Ultra-Rare Superman Comic Goes from Car Boot to Auction Block
A box of “holy grail” Superman comics bought for £20 sold for a total of over £48,000 at a UK auction.
About a decade ago, a self-proclaimed “collector of ephemera” in the United Kingdom bought a box of comics for £20 at a car boot sale. The collector, who is remaining anonymous, kept the box in his loft for years. It wasn’t until the Covid pandemic that he took the time to research what he had.
To his surprise, he realized the box included 48 issues of a unique one-shot Superman comic published in 1988. Known as “This Island Bradman,” the comic is the only known private commission in DC Comics history. After seeing issues offered for up to £30,000 ($39,000) on eBay, he decided to sell 47 of the comics through Ewbank’s auction house in Surrey. The auction, held on November 4, saw total hammer prices of over £48,000 ($62,400).
“This Island Bradman” was commissioned by wealthy businessman Godfrey Bradman as gifts for guests at his son Daniel’s bar mitzvah. Daniel’s extensive comic collection had previously been destroyed after it was accidentally exposed to asbestos, and his father commissioned the unique comic as a way to make amends. About 200 copies were printed, and about 48 were said to remain after the bar mitzvah. Copies given to guests occasionally appear at auctions.
The comic features an 8-page story by David Levin, with art by Curt Swain and Angelo Torres. The cover features Daniel and his friend Andrew Hunt joining Superman in his adventures and helping him while he is trapped in a kryptonite beam.
Tom Francis-Duma, comics specialist at Ewbank’s, said, “Die-hard Superman fans have been chasing the discarded stash of 48 comics for the best part of four decades, and now we have found them.” He notes that “the last two to sell made $6,500 and $3,500.”
The top lot, one of 16 copies graded CGC 9.6, sold for £2,600 ($3,380). The lowest, a mid-grade copy with an estimate of only £40 to £60, reached £845 ($1,098). In total, all 47 copies exceeded £48,000. Not a bad return on investment for a £20 purchase!
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