Action Comics #1 sells for $2 Million!

[Fat Freddy]

As Perry White would say, "Great Caesar's Ghost!"

 

http://news.yahoo.com/action-comics-1-sells-2-16-million-auction-010326975.html

 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A rare and pristine copy of the first issue of Action Comics, famed for the first appearance of Superman, has set a record Wednesday for the most money paid for a single comic book: $2.16 million.

 

The issue, graded at 9.0, was auctioned starting Nov. 11 online at www.comicconnect.com . The starting bid was just $1 but there was a reserve price of $900,000. Neither the name of the buyer nor seller was disclosed.

 

It's the first time a comic book has broken the $2 million barrier. The issue was published in 1938 and cost just 10 cents.

 

"When we broke the record in 2010 by selling the Action Comics No. 1, graded at 8.5, for $1.5 million, I truly believed that this was a record that would stand for many years to come," said Stephen Fishler, CEO of ComicConnect.com and Metropolis Collectibles.

 

The previous record set in March 2010 was followed by the sale of another copy for $1 million. But neither of those issues was in as good a condition as the issue that sold Wednesday, though it's pedigree of setting records was already documented. Twice before it set the record for the most expensive book ever, selling for $86,000 in 1992 and $150,000 in 1997.

 

But in 2000, it was stolen and thought lost until it was recovered in a storage shed in California in April this year.

 

About 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 are believed to be in existence, and only a handful of those in good condition.

 

After it was stolen, Fishler said, collectors figured it would never be found or, worse, would be destroyed.

 

"Clearly, I was wrong. Not in my wildest imagination could I have predicted that this legendary, stolen Action Comics No. 1 would be found, graded at 9.0 and break the record a year and a half later," he said.

 

Thought the bit about it being thought "lost until it was recovered in a storage shed in California" was particularly interesting... Geez, how come *I* never get that lucky?

[Dark Star]

DAMN!!! Wish I had a spare 2 million laying around to blow on a comic book..

 

Actually I wish I had found that comic in a storage shed..Lucky bastards anyways.....

[glam_junkie]

got mine from atzintex for 8 bucks.

[Fat Freddy]

got mine from atzintex for 8 bucks.

 

But was it silver pressed?

[martinsane]

got mine from atzintex for 8 bucks.

 

But was it silver pressed?

 

Naw, silver age though...

[Captain Howdy]

got mine from atzintex for 8 bucks.

 

But was it silver pressed?

 

Naw, silver age though...

If only it were golden age.

 

 

Btw, being serious for a second, if I remember correctly, after the record breaking price for Action last year, didnt Detective #27 beat that a few weeks later?

[Fat Freddy]

Btw, being serious for a second, if I remember correctly, after the record breaking price for Action last year, didnt Detective #27 beat that a few weeks later?

 

Yeah, a copy of Action #1 went for $300K early last year, then only days later a Detective #27 sold for a million-plus.

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/02/detective-comics-27-sells-for-more-than-1-million-sets-new-record/

 

But now that this copy of "Action" went for $2 mil, Superman is on top again. Crazy.

 

... my brother and I were talkin' about this today and we were remembering that a very long time ago, we were actually in the presence of an Action Comics #1. Our Dad had taken us to a big comic book show in New York City (this was probably '81 or '82, so I was 11 or 12 years old) and one of the dealers there had one in a big display case in front of his booth, which I swear looked like it was made out of bullet proof glass. I remember my bro and I stood there staring at it slack-jawed like "Duuuuuuude," cuz it was like seeing the Holy Grail.

 

If memory serves, the price tag on it was $10,000 - which at that time was an astronomical amount of money for a comic book. What a difference thirty years makes!!!

[Nightrain]

it's always crazy to see how people are willing to spend some crazy money for something, and it's a head-spinning to see that some people struggle to pay for a $2 food, that's how large the economic gap these days