$175,000 for Superman Found-In-Wall

Bids Soar for 1938 Action Comics #1 Superman discovered during remodel

June 11, 2013

By James Massey



WhatSellsBest.com - An extremely rare 1938 Superman Comic Book, which was found in the wall of a home during a remodel, has sold for $175,000. Fetching many-times the initial purchase price of the house it was discovered in.

The home which is located in Hoffman Minnesota, was reportedly purchased for $10,000 as a fixer-upper. According to the auction listing, it appears the house was built in the same year the comic was released. Apparently led to the comic being left-behind by the builders, in a way that would have been common in that era.

Here's an excerpt from the Comic Connect auction listing explaining; "When renovation began on the house, which was built in 1938, he and his crew started finding old newspapers from the 1930s used as insulation in the walls. But he also found a comic book, which stood out to him, because it had Superman on the cover. Curious, Gonzales looked up the comic book online-and discovered it was Action Comics 1-Superman's first appearance."

The comic, Action Comics #1, has a history of fetching high auction prices. In 2011 a pristine copy made news when it collected more than two-million dollars.

And… while this Superman wasn't pristine (CGC 1.5), it is estimated the comic may have fetched $75,000 more, had the owner not accidentally tore the back cover in a heated dispute with a family member see video.

(The CGC 1.5 mentioned above, is the rating of comic by the Certified Guaranty Company, which provides grading services for comics)

Why's It Rare?

The comic, which introduced Superman as a Comic Book hero in 1938, was published by National Allied Publications (a corporate predecessor of DC Comics), and is considered to be the first true superhero comic book. It's estimated that less than 100 copies said to exist.

More about the Superman Comic discovered in the Wall (Source: ITN)

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