Rare comic introducing Superman sells privately for $19.3 million
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The sale price makes this issue one of the most expensive comics sold.
PHOTO: NEWSHUB
Hannah Ziegler
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NEW YORK – A copy of the comic book that introduced the world to Superman in 1938 has been sold to a collector for US$15 million (S$19.3 million).
The private sale of a high-grade copy of Action Comics No. 1 was announced on Jan 9. Fewer than 100 copies are known to exist, said Mr Vincent Zurzolo, president of Metropolis Collectibles and ComicConnect, which negotiated the sale.
The sale price makes the issue one of the most expensive comics sold
“This is the advent of the golden age of comics, and Action Comics No. 1 is the holy grail of holy grails,” Mr Zurzolo said in an interview.
It is widely considered the first American comic book to include superheroes, and contributed to a rapid increase in the genre’s popularity in the mid-20th century.
Both the buyer and seller asked to remain anonymous.
The history of this particular copy, which originally sold for 10 US cents, is a saga of its own. In 1996, Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage purchased it from Metropolis Collectibles and ComicConnect for US$150,000, Mr Zurzolo said.
In 2000, the comic was stolen from Cage’s home during a party and remained missing until 2011, when it was discovered in a storage unit in California, Mr Zurzolo said.
During the 11 years it was missing, the issue “skyrocketed in value”, said Mr Stephen Fishler, chief executive of Metropolis and ComicConnect, in a news statement.
The comic was returned to Cage, who sold it for US$2.2 million at an auction.
“If this wasn’t stolen, it would have been sold with the rest of his collection much earlier and would have sold for far less,” Mr Zurzolo said. “In essence, because of the theft and recovery, Nick’s windfall on this comic book was enormous.”
Certified Guaranty Co (CGC), which specialises in authenticating and grading collectibles, gave the issue a grade of 9.0, meaning the comic is well-preserved, but has minor defects.
It joins several other comics that have fetched multi-million-dollar prices at auction and in private sales. At least eight copies of Action Comics No. 1 have now sold for more than US$1 million, said the CGC. NYTIMES
