1 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: Nicholas Cage has always been a fan of Elvis Pressley's. 2 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:13,160 Speaker 1: Cage's laconic drawl is no doubt inspired by Pressley. In 3 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: Wild at Heart, a David Lynch film released in nine 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: Cage plays Sailor Ripley, a criminal on the run who 5 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: favors snakeskin jackets. Cage sings two Elvis songs in the movie, 6 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: love Me and Love Me Tender. Yes, those are two 7 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: different songs. Pressley, Cage said, was his hero, and whether 8 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 1: you want to call it coincidence, fate, or something else, 9 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: in two thousand two, Cage announced he had fallen in 10 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 1: love with Pressley Lisa Marie Pressley, Elvis's only daughter. We 11 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,879 Speaker 1: don't get much into Cage's private life here. It's his 12 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: private life, after all, and we're mostly preoccupied with the 13 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: theft of four rare comics from his home in bel 14 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: Air in two thousand, like any reasonable person would be. 15 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: But all of this figures into it, not just Pressley, 16 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: but Chrissley's town of Memphis, Tennessee. And in another bit 17 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 1: of divine providence, this soulful city wasn't just where Elvis 18 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: was reared, it was where his most prized possession Action 19 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: Comics Number one was said to be lurking in a 20 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: safety deposit box. Memphis would be the place where Cage's 21 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: love of comics would either be rekindled or perhaps lost forever. 22 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: For I Heart Radio, this is Steel in Superman. I'm 23 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: your host, Danish Wartz, and this is episode for the 24 00:01:54,120 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: Memphis Affair. We go back and forth in time here, 25 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: and I know it can be a little jarring, but 26 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: so do comics. Heroes and villains chase one another, backward 27 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:14,519 Speaker 1: and forward through dimensions, through different decades, trying to write 28 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: past wrongs. In the original nineteen seventy eight Superman film 29 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: starring Christopher Eve, Superman sees the Lowis Lane die and 30 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: he's so angry that he flies so fast around the 31 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: earth he literally reverses the clock and brings Lows back 32 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 1: to life. Anyway, we're not going far back, just to 33 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety one. That's when the most prestigious auction house 34 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:45,919 Speaker 1: in America, Sotheby's, decided to take a bold step. They 35 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: were going to legitimize the comic book collecting hobby by 36 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: offering rare and vintage comics up for auction for the 37 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: very first time in the company's storied history. Sotheby's was 38 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: best own for auctions involving fine art or iconic sports 39 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:07,359 Speaker 1: cards or movie memorabilia. As a matter of fact, they 40 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,359 Speaker 1: may have inadvertently ushered in the modern era of art 41 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: theft when one of their art auctions in eight drew 42 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: a lot of publicity over the staggering prices. It alerted 43 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: thieves to the potential gold mines hanging on walls. Now, 44 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: people have always stolen art, but getting itemized lists of 45 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: what would be best to steal certainly motivated some people. 46 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: But comics comics were different. This was the early nine nineties. 47 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: The industry had gotten some respectability with eighties hits like 48 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's Watchman, 49 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 1: but we weren't yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe era. 50 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: James Cameron's Spider Man was tangled in a web of 51 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: rights issues. A Fantastic Four movie was filmed but never released. 52 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: B movie King row Dger Corman made a no budget 53 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: schlockfest just to avoid losing his rights to the characters. 54 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: Newspapers still started comic stories with bam, zap and pop 55 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: and homage to the old Adam West Batman series that 56 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: hadn't aired in over twenty years. In the art world, 57 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,960 Speaker 1: only graffiti had less of a reputation than comics, so 58 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 1: Yes Southeby's deigning to offer comics was perceived as a 59 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: big deal, and the star of their second show in 60 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: New York was Action Comics Number one, the first appearance 61 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: of Superman, now and forever the most desired comic in 62 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:45,280 Speaker 1: the world, the same copy that would eventually wind up 63 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: in cages hands and then in the hands of a thief, 64 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: but today, in September, it could wind up with anyone, 65 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: so long as they were the highest bidder. Keep in 66 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 1: mind that there simply weren't as many hi collectors of 67 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,679 Speaker 1: comics then as there are now, nor were there million 68 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: dollar price tags attached to rare books to entice people 69 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 1: to part with theirs. Seeing an Action Number one for 70 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: sale was a rare occurrence, like seeing J. D. Salinger 71 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 1: in the Frozen Food Aisle. Rare, so people took lots 72 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 1: of photographs, So