Superman #1 Smashes Auction Record, Becomes Most Valuable Comic Book
Bids went up, up and away at Heritage Auctions until a rare Superman comic found in an attic reached a new record price.
A milestone in superhero history discovered while cleaning house just became the world’s most valuable comic book. A copy of Superman #1 sold at the Comic Books Signature Auction by Heritage Auctions, held from November 20-22, for $9.12 million.
Superman #1 was published by DC in 1939, barely a year after the Man of Steel made his debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938. Superman’s immense, immediate popularity quickly earned him his own title, another comics first. Collectors consider Superman #1 part of the “Big Three,” along with Action Comics #1 and 1939’s Detective Comics #27, the debut of Batman. These three comics have the highest ranks on Overstreet’s Top 100 Golden Age Comics list, an indispensable guide for classic comics collectors.
The copy of Superman #1 that sold at Heritage has a few details that make it even rarer. It is a first printing, evidenced by its house ad that lists Action Comics #14 as “On sale June 2nd" instead of “Now on sale.” Heritage estimates that about 60% of existing copies of the comic are first printings. Even more impressive, it received a CGC grade of 9.0, making it “the highest-graded unrestored copy Heritage has ever offered.”
This particular copy has a backstory almost as unassuming as Superman’s mild-mannered alter ego, Clark Kent. While it wasn’t found on a Kansas farm, but in a San Francisco house, three brothers discovered the comic book in near-pristine condition while cleaning out their late mother’s attic.
According to AP News, the brothers knew their mother held on to the comics she and her sibling had collected in their childhood, but they had never seen the collection. When they saw the copy of Superman #1, they were quick to contact Heritage Auctions for an expert opinion.
“It was just in an attic, sitting in a box, could have easily been thrown away, could’ve easily been destroyed in a thousand ways,” said Lon Allen, Heritage Auctions vice president of comics. “A lot of people got excited because it’s just every factor in collecting that you could possibly want all rolled into one.”
Heritage offers a suggestion for why high-grade copies of Superman #1 are so hard to find. The back cover features a picture of Superman drawn by artist Joe Shuster, who created the superhero along with writer Jerry Siegel. This picture was intended as a pinup, with the inside cover telling the “boys & girls” reading the issue that “The back cover of this Superman book was made especially for framing! Be sure to cut off on the dotted line!” Presumably, many young fans, eager to have a picture of their favorite superhero on the wall, took scissors to their comic books. The copy that sold is apparently one of the few that escaped this fate.
One of the brothers called the sale of the comic “a testament to memory, family and the unexpected ways the past finds its way back to us.” With its status as a family heirloom, a piece of pop-culture history, and a thrilling attic discovery, the true value of the comic may reach even beyond its record price.
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