Batman Tops Superman's Rare Comic Book Record

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Feb 10th 2010 at 9:01PM

Batman beats Superman at least when it comes to the rare comic book market right now. A rare copy of the first Batman comic book has surpassed the previous comic book record price, $317,000, paid for a first Superman comic by John Dolmayan, drummer for the rock band System of a Down last year. The bidding at Heritage Auctions for a comic that marks the first appearance of Batman has already reached a total of $418,250 including buyer's premium and the auction is still two weeks way. Heritage Auctions will be selling the Detective Comics #27, cover date of May 1939 on February 25. The comic is one of the finest known surviving copies of the issue and is being sold on behalf of an anonymous consignor who purchased it for $100 more than 40 years ago.

Tags: batman, comic book, comic book auction, comic book collecting, ComicBook, ComicBookAuction, ComicBookCollecting, rare comic, rare comic books, RareComic, RareComicBooks

Filed under: Auctions

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Reader Comments (Page 3 of 3)

Winston Elston Feb 14th 2010 9:30AM

My Dad always said that a fair price is the most that the biggest damned fool in the world is willing to pay for it. If you want it bad enough, you'll pay for it. If you're not willing to pay the asking price, it's a moot point.

sunny Feb 14th 2010 9:51AM

I have a suitcase full of 1950's Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comics.
Any takers?
A million bucks, anybody??
Anybody??

sunny Feb 14th 2010 9:53AM

Yeah right.

truposer Feb 14th 2010 10:39AM

My friend ken sold his X-Men collection about 8 years ago and that was enough to put a down payment on a nice Victorian 4 bedroom house on a quarter acre.So keep your collectibles in good shape some day they could get you a place to live.

SolarWind1 Feb 14th 2010 11:07AM

In 1961, while doing my weekly comics shopping as a dedicated 12 year old comics collector, I spotted a brand new superhero comic sitting on the floor (still in wired bundles) at my local newssstand in San Diego. Must have been 25 copies of Fantastic Four #1 in that bundle...

Imagine what the current value is in the current edition of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide for each of those 25 NM copies of FF #1. I only bought only one of them (for a mere 10 cents). But I kept it mint until I sold off all 5500 of my comics collection at a *much greater value* in 1975 to start a business.

Oh, yes, I once held a very fine copy of Dectective Comics #27 in my hands that belonged to an older friend of mine, he had gotten from his father, who had been reading and collecting comics since *he* was a kid in the Golden Age. I had to tunred the pages on a flat surface very carefully, with light white cotten edior's gloves on my hand. It was worth it!

shark_paul21 Feb 16th 2010 1:30PM

I understand the both sides of the debate regarding the astronomical price of Detective comics no. 27 and most of the arguments are really valid. However, i find the validity of the pros as justifiable. First, where in America, to say the least, can we find nowadays a readable comic like that? That piece of literature is indeed very rare and collectors are dying for that copy. The Law of Supply and Demand dictates this trend, plus the fact that Batman is still one of the most precious mythological and commercial icons in the world of comics. Second, that copy is more than just a piece of relic, it mirrors a slice of reality how the American society lived during the late 1930s. Just how the characters acted, talked and thought in the pages of the comic reflects the kind of audience it targeted in those times. Furthermore, isn't good for comic lovers and geeks alike to go beyond comic reading by learning the materials used in making this kind of genre? Seriously, I will be astonished if most of the readers in the near future will create a notion that reading comics on PRINTED materials is a historical myth! At least, that copy and others will remind future generations how we and our past comic lovers dealt with this medium. And third, this discourse indirectly teaches us to learn to keep our precious items since they may become our source of investment/income/capital in the near future. I am fully aware many will really disagree with me. That's fine with me but I am practicing my democratic rights.Gracias!

Richard Bailey Feb 14th 2010 11:37AM

Between retirements i spent 9 years printing and selling t-shirts in flea markets..One of my best sellers was "I Would Be A Millionaire,If My Mom Hadn"t Thrown Away All My Baseball Cards".Get in line fellas,it happened to thousands of us....

MultiWriter Feb 14th 2010 11:58AM

My dad had the MM Playboy but loaned it out to a friend. All I heard about for about 30 years was how he loaned that out and never got it back. Dang. That money would have come in handy!

One of my favorite episodes of a Spielberg created television show called, "Amazing Stories" (anybody remember that from the '80s?) was the one with Mark Hamill. This was post Star Wars.

