A rare first edition of Action Comics No. 1, the 1938 comic that introduced Superman to the public, has been sold for an impressive $15 million (£11.2 million) to an undisclosed collector. This extraordinary sale was confirmed on Friday, marking one of the highest prices ever paid for a comic book.
Notable history and previous record
This particular copy of Action Comics No. 1 has a storied past; it was previously stolen from actor Nicolas Cage’s residence during a party in 2000. After a long absence, the comic was recovered from a storage unit in California in 2011. The recent sale follows a record-breaking auction in November where another Superman comic, Superman No. 1, sold for $9.12 million, demonstrating the skyrocketing market for vintage comic books. Both comics’ sales dramatically exceed their original prices of 10 cents, which, adjusted for inflation, is roughly $2.25 today.
Significance and valuation
Action Comics No. 1 is pivotal in the history of comic books and is widely recognized for establishing the superhero genre. Experts estimate that fewer than 100 copies of this important issue are still in existence. The copy sold on Friday was graded at nine out of a possible ten by the Certified Guaranty Company, an organization known for its expertise in collectible authentication, making it one of the highest-rated copies available.
“During that 11-year period, it skyrocketed in value. The thief made Nicolas Cage a lot of money by stealing it,” said Metropolis/ComicConnect CEO Stephen Fishler.
Fishler emphasized the comic’s connection to Cage, noting that the actor originally acquired it in 1996 for $150,000—a record price at the time. After its theft and eventual return, Cage sold the comic at auction for $2.2 million just six months later. Fishler drew comparisons between the comic’s remarkable journey and the theft of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in 1911, which transformed it into a global icon. He remarked, “The recovery of the painting made the Mona Lisa go from being just a great Da Vinci painting to a world icon—and that’s what Action No. 1 is. An icon of American pop culture.”