The origins of Santa Claus

Santa Claus

Did you know that…

• Because of the rotation of the earth and the different time zones, Santa actually has 31 hours to deliver gifts on Christmas Eve if he travels east to west.
• Santa has 2 two Christmas Eves to deliver toys. The Eastern Orthodox churches do not recognize the Gregorian correction to the Julian calendar for liturgical events and they celebrate Christmas Eve on January 6th.
• In Poland St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on the December 6th, this is a day when St. Nicolas, gives all the children in Poland gifts.
• Santa Only delivers gifts to children who believe in him: so approx 50-55% of the world's children who fall in various Christian sects as well as the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist children would not be on Santa's list. 
• Santa Claus is known by many names around the world: Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Julenissen, Ded Moroz, Papai Noel, Babbo Natale, Pere Noel, Weihnachtsmann and Kris Kringle.

The origins of Santa Claus

The 4th century Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (present day Turkey) was a generous man particularly devoted to children. His kindness and reputation for generosity gave rise to claims he that he could perform miracles and devotion to him increased.

St. Nicholas became the Belgium Patron Saint of children and travelers, he also became the Patron Saint of Russia, where he was known by his red cape and flowing white beard. St. Nicholas is prominent in Russian Orthodox liturgy and Thursday prayers are dedicated to him as a Miracle Worker.

Thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated to him and in the 12th century an official church holiday was created in his honor. The Feast of St. Nicholas (Nikolaustag) was (and still is in Poland) celebrated on December 6. The day was marked by gift giving and charity.

After the Protestant Reformation (circa 1517), European followers of St. Nicholas declined, except in the Scandinavian Countries. In Holland where the Dutch spelling of his name Sint Nikolaas was eventually transformed into Sinterklaas. The Dutch children left their wooden shoes by the fireplace, and Sinterklaas would reward the well behaved children by placing treats in their shoes.

The  Dutch colonists brought the traditions of the Feast of St. Nicholas with them to America in the 17th century, where the Anglican name of Santa Claus emerged.

The figure of Santa Claus as a jolly, plump man in a red suit described in Clement C. Moore's 1822 poem 'A Visit From Saint Nicholas' (published as The Night Before Christmas) remains recognized today by children and adults alike around the world:
"He had a broad face and a little round belly" and  "He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf".





Legend of Krampus

Marvel Experience: Produced by Hero Ventures coming to Arizona

The Marvel Experience

As deputized agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division), participants will join Marvel's Mightiest Heroes (more than 20+ Marvel characters, including Black Widow, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, and Spider-Man) to save the world from Hydra, Red Skull, M.O.D.O.K. and the evil Adaptoids.

The Marvel Experience will encompass 7 domes spread across 3 acres and your progress tracked by RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), everyone who enters the facility is given a Super Power Band that will track their progress.

Features include a 360-degree 3-D projection Dome, Spider-Man Climbing Wall, Holo-Blaster Training Simulator and a state-of-the-art 4-D motion ride. Also a life-size Avengers Quinjet. You’ll feel like you're bypassing alarm systems like Black Widow, climbing like Spider-Man, smashing like Hulk, and flying like Iron Man in this hyper-reality as you face the forces of Hydra.

The Marvel universe is responsible for some of the biggest box-office hits: Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America, X-Men and The Amazing Spider-Man and now you can join the action.

It incorporates interactive technology; including augmented reality, multi-person gaming and RFID tracking, which allows guests to see themselves in action. The dome has 14 double-stacked projectors and you'll be in the middle of the 3-D experience, coming at you from all sides.

It will take approx 4-6 hours to take in the entire Experience, which ends with the 4-D motion ride. These are fully articulated seats like you would find at Universal Studios or Disneyland.

Arizona was chosen to kick off the tour because of weather and the proximity to the equipment and production companies that are based in Vegas and Los Angeles.

The Marvel Experience: Produced by Hero Ventures

• The tour will stop at 14 + cities over 2015.
• Assemble your own Groups of 15 or more and you can save 10% on all tickets.
• 2 for 1 military discount tickets at booth.
• The walk through experience, standing theaters and motion ride are all general admission, no seating assignments.
• Tickets will be available on-site at the Dome Box Office during operating hours throughout the tour or online via Ticket Master.
• Cameras are welcome! But flash photography is prohibited.
• The Experience is mostly a walking and standing adventure, so wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
• $10 parking fee
• No strollers admitted
• 40 inch height requirement for the 4D ride, kids and pregnant women are seated in fold chairs at the front.
• Spider-man climbing wall has a 50LBS weight minimum.

