Cage sells comics for $1.6m
2002-10-13 15:43
Los Angeles - Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage has sold his personal comic book collection, including a copy of Superman's 1938 pulp debut, at auction for more than $1.6 million, organisers of the sale said on Friday.
The 400 items in the catalogue, collected individually over the years by Cage, were sold on Thursday night to various bidders in a sale conducted by the Heritage Auctions house of Dallas in conjunction with the Mint of Kansas City, Montreal.
"He had a very good eye for quality," Heritage Auctions chairperson James Halperin said of Cage's collection.
Cage's copy of Action Comics #1, the 1938 comic featuring the first appearance of Superman, sold for $86 250, more than $15 000 above its estimated value, auction organisers said.
A 1940 comic book, Detective #38, featuring the debut of Batman's sidekick, Robin, fetched nearly $121 000. Another 1940 publication, All-Star Comics #3, which introduced the Justice Society of America, the first superhero team including the Green Lantern, Hawkman and the Flash, sold for $45 000.
"This is a real treasure trove of high-quality material from the Golden Age of comics," said John Petty, director of Heritage Auctions' comics branch.
No explanation was given for why Cage (38) who won an Academy Award for his role in Leaving Las Vegas, was selling off his comics collection.