Since 2000, CGC has been grading collector's comics with the gold standard of evaluation processes. With their unparalleled record, and their scale of .5 being the worst and 10 being absolutely perfect, they've graded around 2.5 million comic books. Yet they've never come across a copy of Action Comics #1 from 1938 – the comic that introduced the world to Superman - that is as perfect as the one they recently helped Darren Adams of Pristine Comics sell on the online auction site eBay. Yesterday was the closing date of the auction, and the result was the highest price ever paid for one single comic book.
The Huffington Post reported the results of the auction as raking in $3.2 million, with $1.6 million alone being raised in the first two hours of the book's auction. To some, that might sound like a lot of money for one comic book. Hell, even experienced comic collectors might blanch at that figure. In order to understand why such a value would be accepted for such a comic, you have to keep in mind some key factors.
200,000 copies of Action Comics #1 were made in total, with most of them being recycled in paper drives for the war effort. Over 60 have been graded by CGC, with only 34 existing that are un-restored and only 2 existing with white pages. 7 copies of Action Comics #1 can claim a score higher than a 6.0, but the book that recently went on the block is the highest graded copy – boasting a 9.0, as it is unrestored and is one of the two white page copies. If you want to learn more about this comic's full story, you can watch the video below for some backstory.
As previously reported, 1% of Action Comics #1's take at auction has been donated to the Christopher & Dana Reeves Foundation, which focuses on bettering the recovery of spinal cord injuries. The total donation to the foundation came out to about $32,078.52, and is not a small amount to sneeze at. 76 years old, and a href=http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Did-Christopher-Reeve-Have-Secret-Cameo-Man-Steel-38254.html>Superman is still wowing crowds and making lives better for the citizens of this world. Not only has this auction shown just how valuable Superman is to the world, but it's also shown that saving those comics under your bed as a kid could lead to a massive payday down the road if you're meticulous in how you store them. Congratulations to the lucky bidder who came out triumphant, as they now own the most valuable comic of the modern age.