did South Bees, which printed an entire 73 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: catalog of all their comic book treasures. The fact that 74 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,359 Speaker 1: they took a very detailed, very precise series of photos 75 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:35,359 Speaker 1: of this Action number one will make all the difference 76 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 1: in the world later in this story, and yeah, I 77 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,159 Speaker 1: will remind you when it's time. But in the moment, 78 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 1: people were simply amazed the comic was here at all, 79 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,279 Speaker 1: not only because it was an Action number one, but 80 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:53,279 Speaker 1: an Action number one in excellent condition, bone white pages, 81 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 1: a bright cover. A number of collectors and dealers were 82 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: there in person. If you couldn't make it imp person, 83 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 1: you could bid over the phone, but you'd come if 84 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,279 Speaker 1: you could, if only to get a glimpse of comic 85 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: book history. I was very excited, but I was sick 86 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:12,600 Speaker 1: as a dog, and I sat in the back row, 87 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 1: and I had dark shades on and wasn't feeling well 88 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: at all. I had the flu, and I was just 89 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:21,480 Speaker 1: excited to get it and get it over with and 90 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 1: get half of there. That's Bill Hughes. Bill has been 91 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:29,039 Speaker 1: a collector and dealer for over four decades. He owns 92 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:34,159 Speaker 1: Vintage Collectibles, a business based in Texas. In Southabies, he 93 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 1: saw the hobby changing. More money coming in the books 94 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:43,360 Speaker 1: being sold through auction houses meant more attention, more press attention, 95 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:48,719 Speaker 1: and with more attention came more demand. The financial component 96 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: of comics collecting was about to take a huge leap forward, 97 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: and Bill believed he could see a quick return on 98 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,640 Speaker 1: his investment for an Action number one, even if he 99 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: needed to make a major play. Oh yeah, I mean 100 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 1: at that time, it wasn't like I was wealthy. Usually 101 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: I would get into one big item at a time. 102 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 1: You know, I didn't have the money to inventory and 103 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 1: hang on to numerous six figure items at once. So 104 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 1: it was a big deal for me. I mean, I 105 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: kind of put that money together. I was prepared by 106 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: the way to go to a d at the time. 107 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: That was my limit. Now, not all auctions build up 108 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: to the item that's getting the most attention. Some might 109 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 1: even put up lots in alphabetical order. Bill's memory isn't perfect, 110 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:40,120 Speaker 1: but he thinks that's what happened with the Action number one, 111 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 1: that it was one of the first comics upt forbid 112 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:47,120 Speaker 1: rather than the last. No, because I bought the Action 113 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:52,200 Speaker 1: Comics number seven after that as well, and some other lots. 114 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 1: So no, I'm trying to think if it was alphabetical, 115 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 1: because I know I bought some lots that were later 116 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:02,400 Speaker 1: on in the option for So the Action number one 117 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:05,559 Speaker 1: came up early and that was fined by Bill since 118 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: he had the flu and just wanted to get out 119 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: as quickly as possible. Here's how Southerby has described it 120 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 1: in their catalog Action Comics number one comic book June 121 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:24,080 Speaker 1: d C Comics, featuring the very first appearance of Jerry 122 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: Siegel and Joe Schuster's legendary character Superman, arguably the most 123 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 1: imitated character of all time. Near mint condition, this copy 124 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:38,560 Speaker 1: has interior pages with slight tanning on the edges, with 125 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:43,199 Speaker 1: the center portion of interior pages creamy white minor vertical 126 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:46,679 Speaker 1: printers ink tracing lines on three interior pages, with a 127 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:53,079 Speaker 1: handcraft a lacquered custom fitbox. Historically, this is the most 128 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: important comic book ever printed. It was like getting a 129 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:02,160 Speaker 1: sales pitch from a waiter on an expensive bottle of wine? 130 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 1: Who wouldn't spend a bundle on that? When the comic 131 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 1: was ushered out, it drew a lot of attention right away. 132 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:12,920 Speaker 1: A lot of people wanted that comic, but only a 133 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:16,719 Speaker 1: handful of people could afford to want the comic. There 134 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:21,720 Speaker 1: were several bidders. Obviously, with most options, you'll see a 135 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:24,840 Speaker 1: lot of spirited bidding at the beginning, and then you 136 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:28,079 Speaker 1: know when the numbers start getting a little more intense, 137 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: you know, then it dwindles and becomes a lot of times, 138 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 1: you know, just headbutting between two people. On and on 139 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:40,040 Speaker 1: it went. Remember at the time, and even now, it's 140 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: not coming to see an Action number one come up 141 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:46,480 Speaker 1: for sale. Bill didn't know the next time he'd see one, 142 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: or what its condition might be, so he kept bidding 143 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 1: and bidding until the amount reached seventy five thousand dollars. 