Two of the Highest-Graded Copies of These Books Just Changed Hands in Private Transaction
Imaged by HA
Heritage Auctions and SemperFi Comics teamed up to complete a $13 million private sale of Batman #1 (1940) and Superman #1 (1939).
The CGC 9.4 Batman #1, the highest-graded copy of this book, sold for $6 million. This same book had previously been sold at auction for a record-setting $2.2 million on January 14, 2021 (see “Record $2.2 Million“). This particular book gained an estimated $3.8 million in value in a little over five years’ time (about a 172% increase).
The CGC 8.5 Superman #1 is part of the famed Mile High Pedigree (see “Last Mile High Comics“). It sold for $7 million as the second part of this deal. A similar but slightly lower-grade CGC 8.0 Mile High Pedigree Superman #1 last sold in a private sale in 2022 for $5.3 million to become the most expensive comic book ever sold (see “Expensive Comic Ever Sold“).
Both of these books were sold by a single owner. Heritage Consignment Director Nathan Howerton convinced the owner to package the books together as part of a single sale, and Jordan Seymour of SemperFi Comics found the buyer through his extensive network of dealers, collectors, and comics investors. Seymour had the following to say about the transaction:
“We may be witnessing a transformational era in comic collecting. The combination of extreme rarity, global demand and sophisticated buyers has permanently reshaped the ceiling of this market. These books are no longer simply nostalgic artifacts, they are tangible pieces of world culture.”
Heritage Auctions has also recently placed Frank Frazetta’s original cover painting for Vampirella #1 onto the auction block (see “Frank Frazetta’s Spicy ‘Vampirella’ #1 Painting“).
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Source: ICv2
