The very first issue of 'Captain America' has sold at auction for a record $3.1 million.
The near-mint copy of Captain America No. 1, dated March 1941, sold at an auction in the United States earlier this week.
The sale of this comic is among the largest auction sales for a comic book, with fellow Avengers member Spider-Man setting the record at auction in 2021, with one of the webhead's comics selling for $3.6 million at an auction last year.
A near-perfect copy of 'Amazing Fantasy No. 15' went for big money last year, but Cap also raised a healthy sum when he went under the hammer this week.
Comic book sales have exploded during the pandemic, and according to Barry Sandoval, vice president of Heritage Auctions, " the sales are fueled by a resurgence of interest in superheroes attributable to blockbuster films and to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has heightened the desire for collectables."
Three of the four highest-priced comic books sold at auction within the last eight months, according to data provided by Heritage.
Speaking to the New York Times, Sandoval said "People, with each passing year, have a better feel for what the scarcity of these things is at high grade. Thirty years ago, one might have been a bit more reluctant because you didn’t know how many other nice copies might be out there.”
Sandoval added that the popularity of films based on comic books has also spurred interest in comics as hot auction items.
"The fact that Captain America has been in so many recent movies, I think that gives people a better comfort level.”
The same issue sold at auction for $915,000 in August 2019, which is a testament to how much of a hot commodity has become at auction.
Captain America was always regarded as one of Marvel's most popular characters and the box office seems to agree - Chris Evans' solo outings as the boy from Brooklyn have grossed over $2 billion dollars worldwide.
Evans has hung up the iconic shield for now, with the star planning to reunite with co-star Scarlett Janson for a big-budget space race for Apple and will lend his voice to Buzz Lightyear in the prequel film 'Lightyear', due for release this summer.
