On January 14, 2021, Batman #1 became the newest entrant to the million dollar comic book club when Heritage sold the finest known copy, a CGC 9.4, for $2.22 million. Not only did it join the club, it is now the highest price paid for a Batman book and the second highest price realized for a comic book.

In light of that milestone, we are taking a look back at the other books in the million dollar club. Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the first comics to sell for $1 million or more, and despite the far-reaching economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 also witnessed another addition to the million dollar club.

On February 22, 2010, ComicConnect.com sold a CGC-certified 8.0 copy of Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman, for $1,000,000. While the market had sustained six-figure prices for quite some time, this sale sent shockwaves through the industry.

Those shockwaves were multiplied just three days later when Heritage Auctions sold a CGC-certified 8.0 copy of Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of Batman, for $1,075,500, making it the second comic book to top $1 million.

Later that same year, Action Comics #1 reclaimed the top spot when ComicConnect sold a CGC 8.5 copy for $1.5 million. Since these two issues were scarce, particularly in high grade, and that they presented the origins of such iconic characters, it seemed that they might stand alone for a while in the seven-figure club.

But 2011 said otherwise. While a CGC 9.0 copy of Action Comics #1 set another new record when it sold for $2,161,000 at ComicConnect, the company also turned heads when they reported the sale of a CGC-certified 9.6 copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man, for $1,100,000.

The Amazing Fantasy sale is particularly noteworthy because of its relatively young age. Published in 1962, it’s 24 years younger than Action Comics #1 (1938) and 23 years younger than Detective Comics #27 (1939). It remains the “newest” member of the million dollar club to this date, and the high grade should be considered a driving force in that sale.

A high grade combined with a superior quality of the interior pages sparked the $3,207,852 sale of a CGC 9.0 Action Comics #1 by Pristine Comics on August 24, 2014. The transaction on eBay remains the highest documented public sale of a comic book to date. It was also the last million-dollar sale for almost four years.

In June 2018, the same CGC 8.5 copy of Action Comics #1 that brought $1.5 million in 2010 was sold for $2,052,000 at ComicConnect. This set a new record for that issue in that grade.

Marvel Comics #1, originally published in 1939, which features the origins of Namor and the Human Torch, joined the million dollar ranks on November 24, 2019 at Heritage Auctions when a CGC-certified 9.4 copy sold for $1,260,000.

Before the Batman #1 sale, the most recent new member arrived November 19, 2020 at Heritage Auctions when a CGC-certified 7.0 copy of Detective Comics #27 closed at $1.5 million. This transaction represents a significant milestone as it is a full grade lower than the original CGC 8.0 that first topped $1 million in 2010.