144 00:09:57,040 --> 00:10:01,520 Speaker 1: Adrenaline was coursing through his aching bo and then Bill 145 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 1: waited for the other better to pipe up, but he didn't. 146 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:11,640 Speaker 1: Just like that, Bill had set a world record for 147 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:15,440 Speaker 1: buying a comic book with the ten percent buyer's premium. 148 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: It came to eight two thousand, five hundred dollars, and 149 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: normally Bill would have loved the inevitable press attention, but 150 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: not today. I was sitting with a friend of mine 151 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: and I just remember we high five, and like I said, 152 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:33,079 Speaker 1: we were in the very back row and that was that. 153 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 1: And I was feeling too poorly to even respond to 154 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 1: media requests. There were people there that wanted to interview me, 155 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:43,000 Speaker 1: and I just said, I gotta I gotta go. I 156 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 1: just wasn't feeling good. Well, maybe not with all the congestion, 157 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 1: but in terms of doing what he had set out 158 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 1: to do, Bill was feeling pretty good. He now owned 159 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: an Action number one in fantastic condition, which fewer than 160 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: ten people in the world can say. The question was 161 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,640 Speaker 1: what happens when you're in New York and need to 162 00:11:04,679 --> 00:11:07,720 Speaker 1: return home, which at the time was in Las Vegas, 163 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 1: with the world's most expensive comic. You don't check it 164 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:16,440 Speaker 1: as part of your luggage, do you. I just stick 165 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:18,959 Speaker 1: it in my little briefcase and take it with me. 166 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 1: I mean, that's how I've always done it. I just 167 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 1: took that little handful of comics with me on the 168 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 1: plane and flew back. He didn't look for a buyer 169 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 1: right away. This was a kind of holy grail. It 170 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: was something to baskin. He wanted to let it appreciate 171 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:37,720 Speaker 1: in value. I was letting it appreciate, and I was 172 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:41,440 Speaker 1: enjoying having it, and took pictures and had some fun 173 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:44,280 Speaker 1: with it. A few years later Bill found a buyer, 174 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 1: a fellow dealer who got it into the hands of 175 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 1: Stephen Fishler, Cages comic book dealer. The whole story really 176 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 1: starts right here in a South Abyes bid room where 177 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 1: Bill Hughes Who's got the flu, grabs the action number one, 178 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 1: which eventually finds its way to Nicolas Cage. Bill, by 179 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:07,600 Speaker 1: the way, didn't know about cages stolen comics at the 180 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 1: time it happened in two thousand, that was still on 181 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:14,200 Speaker 1: the hush hush, But when he eventually did find out, 182 00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:19,280 Speaker 1: he wasn't too surprised. It's not surprising that they were 183 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:24,080 Speaker 1: stolen from these wealthy gentlemen because these are people that 184 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:28,600 Speaker 1: like to use their highlights from their collections as conversation 185 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 1: pieces and you know, particularly at parties and whatnot, kind 186 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: of show them off. When you you know, go out 187 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:40,040 Speaker 1: of your way to share the value and show the 188 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:46,280 Speaker 1: actual item to numerous people, you know, you almost invite trouble. 189 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: But Bill, who's been in the collecting game a long time, 190 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 1: can conceive a one way they could have found their 191 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:56,440 Speaker 1: way back into the market, Like why would someone not 192 00:12:56,679 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 1: sell it? You could deface it and change the appearance 193 00:13:00,559 --> 00:13:03,319 Speaker 1: of it so it doesn't appear to be the same comic, 194 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,000 Speaker 1: and just sell it for a ton of money, even 195 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 1: though a lot less than it was worth at the time, 196 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:12,320 Speaker 1: but still a lot of money. Easily and probably no 197 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 1: one would think twice if it was defaced in some 198 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:17,199 Speaker 1: way to where it appeared to be a totally different 199 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:21,079 Speaker 1: because obviously there's quite a few copies out there altered. 200 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:34,439 Speaker 1: That's interesting. In two thousand two, Los Angeles art detective 201 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:38,520 Speaker 1: Donald Harrisik had a cold trail. He had interviewed at 202 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: Cages employees and party guests. He'd spoken to dealers and 203 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:45,439 Speaker 1: kept an eye out for any sign of the books. 204 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:49,679 Speaker 1: Others had sworn they knew someone who knew something, who 205 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 1: knew someone who had seen the Action number one, But 206 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: even if they had, there was no telling whether it 207 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: was cages copy. People wanted to be helpful, but the 208 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:03,680 Speaker 1: books were gone with the wind. The only thing Harresa 209 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:05,880 Speaker 1: had to go on was the fact that the sale 210 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:09,640 Speaker 1: of an Action number one would almost definitely make noise 211 00:14:09,679 --> 00:14:13,560 Speaker 1: in the collector's market. You couldn't really sell a comic 212 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: like that without a buyer asking a lot of questions, 213 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 1: where did it come from, why are you selling? Who 214 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:23,960 Speaker 1: owned it before you did. It's all the stuff a 215 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 1: seller like Southebys didn't have to worry about because their 216 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 1: reputation preceded them by and large. You know what you're 217 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 1: getting from a major auction house, they'll stand behind their items. 