A remarkably rare copy of the 1938 comic book that first introduced Superman to the world has been acquired by an anonymous collector for $15 million (£11.2 million).
The private sale of this particular Action Comics No. 1 edition – notable for having been stolen from actor Nicolas Cage’s residence before being recovered and returned to him over a decade later – was announced Friday.
This transaction surpasses the previous record for a comic book sale, which was set in November when a near-mint Superman No. 1 achieved $9.12 million at auction. Both sales represent a substantial increase over the original 10-cent price, equivalent to approximately $2.25 in today’s currency.
Action Comics No. 1 features Superman’s debut among a collection of stories and is widely regarded as having established the foundations for the superhero genre as it is known today. It is estimated that fewer than 100 copies remain in existence.
The sale of the Action Comics copy was brokered by Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect, based in New York. The company reported that both the seller and the buyer have chosen to remain anonymous.
The broker disclosed that the comic book received a grade of nine out of a possible ten from the Certified Guaranty Company, a leading authenticator of collectibles, marking it as one of the highest-graded copies of the comic known.
The broker further noted that the comic’s value was further amplified by its well-known connection to Hollywood star Nicolas Cage.
The actor, known for his roles in “Con Air” and “National Treasure,” originally acquired this specific copy in 1996 for $150,000, setting a record at the time.
However, the comic was stolen during a gathering at Cage’s home in 2000 and was not recovered until 2011, when it was found in a storage unit in California.
“During that 11-year period, it skyrocketed in value. The thief made Nicolas Cage a lot of money by stealing it,” noted Stephen Fishler, CEO of Metropolis/ComicConnect.
Cage was reunited with the comic and subsequently sold it at auction six months later for $2.2 million.
Fishler drew a parallel between the comic’s history and the infamous theft of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa from the Louvre museum in Paris in 1911, which elevated the previously lesser-known artwork to become the world’s most recognized painting.
“The recovery of the painting made the Mona Lisa go from being just a great Da Vinci painting to a world icon – and that’s what Action No 1 is. An icon of American pop culture.”
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