Superman No. 1 (DC Comics, 1939) leaps into the lead
Apparently Superman is taking on himself in the race to the top. In previous years, we have reported of Action Comics holding the lead, but it looks like the top spot has shifted (but it’s still Superman).
In the quintessential story of treasure in the attic, a trio of brothers dealing with their late mother’s estate in December 2025 found a copy of the first edition of Superman beneath a pile of old newspapers. That find has led to a payday of over $9 million dollars as Heritage Auction recently completed the auction on November 20, 2025. The copy was graded 9.0 (Very Fine/Near Mint) out of 10 by the Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), making it the highest-graded unrestored copy known to exist.
Heritage Auctions vice-president Lon Allen related that “The brothers, who have chosen to withhold their names, are “in their 50s and 60s, and their mom had always told them she had an expensive comics collection but never showed them. It’s a twist on the old ‘Mom threw away my comics’ story. The mother had held onto the comic books since she and her brother bought them between the Great Depression and the beginning of World War Two.”
Previous Record Holders:
- Action Comics No. 1 (1938): This comic, which features the very first appearance of Superman, previously held the record when a CGC 8.5-graded copy sold for $6 million in 2024.
- Another Superman No. 1 (1939): A CGC 8.0-graded copy of this same issue fetched $5.3 million in a private sale in 2022.
- Amazing Fantasy No. 15 (1962): A CGC 9.6-graded copy, which features the first appearance of Spider-Man, previously sold for $3.6 million.
0 Comments