Rare near-mint first Marvel Comics issue sells for £1m

The first edition sold for almost £1m Credit: Heritage Auctions via AP

A rare near-mint condition copy of the first Marvel Comics comic book has sold at auction in Dallas for just under £1 million.

Heritage Auctions says the Marvel Comics No. 1 from 1939 sold on Thursday. Heritage says the buyer wished to remain anonymous.

Ed Jaster, senior vice president at Heritage, calls it “a historic copy of a historic comic book”.

The first edition sold for almost £1m Credit: Heritage Auctions via AP

The issue features the first appearances of characters such as the Human Torch, Ka-Zar, Angel and the Sub-Mariner.

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.

Mr Jaster says that since then, the issue has only changed owners a handful of times.