218 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,880 Speaker 1: That's also why it was highly unlikely cages Copy would 219 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 1: ever find its way back to Sotheby's. The thief would 220 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:47,280 Speaker 1: be asked too many questions. If you really wanted to 221 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 1: sell a stolen Action Number one, you try to do 222 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:55,880 Speaker 1: it as quietly as you possibly could. But being quiet 223 00:14:56,200 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: can make a lot of noise. HARRESI got another tip, 224 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 1: and this one felt different. Someone in Memphis was offering 225 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: a copy of Action Comics Number one on the sly. 226 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:13,000 Speaker 1: This person wasn't looking to go through the normal channels 227 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 1: of a Southebies or eBay. They wanted a cash transaction. 228 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 1: How suspicious. If Sothebes represented the ideal way to legitimately 229 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:28,480 Speaker 1: sell the comic, a random dude in Memphis offering it 230 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 1: to cash buyers represented the most bizarre. It was too 231 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:37,520 Speaker 1: peculiar to ignore. So Harresa hopped on a plane from 232 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:41,920 Speaker 1: Los Angeles to Memphis. If this was cages Copy, it 233 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 1: made a certain amount of sense. You would never want 234 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:47,720 Speaker 1: to steal a book in California and try to sell 235 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 1: it there. You'd want to go somewhere anywhere else. When 236 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: he arrived in Memphis, Horre Sik met with detectives of 237 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: the Memphis Police Department. They had a suspect in mind, 238 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: who will refer to as Lex, because why not. Lex 239 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:10,120 Speaker 1: had been peddling Action Number one and other rare comics 240 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:14,840 Speaker 1: around town and via online classified sections. It certainly looked 241 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 1: as though he had the real thing. Police had also 242 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:21,440 Speaker 1: been able to establish Lex had a safety deposit box 243 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:24,800 Speaker 1: at a local bank. This was where he had possibly 244 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: shown the rare books to prospective customers. It was a 245 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:33,400 Speaker 1: very clean operation here. Sick and the Memphis p D 246 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:37,480 Speaker 1: requested a search warrant for the safety deposit box. He 247 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 1: believed this could conceivably be cages copy and a chance 248 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:44,640 Speaker 1: to solve a theft for one of the most famous 249 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: people in the country. It would mean more attention for 250 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 1: the l a p d s Art detail, which was 251 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 1: always criminally understaffed. Horresik had perhaps one partner at a time, 252 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: and if this was the Action Number one, then Lex 253 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:03,960 Speaker 1: could possibly lead them to the others. The Detective number 254 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 1: twenty seven and Detective number one get him in a 255 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: room and sweat him out under the lamp with the 256 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:13,240 Speaker 1: adjustable arm. Maybe Lex would even get a break for 257 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:16,920 Speaker 1: telling them what he knew. Here, Sick and the Memphis 258 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:20,120 Speaker 1: p D believed they had enough probable cause to get 259 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,520 Speaker 1: the search warrant, and a judge agreed it was another 260 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:27,080 Speaker 1: step closer to figuring all of this out. On this 261 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:31,800 Speaker 1: fine day in Memphis, here Sick and Memphis police walked 262 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 1: into the bank and produced a search warrant and were 263 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:39,000 Speaker 1: then led into a secure room. And while these boxes 264 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:43,160 Speaker 1: usually need two keys, the bank manager typically has a 265 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,800 Speaker 1: master set the whole let's open it together things, kind 266 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:51,280 Speaker 1: of theatrics. Inside of the privacy room, the key was 267 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:54,879 Speaker 1: slipped into the lock and the lid swung on a hinge. 268 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 1: It was sort of like the briefcase in pulp fiction. Here, 269 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:04,120 Speaker 1: Sick the others peered inside. This could be it the end, 270 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:07,399 Speaker 1: and this would be a good time for a fake 271 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:10,679 Speaker 1: out that the box turned out to be empty and 272 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:15,720 Speaker 1: that the cops would be dejected. But that's not what happened. 