LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The first glimpses of iconic heroes Superman, Batman and Flash are part of a rare comic book collection a Kentucky man is auctioning off to the highest bidders.
Paducah insurance executive John C. Wise decided it was time to sell the collection he’s been accumulating over three decades, revisiting a childhood pastime that he picked up again in the 1980s after he became established in his career.
“I think it’s a good timing for the market and good timing for me at age 62,” said Wise, who moved to Kentucky from his hometown of Rockford, Illinois, to attend college. “It’s not like I’m not going to take them with me.”
The books Wise is auctioning sold for as little as 10 cents when they were published, many in the late 1930s and 1940s. Some of the issues in good condition can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars. He is auctioning about 175 comics individually, and online bidders have already committed about a half-million dollars to the auction, which will end Tuesday.
Wise first started collecting comics at age 12, and sold his first collection to buy a car as a teenager.
