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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

First Superman

A copy of Action Comics #1 from April, 1938, the first appearance of Superman, was auctioned for $317,200. They say there are only about a hundred of that issue still in existence and they very seldom come up for auction. This particular copy was purchased by a nine year old boy in a used book store in the fifties for thirty-five cents. I love hearing these little gems. I never owned any Golden Age Comics like Action #1, but I did have complete runs of the very first Marvel Comics Titles and hundreds of fifties era DC comics. I ran afoul of my Mom when I was fourteen or fifteen and she tossed my collection. I was pretty annoying so I’m sure I had it coming; but it would be nice to have all those comics now.


I wish the comic book publishing giants could figure out a way to get the price down on today’s comics. $2.99 is about the cheapest you can buy today. It keeps kids from collecting comics in the numbers I did at 10 and 12 cents.


Here’s a link where you can actually page through Action Comics #1:

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG02/yeung/actioncomics/cover.html

5 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

I saw an action comics #1 once. I couldn't afford it.

Virginia Lady said...

I think there are many out there with similar stories of losing their comics to an irate mother. I never did the comic book thing, but my brother's did and the books were disposed of in one of her major 'cleaning' sessions as I recall.

BernardL said...

When I visited the San Francisco Comic Con in the early nineties I saw a copy in VG (very good) condition, Charles. It wasn't for sale though, just display.

It's a universal story almost like an urban legend, VL. Comic shop owners hear it all the time. I suspect most are true stories. I could take being whupped with a razor strap without blinking an eye, but the loss of my comic books haunted me for years. Lesson: don't mess with Mom. :)

Middle Ditch said...

Oh my god!! I must go into the attic straight away! I'm sure my old comics are stashed away! I am going to be rich!!!!!!!






Oh, I forgot ..... I lost them during one of our house moving sessions. Bleh

BernardL said...

You had me excited for you momentarily, MD. :)