A copy of Action Comics #1, which introduced Superman to the world, has sold for a record-breaking price.
Online auction and consignment company ComicConnect.com announced on Tuesday that the “exceedingly rare” copy of Action Comics #1 went for a whopping $3.25 million in a private sale, making it the world’s most valuable comic book to date.
It narrowly bested the previous record for the comic. Back in 2014, an issue of Action Comics #1 was auctioned for slightly over $3.2 million on eBay. When the comic originally hit newsstands in June 1938, it sold for only 10 cents.
The copy sold this week was “buried in a stack of old 1930s movie magazines” and was in mint condition. “This is an 83-year-old comic book in near-pristine condition — and it’s a sight to behold,” said ComicConnect.com co-owner Vincent Zurzolo said in a news release. “Not to mention, this book launched the superhero genre that’s such a huge part of our culture.”
The very same copy of the comic has been sold at least three times before; the most recent was in 2018 when it was sold for more than $2 million.
The name of the copy’s new owner was not revealed, but the news release noted that the winning bidder is “relatively new to comic investing.”
While hundreds of thousands of copies of Action Comics #1 were initially published, Zurzolo said that there are only about 100 copies that exist today, and in varying conditions. The copy sold this week is among the best-kept ones.
Featuring a cover art by Joe Shuster and Jack Adler, Action Comics #1 tells the origins of Superman, including how he came to Earth from another planet and went by the name Clark Kent.