273 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 1: What stared back at them was in Action Comics number 274 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:26,200 Speaker 1: one case closed. Harrisik had solved plenty of art thefts, 275 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,880 Speaker 1: had recovered more than thirty one million dollars in art 276 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:33,919 Speaker 1: over the past several years, had found some Peanuts animation 277 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 1: cells stolen from animator Bill Melendez seven thousand, five hundred 278 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,960 Speaker 1: cells taken from his offices by the company handyman. He'd 279 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:46,679 Speaker 1: even found the Scarecrow's tap shoes from the Wizard of Oz, 280 00:18:47,119 --> 00:18:51,080 Speaker 1: but this was something else, a whole new level of 281 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 1: cultural archaeology. The cops gently picked up the book to 282 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:59,600 Speaker 1: get a closer look. It was as most rare comics, 283 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:03,320 Speaker 1: were wrapped in a plastic comic bag to protect it 284 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:08,159 Speaker 1: from dust and fingerprints. They examined the cover. It was 285 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:12,600 Speaker 1: all there, Superman hoisting a car directly over his head, 286 00:19:13,119 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: people fleeing the scene. In the lower left was the 287 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:21,080 Speaker 1: infamous hysterical man, hands clasped at his temples like Kevin 288 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:25,200 Speaker 1: McAlister and home alone, beads of sweat ran down his forehead. 289 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 1: He sure was scared, and wait, where were the beads 290 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 1: of sweat? Now? It's possible Harrisik and the others didn't 291 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:39,120 Speaker 1: notice this right away. It might not have been until later. 292 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:42,960 Speaker 1: But if you knew action number one backward and forward, 293 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,919 Speaker 1: you'd be able to spot inconsistencies, like the fact the 294 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: manic screaming man running away from Superman on the cover. 295 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:55,200 Speaker 1: It wasn't sweating, he was always sweating since the issue 296 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:59,200 Speaker 1: was first printed in night he had been sweating. He 297 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:01,600 Speaker 1: was afraid er Man was going to toss a car 298 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:06,320 Speaker 1: at him. It would make anyone hysterical, but not this guy, 299 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 1: at least not this version of this guy. So had 300 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: someone damaged the comic or had someone done something even 301 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 1: more sinister alter it so it couldn't be positively identified 302 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 1: as Cages? Why erase beads of sweat? That seemed more 303 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:30,399 Speaker 1: like a printing error than any subterfuge. Alright, so maybe 304 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 1: this copy was a little bit of an anomaly. If anything, 305 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:38,119 Speaker 1: something as distinctive as lacking those sweatbeats would mean that 306 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:40,960 Speaker 1: if Cage or Fishler could prove his copy had the 307 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: same defect, then they'd have a match. The cops opted 308 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 1: to gently remove the comic from its protective bag. To 309 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:55,480 Speaker 1: their eyes, it still looked okay. They exchanged glances. Maybe 310 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:58,880 Speaker 1: this was the one, maybe the bus that would land 311 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 1: here sick back in pages of the Los Angeles Times 312 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:05,639 Speaker 1: as the country's only art coup the case that the 313 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:09,320 Speaker 1: Memphis p D could share some of the glory. But 314 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:14,439 Speaker 1: then they began turning the pages and they didn't see Superman, 315 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:20,159 Speaker 1: not anywhere. Granted he was only in twelve pages of 316 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: the comic sharing space with stories no one remembers, but 317 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:30,240 Speaker 1: he wasn't anywhere. There weren't any illustrations. Instead, the cops 318 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:35,680 Speaker 1: saw photographs of women clad in lingerie. The entire interior 319 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:40,720 Speaker 1: was a lingerie catalog, and if the inside was a 320 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:46,360 Speaker 1: lingerie catalog, that meant the cover was something else Entirely. 321 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:50,480 Speaker 1: They quickly figured it out. Lex had found an image 322 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,600 Speaker 1: of Action Number one online, saved it and printed it 323 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:58,200 Speaker 1: out as a color copy, and it was a good copy. 324 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:00,800 Speaker 1: But in the process, the beads of sweat on the 325 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:04,640 Speaker 1: guide freaking out didn't register on the printer. They were 326 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:08,480 Speaker 1: lost in the translation from digital image to hard copy. 327 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:12,600 Speaker 1: Lex was busted. The scam was too simple. When he 328 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 1: found an interested party, he told them to never ever 329 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: remove the comic from its protective bag, since exposing it 330 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:23,480 Speaker 1: to air might cause the ancient pages to turn brittle. 331 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:26,639 Speaker 1: If it worked, that might have bought Lex enough time 332 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: to take off before being found out. This Action Number 333 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:36,040 Speaker 1: One was inside a Frederick's of Hollywood or Victoria's Secret Catalog. 334 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,720 Speaker 1: Harrisak had seen this before, a collector in bel Air 335 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:45,280 Speaker 1: Cage's Neck of the Woods once bought a painting by 336 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:50,679 Speaker 1: artist Andrew Zorne for five hundred thousand dollars. Someone stole it, 337 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:55,440 Speaker 1: but left something behind, a giant photograph of the painting, 338 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:59,200 Speaker 1: which the family didn't detect for some time, not until 339 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,800 Speaker 1: one of them touched it and realized it had no texture. 