Action Comics #1 features, what is considered by most, the first adventure of the modern day costumed superhero with the first appearance of Superman, and heralded in the glorious Golden Age of comics. Published in June 1938 with a cover price of 10 cents, with less than 100 known remaining copies of the book remaining, owning a first print is pretty much an impossible dream for collectors, fans and even historians.
What can be considered “The Holy Grail of Comics,” a museum worthy copy of the nearly 76-year old book and graded a 9.0 (out of 10) by the Certified Guaranty Company was recently put up for auction on eBay by owner Darren Adams and sold for a record breaking $3.2 million. Know that bidding started at the bargain basement price of a mere 99 cents. The winning bid for the issue came from New York comics dealers Vincent Zurzolo and Stephen Fishler of the auction website ComicConnect.com.
It turns out Action Comics #1 broke its own record, as another copy of the comic book, owned by none other than Nicholas Cage and also graded at 9.0, sold for the then highest price of $2.16 million in 2011. According to reports, the Adams’ book is a far superior edition boasting crisp white pages, so for all intents and purposes, looks as new as the day it was released in 1938. This may mean little to those outside of fandom, but the thought of a comic book preserved to this extent for well over seven decades is mind boggling.
The comic book was on display at New York Comic Con on October 9th, and we tagged along with Guinness World Records across the convention floor to present Comic Connect’s Vincent Zurzolo with the official certification for owning the most expensive comic book in history of comics (for now at least).
Congrats @ComicConnect for the most expensive comic book, Action Comics #1 for $3.2 million! #NYCC #superman pic.twitter.com/Pw9PXtOIeS
— GuinnessWorldRecords (@GWR) October 9, 2014
For those of you still with us, you can check out further proof of the pristine condition of the record breaking 9.0 copy of Action Comics #1 via this amazing page-by-page scan from the Certified Guaranty Company’s website HERE.
SOUCRES: Guinness World Records, USA Today, Huffington Post, CGC
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