Landry Pop Auctions is set to offer a rare and highly graded example of DC Comics Action Comics #1 in the single-lot auction The Last Son of Krypton: Birth of an American Icon on November 17. Originally published in 1938, the landmark issue introduced Superman and his origin story and is considered one of fewer than 100 surviving copies. The example carries an exceptional CGC grade of 9.6 A-5.
Since the comic has received a professional restoration, the copy bears CGC’s purple label rather than the standard label assigned to unrestored books. The auction carries a $1 million starting estimate, and the sale is expected to set a new record for a restored, purple-label edition of Action Comics #1. The existing record for such a copy is $575,000, established in 2022 by a CGC 9.4 example.
Collectors and fans will have the opportunity to view the historic comic before the November auction when it makes its public debut at New York Comic Con at the Javits Center, running October 8 through 11. Following its New York appearance, the book is scheduled to be displayed at Elite Comics11 Expo in Los Angeles on November 7 and 8.
The exhibitions will provide a rare opportunity to see the important Superman artifact in person ahead of its appearance on the auction block. Its scarcity, historic significance and unusually high CGC grade are expected to draw considerable attention from collectors and Superman enthusiasts as the Landry Pop sale approaches.
Action Comics #1 remains one of the most consequential comic books ever published, introducing a character whose debut helped shape the superhero genre and American popular culture. By bringing a rare surviving copy to public exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles before the November 17 auction, Landry Pop is placing a landmark piece of Superman and comic-book history in the spotlight.
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