A rare copy of the comic book featuring Superman’s first appearance that went undiscovered for over 70 years in the insulation of a house has sold for $175,000.
The high bidder for the copy of 0in the online auction was a “hard core, golden age comic book collector,” Stephen Fishler, CEO of ComicConnect.Com, said on Wednesday. The buyer’s name was not released. Fifty-one offers were submitted before bidding closed on Monday night.
But Fishler said the buyer had been looking for a several months for a lower-grade, unrestored copy of the Man of Steel’s debut, rather than a copy in better condition that could have cost well over $1 million.
Fishler estimates there are only around 100 known copies of Action Comics No. 1, which was published in 1938. He said it’s prized not only for its rarity, but because Superman was the archetype of all comic book superheroes to come.
This copy was found by David Gonzalez among old newspapers in the ceiling insulation of a house he was restoring in the small western Minnesota town of Hoffman.