A rare high-grade copy of Action Comics #1, where iconic superhero Superman made his debut in 1938 sold for a record $3.2 million on eBay. It’s the first comic to fetch more than $3 million at auction, and thus broke the previous record price of $2.16 million which was paid in 2011 for a copy of the same comic once owned by actor and Superman fan Nicolas Cage. What makes this copy the “holy grail” of comic books not just for its place in history but the issue was awarded a grade of 9.0 from the Certified Guaranty Company, the highest grade ever assigned to a copy of Action Comics #1 issue by CGC and a sign that the 76-year-old comic is still in super condition.
The copy was acquired several years ago in a private sale by Darren Adams of Pristine Comics in Federal Way, Washington, and stored a temperature-controlled vault. He said the original owner bought the comic from a newsstand in 1938, and then kept in a cedar box for about four decades until a local dealer in West Virginia purchased it in an estate sale. The issue then passed to a third person, who held onto it for 30 years.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury.
