When they first appeared on the scene, many parents felt comic books were nothing more than a waste of time that distracted their children from more important matters. Now, comic heroes are embedded into popular culture and appear not just in print, but in billion-dollar films, TV shows, and video games. If you still have some old comics from when you were a child, then you may want to do a little research, as you could be sitting on a goldmine. Certain comics, especially ones that see the introduction of now-classic heroes, can sell for millions, and this rare edition of a Superman comic has sold for such a high price that it is now considered to be the most valuable comic ever.
Action Comics #1, which introduces one of the most iconic figures in pop-culture history, was published in 1938 and has become so rare that it is estimated there are only about 100 left in the world. As the BBC reports, a mint condition copy was found “buried in a stack of old 1930s movie magazines” and was sold at an online auction at ComicConnect.com for a staggering $3.25 million (£2.8m), the comic originally cost 10 cents when it was new.
Despite its rarity now, hundreds of thousands of copies were produced when it was first published, though it is now a truly rare prize. ComicConnect.com’s co-owner, Vincent Zurzolo, said it was “really is the beginning of the superhero genre”. The seller owned the comic for about three years before selling it to a buyer who has chosen to remain anonymous but was described as “relatively new to comic investing”, making us wonder which comics you buy next after getting your hands on such a valuable one.