A first-edition copy of Superman No. 1 from 1939 has sold for $9.12 million at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, setting a record for the most expensive comic book ever sold.
Three brothers in California discovered the comic in a cardboard box while cleaning their late mother’s San Francisco attic last year, buried beneath layers of newspapers and cobwebs. The sale surpasses the previous record of $6 million set in 2024 by an Action Comics No. 1 issue that introduced Superman to the world.
Why It Matters
The Superman No. 1 comic, released in 1939 by Detective Comics Inc., is among a small number of copies known to be in existence and was in excellent condition.
The Man of Steel was the first superhero to enter pop culture, helping boost the copy’s value among collectors, alongside its improbable backstory. The discovery highlights how valuable items can remain hidden in ordinary homes for generations, preserved by circumstance. With fewer than 500 copies of the original 500,000-print run believed to exist today, the comic represents a critical piece of American pop culture history that continues to drive record-breaking auctions.
What To Know
Detective Comics Inc. released Superman No. 1 in 1939, originally selling for 10 cents. The brothers’ mother and her sibling had collected the comics on the cusp of World War II, storing them away for over 80 years. The deceased mother had told her children about the valuable collection, but they only discovered it when preparing to sell her house.
Northern California’s cool climate helped preserve the comic in excellent condition, with CGC grading company rating it 9.0 out of 10, indicating only slight signs of wear and aging. The copy features firm spine integrity, vibrant colors and crisp corners. A small in-house advertisement helped experts identify it as originating from the first-edition print run.
In 2022, another Superman No. 1 sold for $5.3 million. The 2024 Action Comics No. 1 sale featured a Very Fine+ (8.5)-rated copy from the Kansas City Pedigree, with Heritage Auctions describing it as “the most important comic ever published.”
Only 100 surviving copies of Action Comics No. 1 exist today from the original 200,000 printed by National Allied Publications, DC Comics’ predecessor.
What People Are Saying
Vice President of Comics at Heritage Auctions Lon Allen, to the Associated Press: “It was just in an attic, sitting in a box, could have easily been thrown away, could’ve easily been destroyed in a thousand different ways. A lot of people got excited because it’s just every factor in collecting that you could possibly want all rolled into one.”
One of the three brothers, via Heritage Auctions’ statement: “This isn’t simply a story about old paper and ink. This was never just about a collectible. This is a testament to memory, family, the unexpected ways the past finds its way back to us.”
What Happens Next
The three brothers, in their 50s and 60s, and the buyer have chosen to remain anonymous due to the windfall involved.
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.