Rare Superman comic from Cage's collection sold for a record 15 million dollars.

According to ТСН: A unique edition of Action Comics No. 1, which started the Superman saga and was previously stolen from the home of actor Nicolas Cage, was sold for 15 million dollars in a private deal. This amount set a new record in the comic book market.

The deal was announced at the end of the week. The price exceeded the previous high of 9.12 million dollars, for which a copy of Superman No. 1 was sold last November. The intermediary in the sale was the Manhattan company Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect, which reported that neither the seller nor the buyer wished to disclose their identities.

The History of the Comic

The original edition, which cost 10 cents at its release in 1938, contained several stories about lesser-known characters. It is in this comic that Superman's origin story is first told: from the destruction of his home planet to his decision to become a protector of humanity. This edition laid the foundation for the superhero genre. As noted by the president of Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect, Vincent Zurzolo, only about a hundred copies are known to be preserved.

A Dramatic History

The comic has a complicated history: in 2000, it was stolen from Cage's home in Los Angeles. It was only 11 years later that it was accidentally found by a person who bought the contents of an old storage unit in California. The edition was returned to the actor, who had purchased it back in 1996 for 150,000 dollars. Six months after its return, Cage put the comic up for sale again, and it went for 2.2 million dollars at auction.

CEO of Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect Stephen Fischler noted that the long absence of the copy significantly increased its value. He compared this story to the theft of the 'Mona Lisa' from the Louvre in 1911, when the painting's return turned it into a global symbol of culture.

It is also worth noting that the demand for comics is rising, and their historical and cultural context is becoming increasingly important for collectors. Perhaps this record will continue to stimulate interest in classic editions in the future.