A 1939 copy of “Superman” No. 1 has become the world’s most expensive comic book after being auctioned for a super-heroic $9.12 million. Photo courtesy of Heritage Auctions
A 1939 copy of Superman No. 1 has become the world’s most expensive comic book after being auctioned for a super-heroic $9.12 million.
Heritage Auctions said the comic book was found by a Northern California family while they were cleaning out the attic of their mother’s home after her death least year.
The comic book, which was in a cardboard box with some old newspapers, was examined by CGC, the world’s largest third-party comics grading service, and given a rating of 9.0 out of 10, making it the highest-graded copy of Superman No. 1 known to still exist. It is one of only seven known copies with a grading of 6.0 or higher.
The comic sold for $9.12 million on Thursday, breaking the previous record of $6 million, which was set in 2024 when Heritage Auctions sold a copy of Action Comics No. 1, the comic featuring the first appearance of Superman.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by America's auction house (@heritageauctions)
“Superman No. 1 is a milestone in pop culture history, and this copy is not only in unprecedented condition, but it has a movie-worthy story behind it,” Heritage Auctions Vice President Lon Allen said in a news release. “I was glad to see the price reflect that and am honored Heritage was entrusted with this iconic book.”
Jim Halperin, co-founder of Heritage Auctions, said the sale could “someday be remembered as an early stage of popular culture collecting’s trajectory into the upper reaches of the auction field.”
“The value and historical importance of these objects are becoming even more well-known to collectors all over the world,” Halperin said.