340 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 1: In this case, the collector's butler did it, swiped the 341 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:08,719 Speaker 1: real thing for one he had blown up in a 342 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:12,880 Speaker 1: photo lab. Clever enough, but it turns out that it's 343 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 1: exceptionally difficult to counterfeit a comic book. This wasn't the 344 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:21,640 Speaker 1: first time someone tried. The mafia, which loved to traffic 345 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:25,439 Speaker 1: and Alyssa Goods, floated the idea. We know because the 346 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 1: FBI once put wire taps on the phones of mobster 347 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:33,760 Speaker 1: Paul Castellano and his associates in the nineteen eighties. Castellano 348 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 1: was the boss of the Gambino crime family in New 349 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:42,119 Speaker 1: York City. They speculated that counterfeiting comics would be brilliant 350 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 1: because no one else was doing it. But Castellano didn't 351 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:49,359 Speaker 1: get a chance to test his idea out. Big Paul, 352 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:52,680 Speaker 1: as he was known, was executed in the stream by 353 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:59,480 Speaker 1: other monsters in to do it convincingly would be a 354 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:04,159 Speaker 1: nearly impossible task. This isn't one image on canvas like 355 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:08,440 Speaker 1: a painting. This is sixty four pages, each one having 356 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 1: to be identical in size, color, ink, and paper quality 357 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:18,280 Speaker 1: to the one produced in Now these scams persist even 358 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:22,200 Speaker 1: today in an arrow where comics are graded and sealed. 359 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,480 Speaker 1: Kick around on Facebook long enough and you might come 360 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:29,760 Speaker 1: across a copy of Action number one, Superman number one, 361 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:33,679 Speaker 1: or others that look very convincing, but they're not the 362 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:38,200 Speaker 1: real deal. They're usually reprints or what DC Comics called 363 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:43,080 Speaker 1: Famous First editions in the nineteen seventies. The outer cover 364 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:46,359 Speaker 1: indicates it's a modern book, but if a scammer takes 365 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:49,240 Speaker 1: that off, the inside more or less looks like the 366 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:53,160 Speaker 1: real thing. But they were also oversized by a few inches, 367 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: both vertically and horizontally. So it wasn't cages copy, just 368 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:02,959 Speaker 1: a small time on from a small time command. And 369 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:07,119 Speaker 1: so Harrisik returned to Los Angeles. But that wasn't the 370 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 1: end of the Memphis story, not exactly. Even though what 371 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:18,719 Speaker 1: was looking to be a promising lead for the Action 372 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:21,879 Speaker 1: Comics Number one was a bust, two thousand two was 373 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 1: still a very eventful year. For Nicolas Cage. There had 374 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:29,119 Speaker 1: been a second break in the comic thefts case a 375 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:32,560 Speaker 1: former employee who was arrested for stealing from the actor. 376 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,159 Speaker 1: But when that shook out, all the men had taken 377 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 1: were some watches, albeit some very expensive watches, and some booze. 378 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:44,120 Speaker 1: Not only didn't he take any comics, he wasn't under 379 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:48,480 Speaker 1: Cage's employee when the comics were stolen. In a separate incident, 380 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:52,160 Speaker 1: Cage had a porsteous stolen that one was found at 381 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:55,320 Speaker 1: the bottom of a lake in the Ozars a hundred 382 00:25:55,359 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 1: thousand dollars down the drain. In light of the other incidents, 383 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:02,960 Speaker 1: maybe he wondered if the same fate would greet his 384 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:08,560 Speaker 1: comics someone panicking and getting rid of them permanently. That 385 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:12,160 Speaker 1: was two dead ends in the comic world. But professionally 386 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:16,720 Speaker 1: Cage was doing well. He started in Adaptation and a Reverend, 387 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:20,879 Speaker 1: comedy about twin brothers and screenwriters trying to adapt The 388 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:24,960 Speaker 1: Orchid Thief, a true story about a horticulturist who steals 389 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:28,800 Speaker 1: rare and valuable orchids. The film is fictional, but Cage 390 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:31,800 Speaker 1: got a lot of positive attention for his dual roles. 391 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 1: He was even nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award. 392 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:40,119 Speaker 1: He was going to start shooting Gone in sixty Seconds, 393 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:45,280 Speaker 1: a car theft movie with Angelina Jolie. Heists were apparently 394 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:49,000 Speaker 1: not something he could get away from, or crimes for 395 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:52,000 Speaker 1: that matter. One movie he was set to make but 396 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:55,080 Speaker 1: never did was called Back Up, about a cop who 397 00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:57,760 Speaker 1: comes back from the dead to solve his own murder. 398 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,200 Speaker 1: He was even getting set to direct his first feature film, Sonny, 399 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:06,440 Speaker 1: about a male hustler, with James Franco. The last big 400 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:10,920 Speaker 1: professional shift was departing from his longtime manager, a man 401 00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:15,280 Speaker 1: named Jerry Harrington. While Cage was doing well, he hadn't 402 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:19,760 Speaker 1: been doing face off and conairwell and maybe wanted a 403 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:23,000 Speaker 1: fresh pair of eyes looking at his choices. The split 404 00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 1: may not have been amicable because Jerry believed Cage owed 405 00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:30,920 Speaker 1: him some commissions for all of his highly paid acting gigs. 406 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:35,280 Speaker 1: That marked one separation, but there was also one union 407 00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:39,320 Speaker 1: to Lisa Marie Pressley. In August of that year, the 408 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:44,240 Speaker 1: longstanding Elvis fan had married Elvis's daughter. There was something 409 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:47,960 Speaker 1: to the idea that Cage was undergoing a huge paradigm 410 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,920 Speaker 1: shift in his life. New marriage, new management, and new 411 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:57,720 Speaker 1: hobbies or no more old hobbies. Cage announced he was 412 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:01,719 Speaker 1: going to sell his comic book collection, his entire comic 413 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:06,720 Speaker 1: book collection, and the reason was interesting. Here's Bill Hughes again. 