Supermoney..£4.75m for Superman debut
A RARE copy of the first appearance of Superman sold for £4.75million – a comic world record.
The Action Comics No1 dated June 1938 was kept in pristine condition for 86 years by its owner.
The cover shows the superhero lift a car over his head, while inside he rescues Lois Lane from a gangster and decides to use his strength to benefit mankind.
Only 78 copies survive from the 200,000 printed by National Allied Publications – a forerunner of DC Comics – which launched the “Golden Age of Comics”. The 10 cents comic – about £1.50 in today’s terms – led to a bidding war at Heritage Auctions of Dallas, US, that soon eclipsed the record of £4.2million set in 2022 for another Action Comics No1.
This copy was graded “Very Fine+ 8.5” – only two unrestored copies are considered to be better.
A Heritage spokesman said: “Action Comics No1 is the most important, impactful comic book ever published. It launched the Golden Age of Comics and created the superhero genre, and its historical impact cannot be overstated. We’ve never had the privilege of offering one as breathtakingly beautiful.
“The colours are stunningly rich, and the cover is almost pristine and largely unmarred. This is the finest copy we’ve ever had the opportunity to offer at auction and the highestgraded unrestored copy we’ve seen.”
A letter by Superman creator Jerry Siegel outlining his hero concept to illustrator Russell Keaton in June 1934 sold for £226,500 while a restored Action Comics No1 fetched £494,000 in the same sale.