- Action Comics no 1, released in 1938, is famous for featuring the first ever appearance of Superman
- Sold at auction for $6 million – cost 10 cents when it was first on sale
- Less than 100 copies of Action Comics no 1 thought to still be in existence
Do you have a pile of comics in your attic? Or maybe do your grandparents have a pile in their attic? If so, it might be time to get them out of storage – they could be worth a fortune: a copy of Action Comics no 1 has just sold at auction for a cool $6 million.
The comic, which dates back to June 1938, was so expensive for several reasons. Firstly, it has become iconic in the comic industry because it contains the first ever appearance of Superman. The story was written by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and detailed Superman’s origin story.
Secondly, there are thought to be only 78 copies of this comic still in existence – more than 200,000 were printed back in 1938. Finally, and possibly most importantly for the value, the comic was still in great condition – with the cover and pages virtually intact and the colors hadn’t faded.
Only two other copies of the comic – which haven’t had any restoration – are known to exist in better condition.
The auction company that sold the comic, Heritage Auctions, said it was “one of the world’s finest copies” of “the most important comic ever published.” Action Comics no 1 was sold for just 10 cents when it hit newsstands back in 1938.
This auction eclipsed the previous record for a comic of $5.3 million, set in 2022. On that occasion, the comic sold was an issue of Superman no 1 from 1939. Another issue of Action Comics no 1 sold for $3.25 million in 2021.
