What’s worth $15 million and still smells faintly of newsprint? Superman’s very first appearance.
A rare copy of Action Comics No. 1 — the 1938 issue that introduced the Man of Steel — has sold in a private deal for $15m.
The sale smashed the previous record for a comic book.
Not bad for something that once cost just 10 cents.
Why the frenzy? For starters, fewer than 100 copies are believed to exist.
This one is especially special — graded 9 out of 10, the highest level ever achieved by the comic.
Value Soars After Theft
And then there’s the backstory. This exact copy once belonged to actor Nicolas Cage, who bought it in 1996 for $150,000.
It was stolen during a party at his home, vanished for 11 years, then turned up in a California storage unit.
“The thief made Nicolas Cage a lot of money by stealing it,” joked Stephen Fishler of Metropolis Collectibles, which brokered the sale.
After it was returned, Cage sold it for $2.2m. Now? Its value has multiplied again.
Fishler likened its journey to the Mona Lisa, whose fame exploded after being stolen. Same idea here.
Action Comics No. 1 isn’t just a comic — it’s a cultural icon.
Proof that sometimes, heroes really do appreciate with age.
