An issue of June 1938’s Action Comics No. 1, the first to feature Superman, was sold by Heritage Auctions for $6 million Thursday.
The identity of the buyer was not disclosed.
The amount was the most ever paid for an Action Comics No. 1 and for any comic book, according to Certified Guaranty Co.
The second highest was a copy of the first Superman comic published by D.C. Comics, which came out in 1939 and sold for $5.3 million in 2022, CGC noted on its website.
CGC grades comic books on how well they’re preserved and rated the 1938 issue an 8.5, dinging it only for a pair of tears and some creases as well as rusty staples.
The auction house said the sale matched its expectations for the amount paid. Presale projections had the number as high as $7 million, according to Barron’s.
“Thursday was a historic day for a historic comic book, and we expected no less,” Heritage Auctions Vice President Barry Sandoval told Barron’s.