InvestComics Copper Age Hot Pick: Deadpool Rookie Card

Copper Age Hot Pick: Captain Planet and the Planeteers #1 (1991)

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Let’s get one thing out of the way: this is not groundbreaking speculation. However, this article serves two purposes. First, the biggest card show in the hobby, “The National,” is taking place this weekend. More importantly, some comic collectors may not be aware of this unusual little “glitch” connecting the comic book and trading card markets.
The National Sports Collectors Convention is an annual event that has been held in several cities over the years, but Rosemont, Illinois, outside Chicago, has become its primary home. The 46th National runs from July 29 through August 2, 2026, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. It has become the biggest sports card and memorabilia show on the planet, making this week’s Copper Age Hot Pick a perfect way to celebrate the event while spreading some much-needed awareness.
Published on August 10, 1991, X-Force #1 took the comic hobby by storm. The issue was plotted and penciled by Rob Liefeld, scripted by Fabian Nicieza, colored by Brad Vancata, lettered by Virtual Calligraphy, and featured a cover by Liefeld. At the time, Liefeld was firing on all cylinders. His artwork, characters, oversized weapons, endless pouches, and hyperactive style perfectly captured what comic collectors wanted in the early 1990s.
Just six months earlier, on February 10, 1991, Deadpool made his first comic book appearance in New Mutants #98. That historic issue was written by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, penciled and covered by Liefeld, colored by Steve Buccellato, and lettered by Joe Rosen. Deadpool was co-created by Liefeld and Nicieza, and his debut became one of the most important first appearances of the Copper Age.
Six months after Deadpool’s debut, X-Force #1 arrived with enough early-1990s marketing gimmicks to fill an entire long box.
The comic was available as a regular, unbagged edition and in several sealed polybag versions containing different X-Force trading cards. The inserts included characters such as Cable, Shatterstar, Sunspot, the X-Force team, and the character responsible for this entire article: Deadpool. The Deadpool insert is card number three in the promotional set and is widely treated by card collectors as Deadpool’s rookie card.
In recent years, the trading card market has absolutely exploded. Even collectors who deal exclusively in comics have noticed it. Some longtime comic collectors have even shifted their attention toward cards because of the market’s volatility and the sometimes-exorbitant prices paid for certain products.
Comics experienced similar market insanity at different points, especially during the 1990s. Today, however, comic speculation can often feel hit-or-miss, with unnecessary hype pushing certain books before interest quickly disappears. The card market is guilty of committing the same sin. Regardless of which hobby you prefer, the same InvestComics rule applies: awareness.
That awareness brings us back to X-Force #1.
The various polybag editions contained different cards, but the Deadpool card eventually became the key to the kingdom. Think about what is happening here: the bonus item sealed inside the bag can be worth significantly more than the comic it came with. That does not happen often if ever.
A collector can potentially spend less than $10 on a bagged copy of X-Force #1 and uncover a card capable of selling for hundreds—or possibly more than $1,000. The comic was massively overprinted, reportedly selling approximately five million copies, but perfectly preserved examples of the Deadpool card are another matter entirely.
The sales examples that brought this Hot Pick to our attention tell the story. A raw, bagged copy of X-Force #1 recently sold for approximately $8. Meanwhile, a PSA 10 example of the Deadpool insert card sold for $1,200. A CGC Card 10 sold for $325. You read that correctly.
For comparison, a CGC 9.8 copy of X-Force #1 comic recently sold for $71. The Deadpool rookie card is significantly outpacing a high-grade copy of the comic that originally contained it. All because the card boom has officially arrived and card collectors are looking at this insert very differently than most comic collectors have for the past 35 years.
However, caution is required.
Nobody knows when the card-market bubble will burst. It could happen next year, five years from now, ten years from now, or prices could simply cool gradually. Nobody truly knows. That is why the point of this article is not hype. The point, as always, is awareness.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to search for sealed copies of X-Force #1 containing the Deadpool card and attempt to buy them cheaply. The Deadpool card is visible through the clear polybag, so you do not have to gamble on which card is inside.
From there, the decision becomes more complicated.
Opening the bag allows you to inspect the card properly, but it also eliminates the comic’s sealed status (not that big of a deal really). Surface scratches, poor centering, soft corners, damaged edges, print defects, and even marks caused by the original packaging can prevent the card from earning a Gem Mint 10. Grading fees, shipping, insurance, and selling fees also have to be included when calculating the possible profit.
In other words, do not blindly rip open every copy you find and assume a four-figure payday is waiting inside. A 10 grade here is the absolute reason we are discussing anything here and a 10 is never guaranteed.
The ideal situation is finding a cheap copy with a clearly visible Deadpool card that appears properly centered and well preserved. Inspect the card through the bag as carefully as possible before making the purchase. If the card looks questionable, keeping the comic sealed may be the smarter move and dump it if you wish. Remember, there are many copies of these available.
There is one more thing to consider. Once collectors become more aware of this card (again, because InvestComics still does have a pulse on the marketplace), another buying surge could occur for the Deadpool polybag edition. Those who find copies early may still get them cheaply. Those who arrive late should not panic. X-Force #1 was printed in enormous numbers, and sealed copies continue to surface in comic shops, convention boxes, online auctions, flea markets, and private collections.
The supply is out there. The challenge is finding the correct card in exceptional condition.
So, there you have it. Under the right circumstances, someone could potentially turn an inexpensive copy of X-Force #1 into a substantial profit.
The comic itself may be one of the most recognizable symbols of the 1990s speculation era, but more than three decades later, the card hidden inside the bag is, in fact, the real investment.

Speculation is not about hype. It is about awareness.

-Jay