Nicolas Cage's Stolen 1938 Superman Comic Book Sells for Over $2M (VIDEO)
The legendary Superman comic book stolen from Nicolas Cage's house sold for over $2 million dollars in an online auction that ended Wednesday.
The comic book, Action Comics No. 1, was released in June 1938 and marks the first appearance of the famous American superhero. About 100 copies of the issue still exist but experts claim only five copies are of equal value to Cage's.
The issue officially sold for $2,161,000, and it is the first comic book to sell for more than $2 million dollars. The prior record was $1.5 million for an Action Comics No. 1 comic book in rougher condition.
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The actor reported the comic stolen from his Southern California house in January 2000, and it was finally found April 2011 in a storage locker in San Fernando Valley.
Nicolas Cage Stolen Comic Book Sold for 2.1 MillionShortly after the comic book was recovered, Cage released a statement.
"It is divine providence that the comic was found and I am hopeful that the heirloom will be returned to my family,” said Cage in the statement.
Two other valuable comic books were stolen along with the Action Comics No.1. Cage reported Detective Comics No. 27 and Marvel Mystery No. 71 missing. The Marvel Mystery was found shortly after its disappearance but Detective Comics has yet to be recovered.
The new owner of the comic remained anonymous, and he is reportedly a devout Superman fan.
Vincent Zurzolo, chief operating officer of website ComicConnect, which held the auction, told CNN: "He's an extremely passionate collector, and he treasures owning the best of the best."
"I've been involved in the comic book business for over 25 years," said Zurzolo.
Zurzolo continued to describe Superman as an "icon that represents the best of this great country."
The auction opened on Nov. 12 with the top bid starting at $900,000. The price rose to $1.5 million on Monday before eventually selling for over $2 million.
Cage bought the copy in 1997 for $150,000.
