A rare 1939 Detective Comics issue that featured Batman nears record $1.5 million as auction closes – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

(CNN) — A rare issue of Detective Comics #27 — the issue that introduced Batman to the world in 1939 — is set to fetch more than $1 million at auction this weekend and could flirt with a record for that issue.

The specimen, which has been auctioned at Goldin Auctions in the US for more than two weeks, had a bid of $1.2 million as of early Saturday afternoon, with bidding scheduled to end at 10pm ET.

The record public sale for a copy of the same issue is $1.5 million, according to the auction house, and occurred in 2020.

Goldin Auctions says the specimen it sells has a Certified Guaranty Co. grade of 6.5, which rates the collectible’s condition on a scale of 0.5 (poor) to 10 (gemmint).

Only six other examples of this edition share this rating, and only eight others are rated higher, says Goldin Auctions. According to the auction house, fewer than 40 original copies of this edition are known.

Batman’s very first appearance was in artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger’s story The Case of the Chemical Syndicate, one of the many stories hidden within the pages of Detective Comics #27. The superhero also swings on the cover of the issue, which comes with a 10 cent price tag.

“This item is considered one of the holy grails of comics and is the theme that launched Batman and really helped start the superhero craze,” Ken Goldin, executive chairman and founder of Goldin Auctions, told CNN. “Since that comic, Batman has become more than just a character. It has really become an icon that people look up to, which is why any serious collector would love to own this piece.”

The specimen that holds the public sale record for this issue had a CGC rating of 7. It was sold by Heritage Auctions.

Goldin said he believes the copy his house is auctioning off could surpass that sale.

“Given the massive interest in the Dark Knight following the release of the incredibly popular new Batman film, there’s still a chance this copy could eclipse the all-time record,” Goldin said.

The sale is part of a larger auction that includes a 1996 Hummer owned by Tupac, an outfit worn by Prince and Jim Morrison’s signed 1966 California driver’s license.

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