Arizona Dates: Friday, December 19, 2014 through Saturday, January 3, 2015
Time: 9:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m.
Location: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 7555 N Pima Rd in Scottsdale, AZ

My Marvel Experience review

Other tour dates / cities:
Dallas , TX - January 15th - February 1st 2015
Del Mar, CA - February 7th - February 22nd 2015
San Francisco, CA - February 27th - March 22nd

The Marvel Experience.

Buy comic books

2015 Arizona Renaissance Faire

  King Henry invites you to the 2015 Arizona Renaissance Festival

Join for the 27th season, and be taken on a magical tour through time and legend. As you wander down the medieval village streets of the Arizona Renaissance Festival, ready thyself to revel with master revelers, watch artisans create original works of their ancient craft and be taken in by the  aroma of roast turkey legs and much more.

Featuring a cast of hundreds of authentically costumed merrymakers working throughout the village and performing upon the Festival's 13 stages. A rollicking 16th Century village for a day of family festivities. Impromptu encounters with the royalty of Tudor England and peasants, becoming part of the show is commonplace.

You'll meet all kinds, from jousters to jesters and minstrels to fair maidens: all talented in the art of interactive theatre! New entertainment by Fireflicker has been summoned by King Henry for this glorious season. Enjoy family fun for children and magical times for adults for eight special weekends in February through March 2015.

For more information on tickets, vendors, food, hours and entertainment visit my other Arizona Renaissance Faire posts. Also see the new menu for the Pleasure Feast.

Games of skill!

Test your skill at the Faire's many games: archery, storming the castle in a paintball battle, or throw a tomato at an insulting peasant. For those in the mood for an extreme challenge you can test your ability at the Climbing Tower or show your battle readiness by throwing a battle axe.

Notable Event Dates

February 7th & 8th: Opening Weekend - Let the Revelry Begin!
February 14th, 15th & 16th: Renaissance & Romance
February 28th & March 1st: Pirate Invasion
March 14th & 15th: Celtic Weekend
March 28th & 29th: Final Huzzah

More interesting US Currency Facts

For more interesting facts about things Printed on the One Dollar bill, visit Facts About U.S. Money.

• The US government first issued 'paper' money in 1861 to make up for a shortage of coins to help finance the Civil War, because People were hoarding gold and silver coins. 
• The first 'paper' bills were issued in Fractional Currency: 3, 5, 10, 15, 25, and 50 cent denominations. 

Coins

• A penny costs of 2.41 cents to produce; it costs the U.S. Mint about 11cents to make a nickel and almost 6 cents to make a dime. 
• You can see Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial on the penny.  
• Changing the US one dollar bill for a US one dollar coin would save the US government about $4.4 billion in the next 30 years.

One dollar bill

• One dollar bills make up between 45-48 percent of all bills printed by the U.S. government each year. 
• The average life of a dollar bill is between 18-21 months in circulation. 
•  It is said you can see a spider in the upper left-hand corner of the shield surrounding the 1, while an owl is hidden one each side of the word 'One Dollar' about half way between the number 1 and the letter O in One and R in Dollar. 
• The $1 bill’s famous nickname of “Greenback” originates from the Dollar Bill created by Abraham Lincoln in the late 1800s to finance the Civil War; These notes were printed in green on the back side. 
• Martha Washington is the only woman to have appeared on a U.S. currency note. She appeares on the face of the 1886 and 1891 $1 Silver Certificate and on the back of the $1 Silver Certificate issued in 1896.

Two dollar bill

• In 1963, the $2 bill Federal Reserve Notes were changed by removing “WILL PAY TO THE BEARER ON DEMAND” from the front and adding “IN GOD WE TRUST” to the back. The $2 bill was last issued in 2003.

Five dollar bill

• $5 bills last in circulation for around 15-18 months. 
• The number 172 can be seen on the back of the U.S. $5 dollar bill in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. 
• The security thread in bills $5 and higher will turn blue if they are held under ultraviolet light 
• You can see 26 of the 50 states listed on the Lincoln Memorial on a five dollar bill.

