Captain America debut comic sells for $3.1M in Dallas auction

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A near-mint copy of 1941's "Captain America Comics No. 1" sold for $3.12 million at Heritage Auctions in Dallas on April 7, 2022, becoming one of the world's most valuable comic books.

Super soldier Steve Rogers joined Superman and Spider-Man as the only superheroes whose debuts have sold for more than $3 million.

The comic came from the historic San Francisco Pedigree Collection and received a grade of Near Mint 9.4 from the Certified Guaranty Company. It was the highest-rated copy of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon's powerhouse comic book Heritage Auctions had offered in two decades.

The opening bid began at $1.825 million, immediately jumping to $2.2 million. When bidding finally closed, the room erupted with applause. This is the fourth-highest price ever paid for a comic book at an auction.

Another auction record was set during the April 7-10 event when the splash page from August 1964's "Tales of Suspense No. 59" - Captain America's first solo Silver Age story - sold for $630,000. This is the highest price ever paid at an auction for a "King" Kirby original, toppling the previous record of $480,000, which was set last year when the cover of Fantastic Four No. 86 sold for $480,000.

This was also the first time the whole work has gone to auction. The 10 pages sold for a combined $975,600.

"Every time I looked up during the comic art portion of the session, a new record was falling, and with the comic books, that trend continued," says Heritage Auctions Vice President Barry Sandoval. "We knew this was a selection of truly exceptional material, and we're thrilled bidders agreed with that."

Several other rarities were up for sale at the auction, including a copy of the Fantastic Four's debut rated a Near Mint 9.2, the original art for the poster for the 1981 film "Heavy Metal," the cover of "MAD No. 9," and Frank Miller's cover art for "The Dark Knight Returns."

In the span of just two hours, sales surpassed $13.1 million. The event continues through April 10.