According to Hero Complex, 34-year-old David Gonzalez paid just over $10,000 for a broken down home in rural Minnesota, intending to renovate and flip it. As the guy is tearing out the walls, he finds the first appearance of Superman among the newspapers used as insulation.
For some reason, Gonzalez then took his in-laws to see the house. Bad Idea Jeans. His aunt grabbed the book (was it just laying there?), and when he yanked it back (say what?), the cover tore. ComicConnect, the auction house selling the comic, estimates that the additional damage reduced the book’s value by $75,000. The current bid is $137,000.
In 1973, as the press photo below shows, Action Comics #1—in better condition than Gonzalez’s copy—sold for a measly $1,800. The teen who bought it (I wish I’d had his allowance) said he would sell for “nothing less” than $10,000.
Winning bid was $175,000.