Is There An Even More Pristine Copy Of Action Comics #1 Than The One That Just Sold For $3 Million?

Officially, the record-breaking copy of Action Comics #1 and the copy once owned by actor Nicolas Cage are the finest non-restored examples known. That’s because both were graded at 9.0 on a 10-point scale by the grading company CGC, and none have ever received higher grades.

Still, that doesn’t mean that one couldn’t fetch an even higher grade, and thus, even more than the record $3 million-plus that Darren Adams just received for his copy. As Heather Hopp-Bruce of the Boston Globe explains, a collector known as “The Dentist” (real name: Dave Anderson) owns the “Mile High” copy, named after the Colorado-based retailer that sold it to him. As the story goes, CGC evaluators have examined the Mile High copy and suggested that it could carry a 9.4 grade, but since it hasn’t been submitted to the official grading process, it’s all just conjecture at this point.

In any case, if The Dentist got his book graded and it’s as good as the rumors suggest, he’d almost automatically become the owner of the most valuable comic book in the world. I’m in the camp that any object, but especially a collectible, is only worth what someone will pay for it. That being the case, we’ll have to wait until the Mile High copy is sold again someday to know for sure, but it’s interesting to think that there could be a comic book worth even more than $3.2 million out there right now.