Rare copy of Superman comic book fetches $15 million at auction
NEW YORK CITY, New York: A rare copy of the first Superman comic book, which was also once stolen from the home of actor Nicolas Cage, fetched a record US$15 million at an auction late last week.
The previous record price for a comic book at an auction was $9.12 million, last November, for a copy of "Superman No. 1″.
Manhattan-based Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect negotiated the Action Comics sale. It said the comic book's owner and the buyer wished to remain anonymous.
When it first came out in 1938, the comic sold for 10 cents. Over a few panels, it told the origin story of Superman's birth on a dying planet, his journey to Earth, and his decision as an adult to "turn his titanic strength into channels that would benefit mankind."
Its release marked the start of the superhero genre. Only about 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 are known to exist, according to Vincent Zurzolo, president of Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect.
https://www.sanantoniopost.com/news/278805278/rare-copy-of-superman-comic-book-fetches-usd15-million-at-auction
= new reply since forum marked as read
... if it was stolen from Nicholas Cage, doesn't it belong to him? Has ... or why hasn't the thief been prosecuted and the comic book returned to its owner? Maybe I'm missing part of this story...
Initial Purchase (1996): Nicolas Cage purchased the comic—graded 9.0 by the Certified Guaranty Company (CGC)—for approximately $150,000.
The Theft (2000): The issue was stolen from Cage's Los Angeles home during a party. Cage reportedly received an insurance payout for the loss at that time.
Discovery (2011): After 11 years, the comic was found in a southern California storage locker. The locker's contents had been purchased at auction by an individual who subsequently contacted collectibles experts to identify the find.
Return and Auction (2011): The comic was returned to Cage. Six months later, he sold it through ComicConnect for $2.16 million, setting a world record at the time.
... I was missing part of the story.
