Man's childhood comic books sold for $3.5M
A copy of Detective Comics No. 27, which sold for 10 cents in 1939 and features the debut of Batman, got the top bid at a New York auction on Feb. 22, 2012. Credit: AP/Heritage Auction
The bulk of a man's childhood comic book collection that included many of the most prized issues ever published sold at auction Wednesday for about $3.5 million.
A copy of Detective Comics No. 27, which sold for 10 cents in 1939 and features the debut of Batman, got the top bid at the New York City auction Wednesday.
It sold for about $523,000, including a buyer's premium, said Lon Allen, managing director of comics for Heritage Auctions, the Dallas-based auction house overseeing the sale.
Action Comics No. 1, a 1938 issue featuring Superman's first appearance sold for about $299,000; Batman No. 1, from 1940, sold for about $275,000; and Captain America No. 2, a 1941 issue with a frightened Adolf Hitler on the cover, brought in about $114,000, Allen said.
Among the 345 comics bought decades ago by the Virginia boy were 44 of Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide's top 100 issues from comics' golden age.
"It was amazing seeing what they went for," said Michael Rorrer, who discovered his late great uncle Billy Wright's collection last year while cleaning out his late great aunt's house in Martinsville, Va.
Opening up a basement closet, Rorrer found the comics that had belonged to Wright, who died in 1994 at age 66.
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Get ready for sun and fun with NewsdayTV's summer FunBook special! From celebrating America's 250th birthday to a new ride at Adventureland, NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your inside look at Newsday's summer FunBook.
