High-grade Action Comics #1 Certified by CGC Soaring Toward Record Price
Posted on 3/21/2024
Bidding in a Heritage Auctions sale for an Action Comics #1 graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®) has already skyrocketed to a near-record level, with a potential price realized of more than $5 million. The book is one of several CGC-certified grails in Heritage Auctions’ Comics and Comic Art Signature Auction on April 4-7, 2024.
More than two weeks before the auction, a $4.2 million bid ($5.04 million with buyer’s premium) for the Action Comics #1 with a Kansas City pedigree graded CGC 8.5 had already potentially set several records, including highest price realized for any Action Comics #1 and highest price realized for any comic sold through public auction anywhere. The comic could set the record for the highest price paid for any comic should it surpass $5.3 million, which is what a Superman #1 graded CGC 8.0 sold for in a private transaction in 2022.
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Published in 1938, Action Comics #1 is the first appearance of Superman and is considered to be the comic world’s holiest of grails. Released in 1938, the comic sold out its entire 200,000-print run. It has been estimated that only about 100 copies still exist today, and only 78 are recorded in the CGC Census. Among those graded, only 44 copies (a little over half the total) earned CGC’s coveted Universal grade, of which only two are graded higher than this comic. An example graded CGC 8.0 Restored is also offered in this auction.
Another highly desirable book in this auction is a Captain America Comics #1 graded CGC 9.2. Published in 1941 by Timely Comics, Captain America Comics #1 by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon features the first appearances of Captain America, Bucky and the Red Skull. The classic cover that shows Captain America punching Adolf Hitler is historically significant, because at that time America was not yet at war with Germany. There are 194 graded examples recorded in the CGC Census, but only half of those are in the coveted Universal grade; of them, a mere three are graded higher. An example graded CGC 3.0 is also offered in this auction.
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Also in the auction is a Sensation Comics #1 graded CGC 9.6. Published in 1942 by DC Comics, Sensation Comics #1 is the first appearance on a comic book cover by Wonder Woman. Created by psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston and artist Harry G. Peter, Wonder Woman made her debut in All Star Comics #8 in 1941. Her popularity during the 1940s paved the way for decades of continued success, solidifying her status as a cultural and feminist icon. Of the 113 graded examples recorded in the CGC Census, this is the single highest-graded copy. An example graded CGC 5.0 is also offered in this auction.
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Other CGC-certified comics in this auction include:
- an Amazing Fantasy #15 graded CGC 7.5
- an Amazing Fantasy #15 – UK Price Variant graded CGC 6.5
- an Amazing Spider-Man #1 – UK Price Variant graded CGC 8.5
- an Avengers #1 graded CGC 9.6
- a Batman #1 graded CGC 2.5
- a Daredevil #1 graded CGC 9.8
- a Detective Comics #27 graded CGC 3.0
- a Justice League of America #1 graded CGC 9.6
- a Superman #1 graded CGC 5.0
- a Tales of Suspense #39 graded CGC 9.8
- a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 graded CGC 9.8
- a Wonder Woman #1 graded CGC 8.0
About CGC
Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of home media.
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