CGC-graded Action Comics #1 Sells for a Record $3.4 Million

The “Rocket Copy” of Action Comics #1, which is graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®), has soared to new heights with a private sale of $3.4 million, setting a new record for its title. The deal, which was brokered by Goldin Auctions in conjunction with Metropolis Comics of New York, was announced in September 2022.

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Action Comics #1 — the 1938 publication that included the premiere of Superman and launched the Golden Age of comics — is a highly sought rarity. The archetypal hero brought to life by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster was an immediate hit, and the franchise rapidly expanded with merchandise, radio programming and movies.

This example, known as the Rocket Copy for a red rocket stamp its young collector put on its cover, is graded CGC 6.0. It previously sold for $3.18 million in a Heritage Auction sale in January 2022. The just-announced sale price of $3.4 million is a record for the title, which was previously held by a copy graded CGC 8.5 that was sold by ComicConnect in April 2021 for $3.25 million.

While nine comic titles have had examples sell for more than $1 million, only four of them have crossed the $3 million mark, including Action Comics #1. The other three comics are Superman #1 (a CGC 8.0 sold for $5.3 million in a 2022 private sale), Amazing Fantasy #15 (including a CGC 9.6 sold for $3.6 million by Heritage Auctions in 2021) and Captain America Comics #1 (a CGC 9.4 sold for $3.12 million by Heritage Auctions in 2022).

Related Links:

• All of the CGC-certified Comics That Have Topped $1 Million in 2022
• CGC Census: Action Comics #1