4 of the Most Expensive Comic Book Sales in History

With multiple US$3 million sales, the comic book industry is definitely no longer child's play

This week, a single page of artwork from a 1984 Spider-Man comic book sold at auction for a whopping US$3.36 million (SGD$ 4.53 million).

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This marks not only an impressive milestone for Spider-Man fans everywhere but for comic book collectors as well.

The three-panel page breaks the record for the highest auctioned item for a single comic book page, the previous being page 25 of Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars Issue No. 8.

The previous page of the issue was also sold off (albeit at a different auction lot) at US$288,000. This makes this particular issue the highest sold comic book to date.

What’s more, the page is not only remarkable for its depiction of how Spider-Man got his black suit but also for the introduction of the symbiote which is commonly known as Venom.

In recent years, the comic book collecting space has been heating up with many iconic comics and pages routinely fetching record prices.

Keep scrolling to find out what other comics from the golden and silver age have made our list of the most expensive comic book sales in history.

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1. Amazing Fantasy #15 CGC 9.6, US$3.6 million

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Last year, Amazing Fantasy #15, a comic that features the first appearance of Spider-Man, set the record for the most expensive comic ever sold.

The entire comic book sold for US$3.6 million as part of Heritage Auction’s Signature Comics & Comic Art auction which was held between September 8 to September 12 last year.

The comic book was by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and told the story of Peter Parker gaining incredible superpowers and turning into Spider-Man.

2. Action Comics #1 CGC 8.5, US$3.2 million

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Action Comics #1 was published in 1938 and was iconic because it featured the very first appearance of Superman and tells his origin story.

The comic sold early last year for US$3.25 million in what was a private sale.

With an 8.5 grading, this comic is the third highest-graded Action #1 in existence.

3. Action Comics #1 CGC 9.0, US$3.2 million

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In 2014, an Action Comics #1 with a grade of 9.0 was sold on Ebay for US$3.2 million.

The copy, which was published in 1938, was pristine and at that point, was the highest price ever paid for a single comic book.

The comic is the same one that tells the origin story of Superman and there are only around 50 unrestored original copies of Action Comics #1 that still exist today.