Action Comics No. 1 heads to auction after a 40-year hold

In the early 1980s, a collector with limited funds was scanning auction catalogs and phoning in small bids, hoping something overlooked would slip through. One day the phone rang: his was the highest bid on Action Comics No. 1 — Superman’s 1938 debut and the permanent No. 1 on the Overstreet Comic Price Guide. He’d bid less than half its value. They off…