"Superman No. 1" copy found in attic sells for record $9.12 million

A rare copy of Superman No. 1, discovered in a dusty attic by three brothers clearing out their late mother’s San Francisco home, has sold for $9.12 million — the highest price ever paid for a comic book, according to Heritage Auctions in Texas.

The brothers found the 1939 issue buried in a cardboard box beneath brittle newspapers and cobwebs while preparing the house for sale. Their mother had long mentioned owning valuable comics collected with her sibling before World War II, but the family had never seen them, AP writes. 

“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,” said Lon Allen, vice president of comics at Heritage Auctions. “A lot of people got excited because it’s just every factor in collecting that you could possibly want all rolled into one.”

Allen traveled to San Francisco earlier this year after the brothers contacted the auction house. The copy, one of very few known to exist, is in exceptional condition and features a small in-house advertisement confirming it as part of the first print run of 500,000. Fewer than 500 are believed to survive.

The cool Northern California climate helped preserve the comic, leaving “a firm spine, vibrant colors and crisp corners,” Heritage Auctions said. Grading company CGC rated it a 9.0 out of 10, an unusually high score for an 85-year-old issue.

Superman’s status as the first major superhero, along with the extraordinary discovery story, significantly boosted the comic’s value. Previous records include a $6 million sale of Action Comics No. 1 last year and a $5.3 million sale of another Superman No. 1 in 2022.

The sellers — three brothers in their 50s and 60s — did not want to be identified, nor did the buyer. One brother reflected on the emotional weight of the find: “This isn’t simply a story about old paper and ink. 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.”

By Sabina Mammadli