Ten Dollar Bill

• Ten Dollar Bill was nicknamed a "sawbuck" because the Roman numeral for ten (X) bears resemblance to the legs of a sawbuck.

Twenty dollar bill

• $20 bills last in circulation for approximately 24 months.
• Pocahontas appears on the back of the $20 bill in 1875. 
• The twenty-dollar bill was referred to as a "double-sawbuck" because it is twice the value of a ten-dollar bill. 
• The elm tree on back of the $20 bill near the White House was a real tree, the tree is no longer on the White House grounds due to rain softened ground in 2006. 
• Andrew Jackson preferred coins over 'paper' currency, but appears on the $20 bill.

Fifty dollar bill

• Larger bills ($50, $100) can last in circulation up to 8 years. 
•  The micro printing and security thread found in currency today were first introduced in 1990 on the $50 and $100 bills. 
•  A fifty dollar bill is often called a "Grant" because it features a portrait of Ulysses S. Grant.

Hundred dollar bill

• A $100 bill has many nicknames: C-note, Benjamin, Franklin, Ben, Benjy, Benny. 
• The clock tower of Independence Hall in Philadelphia on the new $100 bill is right twice a day, the time set at 4:10.

Thousand dollar bill

• High-denomination bills ($500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000) are legal tender, but were last printed in 1945 and officially discontinued in July 1969 and would probably have to be "broke" at a bank. 
• In 1969 President Richard Nixon halted the circulation of the high-denomination bills in an effort to fight organized crime. 
• A record $2,255,000 was paid in December of 2006 for an 1890 thousand dollar bill. 
• The United States 1000 dollar bill features General George Gordon Meade, who commanded Union Army troops at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Hundred Thousand dollar bill

• The 100,000 dollar bill was printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1934 and was only used for transactions between Federal Reserve Banks. It is the highest denominated note ever produced by the United States.

Other Fun Facts

• Approx 94% of your cash has viruses and bacteria that can live for up to 17 days.
• Over 90% of your cash also contains traces of cocaine
• $30 billion in Monolpoly money is printed each year. The U.S. government only prints approx $974 million. 
• There is an estimated 1.2 trillion in coin and bills in circulation. The US debt is approx 14 times larger than the amount of currency in circulation, how's that for a credit card bill. 
• Approx 2/3 of US circulated money is held outside the United States. 
• If the Government just printed it's way out of debt, the hyper inflation would make the money worthless similar to 1923 Germany. Germany's money became so worthless it was given to kids to play with and even used as wall paper. 
• The "crack tax" was the name given to the Tennessee tax on illegal drugs. The law passed in January 2005, and applied to illegal substances like cocaine, marijuana, and moonshine. Drug dealers and bootleggers were required to pay taxes anonymously on profits and would receive a stamp to prove their payment. If the dealer was arrested and unable to provide a stamp the state would seek taxes. In 2009 the Tennessee Supreme Court judged that the "Crack Tax" is unconstitutional (because only legitimate employment should owe tax?). 
• North Korea is believed to be the biggest counterfeiter of US currency. 
•  Mr. Eighty Eight evaded capture from the Secret Service for 10 years by only printing about 40 one dollar bills a month and never spending them in the same place twice. His counterfeits were so bad that they even misspelled Washington's name. 
• The richest 1% (one percent) may own nearly half the world's wealth, but nearly half of lottery tickets are purchased by the same 5% of the population. 
• If you have a ten dollar bill in your pocket and no credit debts, then you are wealthier than 25% of Americans. 
• Before paper money, animal skins like deer and elk were used for trade, this might be where the word "buck" to designate a dollar came from. 

Is it illegal to write on a dollar bill

Is it illegal to write on a dollar bill? In my opinion the law says that you cannot deface a banknote if your intent is to render it unfit for circulation (or advertise on it), so basically if you intentionally do something that makes it unusable in a vending machine you are breaking the law.

Title 18, Section 333 of the United States Code, is the Actual law pertaining to the topic from which the above opinion was developed.