414 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:10,800 Speaker 1: I was told that when he got involved with Lisa Marie, 415 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,280 Speaker 1: when they were married for a year or whatever, she 416 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:15,720 Speaker 1: hated the comics and wanted to see the comics go. 417 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:18,640 Speaker 1: And a year later she was gone and the comics 418 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:20,960 Speaker 1: were gone. She didn't like the comic book she said, 419 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:23,520 Speaker 1: get rid of them, or get rid of me and whatever. 420 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 1: So he got rid of the comics and then marriage 421 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:29,040 Speaker 1: didn't last anyways. But that's just what I was told. 422 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:33,280 Speaker 1: Hundreds of rare and exceptional issues he had spent years 423 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 1: building up we're going to be put up for auction 424 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 1: via Heritage, one of the industry's leading auction houses, and 425 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:44,240 Speaker 1: the person who helped broker the deal was Bill Hughes. 426 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:49,000 Speaker 1: Many of them were slabbed in c GC holders, those 427 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 1: hard plastic cases that guarantee a comics condition. Bill decided 428 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:57,080 Speaker 1: which one stood to benefit the most from that additional providence, 429 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 1: and because Cage was so famous, the c g C 430 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:03,800 Speaker 1: label would make mention that the copy up for sale 431 00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:08,160 Speaker 1: came from the collection of Nicholas Cage. Whether he desired 432 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:10,760 Speaker 1: it or not, he had become one of the more 433 00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:14,240 Speaker 1: notable collectors in the hobby, and maybe the fact that 434 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:18,240 Speaker 1: these books were once Cages could mean a little extra money. 435 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:22,040 Speaker 1: Bill Hughes helped arrange this massive comic book dump when 436 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:25,560 Speaker 1: the dealer he worked for, known as the Mint, partnered 437 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:29,320 Speaker 1: with Heritage. The idea was Cage could have twice the 438 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:32,680 Speaker 1: promotional power as well as the client lists of the 439 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:35,840 Speaker 1: two instead of just one dealer. It was like a 440 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 1: superhero team up, only the team would get a percentage 441 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:43,320 Speaker 1: of the sales. While there were hundreds of books, there 442 00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:46,760 Speaker 1: were a few Cage couldn't bear to part with, not 443 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:50,560 Speaker 1: even for Lisa Murray, if you believe that story. His 444 00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:54,520 Speaker 1: horror comics. Ron had told me at the time that 445 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:57,640 Speaker 1: Cage didn't want to let go of his horror comics, 446 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:01,520 Speaker 1: that he had trains on his walls, shoal frames made 447 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:05,040 Speaker 1: to house each comic book down a long hallway. I've 448 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:07,920 Speaker 1: never been to his house, so I can only mentally 449 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,600 Speaker 1: visualize it, but he said there were a hundred and 450 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:16,720 Speaker 1: one frames and that's where the Action one was housed. 451 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:19,760 Speaker 1: During the party at his home when it was stolen, 452 00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 1: but after he had given up the comics for option 453 00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:25,960 Speaker 1: that he had kept a hundred and one horror comics 454 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,960 Speaker 1: that he had in those frames down this long hallway 455 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:32,320 Speaker 1: at his home. The custom frames that had once held 456 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:35,520 Speaker 1: the rarest comics in the world, that had gone empty 457 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:39,400 Speaker 1: when they were stolen, were now being filled with horror comics. 458 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:42,840 Speaker 1: The old ec books that were once the subject of 459 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:46,760 Speaker 1: Senate subcommittee hearings in the nineteen fifties for being too 460 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:51,800 Speaker 1: violent were now Nicolas Cage's wallpaper. For some extra pomp 461 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:55,600 Speaker 1: and circumstance, The non horror comics were sold at Dallas 462 00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:59,440 Speaker 1: Comic Con, a three day gathering of the biggest dealers 463 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:03,480 Speaker 1: and fans in Texas. Heritage was located there and a 464 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:07,560 Speaker 1: con seemed well suited for such a high profile sale. 465 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:11,080 Speaker 1: If one phase of Cages comic collecting it started in 466 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:16,320 Speaker 1: Southebys back in it ended at another auction in two 467 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:20,600 Speaker 1: thousand and two. One by one the comics went under 468 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:25,280 Speaker 1: the gavel and cages cash register kept ringing. A copy 469 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:28,520 Speaker 1: of All Star Comics Number three went for a hundred 470 00:31:28,520 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 1: and twenty five thousand, five hundred dollars. It was thought 471 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:36,640 Speaker 1: to be worth just forty five thousand dollars. A copy 472 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:40,080 Speaker 1: of Detective Comics number thirty eight, the first appearance of 473 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:44,120 Speaker 1: Robin the Boy Wonder, went for a hundred and twenty thousand, 474 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:48,280 Speaker 1: seven hundred and fifty dollars. That was nearly three times 475 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:50,800 Speaker 1: what it was estimated to be worth in price guides. 