SUPER FIND

Comic Found by Chance Sells for $9M in Record Auction

It is one of the big three comic editions most valued by collectors.

A near-pristine copy of the first-ever Superman #1 has smashed the world record for the most expensive comic in history. The 1939 release was found in the attic of a woman from California, whose three sons had been sorting her affairs after she died. The rare piece hammered at Heritage Auctions for $9.12 million, comfortably beating the $6 million record set by a 1938 copy of Action Comics #1, which sold in 2024. The three brothers had been told by their mother for years that she had rare comic books, but their location had alluded them until they sifted through a stack of old newspapers. Its condition was rated nine out of 10, the highest ever for an edition of the 86-year-old comic and one of only seven copies above a six out of 10. The Guardian reports half a million copies were printed initially, followed by 400,000 split between two more runs. Few remain now, in part because it encourages the reader to remove the cover and turn it into a poster. Superman #1 was the first comic dedicated solely to Superman and is one of the big three comics deemed most valuable. The other two are Action Comics #1, which has the first appearance of Superman, and Detective Comics #27, which has the first appearance of Batman.