A gnome came to him when he was a boy and said, "Buy all the things that you love and keep them all your life. You will be richer than any doctor or lawyer that you know." So he bought comic books, Toby mugs and a Deusenberg, among other things.

When he was an old man and had spent his life in relative poverty while keeping all of these things in a warehouse, the gnome came back and reminded him but he didn't believe the gnome so he was going to take his last $10 in pennies and drive off a cliff near Las Vegas. He had the pennies in a Toby mug. When he was unsuccessful in buying gas with his ten bucks a woman offered to buy the mug from him for 10 - ten thousand, that is.

So, the gnome was right after all.

We should all listen to our gnomes. :)

Lauren
http://www.YouTube.com/MobileMarketingWins

:)

masonwebb Feb 14th 2010 12:08PM

I have Volume 1 Edition 1 Incredible Hulk plus a half dozen other comics from the same era. Batman, Superman, Mickey Mouse, Scamp, Some Army and horror serial comics. Not really a comic book guy but I stumbled into the opportunity. I prefer child support money and diapers. Anyone interested? Contact me! Also available- 1881 map of the moon framed(my fav in the collection), 1890 & 1912 maps of Nevada, unique handmade Masks of the world, Signed George Clinton photo, production Cels from 80's cartoons (heman ghostbusters etc) I procure specific things for obnoxiously rich people to diversify investments. Meh. Not as exciting as it sounds. Ubercool selections.
*****Also my team helps Nevada residents obtain Medical Marijuana Cards & establish Legal Gardens!!!! Proven Success Again & Again. Fully custom tailored services stem to stern! Totally legal totally free! Hooray for America being saved by herb friends!*****
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Dave Feb 14th 2010 1:05PM

"Collectables, antiques, classics, are only worth what someone is willing to pay. As for those who seemingly "waste" these things by throwing them/giving them away before they knew their value? Hell, there was a time when the most valued items were (at the time) just considered "used" or "old junk". After all, a 55 Chevy Nomad, was probably just another used car in 1960 or so.

koldredeyes Feb 14th 2010 1:35PM

I have Vol .1 #1 of "Viva". A mag for women that Penthhouse put out, in 1973.
E me if interested to buy.

Bill Feb 14th 2010 3:49PM

Al says...."I have a real 1986 IROC Camaro with 5.0 305 V8 engine, Muncie 5 speed, Aero Package, electric windows, red paint,T-top, everything. A screamin' bad-a$$ car.
Does zero to 140 in a few blocks. Sorry, is not for sale...Al-"

"Bad Ass 5.0 305 V8 Iroc Camaro????? I'm 65 years old and "bad ass" brings to mind a 1967 427 L88 Corvette with about 550 ground pounding horse and an M22 rock crusher trans.....not some wimpy 305 with 170 h.p. To get that thing up to 140 m.p.h. you'd have to shoot it from a cannon mounted on the back of a train going 139 m.p.h.

Lee Sides Feb 14th 2010 2:17PM

WOW! I have a box of comic books sitting in the storage room in my house. I have the original Star Trek comics plus 1960/1970 Superman, Green Lantern, Star Trek, Spiderman and more that I can't remember. Some in good shape and some in terrible shape. I think I have a total of about 60 I would love to sell. Anyone interested? Jenjakjay@aol.com.

Fred A. Stair Feb 14th 2010 2:28PM

IM not a collector but 15 years or so ago I took a my small group of comics to a comic book store. I did do a bit of resherch. I have a Scooby Doo #1 and a Star Treck #6. I also have a few Spirderman and Batman and I have a Heckel and Jeckel that is maybe worth $3.00 . The guy didn't look at Scooby or Star Trek, he just set them aside. He did sure look at the almost worthless Heckel and Jeckel book with great intrest. I know he was foaming at the Scooby and Trek books. It was Comical - pun intended. He offered me $25.00 for all by books. I chuckled and said "no thanks". What a great thing E-bay is today! If you find someone that is Jacked up enough to buy something that they desire, they will pay the price. The word prostitution comes to mind. What one diseres and what one will pay for it.

gal4526 Feb 14th 2010 8:53PM

Some collectables are considered worthless others priceless, I feel its all of a personal preference, buy what you would consider interesting, something you want to look at and treasure for a lifetime, then dump it when the going gets good. anyone know what an original superman shaped transister radio goes for?

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