The world record comic price has fallen after just two months as a legendary copy of Action Comics No 1 selling for $15 million.
The comic was once owned by film actor Nicolas Cage, from whom it was stolen in 2000. The book was found in 2011 and returned to Cage, who is believed to have sold it for $2.16 million shortly after.
In November 2025, a copy of Superman No 1 took the comic book price record with a $9.12 million auction sale.
Action No 1 is notable as the debut appearance of the Man of Steel.
It was published in 1938 and its popularity helped to establish the super hero genre.
While it was printed in large numbers, it was cheap (a kid-friendly 10 cent cover price), and few copies survive, with even fewer in presentable condition.
Writer Jerry Siegel (standing) with artist Joe Shuster, the Jewish creators of Superman, who was invented as Fascism threatened the world.
Of the around 100 copies still around, just six have third-party condition grades above Very Good (4.0 points on the CGC scale).
These copies are all hugely valuable.
In February 2010, an 8.0-graded copy was the first ever million-dollar comic.
Just a month later, the record was beaten with a $1.5 million sale.
Cage bought this copy for a then-record $150,000 in 1996. It was stolen from a party at his house and discovered in a storage locker. No thief has ever been identified. It is one of just two copies with a 9/10 condition grading.
The sale was done privately through Metropolis/ComicConnect.
The company’s CEO Stephen Fishler told the BBC: “During that 11-year period, it skyrocketed in value. The thief made Nicolas Cage a lot of money by stealing it.
“The recovery of the painting [after its 1911 theft from the Louvre] made the Mona Lisa go from being just a great Da Vinci painting to a world icon – and that’s what Action No 1 is. An icon of American pop culture.”
How long will the record last this time?
