A comic book featuring the first appearance of Superman has sold for $6million at auction.
A nearly pristine issue of Action Comics #1 has gone under the hammer for a record-breaking price.
The huge figure has surpassed the previous record price tag of $5.3million, according to the New York Post.
New record. #heritageauctions pic.twitter.com/1Ztuvp6ZXv
— Heritage Auctions (@HeritageAuction) April 4, 2024
“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,” said Barry Sandoval, the vice president of Heritage Auctions, ahead of the sale.
Describing the item, the lot said: “The colours are stunningly rich, and the cover is almost pristine and largely unmarred,” the lot description explains. It is rated 8.5 [Very Fine+] in collector parlance.
Industry experts believe that only about 100 copies of the 85-year-old comic book, out of 200,000 printed in 1938, survive.
The highest-priced comic previously was a 8.0-graded issue of the 1939 Superman #1, which sold for $5.3 million in a private sale in 2022.
In 2022 a near mint condition copy of a 1941 comic featuring the first appearance of Captain America sold for over three million US dollars (£2.3 million) at auction.
The sale made Captain America Comics No 1 one of the top five most valuable comic books in the world.
The edition features the well-known Marvel superhero, played by Chris Evans in the film franchise, punching Adolf Hitler in the face on its cover.
