A highly rare copy of Action Comics No 1 — the 1938 publication that first introduced Superman — has been sold in a private deal for $15m (£11.2m), making it one of the most valuable comic books ever exchanged.
The sale, confirmed on Friday, involved an anonymous buyer and seller. This particular copy of the comic has a remarkable history, having once been stolen from the home of Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage before being recovered more than a decade later.
The transaction was arranged by New York-based Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect. The company said both parties requested confidentiality.
The record-breaking sale comes just months after another Superman title set a previous benchmark. In November, a near-flawless copy of Superman No 1 sold at auction for $9.12m. Both figures represent an extraordinary increase from the original retail price of 10 cents in 1938 — equivalent to roughly $2.25 today.
Action Comics No 1 is widely recognised as one of the most important publications in popular culture. While the issue contains several stories, Superman’s debut is credited with shaping the modern superhero genre. Experts estimate that fewer than 100 copies of the original comic are still in existence.
According to Metropolis Collectibles, the comic involved in Friday’s sale received a grade of nine out of 10 from the Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), a leading authority in comic authentication and grading. This rating places it among the highest-quality surviving copies known.
The comic’s value was further enhanced by its connection to Nicolas Cage, the broker said.
Cage, best known for films such as Con Air and National Treasure, purchased the comic in 1996 for $150,000 — a record price at the time. However, in 2000, the comic was stolen during a party at his home.
It remained missing for 11 years before being rediscovered in a storage unit in California in 2011.
“During that 11-year period, it skyrocketed in value,” said Stephen Fishler, chief executive of Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect.
“The thief made Nicolas Cage a lot of money by stealing it.”
After being reunited with the comic, Cage sold it at auction just six months later for $2.2m.
Fishler compared the comic’s journey to the famous theft of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911 — an event that transformed the painting into a global cultural icon.
“The recovery of the painting elevated the Mona Lisa from being just a great Da Vinci work to the most famous painting in the world,” Fishler said.
“And that’s what Action Comics No 1 represents — an icon of American pop culture.”
