An auction last weekend of nearly 500 comic books from Vermonter Christine Farrell’s legendary collection raked in $5.26 million.
Farrell, who died in April at the age of 72, amassed one of the only complete collections of everything published by DC Comics. Her collection of tens of thousands of comics started in 1935 and features the first appearances of heroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, plus other rare and obscure issues.
“Christine’s journey to gather these iconic comics has gifted us not only a legendary collection but also a moment to celebrate the rich legacy of comic history,” said Lon Allen, Vice President of Heritage Auctions, in a press release. “Watching so many of her pieces find new homes was truly special.”
The two-day auction featured the rarest comics in Farrell’s collection, like Superman’s 1938 debut Action Comics No.1, which fetched the highest price of the auction: $324,000.
Farrell’s copy was in good shape, but it had been restored, so it didn’t reach the premium price that other copies of that issue have hit. (Earlier this year a copy of Action Comics No. 1 sold for $6 million.)
Auctioneer Brian Wiedman, during the auction, made the pitch to bidders that Superman’s debut was an essential — and rare — comic. There are only 81 known copies in existence, according to Heritage Auctions.
“No DC collection is complete without an Action Comics No. 1,” Wiedman said. “Restored or not, it doesn't matter. They're hard to get.”
Five of the 489 comics sold over the weekend, including Action Comics No. 1, sold for more than $100,000. Another ten sold for more than $50,000, and a piece of original artwork from Frank Miller and Klaus Janson’s The Dark Knight Returns was sold for $84,000.
The second-highest bid at the auction was for the 1940 debut of The Flash, which sold for $174,000 — the second highest price it’s been sold for at auction.
“This is probably only the second or third time I've seen this,” Wiedman said during the auction of The Flash’s debut. “I don't see this book at all.”
Other comics that fetched a high price included the ultra-rare Double Action Comics No. 2, which went for $132,000, and New Adventure Comics No. 27 which fetched a record price of $168,000 — ten times higher than the previous record sale price for the comic.
Heritage will continue to sell the older and more high-end comics from Farrell’s collection into the summer of 2025, the company said in a press release. More recent comics in Farrell’s collection are expected to be sold at Earth Prime Comics in Burlington, which Farrell opened in the early 1980s, at a later date.
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