Vintage Marvel Comics book sells for record $1.7 million at auction

A 1939 comic book that introduced Marvel characters for the first time sold for a record US$1.26 million (S$1.7 million) at auction, Dallas-based auctioneer Heritage Auctions said on Thursday (Nov 21).

"Marvel Comics No. 1" features the first appearances of characters including Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner.

Decades later, Marvel debuted Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and other superheroes that have headlined recent blockbuster movies.

The item was originally purchased at a newsstand by a Pennsylvania mailman.

The book's condition was rated as 9.4 on a scale of 1 to 10, the auctioneer said.

The sale was part of a four-day auction of vintage comic books and comic art.

The previous record-holder for a Marvel Comics book was a 1962 issue featuring the first appearance of Spider-Man, which sold for US$1.1 million in 2011.

A handful of other comic books have topped the US$1 million price tag.

In 2014, a Superman comic was purchased for US$3.2 million on eBay.