476 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:56,280 Speaker 1: The Nicolas Cage effect was apparently real. It always adds value. 477 00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:59,040 Speaker 1: When when stan Lee started letting go of some of 478 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:04,360 Speaker 1: his Marvel comics also at Heritage, they went for huge numbers. 479 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:07,360 Speaker 1: They were very poor quality at the time, and Stanley 480 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:10,560 Speaker 1: had kept back his better copies and had just offered 481 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:13,760 Speaker 1: up his lesser copies. First, of course, the autographed him, 482 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:16,520 Speaker 1: and they went for huge numbers at the time, what 483 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:19,960 Speaker 1: was considered to be very aggressive numbers at the time, 484 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:22,719 Speaker 1: And it was just because of his affiliation, I mean 485 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:25,720 Speaker 1: the fact that they were part of his collection personally, 486 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:29,000 Speaker 1: same with Cage, that the books brought premiums for sure. 487 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:34,840 Speaker 1: Cage offered copies of Amazing Fantasy number fifteen, X Men 488 00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:38,880 Speaker 1: number one, Green Lantern number one. It was a collector's 489 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:43,120 Speaker 1: paradise and on it went until over one point six 490 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:47,160 Speaker 1: million dollars had been spent on his books, well his 491 00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:51,959 Speaker 1: former books. The overall auction, which also included comics from 492 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:56,600 Speaker 1: other sellers, brought in five point two million total, a 493 00:32:56,680 --> 00:33:00,360 Speaker 1: new record for a comic auction. Cage had likely drawn 494 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:03,880 Speaker 1: interest even in books that didn't belong to him. As 495 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:06,800 Speaker 1: for that Lisa Marie story where she admonished him to 496 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:10,720 Speaker 1: get rid of his books, well, anything's possible. But we 497 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:13,600 Speaker 1: have to mention what Cage himself gave as the reason 498 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:16,920 Speaker 1: for why he decided to part with his vast collection, 499 00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:21,280 Speaker 1: And it probably didn't have much to do with money. Sure, 500 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:25,120 Speaker 1: one point six million dollars is a fortune, but Cage 501 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 1: was being paid twenty million for gone in sixty seconds. 502 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:32,280 Speaker 1: This wasn't someone finding some books in an attic he 503 00:33:32,440 --> 00:33:36,440 Speaker 1: probably didn't have to sell them. It was because his 504 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:40,440 Speaker 1: four best comics had been stolen, and despite the best 505 00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:43,160 Speaker 1: efforts of the l A. P. D. And one close 506 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:46,600 Speaker 1: call in Memphis, it didn't seem like they were going 507 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:50,080 Speaker 1: to ever find their way back to him. It hurt. 508 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:53,440 Speaker 1: He decided that it was time to part ways with 509 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:56,560 Speaker 1: the hobby that he had once enjoyed. What good were 510 00:33:56,600 --> 00:33:59,480 Speaker 1: having comics if they had to be under armed security? 511 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:02,880 Speaker 1: Where was the fun in that, when asked about it 512 00:34:02,920 --> 00:34:05,880 Speaker 1: at the time, Cage gave an answer that hinted at 513 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:09,960 Speaker 1: this sometimes. He said the things you own end up 514 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:13,440 Speaker 1: owning you, and that it was time to stop worshiping 515 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:19,359 Speaker 1: false idols. The Cage and Pressley union lasted just one 516 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:24,720 Speaker 1: hundred and eight days, Reportedly caged through Pressley's fifty six 517 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:29,560 Speaker 1: thousand dollar engagement ring into the ocean, Cage hired divers 518 00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:32,399 Speaker 1: to try and find it, but with no luck, so 519 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:35,880 Speaker 1: he replaced it, going from a six carrot to a 520 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:40,640 Speaker 1: tend carrot ring. But ultimately it just wasn't meant to be. 521 00:34:41,480 --> 00:34:45,279 Speaker 1: It was a strange year. The comic auction came in 522 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:49,719 Speaker 1: November towards the end, and it held one final surprise 523 00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:55,440 Speaker 1: for anyone following this labyrinth mystery. Among the the hundreds 524 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:58,319 Speaker 1: of comics auctioned off at the Dallas Comic Con that 525 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:05,360 Speaker 1: belonged to Nicolas Cage was action comics. No one, now, 526 00:35:05,600 --> 00:35:10,200 Speaker 1: where did that come from? And more importantly, why is 527 00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:14,040 Speaker 1: a story this weird not a movie? Already? The heist 528 00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:19,319 Speaker 1: of Nicholas Cage's Superman stash, Well it is, someone made it, 529 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 1: but you'll probably never see it. For reasons You'll never 530 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:37,000 Speaker 1: believe that's next time I'm stealing Superman. Stealing Superman is 531 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:41,279 Speaker 1: written by Jake Rawson, Sound design, scoring and mixing by 532 00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:46,799 Speaker 1: Josh Fisher, Additional editing by Jonathan Washington, Original music by 533 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:52,200 Speaker 1: Aaron Kaufman, Mixing and mastering by Baheed Fraser. Additional voices 534 00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:56,400 Speaker 1: by Ruthie Stevens and Zarin Burnett. Research and fact checking 535 00:35:56,520 --> 00:36:00,600 Speaker 1: by Jake Rawson and Austin Thompson. With productions support from 536 00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:06,080 Speaker 1: Lulu Philip. Show logo by Lucy Quintinia. Our executive producer 537 00:36:06,280 --> 00:36:10,640 Speaker 1: is Jason English and I'm your host Danish Sports. If 538 00:36:10,640 --> 00:36:14,560 Speaker 1: you're enjoying this show, check out Haleywood and Noble Blood 539 00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:17,600 Speaker 1: and give us a nice review. We'll see you next week.