A Golden Age comics collection that included a pristine copy of 1940′s Flash Comics #1 sold this week in an online auction for a combined $1.5 million, The Associated Press reports, exceeding early expectations.

Kentucky insurance executive John C. Wise put up for sale about 175 comic books, including the first issues of  Action Comics, All Star Comics, Marvel Comics, Archie Comics and Wonder Woman, as well as Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of Batman.

The CGC-graded 9.2 copy of Flash Comics #1, featuring the debuts of Jay Garrick, Hawkman and Johnny Thunder, fetched the top price with a winning bid of $182,000. Online auction house ComicConnect.com described it as "the second-best copy known to exist."

It was followed Tuesday by a CGC-graded 7.0 copy of Action Comics #1 and an 8.0 copy of Detective Comics #27, which fetched $172,000 and $137,000, respectively. A near-mint copy of Marvel Comics #1, which introduced the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch, sold for $95,000, while the first appearance of Captain Marvel in Whiz Comics #2 went for $86,000.

Although most of the landmark comics have already sold, bidding remains open on hundreds of issues (some of which push into the Silver Age).

Wise, 63, plans to use the proceeds from the auction to buy a new home in San Diego and to pay the college tuitions of his seven grandchildren.