DEFACEMENT OF CURRENCY:

Defacement of currency is a violation of Title 18, Section 333 of the United States Code. Under this provision, currency defacement is generally defined as follows: Whoever mutilates, cuts, disfigures, perforates, unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, Federal Reserve Bank, or Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such item(s) unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

The above law doesn’t say anything about 'writing' on a dollar bill, but they are also ambiguous terms and it says you can’t do those things with intent to render such item(s) unfit to be reissued. So you are not going to tear a dollar bill, because you could not use it and you'd be out a buck, but a terrorist might want to destroy money for some nefarious purpose. You might however want to write something on it like a phone number, but your intent probably would not be to render it unfit to be spent as you'd be out a buck.
So what purpose might writing on a dollar be considered a crime? If a business bought a lot of one dollar bills and printed a logo or web address: 18 USC Section 475 regards the attachment of advertisement to legal tender.
 
What about having a dollar signed by a celebrity? The United States Department of Treasury’s Bureau of Printing and Engraving discourages writing on money but has had spokes persons and fact sheets that make statements saying it is not necessarily a crime for example to have a celebrity sign a dollar bill. This could be because the bill is not meant to be placed back in circulation, since it would most likely be saved as a celebrity autograph souvenir as well as there would be no intent to make it unusable. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have refused to sign dollar bills, but Bill Clinton, George Bush and some Treasury Secretaries have signed them as well as many many celebrities(check Ebay) .

So is the Where's George and similar websites breaking the law? Probably not as they state "we do not encourage the defacement of US Currency" and do not seem to be the one's actually stamping the bills "We no longer sell any Where's George? rubber stamps.". Also since Wheresgeorge.com has received an estimated 244,300 visits over the last month, if they were breaking the law, you would assume the Secret Service would have already stepped in at some point since the site was officially launched in December 1998.

What about squishing a penny in those souvenir machines? A fraudulent intent is required for the criminal violation, so the act of compressing coins into souvenirs does not appear to be illegal without other factors existing. Since 'you' are making an impression on the coin and a business is not impressing or attaching a business or card or advertisement to the coin no laws seem to be being broke.

By the way if you are a celebrity and want to sign and send me a dollar (or Hundred dollar bill, since I'm not going to tell you what you can or can not write on) you can mail it to PO Box 459, Tolleson, AZ 85353.

Sources:
-FoxNews.com - By Kimberly Schwandt - Published July 05, 2012 - Oak, Harbor, Ohio - President Obama turned down the offer to sign a dollar bill, citing it as a federal offense to write on currency.
-Politifact.com - By Bill Adair - December 19th, 2007 - Des Moines, Iowa - Hillary Clinton was asked by a shopper to autograph a dollar bill. She refused saying it is illegal to sign money.
- Encyclopedia of the Modern Elongated - by Angelo Rosato - Reproduced letter from the Department of the Treasury to Mr. Vance Fowler.
- wheresgeorge.com/faq-rules-privacy.php
- http://www.moneyfactory.gov/historicallegislation.html

United States Secret Service is the department tasked with enforcement of defacement of currency, they are also the agency that deals with counter fit currency.

*I am not a lawyer, above is my opinion on the law and should not be taken as legal advice.

Deciphering the mysteries of history in a dollar bill

How much is a dollar worth?

 

Each bill costs the government about 7 cents to print. You cannot trade in a dollar bill to the government for gold or any other commodity, so technically the dollar bill has no value other than that which a nation's citizens agree the bill is worth to each other.

The worth of US currency is related to a decree by the government that a dollar bill is legal tender for all debts public and private. This means if someone attempts to pay a debt using US dollars, the person being paid must accept the currency as a form of payment or the government will not recognize the debt. However, there does not seem to be Federal statute that mandates a private businesses must accept cash as a form of payment. Private businesses are free to refuse cash as payment for goods unless there is a State law which says otherwise.

Click here for more Interesting facts about US Currency

Worth the paper printed on?

 

US bills are made from a blend of linen and cotton with red and blue silk fibers woven into the currency. Us 'paper' money is not made from pressed wood fiber or common paper. This is why dollar bills don't fall apart in the washing machine like receipts when left in your pocket.

The Great Seal of the United States

 

The back of the dollar bill features the both sides of 'The Great Seal of the United States' designed in 1782. This seal was designed by the Founding Fathers, the first of three groups consisted of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Two other groups were involved before the final design was approved by the US Congress. The unfinished pyramid, was not part of the Franklin, Adams and Jefferson proposed design.

