A copy of Action Comics No. 1, which featured the debut of Superman, will be auctioned next month on eBay. The comic, which was published in April 1938, is a highly prized piece of American memorabilia and at the time of its debut cost 10 cents. In 2011 a copy of the issue sold for $2,161,000. That copy was believed to have once belonged to the actor Nicolas Cage, who bought it in 1997 for $150,000.
The copy that will be auctioned next month is owned by Darren Adams of Pristine Comics in Washington. In a video interview on eBay, Mr. Adams estimated that the initial print run for Action Comics in 1938 was around 200,000, with 34 unrestored copies known to exist today. The comic being sold by Mr. Adams received a grade of 9 out of 10 and contains white pages. While the copy sold in 2011 was also graded 9.0, its pages showed more signs of discoloration from age; some were cream to off-white. The auction will run Aug. 14 to 24 and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.