Nicolas Cage is presumed to be sighing wistfully and pressing “refresh” today, as a near-perfect copy of Action Comics #1 goes up for sale on eBay. (Action Comics #1 marks the first appearance of Superman, a fact that probably doesn’t need to be explained to the readership of this fine publication.) The comic allegedly originates from a man in West Virginia who kept it in a cedar chest for 40 years, the collectibles equivalent of “a little old lady who only drove it to church on Sunday.”
The comic’s current owner, collectibles dealer Darren Adams, says that due to the comic’s “perfect white pages” and impressive CGC 9.0 rating, it is “the Holy Grail of comics,” “the Mona Lisa of comics,” and “the single most valuable comic book to ever be offered for sale.” To further reiterate what a big deal this is, eBay has commissioned a video that also marks the exceedingly rare occasion of the After Effects “comic book” filter being used appropriately:
Only one other unrestored copy of Action Comics #1 out of the 34 in existence has ever received a CGC grade of 9.0. That copy was sold by none other than Nicolas Cage in an attempt to pay off a tax lien in 2011. Cage’s copy went for $2.1 million; bidding on this copy has already reached $1,750,200.00, with six days left to go—a number that is sure to spike to something even crazier in the last five minutes of the auction.
[via io9]