Marvel's First Comic Goes for Whopping $2.4 Million at Auction
A comic book collector is scooping up a rare copy of Marvel No. 1, "the one that started it all."
- She has a master's degree in journalism from Syracuse University.
Vincent Zurzolo, COO and co-founder of ComicConnect with Marvel Comics No. 1 pay copy.
An anonymous comic book collector is shelling out $2.4 million for a copy of Marvel Comics No. 1.
According to the The New York Times on Monday, the comic book was published in 1939 and introduces some lesser-known characters like the original Human Torch, the Angel, the Masked Raider and Namor the Sub-Mariner. It's something called a pay copy.
A pay copy is one in which the publisher writes in what they owed illustrators, adding to the comic book's rarity, the Times said. Marvel's website lists the pencilers as Carl Burgos, Al Anders, Bill Everett and Paul Gustavson, with Burgos, Anders and Everett also getting writing credits, in addition to Ben Thompson. The site calls the issue "the one that started it all."
The report also noted that earlier in the year, a copy of Action Comic No. 1, which featured Superman for the first time, sold at auction for $3.18 million. Another copy sold on eBay in 2014 for $3.2 million.
This copy was sold through ComicConnect, an online auction house that focuses on "vintage comic books, original comic art and pop culture memorabilia," according to its website.
The report also said that Marvel Comics No. 1 would originally have sold for 10 cents (the equivalent of a little more than $2 today) back in 1939. A digital version is available through Marvel for $1.99.