A collection of comics has sold at auction in Lichfield.
More than 500 editions of Marvel, DC and Action Comics went under the hammer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers.
The top seller was a 1963 first edition which saw the introduction of The X Men. It fetched £1,600.
Other highlights included Daredevil’s first appearance in 1964, which went for £540, while The Green Goblin’s debut in 1964 reached £380.
Auctioneer Richard Winterton said: “The collection as a whole did really well.
“But when you get to the top lots the prices are remarkable – even now it still surprises me that someone will pay £1,600 for a comic.”
The collection was built up by Reginald Clay, a driver from Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent, who started buying comics at the age of 10.
He later stored the haul in a special cupboard in his loft – and only told relatives of his treasured copy of the very first X-Men comic from September 1963.
Fifty-five years after The X-Men were introduced, Mr Clay had taken early retirement. But less than 12 months in he was diagnosed with cancer and died in March 2019 aged 65.
Before he passed away, Mr Clay asked his daughter and son-in-law to sell his comics but they were unaware of the scope of the collection.
“We had no idea he had so many,” said Mr Clay’s son-in-law, who has asked not to be identified. “They were stored in a special cupboard in his loft and we didn’t expect to see so many.
“He had mentioned to us that he had the first edition of the X-Men but that was all.”