Eight CGC-certified Comics Topped $1 Million in 2021

Posted on 12/31/2021

The million-dollar titles include Superman, Batman and, in an interesting development, Spider-Man.

Eight comic books authenticated and graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®) realized prices over $1 million in 2021. They include an Amazing Fantasy #15 that set the record for highest price ever paid for a comic book, a watershed moment that saw Spider-Man edge longtime champion Superman.

The table below listing the seven-figure comic books can be sorted automatically by clicking on the column headers. Click on the name of the comic book to jump to an image and description of that comic book, or keep scrolling to see all of the comic books.



Comic BookGrade SuperheroSale DateSale Price
Amazing Fantasy #15 CGC 9.6 Spider-Man September 9, 2021 $3.6 million
Action Comics #1 CGC 8.5 Superman announced April 2021 $3.25 million
Superman #1 CGC 7.0 Superman December 16, 2021 $2.6 million
Batman #1 CGC 9.4 Batman January 14, 2021 $2.22 million
Action Comics #1 CGC 3.0 Superman December 14, 2021 $1.63 million
Batman #1 CGC 8.0 Batman September 18, 2021 $1.476 million
Batman #1 CGC 8.0 Batman April 15, 2021 $1.2 million
Detective Comics #27 CGC 5.0 Batman June 17, 2021 $1.12 million

CGC-certified Comic Books Realizing Seven Figures in 2021

Comic book: Amazing Fantasy #15

Grade: CGC 9.6

Sale price: $3.6 million

Why it's special: This comic book sold for $3.6 million at a Heritage Auctions sale in September 2021, a record for any book. The Silver Age grail from August 1962 introduced the world to Spider-Man. With excitement building for the theatrical release of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," this particular example knocked Action Comics #1 out of the top spot.

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Comic book: Action Comics #1

Grade: CGC 8.5

Sale price: $3.25 million

Why it's special: The sale of this Action Comics #1 for a then-record $3.25 million was announced by ComicConnect in April 2021. It edged one that is graded CGC 9.0, which held the record since 2014 when it was sold on eBay. With a cover date of June 1938, the Action Comics #1 anthology is best known for its first 13 pages, which include the first appearance of Superman and Lois Lane.

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Comic book: Superman #1

Grade: CGC 7.0

Sale price: $2.6 million

Why it's special: Superman #1 is the debut of the Golden Age superhero under his own comic book title. This book realized $2.6 million in a ComicConnect in December 2021, the eighth comic book to cross the $1 million mark in a record-setting year.

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Comic book: Batman #1

Grade: CGC 9.4

Sale price: $2.22 million

Why it's special: Graded CGC 9.4, this example stands alone as the highest-graded in the CGC Census. It realized $2.22 million at a Heritage Auctions sale in January 2021, which was a record at the time for any book besides Action Comics #1. Issued in Spring 1940, Batman #1 saw the introduction of the villains Joker and Catwoman.

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Comic book: Action Comics #1

Grade: CGC 3.0

Sale price: $1.63 million

Why it's special: This was the second of two sales of Action Comics #1 to break $1 million in 2021, both offered through ComicConnect. This is also the lowest-graded book of all eight comic books in 2021 that realized prices over $1 million, a testament to the strength of the Golden Age grail that introduced Superman.

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Comic book: Batman #1

Grade: CGC 8.0

Sale price: $1.476 million

Why it's special: This CGC 8.0 Batman #1 realized $1.476 million in a Goldin Auction sale in September 2021. This example is pedigreed to the Larson Collection, one of the hobby’s earliest recognized pedigrees. The collection belonged to Lamont Larson, who amassed over 1,000 Golden Age issues.

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Comic book: Batman #1

Grade: CGC 8.0

Sale price: $1.2 million

Why it's special: The April 2021 sale via ComicConnect of this Batman #1 was the second of three copies sold this year for more than $1 million. This is the first time that three copies of the same book sold for seven figures in the same year.

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Comic book: Detective Comics #27

Grade: CGC 5.0

Sale price: $1.12 million

Why it's special: This CGC 5.0 example of the May 1939 book that includes the first appearance of Batman realized $1.12 million at a Heritage Auctions sale in June. This particular example has a grade in the middle of the pack in the CGC Census. In 2010, a Detective Comics #27 graded CGC 8.0 became the first book to sell for more than $1 million at auction, with a $1.075 million result at a Heritage sale.

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