Current:Home > FinanceOriginal Superman comic from 1938 sells for $6 million at auction-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Original Superman comic from 1938 sells for $6 million at auction
View Date:2024-12-23 20:07:49
An original print edition of the comic book that introduced Superman sold at auction this week for a record-breaking $6 million.
The sale happened on Thursday, kicking off a four-day rare comic book auction organized by Texas-based Heritage Auction. The auction house described the rare find, Action Comics No. 1, published in June 1938, as one of the finest copies in the world of the prized issue.
As is customary with most auction houses, Heritage did not disclose the seller or buyer.
The $6 million sale surpasses the previous record of Superman #1 that sold privately in 2022 for $5.3 million.
"Thursday was a historic day for a historic comic book, and we expected no less," Heritage Vice President Barry Sandoval told Barrons. "The first session of this four-day event will surpass $15 million — and we haven't touched the comic art that begins Friday, with numerous pieces of significance forthcoming. Maybe there is more history still to be made."
Million-dollar sales of original super hero comic books have become more common in recent history, with a copy of Captain America's first issue selling for $3.1 million in 2022, and the first ever Marvel comic selling for $1.2 million in 2019. In 2021, Heritage also auctioned a high quality copy of Batman #1 for $2.2 million.
Devout superhero fans consider Action Comics No. 1 as one of the rarest and most influential comics ever printed — one that launched perhaps the most well-known superhero in pop culture.
In it, a newborn baby boy is nestled into a space capsule by his father who then sets the vessel's destination to Earth. Just moments after the baby is launched into space, his home planet of Krypton erupts violently, killing all of its inhabitants. The baby's capsule crash lands on Earth and a motorist driving by happens to notice it.
The early story that later brought us Clark Kent and Superman enjoyed intense popularity between 1938 and 1956, a time frame comic book experts refer to as the Golden Age.
"Without Superman and Action Comics No. 1, who knows whether there ever would have been a Golden Age of comics — or if the medium would have become what it is today," Sandoval said in a statement Thursday before the sale.
Superman has been the central figure in thousands more comic books, as well as television shows, merchandise, cartoon series and movies. Actors George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Dean Cain, Henry Cavill, and Tyler Hoechlin have portrayed the Man of Steel either on TV or in film. David Corenswet is set to take the Superman mantle in James Gunn's upcoming film "Superman Legacy" in 2025.
Only 200,000 copies of Action Comics No. 1 were printed in 1938 and there's likely only 100 copies of them in existence today, according to Certified Guaranty Company, the Florida-based comic book grading service. Of those 100 surviving copies, 78 are in good enough condition to be sold or auctioned, according to CGC.
Khristopher J. BrooksKhristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. He previously worked as a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald, Newsday and the Florida Times-Union. His reporting primarily focuses on the U.S. housing market, the business of sports and bankruptcy.
TwitterveryGood! (2955)
Related
- Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to kick off fundraising effort for Ohio women’s suffrage monument
- State Department circumvents Congress, approves $106 million sale of tank ammo to Israel
- Investigators accessed Trump White House cellphone records and plan to use them at trial, special counsel says
- Watch soldier dad surprise family members one after another as they walk in
- Mark Zuckerberg Records NSFW Song Get Low for Priscilla Chan on Anniversary
- How much for the two turtle doves, please? Unpacking the real cost of 12 Days of Christmas
- State Department circumvents Congress, approves $106 million sale of tank ammo to Israel
- These pros help keep ailing, aging loved ones safe — but it's a costly service
- Judge moves to slash $38 million verdict in New Hampshire youth center abuse case
- As Navalny vanishes from view in Russia, an ally calls it a Kremlin ploy to deepen his isolation
Ranking
- Don't Miss This Sweet Moment Between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Dads at the Kansas City Chiefs Game
- Remembering Ryan O'Neal
- Police and customs seize live animals, horns and ivory in global wildlife trafficking operation
- Children of jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi accept Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf
- Charles Hanover: A Summary of the UK Stock Market in 2023
- 'Miraculous': 72-year-old Idaho woman missing 4 days found in canyon
- Why Shannen Doherty Blames Charmed Costar Alyssa Milano for Rift With Holly Marie Combs
- Suicide bomber attacks police station in northwest Pakistan, killing 3 officers and wounding 16
Recommendation
-
'I know how to do math': New Red Lobster CEO says endless shrimp deal is not coming back
-
Whitmer’s fight for abortion rights helped turn Michigan blue. She’s eyeing national impact now
-
Busy Rhode Island bridge closed suddenly after structural problem found, and repair will take months
-
Scientists say AI is emerging as potential tool for athletes using banned drugs
-
Atlanta man dies in shootout after police chase that also kills police dog
-
Harvard president remains leader of Ivy League school following backlash on antisemitism testimony
-
U.S. F-16 fighter jet crashes off South Korea; pilot ejects and is rescued
-
Baby boy killed in Connecticut car crash days before 1st birthday