Home
News
In Focus
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more 禄Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
City-born architect lists inspiration behind his designs in a new book
Digitization helps preserve, disseminate intangible cultural heritage
Sunday
- Subscribe
Related News
First Superman comic sells for US$1m
Source: Agencies |
February 24, 2010, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A RARE copy of the first comic book featuring Superman sold on Monday for US$1 million, smashing the previous record price for a comic book.
A 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1, widely considered the Holy Grail of comic books, was sold by a private seller to a private buyer, neither of whom was named. The issue features Superman lifting a car on its cover and originally cost 10 cents.
The transaction was conducted by the auction site ComicConnect.com. Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the site and its sister dealership, Metropolis Collectibles, orchestrated the sale.
Fishler said it transpired minutes after the issue was put on sale at around 10:30am Eastern time. He said that the seller was a "well-known individual" in New York with a pedigree collection and that the buyer was a known customer who previously bought an Action Comics No. 1 of lesser grade.
"It's considered by most people as the most important book," said John Dolmayan, a comic book enthusiast and dealer best known as the drummer for the rock band System of a Down. "It kind of ushered in the age of the superheroes."
Dolmayan, who owns Torpedo Comics, last year paid US$317,000 for an Action Comics No. 1 issue for a client.
That purchase is considered the "official public record" for a comic book sale, said Mark Zaid, the marketing director for the Comic Book Collecting Association. There have been other private sales in the US$300,000 to US$450,000 range, he said.
The latest copy fetched a much higher price because it's in better condition. It's rated an 8.0 grade, or very fine, on a scale that goes up to 10.
Dolmayan said he didn't buy this copy but he wishes he could have.
"The fact that this book is completely unrestored and still has an 8.0 grade, it's kind of like a diamond or a precious stone. It's very rare," he said.
There are only about 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 believed to exist, and only a handful have been rated so highly. It's rarer still for those copies to be made available for sale.
"The opportunity to buy an unrestored, high-grade Action One comes along once every two decades," Fishler said. "It's certainly a milestone."
The price was astounding to Fishler, nevertheless. "It is still a little stunning to see 'a comic book' and '$1 million' in the same sentence," Fishler said. "There's only one time a collectible hits the US$1 million threshold."
A 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1, widely considered the Holy Grail of comic books, was sold by a private seller to a private buyer, neither of whom was named. The issue features Superman lifting a car on its cover and originally cost 10 cents.
The transaction was conducted by the auction site ComicConnect.com. Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the site and its sister dealership, Metropolis Collectibles, orchestrated the sale.
Fishler said it transpired minutes after the issue was put on sale at around 10:30am Eastern time. He said that the seller was a "well-known individual" in New York with a pedigree collection and that the buyer was a known customer who previously bought an Action Comics No. 1 of lesser grade.
"It's considered by most people as the most important book," said John Dolmayan, a comic book enthusiast and dealer best known as the drummer for the rock band System of a Down. "It kind of ushered in the age of the superheroes."
Dolmayan, who owns Torpedo Comics, last year paid US$317,000 for an Action Comics No. 1 issue for a client.
That purchase is considered the "official public record" for a comic book sale, said Mark Zaid, the marketing director for the Comic Book Collecting Association. There have been other private sales in the US$300,000 to US$450,000 range, he said.
The latest copy fetched a much higher price because it's in better condition. It's rated an 8.0 grade, or very fine, on a scale that goes up to 10.
Dolmayan said he didn't buy this copy but he wishes he could have.
"The fact that this book is completely unrestored and still has an 8.0 grade, it's kind of like a diamond or a precious stone. It's very rare," he said.
There are only about 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 believed to exist, and only a handful have been rated so highly. It's rarer still for those copies to be made available for sale.
"The opportunity to buy an unrestored, high-grade Action One comes along once every two decades," Fishler said. "It's certainly a milestone."
The price was astounding to Fishler, nevertheless. "It is still a little stunning to see 'a comic book' and '$1 million' in the same sentence," Fishler said. "There's only one time a collectible hits the US$1 million threshold."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
