Today, eBay announced that the 1938 comic book that introduced Superman to the world, Action Comics #1, will be sold at auction next month. Widely regarded as the “Holy Grail” of comic books, there are believed to be as few as 50 unrestored original copies of Action Comics #1 still in existence. Prominent collectibles dealer Darren Adams will sell the finest known copy of this comic on eBay from August 14-24.

The comic that will be auctioned on eBay received a 9.0 from the Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), which is the highest grade ever assigned to an Action Comics #1 by the leading third-party grading service. Only one other Action Comics #1 received a highly coveted CGC 9.0 rating and sold for a record $2,161,000 in 2011. That book had cream to off-white pages, while the comic that will be available on eBay contains white pages and is in pristine condition.

“eBay connects shoppers to the things they love – offering one-of-a-kind inventory, like Action Comics #1, that cannot be found anywhere else in the world,” said Gene Cook, General Manager of Emerging Verticals for eBay Marketplaces. “This is an extraordinary opportunity to acquire the most valuable comic book in existence and we look forward to sharing a piece of pop culture history with the global eBay community of 149 million buyers.”

The auction of Action Comics #1 will begin on August 14 and run for ten days. Given its place in entertainment history as the genesis for the Superman superhero franchise, it is expected to capture the attention of avid comic collectors as well as casual fans.

"The quality and preservation of this Action #1 is astounding,” said Paul Litch, CGC Primary Grader. “The book looks and feels like it just came off the newsstand. It is supple, the colors are deep and rich and the quality of the white pages is amazing for a comic that is 76 years old.”

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. For more information about the comic and auction, please visit www.eBay.com/action-comics. A free digital viewer of the comic book’s inside pages can also be found at www.CGCcomics.com/1134755001.