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A copy of the comic book that introduced the world to Superman in 1938 has been sold to a collector for US$15 million (S$19.3 million).
The private sale of a high-grade copy of Action Comics No. 1 was announced on Jan 9. Fewer than 100 copies are known to exist, said Mr Vincent Zurzolo, president of Metropolis Collectibles and ComicConnect, which negotiated the sale.
The sale price makes the issue one of the most expensive comics ever sold
“This is the advent of the golden age of comics, and Action Comics No. 1 is the holy grail of holy grails,” Mr Zurzolo said in an interview.
Action Comics No. 1 is widely considered to be the first American comic book to include superheroes and contributed to a rapid increase in the genre’s popularity in the mid-20th century.
Both the buyer and seller asked to remain anonymous.
The history of this particular copy, which originally sold for 10 cents, is a saga of its own. In 1996, Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage purchased it from Metropolis Collectibles and ComicConnect for US$150,000, Mr Zurzolo said.
In 2000, the comic was stolen from Cage’s home during a party and remained missing until 2011, when it was discovered in a storage unit in California, Mr Zurzolo said.
During the 11 years it was missing, the issue “skyrocketed in value,” Mr Stephen Fishler, chief executive officer of Metropolis and ComicConnect, said in a news release.
The comic was returned to Cage, who sold it for US$2.2 million at auction.
“If this wasn’t stolen, it would have been sold with the rest of his collection much earlier and would have sold for far less,&rdq...
English (US)