hundreds of thousands these days, investing in silver or gold is a no-brainer. If you can’t decide between a common item or a rarity, that’s dependent on what a fan truly wants to own.
Brainiac might have a aneurysm if he had troubles deciding what to own. Well, knowing him, he would get them all. In this case, yes, I’d skip buying the comic book. Interestingly enough, DC Comics has decided not to celebrate with any comic book commemorative item for their flagship hero. Maybe they are fearful of the backlash when recalling what happened back in the 90’s, with the Death of Superman release. As most comic collectors will tell you, that release killed the modern age collectable market. Anyone thinking they could invest in a bagged comic book and sell it to finance the purchase of a car must be regretting it now. Yes, I had a copy or two of those books still in its black plastic. Even now, I doubt in twenty years they’d be worth its weight in gold.
At least with these coins, I’ll have a solid investment.
But not to be forgotten, Entertainment Weekly has reported on a piece of animated gold to have fans fondly recalling the many iterations this hero has undergone. Animation maestro Bruce Timm has developed a beautiful two-minute animation that recalls this characters many designs. From George Reeves to Henry Cavill, the evolution is visible. There is even some clever rotoscoping going on. But its not just the live-action products that are being showcased. All his animated iterations can be counted here too.
Celebrations were hardly under way in April of this year when considering Action Comics #1 was printed April 18, 1938. That month came and went; I hardly noticed anyone reporting that there was a party in Metropolis (aka New York). Either it was not really big news or everyone decided to wait. I find it interesting that nearly everyone is catching up to the fact that this year marks Superman’s 75th Anniversary this month, near the end of the year. What? Does Supes have to compete with Thanksgiving Turkeys and Santa Claus just to get his dues? I hope not.
Ironically, the people who are interested in the party game will be for those who either want to invest now or wait for his 100 year anniversary. Now to see where Superman stands 25 years from now will be a true sign of testing this hero’s longevity!
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