The rare Action Comics No. 1 features the first appearance of the iconic hero, creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster having developed the character from an early draft as a super villain. The partially damaged copy, recovered in a wall by builders during a house renovation, was sold at auction on Tuesday.

There are estimated to be between 50 and 100 surviving copies of the sought-after comic book, published in 1938 by National Allied Publications (who would later become DC Comics).

Interest in the sale has increased due to the hype surrounding the release of Man of Steel. However, because the back page had been accidentally ripped, the copy sold for a fraction of the usual asking price for an Action Comics No. 1. Several near-mint condition copies have sold for amounts in excess of €1,000,000.

The record for a comic book sale currently stands at €1.6 million, paid in 2011 for a pristine copy of Superman's debut once owned by actor Nicholas Cage. Cage’s copy was stolen in 2000, but was recovered over ten years later in a storage locker. It was sold a few months later.

Man of Steel is released in Irish cinemas today.