# The first million dollar comic book **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 23, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053 "2010-02-23T00:12:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/1 "2010-02-23T00:12:08Z")
Nuff said: > [@](#): > > A copy of the first comic to feature caped hero Superman has been sold on the internet for $1m (£646,000). > > The 1938 edition of Action Comics No 1 - which originally sold for 10c - was sold by a private seller to a private buyer, neither of whom was named. > > Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the US auction website Comic Connect, said it was “the Holy Grail of comic books”. > > The sale smashes the previous record price for a comic book of $317,200 (£205,000) in 2009. > > That was also a copy of Action Comics No 1, but in poorer condition. > **[BBC News - First Superman comic sells for $1m](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8529504.stm)** > > A rare copy of the first comic book to feature Superman is sold on the internet for $1m (£646,000). ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/2 "2010-02-23T05:46:12Z")
And to think that when I was collecting as a kid (in the 70s) Action #1 in mint condition was worth $10,000. Of course as a kid, my allowance was a little short of that, but still… ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/3 "2010-02-23T06:55:45Z")
Note to self: ALWAYS GO FOR NERDS/GEEKS Oh wait, I do. But mine has no million dollar comic book! Dangit! ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/4 "2010-02-23T15:16:26Z")
I bought a comic off the rack for the cover price in 1992 or 93 that was worth $100 the last time I checked. This thread inspired me to check again and it seems to have dropped to around $55. That’s disappointing, but it seems to be the only prospector era comic I have that’s worth anything. Most people probably didn’t buy it because it didn’t have a foil cover, hologram, 4 different fold-out covers or anything else that was guaranteed to let us all retire in the future. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/5 "2010-02-23T15:19:17Z")
I bought all the X-Man re-launch off the rack from Giant Size #1 to issues 94 up to the mid 100’s. Went back and got a bunch of prior X-Men to fill in, all for cheap. Sold 'em all for a guitar amp right before leaving high school. Got, oh, $60 for Giant Size #1…:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/6 "2010-02-24T02:02:41Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > I bought a comic off the rack for the cover price in 1992 or 93 that was worth $100 the last time I checked. This thread inspired me to check again and it seems to have dropped to around $55. That’s disappointing, but it seems to be the only prospector era comic I have that’s worth anything. Most people probably didn’t buy it because it didn’t have a foil cover, hologram, 4 different fold-out covers or anything else that was guaranteed to let us all retire in the future. Which one is it? ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/7 "2010-02-24T05:01:47Z")
The first issue of Sonic the Hedgehog, believe it or not. There’s a place on eBay selling it for $55 right now. I’d link, but I don’t know if that’s alright here. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/8 "2010-02-26T12:20:24Z")
Kerpow! Now Batman beats Superman! The second mllion dollar comic book. > [@](#): > > Four days ago, a near-perfect sample of the comic book in which Superman made his debut, Action Books No 1 dated June 1938, went up for sale via an auction website. It sold within minutes for a cool $1 million, more than three times the previous record for a comic book. > > Then last night, an equally fine example of Detective Comics No 27 – which introduced readers to “the amazing and unique adventures of The Batman” in May 1939 – went under the hammer at the Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas. > Whaam! Baaam! Kerpow! Take that, Supey!!! > > It went for a grand total, including buyer’s premium, of $1,075,000. > > “It pretty much blew away all of our expectations and now it’s the highest price ever raised for a comic book,” said Barry Sandoval, who is in charge of comic book sales at the auction house. > > “We can really say that Batman has nosed out Superman, at least for now > **[Latest news & breaking headlines](https://www.thetimes.com/)** > > The latest breaking UK, US, world, business and sport news from The Times and The Sunday Times. Go beyond today's headlines with in-depth analysis and comment. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/9 "2010-02-26T14:14:10Z")
Well, Batman _is_ cooler. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/10 "2010-02-26T15:35:29Z")
> [@Rrose\_Selavy](#): > > Kerpow! Now Batman beats Superman! > > The second mllion dollar comic book. Interesting. I heard some buzz about that auction a few days ago; they weren’t expecting to get more than ~$750K for it, IIRC. Nice chunk of change, in any case. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/11 "2010-02-26T15:51:03Z")
I missed out on another one, it seems. Grandma threw out too many comics when she did that mass cleaning back in 1951. Oh well, at last I do have my original copy of [Superman #17](http://www.comics.org/issue/2212/cover/4/?style=default). ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/12 "2010-02-26T17:44:09Z")
The problem is that when you are young enough to read them first you rarely have the foresight to keep them in perfect condition ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/13 "2010-02-26T22:38:51Z")
> [@Rrose\_Selavy](#): > > Kerpow! Now Batman beats Superman! Well, he _did_ have a few days to _prepare_. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/14 "2010-02-26T22:54:49Z")
> [@Rrose\_Selavy](#): > > The problem is that when you are young enough to read them first > you rarely have the foresight to keep them in perfect condition Honestly, even if you’re not that young, you’re not likely to keep them in ‘perfect’ condition that would satisfy a collector. I’ve got a copy of Preacher #1 that I’d call mint, but when I took it to a comic book shop to ask if it was worth getting professionally appraised, the guy rattled off three or four things wrong with it and told me it might rate a 6/10. All I’d ever done with it was read it and stick it in the closet. This is why I call myself a reader of comic books, rather than a collector. I actually get to enjoy them! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/15 "2010-02-26T23:06:13Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Honestly, even if you’re not that young, you’re not likely to keep them in ‘perfect’ condition that would satisfy a collector. Yep. The tiniest defects can really ding the value. Both of the million-dollar books are 8.0s, a real rarity for comics that age. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/16 "2010-02-26T23:28:53Z")
I read recently there are only 100 copies of the Superman debut known and only two that are in better condition. If they were to come to auction then obviously they should fetch even more. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-million-dollar-comic-book/530053/18 "2010-03-31T02:34:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Superman has soared back into the record books, reclaiming the title of the highest price paid for a comic. > > **A copy of the comic in which Superman made his debut was sold at a US auction for $1.5m** (£995,500) - weeks after a Batman comic had fetched $1.075m > **[BBC News - Superman debut comic raises $1.5m](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8595909.stm)** > > Superman soars back into the record books, reclaiming the title of the highest price paid for a comic from Batman. Ka-pow!