A replica of the 1938 comic that “first introduced Superman to the world” has sold for a record-breaking $6 million, the auctioneer who handled the acquisition said last week.
The rare copy of Action Comics #1 sold to an anonymous buyer on Thursday, in line with Heritage Auctions. The $6 million price tag makes the book the most costly comic ever sold at auction, the publishing house added.
Heritage Auctions praises Action Comics #1 as “the most important comic ever published,” noting that the Superman that first appeared within the Spring 1938 issue is the version that also appears in comic strips and on the massive screen today , stays “remarkably similar”. In addition to the Man of Steel’s first appearance, the book also introduced the central love interest, Lois Lane.
A report from comic book grading service Certified Guaranty Company, cited by Heritage Auctions, estimates that only 100 copies of Action Comics #1 remain in existence today, out of 200,000 printed by National Allied Publications, DC Comics’ predecessor.
The example sold last week, which comes from the Kansas City Pedigree, has a CGC Very Fine+ grade of 8.5 – with only two other unrestored editions graded higher, Heritage Auctions noted.
Although not as expensive as $6 million, other rare copies of Action Comics No. 1 too disappeared for hundreds of thousands auctioned lately, including a 6.0-rated copy that sold for $3.56 million through ComicConnect last 12 months.
Thursday’s record sale surpasses the previous holder of the most costly comic ever sold – which was a duplicate of one other Superman-starring comic, Superman #1, which sold privately in 2022 for $5.3, in line with CGC million US dollars was sold.
The sale of Action Comics #1 was a part of a four-day comics auction that featured several well-known superheroes and rare comics featuring them. According to Heritage Auctions, the event raised greater than $28 million by its conclusion on Sunday.
