THE FIRST-EDITION COPY HAD BEEN FORGOTTEN IN AN ATTIC FOR DECADES
By Jesse Hughey | December 2, 2025
The highest-ever-graded copy of Superman No. 1, found by a Northern California family in the attic of their late mother’s home last year, now holds the record as the world’s most expensive comic book after selling for $9.12 million in Heritage’s November 20–22 Comic Books Signature® Auction.
Despite being protected by only a stack of old newspapers in a cardboard box, the 1939 comic book – the Man of Steel’s comic title debut – earned a 9.0 on a 10-point scale by CGC, the world’s largest third-party comics grading service. The $9.12 million price smashed the previous comic value record, set by an 8.5-graded copy of Action Comics No. 1 that sold for $6 million through Heritage Auctions in 2024.
This copy of 1939’s ‘Superman’ No. 1 made history when it sold for $9.12 million in a November 2025 Heritage auction.
“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,” says Heritage Auctions Vice President Lon Allen. “I was glad to see the price reflect that and am honored Heritage was entrusted with this iconic book.”
The well-preserved issue was discovered by three brothers who, as children, had heard their mom mention some potentially valuable comics. But as adults in their 50s and 60s, they had chalked up the story to family legend. “It’s a twist on the old ‘Mom threw away my comics’ story,” Allen says with a smile.
The record-holding copy is one of only seven known copies of Superman No. 1 with a CGC grade of 6.0 or higher. It tops esteemed pedigreed copies including the Mile High and Davis Crippen copies and is one of fewer than 100 copies of this momentous issue in any grade, including restored examples, that Heritage has ever offered.
Found in the same Northern California attic as the record-breaking copy of ‘Superman’ No. 1 was this copy of 1939’s ‘Action Comics’ No. 15. The book sold for $264,000 in a November 2025 Heritage auction.
The record-busting sale of Superman No. 1 might have been the headline story from Heritage’s November comic book auction, but it wasn’t the only early Superman comic those three brothers found in their mother’s attic and consigned to Heritage. Also mixed into that historic stack of vintage newspapers was a copy of Action Comics No. 15 that earned an eye-popping 9.4 grade from CGC, putting it atop the census and garnering a sale price of $264,000. Likewise, their copy of Action Comics No. 12 is the lone 9.0-graded example, with none higher.
All told, the family found five copies of Action Comics in addition to the famous Superman No. 1, and each of the five set the price record for its respective issue: Issue No. 9 with $50,400, No. 12 with $204,000, No. 15 with $264,000, No. 18 with $31,200, and No. 21 with $33,600, as each achieved CGC grades varying from fine-plus to near-mint.
“This new record for Superman No. 1 may someday be remembered as an early stage of popular culture collecting’s trajectory into the upper reaches of the auction field,” says Jim Halperin, Co-Founder of Heritage Auctions. “The value and historical importance of these objects are becoming even more well-known to collectors all over the world. And thanks in part to Heritage Auctions’ reach and platform, market values have become more accessible and trackable than ever before. We’re so proud of Heritage’s role in helping standardize, popularize, and grow the entire collectibles hobby.”
