Rare 1938 Superman Comic Sells for $1 Million

A rare copy of the very first comic book to feature Superman sold for a whopping $1 million yesterday, breaking the previous sale record for a comic book. According to a report at guardian.co.uk, the 1938 edition of Action Comics No1 was sold by a private seller, to a private buyer.

The comic, which features Superman lifting a car on its cover, originally cost 10 cents back in 1938. The sale was dealt with through the auction site ComicConnect.com. Stephen Fishler, who is the co-owner of the site and its sister dealership Metropolis Collectibles, orchestrated the sale.

The only information that Fishler gave, was that the seller was a “well-known individual” in New York with a pedigree collection, and that the buyer had previously bought an Action Comics No1 that was of less importance. No other details were given on either the buyer or the seller.

John Dolmayan, comic book enthusiast and dealer who owns Torpedo Comics, said that Action Comics No1 is considered by many people as the most important book. It was only last year that Dolmayan paid $317,000 for an Action Comics No1 issue, on behalf of a client of his.

The copy that was sold yesterday managed to fetch a much higher price, because it was in a better condition and rated as an 8.0 grade out of 10. Dolmayan said that the fact that the book is unrestored and has an 8.0 grade, kind of makes it like a diamond or precious stone – very rare.