Superman comic becomes world’s most expensive sold at $6M

By Dean Murray via SWNS

The man of steel has become the $6M dollar man thanks to a world record comic sale.

A pristine copy of Action Comics #1 featuring Superman for the first time has become the most valuable comic ever sold.

The 1938 publication went for $6m on Thursday (4 April) at Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.

The company said: "A rare comic book whose historical impact cannot be overstated, we've had the singular honour of auctioning dozens of copies of Action Comics #1 over the past 20-plus years -- and in some instances, loose individual pages that nevertheless sold for anywhere from a few hundred dollars to nearly $60,000 apiece - and yet we've never had the privilege of offering one as breathtakingly beautiful as this."

The copy sold was officially graded "Very Fine+ 8.5", with only two unrestored copies boasting a higher grade. It surpassed the previous record holder, also the same title, which sold privately in 2022 for $5.3m.

Other highlights from the sale include a professionally restored copy of Action Comics #1 going for $576k, the highest paid for a restored comic.

Iron Man's first appearance in Tales of Suspense #39 went for $840k, while Batman's debut in Detective Comics #27 made $600k.

Another historic lot featured a letter from Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel outlining the concept for the superhero nearly four years before his debut in Action Comics.

Selling for $264k, the letter imagines Clark Kent sent back as a baby from the future.