Holy Moly!

[Fabius]

Yikes, and I thought that some telephones were selling for crazy money.

http://tinyurl.com/pwkw5h7

[TelePlay]

For posterity (should someone come across this post years from know and wonder what could be more expensive than a soft plastic med blue 500), here is a screen shot of the eBay auction with 8 days left in a 10 day auction. It started off at $0.99 and the first bid was for $1 million.

To bid, one must be pre-approved by the seller so that leaves me out. As of this point, there are 7 (SEVEN) bidders in the auction, all pre-approved, WOW!

The seller describes the sale as this:  "For sale here is the single most valuable comic book to ever be offered for sale, and is likely to be the only time ever offered for sale during  many of our lifetimes. There are no second chances. This is a NO RESERVE auction.

This is THE comic book that started it all. This comic features not only the first appearance of Superman, Clark Kent and Lois Lane, but this comic began the entire superhero genre that has followed during the 76 years since. It is referred to as the Holy Grail of comics and this is the finest graded copy to exist with perfect white pages. This is .... the Mona Lisa of comics and stands alone as the most valuable comic book ever printed.

This particular copy is the nicest that has ever been graded, with an ASTONISHING grade of CGC 9.0 ! To date, no copies have been graded higher and only one other copy has received the same grade. It is fair to say though that this copy blows the other 9.0 out of the water. Compared to the other 9.0 that sold for $2.1million several years ago it has significant superior eye appeal, extremely vibrant colors and PERFECT WHITE PAGES. This means after 76 years the aging process has yet to begin. Truly this book is a museum piece. It is one of only two copies of this comic in ANY condition to ever be graded with the distinction of having White pages, the other being a CGC 2.5 !

If you are looking to purchase or invest in comic books this is without exaggeration the single best graded comic book that exists. It is the highest graded copy of the most sought after comic book in the hobby, and has the best possible page quality that can be assigned.  If anyone has ever been curious what an Action Comics 1 looked like the day it came off of the newsstand 75 years ago, this is the answer.

This comic is the best of the absolute best and whoever wins this auction will be the envy of the entire hobby for many decades to come.

I proudly present Action Comics #1 CGC 9.0 WHITE Pages.
Please enjoy,
Darren Adams"

[AE_Collector]

WoW! Thanks for bringing this one to our attention Tom. People collect things other than phones???

Thanks for adding the screen shots and text of the listing John. As you mentioned, a few months after the auction ends the link will become dead and we will all wonder what it was!

Now back to watching "The Big Bang Theory"

Terry

[Fabius]

As you mentioned, a few months after the auction ends the link will become dead and we will all wonder what it was!

Terry

Good point, I'll make sure I post an image next time.

[Sargeguy]

I only collect Marvels and besides that one is only a 9.0

[Greg G.]

That doesn't surprise me.  There was a guy in MN who found the same comic in an old house he was working on to flip.  I keep looking for something similar in our 100yo house!

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/211205141.html

Rare comic book featuring Superman's debut found in walls of Minn. home sells for $175,000
Article by: STEVE KARNOWSKI , Associated Press Updated: June 12, 2013 - 11:50 AM

MINNEAPOLIS — A rare copy of the comic book featuring Superman's first appearance that went undiscovered for over 70 years in the insulation of a Minnesota house has sold for $175,000.

The high bidder for the copy of Action Comics No. 1 in the online auction was a "hard core, golden age comic book collector," Stephen Fishler, CEO of ComicConnect.com, said Tuesday. The buyer's name was not released. Fifty-one offers were submitted before bidding closed Monday night.

But Fishler said the buyer had been looking for a several months for a lower-grade, unrestored copy of the Man of Steel's debut, rather than a copy in better condition that could have cost well over $1 million.

Fishler estimates there are only around 100 known copies of Action Comics No. 1, which was published in 1938. He said it's prized not only for its rarity, but because Superman was the archetype of all comic book superheroes to come.

This copy was found by David Gonzalez among old newspapers in the ceiling insulation of a house he was restoring in the small western Minnesota town of Hoffman.

He accidentally tore the cover when grabbed it and tossed it aside during an argument a few days later with his wife's aunt, which was part of the reason its condition was graded only 1.5 on a 10-point scale used by comic collectors, but he said in an interview last month that he really didn't care much about the money.

Fishler said the book's backstory was part of why it appealed to the winning bidder.

A pristine Action Comics No. 1 that was graded a 9 fetched $2.16 million in November 2011, which was the highest price ever paid for a comic book.

[WesternElectricBen]

The comic book is most likely worth more than the house.

Ben

[Greg G.]

The comic book is most likely worth more than the house.

Ben

Other articles say that he paid 10k for the house.  This Yahoo article also says he found another comic book in the same house. 
http://tinyurl.com/l3x2asa

Man Finds Second Vintage Superman Comic in Old Home; 1st Comic Fetched $175K at Auction
By Suzan Clarke
June 13, 2013 7:25 AM
ABC News Blogs


1938 Superman Comic Worth More Than $100K Found Inside Walls of Old House.

The 1938 Superman comic that a Minnesota contractor found stuffed inside the walls of a dilapidated home has been auctioned for $175,000, and it seems the contractor's lucky streak is going strong.

David Gonzalez bought the run-down home to renovate it, and while he was working on the house, he found a rare copy of Action Comics No. 1 - which introduced the iconic Man of Steel to the world - inside the walls as part of the home's insulation. The comic went on auction last month, and sold Tuesday for $175,000.

Gonzalez was calm when he talked about the auction Wednesday night, and then he told ABCNews.com that he had found a second Action Comics issue featuring Superman while he was working on the house Tuesday. The second comic was also hidden in the walls of the house, he said.

Gonzalez doesn't yet know whether it's worth as much as his first find, which sustained some damage when an eager relative handled it too roughly, ripping the back cover.

"We know it's a Superman issue, we just don't know what issue," Gonzalez, 35, said of the second comic. "I know it's the one [of Superman] fighting with the dinosaurs."

The first comic was put up for auction at ComicConnect.com, which will get a 10 percent commission of the final auction price.

Vincent Zurzolo, the chief operations officer for Comic Connect, said the final bid exceeded his expectations. He'd anticipated it would sell for about $150,000.

"The buyer's happy, the seller's happy, we're happy, everybody's happy," Zurzolo said, adding that there had been 51 bids on the comic since it was offered for auction last month.

Gonzalez, a married father of four from Hoffman, Minn., paid $10,100 for the house where he found the comic.

A nearby restaurant had wanted to buy the vacant home for $10,000 in order to knock it down and build a parking lot. Gonzalez saw a renovation opportunity and outbid the restaurant by $100.

He said he doesn't plan a big spending spree. He plans to invest his winnings in his children's education and possibly buy another house to renovate. He also said he plans to donate $10,000 to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

Gonzalez has been thinking about buying his dream car - a 1992 Chevrolet Camaro IROC - but he's not sure about that.

"I'll think about it," he said. "Man, my kids are going to need that money in the future."

[TelePlay]

This one may sit at a million seven until snipe time. How many of the seven bidders will put in a very high bid, one acceptable to each sniping buyer, and which will go in with the winning bid? Can't wait until next Sunday to see what happens. Side bet is will the seller end the auction early?

[paul-f]

That means there's time to run a contest.   

[Fabius]

I love the expression on the guy in the lower left corner:

[xhausted110]

Ended at $3,207,852!

[TelePlay]

I just realized I never put a link to the special auction contest for this comic book . . .

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=12470.0

. . . in this thread. The link to this topic is in the special auction contest but was not here.

It is now, thanks to xhausted110's post.