Batman #1 CGC 9.4, the finest known copy, has set a new record as the highest price realized for the book when it sold for $2.22 million at Heritage. This sale was achieved during the first day of Heritage’s Comics & Comic Art Auction on January 14, 2021.

As Batman’s first self-titled comic, it is the second most important Batman comic book after his debut in Detective Comics #27. This comic had already crossed the $1.53 million mark a week before the auction closed. It bested the previous world record for a Batman title, which was set by Heritage in November 2020 when a copy of Detective Comics #27 CGC 7.0 sold for $1.5 million.  

Scoop reached out to Heritage for a reaction to the sale and Senior Vice President Ed Jaster exclusively told us, “We did not know what it would sell for. To be honest, we were in uncharted territory as it was already the most expensive comic book Heritage had ever sold even before the live auction began. When it passed $2 million during the live sale, we were ecstatic. And when the final $2,220,000 million bid became a reality, there were congratulatory fist bumps and elbow smashes around the room. Especially when we realized we'd sold the second-most expensive comic book in the world.”

Batman #1 features an iconic cover of Batman and Robin swinging into action and contains “The Legend of the Batman” origin story that first appeared in Detective Comics #33. It is also notable for introducing two of the Caped Crusader’s most important characters: the Joker and Catwoman.

The book exceeded expectations well before the final bid was made on January 14. It received over two dozen bids since Christmas, the listing was viewed tens of thousands of times worldwide, and over 700 Heritage clients followed the action.

On the afternoon before the auction closed, bidding had grown to $1.89 million with the buyer’s premium. By 12 PM on the day it closed, the book was up to $1.95 million in bids before hammering for $2.22 million. Prior to this sale, the last record for Batman #1 sold at Heritage was a CGC 9.2 copy that realized $567,625 in 2013.

“We knew when the book came in that it was beyond special, that it was a once in a lifetime offering – from appearance, its blindingly bright cover to its white pages, to provenance,” Heritage Senior Vice President Ed Jaster said. “As I like to say, this is just a breathtaking book in so many ways. So we are not at all surprised that this has become a record-setting issue. But we are extraordinarily proud and honored to have brought it to market, to have done justice to its owner and to have found it a new home.”

This wasn’t the only record set for the Dark Knight’s comics during Heritage’s Comics & Comic Art Auction. Detective Comics #359 CGC 9.8 (with the origin and first appearance of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl) sold for $132,000, making it the highest price paid for a Batman comic published during the Silver Age. This copy came from the Alfred Pennyworth Collection assembled by Randy Lawrence, which was famously stolen in January 2019 and found a year later.

Heritage’s Comics & Comic Art Auction is a four-day event, which runs through Sunday, January 17.