A long-forgotten comic book collection left behind in a San Francisco home led to a record-breaking sale this month, after three brothers uncovered a copy of Superman No. 1 from 1939 in their late mother’s attic. The discovery resulted in the issue being auctioned for $9.12 million, a figure that made it the most expensive comic book ever sold, according to Heritage Auctions.
The brothers—who asked not to be identified—began sorting through their mother’s belongings last year. Throughout their lives, she had spoken of owning valuable comics from her childhood, though she had also admitted she no longer knew where they were stored. The brothers had never seen the collection themselves and were unsure whether it still existed.
When they eventually reached the attic, they found a cardboard box under layers of old newspapers and dust. Inside was a stack of early comics, including a remarkably preserved copy of Superman No. 1, the first standalone issue featuring the character. “It wasn’t like we said, ‘Let’s go find that comic book,’” the youngest brother, 57, told the Hollywood Reporter. He said they had delayed clearing the house for several years after their mother died and finally approached the task with a simple intention: “It was more, ‘Let’s get that dumpster and just fill it up.’”
The brothers contacted Heritage Auctions a few months after the discovery. Lon Allen, vice president at the Dallas-based auction house, travelled to northern California to examine the collection. “It was just in an attic, sitting in a box,” he later told the Associated Press. “Could have easily been thrown away, could’ve easily been destroyed in a thousand different ways.”
Heritage Auctions confirmed in an October statement that the attic box also contained five early issues of Action Comics, originally published by National Allied Publications before the company evolved into Detective Comics, Inc., and eventually DC Comics. Until this month, the highest price ever paid for a comic book had been the $6 million achieved in 2024 for a 1938 copy of Action Comics No. 1, which introduced Superman to readers for the first time.
Published in 1939, Superman No. 1 retold the origin of Clark Kent, who arrived on Earth as an infant from the planet Krypton. The issue followed his upbringing and transformation into a reporter who used extraordinary abilities to confront wrongdoing. The brothers’ copy was assessed by the Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) and received a grade of 9.0 out of 10—an exceptionally high rating for a book of its age.
The cool, damp climate of San Francisco may have helped preserve it, Allen said, noting that extreme heat would likely have ruined the paper. “If it had been in an attic here in Texas, it would have been destroyed,” he remarked in the October statement.
According to the family, their mother had bought the comic when she was nine years old. She and her older brother had pooled money to purchase several titles from a newsstand in the late 1930s. As CNN reported, the comic cost them 10 cents at the time. Her youngest son said in Heritage Auctions’ October announcement that comics had been “a treasured refuge” for the siblings. The family lived in a small flat and had limited means, he said, “but they had each other and a shared love for comic books.”
The brothers said their uncle had no children, so the pair eventually agreed the collection should be passed on to her sons. The box was placed in the attic for safekeeping, and over time, the brothers’ mother forgot it was there.
The auction house said the copy was identifiable as part of the first print run of 500,000 issues, owing to a small advert printed inside. Fewer than 500 copies of Superman No. 1 are believed to survive. The book showed vivid colours, intact edges and a firm spine—features that contributed to its high grade and eventual sale price.
The three brothers, now in their 50s and 60s, declined to reveal their identities or that of the buyer, citing the size of the sale. One of them said the discovery meant far more than its financial outcome. “This isn’t simply a story about old paper and ink,” he said in a statement released by Heritage Auctions. “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.”
(With inputs from AP)
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