Wayne-Tec

Thank you!

Thanks! The only examples of Action Comics #1 front cover that I’ve ever seen have been the Heritage scrapbook that this came from and the 2/3 CGC cover. Of course, the latter was missing the logo and the “No. 1.”

I like to say that I own Action Comics “No. 1.”

Thanks Rick!

Thank you!! I know of at least two copies that are missing the “No. 1” (or most of it). Those copies are a bit more complete than mine though.

Thanks Corey, I appreciate it!!

Thank you!

Hey guys, It’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited about anything in comics, so I’d like to share my latest acquisition with all of you. It’s an original Action Comics #1 front cover fragment—just the “No. 1.” It originated from a scrapbook that Heritage authenticated years ago. While it’s easy to cringe at the thought of someone cutting up an Action Comics #1, this fragment probably wouldn’t have survived the test of time without someone making a conscious effort to preserve it. I’ve owned single Superman pages from Action Comics #1 and all of them have been incredible. But this as on another level and is probably as close as I’ll ever get to the top of the mountain.

I can’t wait for the next Action #1 to come to auction.

What is listed appears to be page 1, originally auctioned through Heritage.

Often times, what we hope to be the true “first” isn’t. And as much as it would be cool for Superman to be the first meta-human/alien, super-powered, costume wearing, duel identity hero—he wasn’t. He owes a lot of his inspiration to others that came before. What makes Superman special is the impact he had on the comic book industry and pop culture as a whole. If it weren’t for Action Comics #1, there would be no Detective Comics #27. There would be a Detective Comics #1, but chances are we wouldn’t care about it or assign much monetary value to it. When you pick up a PS5 copy of “Spider-Man: Miles Morales”, you can credit Action Comics #1 for part of that. When you watch “Wonder Woman 1984”, you can credit Action Comics #1 for part of that. Superman and Action Comics #1 would not have existed without prior inspiration, but it was Superman and Action Comics #1 that we can credit for what we now know the superhero genre to be. It’s ok to be pre-dated by Popeye and The Phantom, but the universe that DC/Marvel/Superhero fans have grown to love was truly born in Action Comics #1.

The demand for coverless and incomplete parts of incredibly desirable books has grown considerably over the years. There’s no wrong answer here, but for many, it comes down to condition or content. Would you rather have a single page of Action Comics #1 or a complete low grade copy of Action Comics #2, or a complete mid-grade Action Comics #23, or a complete high grade Action Comics #40? There has been a big push for content > condition and for that reason, coverless/incomplete books come to the market. I prefer true coverless vs. reproduction covers. I’d rather appreciate the original interior art than a quality reproduction of something grander. Original covers are coveted for good reason.

That’s fair. What was your personal favorite copy?

None of us know for sure. I’d assume most Action #1/Tec #27 owners are 40 or older, but if that’s incorrect, the implications would be absolutely fascinating.

These are some good points. Do you feel that the majority of new Action #1 and Tec #27 owners are in their 20s and 30s?

I figured he was either kidding around or something came to the market earlier in the day (since his post was on a Saturday).

It’s amazing to think how few copies change hands, which is one of the things IMO that makes discussing and watching the rare times they do come up for auction that much more fun. And you may be right. I’d have guessed that 65-70% of all Action #1/Tec #27 buyers over the past 10 years would be 40 or older. Maybe I’m mistaken? I know you said past couple of years (vs. 10 years), but that’s worth noting too as it’s recent history. I’d be very surprised if 65-70% of new Action #1/Tec #27 owners are 39 or younger. If that is the case though, another interesting thing to take note of is younger collectors being willing to invest more into comics than previous generations. That could be the result of their generation growing up during a time where superhero movies and video games reached heights never seen before. Superheroes have been popular for over 80 years, but it may be the popularity, number of films, number of video games and number of outlets to enjoy the genre that’s a factor in pushing collectors born 1980 onward into investing more into the holy grail books than previous generations, if they are indeed the majority of new Action #1/Tec #27 owners. It’s such a small sample-size we’re looking at either way.

As in, next Saturday? Just making sure I didn’t miss anything from today.

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What percentage of Action #1/Tec #27 owners, who acquired their copies between 2010-2020, are 39 or younger today, in your opinion?

What percentage of Action #1/Tec #27 owners in the world today are 39 or younger, in your opinion?

I don’t think Tec #27 is going to be overtaking Action #1 anytime soon. Collectors born, roughly, 1980 and later were the first to live their childhoods with Batman as the No. 1 character in comics. Most Action #1 and Tec #27 owners are older than 40, so realistically, we won’t see that shift take place for another 10-15 years, if it ever happens at all. You can make a strong argument for either book. I’m partial to Action #1, but we’re going to have to wait a while longer before there is a real shot at the “grail of grails” being dethroned.

It took a while for an unrestored Tec #27 to come to auction and now, it’s been some time since we’ve seen an unrestored Action #1 come to auction? When do you guys think it will happen and what do you expect the demand will be when it does?

Newsstand date > cover date. What matters is when the book was released.

December 1st, 1939.