$3.2 Million Dollar Action Comics #1 at ComicConnect Booth

Imagine: an old comic book that originally sold for a mere 10 cents on newsstands was just purchased for $3.2 million dollars. The pristine Action Comics #1, which marks Superman’s first appearance, was purchased by Stephen Fishler and Vincent Zurzolo, co-owners of Metropolis Collectibles, the world’s largest vintage comic book dealer and ComicConnect.com, the industry’s leading online auction house. For the first and only time the world's most valuable comic book will be on display to the public for one day, Thursday, October 9th at the New York Comic Con. Action #1 is the most highly-coveted comic book in the world, with only 100 copies in existence. This particular book is the highest rated of all, with a 9.0 grading and incredibly rare white pages.

The sale surpasses the previous record of nearly $2.2 million, set by ComicConnect in 2011, when it auctioned the 9.0 Action #1 owned by actor Nicholas Cage. “Action #1 is the Holy Grail of comic books,” says Stephen Fishler, co-owner of Metropolis Collectibles and ComicConnect, its sister dealership, in New York. Fishler created the 10-point grading scale that has become the industry standard. “It not only introduced Superman, but pioneered the superhero genre. There would be no Batman, no Spider-Man, no blockbuster movies, without it. Owning one is every collector’s dream.”

Most original Golden Age comic books (1935-1955) ended up in landfills decades ago. Survivors are rarities. Survivors in great condition are rarer yet. This particular Action #1 was stored under ideal conditions: in a cedar chest in the hill of West Virginia…cool, dry, left undisturbed.

Comic book values have skyrocketed over the last few years. ComicConnect holds 4 Guinness World Records for the most expensive comics and related collectibles ever sold.

“The recent recession boosted comic book values,” says Vincent Zurzolo, co-owner of ComicConnect and a passionate advocate of collectibles as investments. “When people lose faith in banks, the real estate and stock markets, they turn to tangible assets.”

This is a guest article. The thoughts and opinions in this piece are those of their author and are not necessarily the thoughts of the Certified Collectibles Group.