 

Bald Eagle

 

An animal native to America was to become the nation's symbol: In its talons the eagle holds 13 arrows and olive branches with 13 leaves, signifying war and peace.

Annuit Coeptis

 

1 of the 3 Latin phrases printed on the back of the dollar bill; Annuit Coeptis translates as "God has favored our undertakings". Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and other the Founding Fathers believed that it was God's will behind the birth of the United States and that not one man alone but a group of people with the help of God can do great things.

Novus Ordo Seclorum

 

Another of the 3 Latin phrases printed on the back of the bill; translates as "New order of the ages". Charles Thomson, who was involved in the design of The Great Seal of the United States, suggested the phrase to signify "the new American Era" which began in 1776 with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

E Pluribus Unum

 

Another of the 3 Latin phrases, E Pluribus Unum translates as "Out of many, one": The 13 colonies unified to form one nation under god.

MDCCLXXVI at the bottom of the pyramid

 

MDCCLXXVI are Roman numerals for the year 1776. Adding the Roman numeral series (M/1000, D/500, C/100, C/100, L/50, X/10, X/10, V/5, I/1) under the pyramid together and you get 1776; the year the 'new American Era' began.

Unfinished pyramid with a glowing eye

 

The 'Eye of Providence' is a visual representation of the phrase Annuit Coeptis (God has favored our undertakings), the Founding Father's ideal that God looked upon the new nation with favor.

Charles Thomson believed the pyramid represented strength and endurance (time). Though he did not explain the unfinished state; the pyramid stops at 13 steps which is the number of the original colonies. Many believe the it being unfinished at 13 to signify our nation was unfinished and would grow.

Thirteen colonies (or states) came together to form the United States of  America and he number 13 is represented in many places on the dollar bill.

-The Bald Eagle is holding an olive branch in its right talon with 13 leaves standing for peace.

-In the left talon, the Eagle is holding 13 arrows signifying war.

-The shield over the Eagle's chest has 13 bars and over the Eagle's head, there are 13 stars.

-E Pluribus Unum, on the scroll hanging from the eagle's beak has 13 letters.

-The phrase Annuit Coeptis also has 13 letters

On the front of a dollar, the letter inside the black seal identifies the Federal Reserve bank which placed the order and the letter corresponds to the black number that is printed four times on the face of the bill.

A/1 = Boston

B/2 = New York City

C/3 = Philadelphia

D/4 = Cleveland

E/5 = Richmond, Va.

F/6 = Atlanta

G/7= Chicago

H/8 = St. Louis

I/9= Minneapolis

J/10 = Kansas City

K/11 = Dallas

L/12 = San Francisco.

Start yourself a Comic Book collection - Buy Comic Books

Comic Book Collecting - Starting a collection

With Comic book - Superhero Movies bringing a reemergence of Superhero interest many people may be thinking about buying, selling and collecting comic books, so here is a short guide on starting. Have fun and find a local store that participates in Free Comic Book day to pick up your first comic book for free.

Start with 1 or 2 comic heroes, villains or teams (X-Men, JLA) that you have an affinity for. I personally enjoy Batman and Punsiher as they do not have any powers and so could theoretically be real life heroes/vigilantes. After you have chosen a comic character you enjoy, realize, just like the movies that do not always have the same story lines, neither do the comic books. There are alternate universes so just because one comic series has one story of who killed Bruce Wayne's parents for example, another series may infer it was another villain. So unless you have a specific story line you wish to follow, it may be better to start with a subscription to the recent issues for example the DC Comics The New 52 series. One daunting issue concerning new collectors is the high issue numbers of long-time ongoing series'. When you want to read a book about a particular character you may feel like you are coming in too late.

At this point you may begin running into cross-overs. Where Punisher for example is is introduced in the Spiderman series or Wolverine in the hulk. Now you are learning more about the universe and may pick up another hero or two you want to follow. Or even run into a fact about the character you wish to know more about and want to begin catching up on the back-story that you have missed. This is where the interest in a hero can become the beginning of an actual comic book collection. You will want to go to your neighborhood comic book store and ask the clerk if they have issue relating to a specific series of events that have peaked your interest.

