A rare copy of the first Marvel comic book has sold for a record $1.26m (£981,000) at auction.
According to Heritage Auctions, a Dallas-based auctioneer, the near-pristine Marvel Comics No 1 from 1939 was purchased on Thursday by a buyer wishing to remain anonymous.
The issue features the first appearances of characters such as the Human Torch, Ka-Zar, Angel and the Sub-Mariner.
Ed Jaster, senior vice president at Heritage, called it “a historic copy of a historic comic book.”
Heritage says the comic book was first purchased at a newsstand by a Uniontown, Pennsylvania, mail carrier who made a practice of buying the first issue of comic books and magazines.
Jaster says that since then, the issue has only changed owners a handful of times.
The previous record-holder for a Marvel Comics book was a 1962 issue featuring the first appearance of Spider-Man, which sold for $1.1m (£856,000) in 2011.
A handful of other comic books have topped the $1m (£779,000) price tag.
In 2014, a Superman comic (published by DC Comics) was purchased for $3.2m (£2.5m) on eBay.
Additional reporting by agencies
