'Superman No.1' Comic Book
Sold for 13.4 Billion Won in the United States
The comic book 'Superman No.1', discovered while organizing keepsakes in an attic, has set a new record for the highest auction price for a comic book, selling for 13.4 billion won.
According to the New York Times on November 20 (local time), auction house Heritage Auctions announced that a first edition of the comic book 'Superman No.1' (Superman #1), published in 1939, was sold at auction for $9.12 million (approximately 13.4 billion won), including fees.
Superman is a creation of comic artists Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, first published in 1938. The character made his debut in the anthology comic magazine 'Action Comics'.
The copy sold at this auction is the first standalone book featuring Superman as the main character. Its rarity is further enhanced by the fact that it is one of the 500,000 first edition copies published under the Superman title after National Allied Publications (the publisher of Action Comics) merged with Detective Comics (now DC).
The original cover price at the time of publication was 10 cents, which is equivalent to about $2 (approximately 3,000 won) in today's money.
This book was discovered by three brothers living in California, who found it while sorting through their late mother's belongings in the attic.
The brothers who put the comic book up for auction said, "Our mother always told us she owned an expensive comic book, but she never showed it to us," adding, "Unlike our friends who would say, 'My mom threw away my comics,' our story was a bit different." It was reported that, in addition to Superman #1, five early issues of Action Comics were also found in the attic.
Although it was published during the turbulent times leading up to the Great Depression and World War II, the book was well-preserved and received a 9.0 grade in collectible appraisal.
The expected auction price was initially around $6 million (about 8.8 billion won), but it far exceeded that, selling for $9.12 million, setting a new record for the highest price ever paid for a comic book at auction.
Meanwhile, according to Heritage Auctions, Superman is the most beloved comic book character at auction. The first issue of Action Comics, where Superman made his debut, was sold for $6 million last year, and Superman No.1 was also sold for $5.3 million (about 7.8 billion won) in 2022.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
