A 1938 edition of the comic that “introduced Superman to the world” has sold for a record-breaking $6 million, according to the auctioneer who handled the transaction last week.
Heritage Auctions sold a rare edition of Action Comics No. 1 to an unidentified buyer on Thursday. According to the auction house, the book’s $6 million price tag makes it the most expensive comic ever sold at auction.
This sale surpassed the previous record-holder for the most expensive comic book ever sold
Heritage Auctions describes Action Comics No. 1 as “the most important comic ever published,” saying that the Superman who first debuted in the 1938 spring edition “remains remarkably similar” to the one seen in comic strips and on the big screen today. In addition to the Man of Steel’s debut appearance, the book also introduced Lois Lane, the key love interest.
According to a report by comic book grading agency Certified Guaranty Company, just 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 remain today, out of 200,000 printed by National Allied Publications, the predecessor to DC Comics.
The copy sold last week, which comes from the Kansas City Pedigree, has a “Very Fine+” CGC rating of 8.5, with only two other unrestored issues grading higher, Heritage Auctions reported.
Although not as expensive as $6 million, other rare copies of Action Comics No. 1 have sold for millions at auction in recent years, including a 6.0-rated issue that sold for $3.56 million through ComicConnect last year.
Thursday’s record-breaking transaction surpassed the previous record-holder for the most expensive comic book ever sold, a copy of another Superman-starring comic, Superman No. 1, which sold privately for $5.3 million in 2022, according to CGC.
The Action Comics No. 1 sale was part of a four-day comic auction that featured several well-known superheroes and rare comics. According to Heritage Auctions, the event grossed more than $28 million by the end of Sunday.