10 Most Expensive Comic Books Ever Sold: 2026 Record Prices

As of October 2026, the most expensive comic book ever sold is a copy of Action Comics #1, the 1938 issue that introduced Superman. It sold privately for $15 million in January 2026. The previous record, $9.12 million for a Superman #1 found in a California attic, had been set at Heritage Auctions only two months earlier.

Prices for Golden Age and Silver Age comics have climbed sharply since 2021. Every book on this list sold for more than $1.3 million, and the top two sales broke the record twice within three months. The grade, given by the Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) on a 10 point scale, has a large effect on price.

1. Action Comics #1: $15 million

Action Comics #1 was published in 1938 at a cover price of 10 cents. It marks the first appearance of Superman and is often called the start of the superhero genre.

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The record copy, graded CGC 9.0, once belonged to actor Nicolas Cage. He bought it for $150,000, but it was stolen from his Los Angeles home in 2000. It turned up in 2011 in a storage locker in southern California, and Cage sold it at auction that year for $2.2 million. Its $15 million private sale was announced in January 2026.

Another copy, graded CGC 8.5, sold for $6 million at Heritage Auctions in April 2024, which was the record at the time.

2. Superman #1: $9.12 million

Superman #1, from 1939, was the first comic book devoted entirely to the character. A CGC 9.0 copy sold for $9.12 million at Heritage Auctions’ comics auction held from 20 to 22 November 2025.

The copy was found in 2024 by three brothers clearing the attic of their late mother’s home in Northern California. It had been kept in a cardboard box wrapped in old newspaper. The same family also sold several early Action Comics issues, each of which set a price record for its issue.

A lower graded CGC 8.0 copy of Superman #1 had sold privately for about $5.3 million in 2022.

3. Amazing Fantasy #15: $3.6 million

Amazing Fantasy #15, published by Marvel in 1962, introduced Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. A CGC 9.6 copy sold for $3.6 million at Heritage Auctions in September 2021.

That sale is still the highest price paid for any Marvel comic and for any Silver Age comic. High grade copies are rare because the original issue was printed on cheap paper and handled heavily by young readers.

4. Captain America Comics #1: $3.12 million

Captain America Comics #1 was released by Timely Comics, the company that became Marvel, in early 1941. Its cover shows Captain America punching Adolf Hitler, months before the US entered the Second World War.

A CGC 9.4 copy sold for $3.12 million at Heritage Auctions in April 2022. It is one of the highest graded copies known.

5. Marvel Comics #1: $2.43 million

Marvel Comics #1, from October 1939, was the first comic book published by Timely. It introduced the Human Torch and featured the Sub-Mariner. A CGC 9.2 copy sold for $2.43 million through ComicConnect in March 2022.

Older versions of this list recorded a Marvel Comics #1 sale at $350,000. The 2022 price shows how much demand for early Marvel material has grown since then.

6. Batman #1: $2.22 million

Batman #1, from 1940, was the character’s first solo title and includes the first appearances of the Joker and Catwoman. A CGC 9.4 copy sold for $2.22 million at Heritage Auctions in January 2021.

In 2013, a copy of Batman #1 sold for $567,625. Several mid grade copies have since passed the $1 million mark at auction.

7. Fantastic Four #1: $2.04 million

Fantastic Four #1, published in 1961, launched the modern Marvel Universe. A CGC 9.6 copy sold for $2.04 million at Heritage Auctions in September 2024, the highest public auction price for the issue.

The book was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and introduced Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, the Human Torch and the Thing.

8. Detective Comics #27: $1.825 million

Detective Comics #27, from May 1939, is the first appearance of Batman. A CGC 6.5 copy sold for $1.825 million through ComicConnect in March 2024, a record for the issue. The same copy had sold for about $1.7 million in 2022.

Detective Comics #27 is one of the few comics where even mid grade copies sell for more than $1 million, because so few copies survive.

9. All-Star Comics #8: $1.62 million

All-Star Comics #8, from late 1941, contains the first appearance of Wonder Woman. A CGC 9.4 copy sold for $1.62 million at Heritage Auctions in June 2022.

The same book sold for $936,223 in 2017. It is reported to be the only copy graded above 9.0.

10. Amazing Spider-Man #1: $1.38 million

Amazing Spider-Man #1, from 1963, was Spider-Man’s first issue under his own title. A CGC 9.8 copy, the top grade known for the book, sold for $1.38 million at Heritage Auctions in January 2024.

How we ranked these

We ranked each title by its highest verified public or reported private sale, including buyer’s premium, using reports from Heritage Auctions, ComicConnect and news outlets. Each title appears once. Books that featured in older versions of this list, such as X-Men #1, Tales of Suspense #39 and Flash Comics #1, have not reached these levels. For other collectibles, see our list of the most expensive Pokémon cards ever sold.

Sources: KTVU: $15 million Action Comics #1, Heritage Intelligent Collector: Superman #1, Cllct: top comic book sales, Cardbase: 2026 comic sales update.