My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.
Action Comics #1, sealed in plastic
A copy of
Action Comics #1, which introduced Superman to the world, was put up for auction on eBay. By the time the sale ended on August 24, 2014, a new world record of $3,207,852 was established — not bad for a comic that originally sold for 10¢ in 1938. This example was sealed in plastic by Comic Guaranty LLC (CGC), a comic book grading service, and graded 9.0 (out of 10). That made it the highest-rated example of the estimated 50-100 examples thought to still exist, of the original 200,000 printed. It had been stored in a cedar locker for decades, so it had perfect white pages and no damage — just what collectors desire.
Darren Adams, with his Action Comics #1 (photo courtesy of eBay)
Many times the name of the purchaser or seller is not known, but in this instance, we know the identities of both. Darren Adams, the owner of Pristine Comics, was the seller, who purportedly paid over $1,000,000 (but how much over only he and the seller know). Vincent Zurzolo and Stephen Fishler were the buyers. They are the partners of Metropolis Collectibles of NYC, the bigshots of the vintage comic book world. Their belief is that their purchase is a good investment that will realize a profit.
Vincent Zurzolo (right) and Stephen Fishler with a different copy of Action Comics #1
In my eyes, it’s a game of musical chairs. I wouldn’t want to be the last one standing, with a $3.2 million comic book, when the music stops. In the meantime, the prices keep marching on. The last eBay auction of
Action Comics #1 was in 2011, when it set the then current record of $2,161,000. Prior to that, in 2010, Comic Connect was the first auction house to break the $1 million barrier with another copy.
Christopher Reeve as Superman
Christopher Reeve was probably the best-known of all the actors who portrayed Superman. In 1995, he became a quadriplegic after being thrown from a horse during a competition. Darren Adams intends to donate 1% of the sales price to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation for spinal-cord injury and paralysis research.
The show will be held in the white building on the left, September 27-28, 2014
Our next show is new to our schedule. The NYC Big Flea Market will run from September 27-28. The new promoters, D’Amore Promotions, will be using the same Pier 94 that is used by USA Antique Shows for their November and March shows. This one will be substantially different, with an entirely new cast of dealers. Click
here for more information. It should be good, so I’m really looking forward to it.
Click here to view our new website and look around. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps.