Now not all older comics are worth something, so you should be able to get some back issues for about the same price as the current release issues. This is also the point where you go from reading to collecting and storing. You may even spend a chunk of change on a back issue that has peaked your interest, especially if you are trying to get an issue of a character's first appearance. This is when you decide if it is just an interest or going to be a hobby and collection. You do not want to spend $20 dollars on a back issue and not take the proper steps to protect it with bags and boards allowing it to continue to increase in value rather than becomes torn and money down the drain.

If it is just an interest, a cheaper way to catch up on story lines is to collect Trade Paper Backs (sometimes referred to as TPBs). Trade Paper Backs are reprinted collections of issues and can be purchased new or used. If you are more interested in reading comic books and less interested in collecting comic books digital comics are becoming a nice alternative. Some comic book publishers such as Marvel and DC are now put digital copies of their books online, some can even be read for free.

Comic Book Care

Caring for you comic books is important if you ever want to pass them on to your children or even resell them at a profit (or at least what you paid) in a few years. The easiest way is to purchase boxes, bags and boards for you comic books from the comic book store. You also do not want your comics to sit in a garage or non temperature controls storage location as heat will brown the pages and make the comic books fragile. Store your boxes in a air conditioned location like a closet or cooled storage unit.

Comic book database

Take note of each comic books that you buy, easiest way is with a spreadsheet application on your computer. Keep track of your collection, noting the publisher, date, cover price, collector's estimated value, title and any notes of interest (like "batman gets his back broken"). Mycomichop.com also gives you the ability to keep track of your collection and even sell off issues.

Be cheap as a beginner

Be on the lookout for cheap comics: some places where you may find deals on comics in a variety of ages and conditions are yard sales, swap meets, and flea markets. Be careful at these places because they are also places you might have buyers remorse. If you are still new to comic books and do not understand comic book grading, or do not have an idea of what comics from different ages might be worth. Take a smart phone with you and go to Mycomicshop.com and look up what you are looking at before laying money down. Also mind the condition, as worn comics lose value just like action figures removed from packaging. Such salesmen may not be bad people, they just may think this is 15 years old so it has to be worth something and if you are buying it they may assume you know it's value. Do not be afraid to make an offer that you see as fair. If you are collecting for your own personal reading enjoyment you probably don't want to be spending more than a dollar per back issue on comics. However, if you are looking for a collection to grow in value, you must watch what you buy and spend wisely.

Comic book conventions

Attend a comic book convention:
Doing so will allow you to interact with other comic book collectors and maybe to make a friend or two sharing the same interest of a character. Here you will have the opportunity to meet the writers and artists of your favorite comic books in person, maybe even a signature. This brings up a debate of having the comic book signed or just the plastic protective bag. This depends on who you plan on reselling to later. Some people feel the signature defaces the comic and others feel it increases the value. Some people also want the book, but are not willing to pay the extra added cost of being signed.

Growing a collection of value

Look for first appearances of characters. Historically, the more valuable comic books are those that featured the first appearance of character:

    Action Comics #1 (1938): Superman's first appearance.
    Flash Comics #1 (1940): First appearance of the Flash and Hawkman
    Batman #1 (1940): Introduced Robin and arch-vilian the Joker.
    Superman #1 (1939): The first comic book named after the superhero.

They do not have to be issue #1 either:

    Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962): Spider-Man's first appearance.
    Detective Comics #27 (1939): Batman's first appearance.
    The Amazing Spider-Man #129 (1974) Punisher's first appearance.
    Incredible Hulk #180/181 (1974) Wolverine's first appearance.   

Older comic books are more valuable than newer comics:

Age and  rarity play a big part as well, Comics less than 20 years old are usually less valuable.

The Golden Age (1933 to 1955): The Golden Age of comics began around Action Comics #1. These comics are typically 4-color comics 48-64 pages in length.

The Silver Age (1956 to 1969): Silver Age of comics began around the premiere of Barry Allen (the second Flash) in Showcase #4. Silver Age comics are 32 to 48 page 4-color comics.

The Bronze Age (1970 to 1985): With comic heroes like Green Arrow's sidekick dealing with drug issues (Green Lantern/Green Arrow #5) and Iron Man confronting alcohol (Iron Man #128), many of these comics confronted social issues along with villains.