Most Expensive Comic Books Of All Time

As of 2023, the most expensive comic book sale of all time is a copy of Superman #1 at $5.30 million.
The record-selling comic had a quality of CGC 8.0 (very fine) and is tied for the issue’s highest grade certified (CGC is a respected 3rd party that rates comic book conditions out of 10, with 10 being the highest quality).
The copy was part of the Edgar Church/Mile High pedigree collection, known as the greatest selection of comic books ever found and now seen as the benchmark.
The Edgar Church/Mile High pedigree collection contains almost 15,000 comics including nearly all of the key issues from the Golden Age and almost complete runs of each title.
Chuck Rozanski purchased the collection for around $1,800 in 1977 but the comics have since been re-sold many times over.
By 2011 the entire collection was estimated to be worth in excess of $50 million, with the expectation to grow further in valuation.
The second highest valued issue sold is a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 at $3.60 million, known for the introduction of Spiderman.
The copy had a quality rating of 9.6 (near mint +) greatly increasing its valuation and is one of only 4 copies of its condition.
Although the record sale of Action Comics #1 (introduction of Superman) had a quality of CGC 6.0 (fine), it is still the third highest selling issue at $3.55 million.
The copy is known for having a red rocket stamp marking on the front cover caused by an earlier owner, affecting its quality score.

Comic issues by record sale

As of 2023, the most expensive comic book sale of all time is Superman #1 ($5.30 million).
Superman #1 is also the only comic edition to break the $5 million barrier.
The issue was the beginning of Superman’s own comic title following his appearances within Action Comics.
The record sale for Superman #1 is $1.70 million more expensive than the second ranked Amazing Fantasy #15 ($3.60 million).
Amazing Fantasy #15, Action Comics #1 and Captain America Comics #1 each have record sales exceeding $3 million.
Amazing Fantasy #15 was the first comic to introduce the character of Spiderman and Action Comics #1 was the first comic introducing Superman.
Marvel Comics #1 and Batman #1 each have record sales exceeding $2 million.
Marvel Comics #1 is valuable due to being a pay copy, including handwritten notes from the publisher and giving details on how much each contributor was paid.
Detective Comics #27, All Star Comics #8 and Fantastic Four #1 all have values equal to or exceeding $1.50 million.
Detective Comics #27 features the first appearance of Batman and All Star Comics #8 was the introduction to Wonder Woman.
For the given list, the top 15 comic issues by record sale are split between DC (60%) and Marvel (40%).

(*Record sales figures may differ depending on source)

Exceptional collections of comic books can become recognized as a pedigree by CGC.
Pedigree collections indicate to buyers, sellers and fans that its comics meet high quality standards.
Although most pedigree collections must consist of at least 1,000 comics, there are some pedigrees that have fewer titles.
Pedigree collections with less than 1,000 titles must include extremely key or rare material.
As of 2023, the CGC recognizes 61 comic pedigree collections:
- Allentown
- Aurora
- Bethlehem
- Big Apple
- Billy Wright
- Boston
- Bowling Green
- Carson City
- Central Valley
- Chicago
- Chinatown
- Circle 8
- Cookeville
- Cosmic Aeroplane
- Crowley
- Curator
- Davis Crippen “D”
- Denver
- Don Rosa
- Don/Maggie Thompson
- Edgar Church/Mile High
- Eldon
- Gaines
- Green River
- Haight-Ashbury
- Harold Curtis
- Hawkeye
- John G. Fantucchio
- Kansas City
- Larson
- Lost Valley
- Mass Copy
- Mohawk Valley
- Murphy Anderson File Copy
- New Hampshire
- Northford
- Northland
- Nova Scotia
- Oakland
- Ohio
- Okajima
- Pacific Coast
- Palo Alto
- Pennsylvania
- Promise
- Recil Macon
- River City
- Rockford
- Rocky Mountain
- Salida
- San Francisco/Tom Reilly
- Savannah
- Spokane
- Suscha News
- Twilight
- Twin Cities
- Vancouver
- Western Penn
- White Mountain
- Windy City
- Winnipeg

Many factors can contribute to the overall value of a comic book copy.
The first appearances of a character, key storylines, limited print runs and age can significantly increase the value of comics.
Comic book valuations vary greatly over time and require buyers and sellers to keep informed.

To find the value of a comic, it is important to identify the comic book correctly, understand its condition and research similar copies using online price guides.
Additionally, comic book owners looking to value their comics can check recent sales of similar issues, to determine an appropriate price for their item.