Price history & market evidence
PriceCharting guide history
Dated guide estimates for this edition, separate from completed sales.
2 dated observations. Last recorded 2026-11-01. Source record #2426856
Price observations belong to this edition. Guide estimates, catalog references and completed sales are separate kinds of evidence.
| Grade | Amount | Evidence | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | $264.99 | PANEL_PROFITS · grade_4_0_valueguide | 1957-08-01 |
| RAW | $210.42 | PANEL_PROFITS · ungraded_valueguide | 1957-08-01 |
| 8.5 | $125.00 | ComicBase · catalog referencecatalog | Date not recorded |
Reading this edition’s market
Compare the same cover, printing and grade before setting a bid. A raw guide or a higher-grade price does not establish a slab’s value. Include selling fees, shipping and the depth of completed-sale evidence when assessing an exit price.
The table includes 2 guide observations and 1 catalog references. These are reference values, not guaranteed sale proceeds.
Graded population
CGC records 41 graded copies for Tales of the Unexpected #16 (1957). Population is the number recorded by this grading source, not the total print run or all surviving copies.
The Magic Hammer
In the old west, a man named Bard finds a hammer that causes rain whenever he throws it. He uses it to charge people in drought-plagued areas for relief, then when he learns it can destroy any object it touches, he decides to skip a step and just rob banks by caving in their walls. Before he can make his first robbery, he finds himself confronted by the hammer's true owner, the god Thor, who's been cursed to walk the Earth searching for it. In fear, Bard throws the hammer at the god, but this just breaks the curse and restores his power. Thor blasts Bard off his horse with a bolt of lightning, reducing the would-be robber to madness.
| Appearing1 = **Featured Characters:** * Thor) **Supporting Characters:** * **Antagonists:** * Mr. Bard * Loki) **Other Characters:** * Asgardians **Locations:** * American Old West * Asgard **Items:** * Hammer of Thor **Vehicles:** *
| StoryTitle2 = I Was a Spy for Them | Synopsis2 =
| StoryTitle3 = The Exile from Earth | Synopsis3 = A magician explores an Egyptian tomb to unearth a mysterious ring that will grant him great powers. As long as he does not touch the Earth, the ring will protect him from harm as he conducts robberies throughout the country. He robs a money truck as it crosses a bridge. He steals cash from wealthy investors on top of the Eiffel Tower and he robs a fortune in gold bullion aboard a ship at sea. He is always careful not to touch the Earth as he conducts his robberies. One night he visits an apartment building to steal a fortune in jewelry. He uses a balloon to float back down to escape security guards but he inadvertently lands upon a roof garden that is full of soil from the Earth. His power disappears instantaneously and he is immediately apprehended by authorities.
| StoryTitle4 = The Interplanetary Line-Up | Synopsis4 =
| Notes = | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links =
Creative credits
Interior art: Jack Kirby, Mort Meskin, Sheldon Moldoff
Source records & attribution
Panel Profits keeps each source identity attached to its edition record.
COMICBASE: comicbase:1071465
GCD: 13705
PANEL PROFITS: 2426856