The ultra-rare 1938 Action Comics No. 1, which featured the first appearance of Superman, was discovered by an unidentified man who recently bought the contents of the locker at a liquidation auction in the Los Angeles area.
The vintage comic book was handed over to Los Angeles police, who are trying to determine who stole it.
Cage, who was set to play Superman in an ill-fated Tim Burton film in the 1990s, reported the comic book stolen from his west Los Angeles home in 2000.
The New York dealer who sold him the celebrated issue 15 years ago flew to California early last week and verified it was the same comic.
"It's a long-awaited and a major rediscovery," Stephen Fishler, founder of Manhattan-based Metropolis Collectibles, told the Daily News. "I felt a great deal of satisfaction finding the copy that had been lost for over a decade in the same condition."
Nicolas Cage said maybe 100 copies of the comic book still exist, but only about a dozen are considered "high grade" like the Cage copy.
"Before the publication of this book, there was no such thing as a superhero," he said. "It really launched the comic book industry."
It is unclear if the actor will get the highly sought-after issue back since he reportedly received an insurance settlement.
"Whether he will regain legal title or not is between Cage and the insurance company," Detective Donald Hrycyk, head of the LAPD's two-person Art Theft Detail, told the Ventura County Star newspaper.
Another issue of the famed rare comic book sold for $1.5 million last year. (Source)
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