A rare copy of the first Superman comic, discovered by three brothers while cleaning out their late mother’s attic, sold for $9.12 million this month at a Texas auction house, making it the most expensive comic book ever sold.
The brothers found the comic in a cardboard box beneath layers of brittle newspapers, dust, and cobwebs in their deceased mother’s San Francisco home last year. The box also contained a handful of other rare comics collected by their mother and her sibling on the eve of World War II.
Their mother had once told them she owned a valuable comic book collection, but the brothers had never seen it until they decided to comb through the basement while preparing the house for sale, said Lon Allen, vice president of comics at Heritage Auctions. After uncovering the box, they contacted the auction house, prompting Allen to fly to San Francisco earlier this year to inspect the comic and seek expert appraisal.
“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,” Allen said. “A lot of people got excited because it’s just every factor in collecting that you could possibly want all rolled into one.”
The comic, Superman No. 1, released in 1939 by Detective Comics Inc., is one of only a small number of known copies in existence and is in excellent condition. As the first superhero to enter pop culture, Superman helped drive the comic’s value among collectors, further enhanced by its improbable backstory, Allen said.
The previous record for the world’s most expensive comic book was set last year when Action Comics No. 1, which first introduced Superman, sold for $6 million. In 2022, another Superman No. 1 copy fetched $5.3 million.
Experts identified the newly discovered copy as originating from the first edition of 500,000 Superman No. 1 copies ever printed, with fewer than 500 believed to exist today. The comic’s excellent preservation is partly attributed to the cool Northern California climate, which maintained its firm spine, vibrant colors, and crisp corners. The copy received a 9.0 out of 10 rating from comics grading company CGC, indicating only minor signs of wear and aging.
The three brothers, aged in their 50s and 60s, chose to remain anonymous, as did the buyer, according to Heritage Auctions.
“This isn’t simply a story about old paper and ink,” one brother said in a statement. “This was never just about a collectible. This is a testament to memory, family, and the unexpected ways the past finds its way back to us.”
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
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