Superman and Batman Lead 2023 with Several Sales Exceeding $1 Million
Posted on 12/31/2023
Superman and Batman comics had a very good year, as the DC heroes claimed five of the top six sales of 2023. Each of those comics, which were all graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®), sold for more than $1 million each!
The top sale of the year was an Action Comics #1 graded CGC 6.0 that sold for $3.55 million in a private deal brokered through ComicConnect on January 24, 2023. Published in 1938 by National Press, Action Comics #1 launched the Golden Age of comics with the introduction of Superman by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster. The comic was an immediate hit, and the franchise rapidly expanded with merchandise, radio programming and movies. This example is known as the Rocket Copy for the red rocket stamp its young collector put on its cover.
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A newcomer joined the million-dollar club in 2023, when ComicLink facilitated the private sale of a Tales of Suspense #39 graded CGC 9.8 for an amazing $2 million! This 1963 comic features the first appearance of Iron Man by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Larry Lieber and Don Heck. The character was created as an examination of Communism and the Cold War, and he was given his own solo series in 1968. (That same year, Tales of Suspense was renamed Captain America.) This seven-figure sale crushed the previous record sale of $375,000 claimed by a CGC 9.6 copy, which was also sold by ComicLink in 2012.
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Another pair of million-dollar-plus sales this year came from a Detective Comics #27 graded CGC 6.0, which sold for $1,740,000, and Batman #1 graded CGC 8.0 with a FANTAST Collection provenance label, which sold for $1,110,000, both in a Heritage Auctions sale on March 30, 2023. Batman made his first appearance in the 1939 issue of Detective Comics #27, while sidekick Robin debuted in issue #38. Soon after, the Dynamic Duo were featured together on the cover of Batman #1 in 1940, which also introduced the Joker and Catwoman. The FANTAST Collection label distinguishes comics from a group of more than 300,000 books collected by Michigan attorney Dale Watts, and is the focus of an upcoming documentary film, “Selling Superman.”
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Meanwhile, the top six was rounded out by two other Superman books. A Superman #1 graded CGC 7.0 that sold for $1.62 million in a Goldin Auctions sale on June 14, 2023, along with an Action Comics #1 graded CGC 3.0, which realized $1.5 million in the same sale.
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"I am immensely proud to witness the enduring legacy of CGC-certified comics,” said CGC President Matt Nelson. “The market value of CGC-graded comics, with numerous books surpassing the million-dollar mark, reflects not only the passion of collectors but also the trust they place in the value of CGC certification.”
Other top CGC-certified sales of 2023 included:
- a Captain America Comics #1 graded CGC 9.2 that realized $810,000 through Heritage Auctions on June 25, 2023
- an Amazing Fantasy #15 graded CGC 9.2 that realized $810,000 through Heritage Auctions on January 15, 2023
- a Superman #1 graded CGC 5.0 that realized $675,000 through Heritage Auctions on January 15, 2023
- a Marvel Comics #1 graded CGC 7.5 that realized $675,000 through Heritage Auctions on April 2, 2023
- a Batman #1 graded CGC 7.0 that realized $660,000 through Heritage Auctions on March 30, 2023
- a Batman #1 graded CGC 6.0 that realized $552,000 through Heritage Auctions on January 12, 2023
- an Amazing Spider-Man #1 graded CGC 9.6 that realized $520,380 through Hake’s Auctions on July 26, 2023
- an Action Comics #1 graded CGC .5 that realized $408,000 through Heritage Auctions on September 17, 2023
- a Detective Comics #140 graded CGC 9.6 that realized $360,000 through Heritage Auctions on April 2, 2023
- a Superman #1 graded CGC 3.0 that realized $360,000 through Heritage Auctions on June 22, 2023
- a Journey into Mystery #83 graded CGC 9.4 that realized $350,400 through ComicConnect on June 8, 2023
Prices realized include buyer’s premium.
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