Superman Comic Discovered in Late Mother’s Attic Sells for Record $9.12m
A long-forgotten box in a California attic has produced the most valuable comic book ever sold. A pristine copy of Superman #1, discovered by three brothers while clearing out their late mother’s home last Christmas, has fetched $9.12 million (£7 million) at auction.
The June 1939 issue – one of the earliest standalone Superman comics – was found beneath stacks of old newspapers in a cardboard box that had remained untouched for decades. Despite the dust and cobwebs, the comic was exceptionally well preserved, earning a 9.0 grade from CGC, one of the highest ratings ever given to a book of its age.
Heritage Auctions, which handled Thursday’s sale, described the issue as the “pinnacle of comic collecting.” The sale price surpasses the previous record by $3m and comfortably overtakes the $6m paid last year for Action Comics No. 1, the 1938 publication that first introduced Superman.
The brothers, who have chosen to remain anonymous, found a total of six vintage comics in the attic. Their mother, who grew up during the Great Depression, had purchased them with her brother and kept them safely stored for more than 80 years. Heritage Auctions said the cool northern California climate played a key role in preserving the fragile paper – conditions that likely saved the comic from the deterioration it would have suffered in hotter regions.
Heritage vice-president Lon Allen travelled to meet the family soon after they reached out. He noted the irony of the discovery: “It’s a twist on the old ‘Mom threw away my comics’ story.”
Reflecting on the find, the youngest brother said the box had faded into the background of their childhood home as life unfolded. “This isn’t simply a story about old paper and ink,” he said. “This is a testament to memory, family, and the unexpected ways the past finds its way back to us.”
