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Title: DETECTIVE COMICS No. 143
Publisher:DC [Indicia: Detective Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: January, 1949
Description: CGC certified: Fair/Good (1.5). Cream to off-white pages. Grader notes: "Brittleness chipping cover; spine of cover completely split & cover detached; staining to cover." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 39 graded copies (37 Universal, 2 Restored).
 
GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A 2.0 sold for $114 in 10/23; a 2.5 sold for $333 in 7/23.
 
Credits: Cover: Jack Burnley (Charles Paris inks). Scripts: Bill Finger. Art: Jack Burnley (ghosting as Bob Kane), Lee Harris, John Daly, Curt Swan.Bat-cyclopedia: "In January 1949 Batman and Robin meet the PIED PIPER.... the so-called 'man of 1,000 pipes,' a 'tricky criminal' — headquartered in a recently opened pipe shop in GOTHAM CITY — 'who boasted that he could do anything with pipes' and whose spectacular crimes and escapes all revolve around the use of pipes, as when he and his henchmen rob the Farmer's Bank with the aid of corncob pipes which emit blinding smoke, or when he escapes from a rooftop by means of the drainpipe and then scrambles to safety through a network of sewer pipes. After stunning Gotham City with a series of spectacular pipe crimes, however, the Pied Piper is finally apprehended by BATMAN and ROBIN." — Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, pp. 121, 308.The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION comprises over 40,000 comic books, including a copy of every single DC comic published for retail sale from 1934 to 2014. The collection was amassed by British music producer Ian Levine over the course of several decades, and it's been hailed as the single greatest collecting accomplishment in comic book history. This collection served as the basis for former DC Comics president Paul Levitz's monumental book 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking, published by Taschen in 2017. PBA is proud to present this epic collection in a series of themed sales over the next two years. To join the DC Universe Collection notifications list, contact pba@pbagalleries.com.
Enjoying PBA's Batman sale? A very small number of softcover and limited edition hardcover auction catalogues are available for purchase. The catalogues are fully illustrated, thoroughly researched, and make excellent reference works for Batman fans. To order a copy, or to inquire about consignment opportunities, contact Ivan Briggs, PBA's Director of Comics: ivan@pbagalleries.com.