Very rare Superman #1 sets a new record at auction
Up, up, and away! That's one way to describe how art and collectibles have been trending this year.
On Thursday, Heritage Auctions announced the record-setting $9.12 million sale of a CGC 9.0 Superman #1 (DC, 1939), the finest copy of the first ever comic book dedicated to the legendary superhero. The record price eclipsed the prior comic book record, a $6M copy of Action Comics #1, which introduced the world to the Man of Steel for the first time.
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Superman’s Sports Influence
Athletes across the sports world love paying homage to the Man of Steel. From Dwight Howard's iconic 2008 NBA Dunk Contest to Cam Newton's Superman celebration to Shaq's arm tattoo, some of the greatest professional athletes have channeled the superhero's essence to define their finest moments.
From the attic to the auction house
According to Heritage Auctions, a Northern California family stumbled upon this impeccable first-edition copy hiding in their late mother's attic. Finding quality copies of this iconic comic is near impossible, yet this attic find received a CGC VF/NM 9.0 grade, the highest-grade ever. Only seven copies of Superman #1 have been graded 6.0 or higher.
Superman #1 hit newsstands in the summer of 1939 with a cover price of 10 cents, reprinting the character's debut from Action Comics #1 along with new adventures. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman wasn't just the first superhero comic dedicated to a single character; he essentially established the superhero genre as we know it.
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Superman - The Undisputed King of Comics
Faster than a locomotive, and more expensive than one, Superman comics dominate comic book sale prices. Only 3 comic books sales have ever cleared $5M and all 3 feature the Man of Steel. Superman #1 and Action Comics #1 have been battling for the top spot while Amazing Fantasy #15, featuring the debut of Spider Man, claims the #3 spot. The highest selling copy of an Amazing Fantasy #15 was a CGC 9.6 copy that sold for $3.6 million back in 2021 through Heritage Auctions.
Wondering about Batman? The highest selling Batman comic is a CGC 9.4 Batman #1 that sold for $2.22M, also through Heritage Auctions, back in 2021. According to CGC, Batman #1 claims the #6 spot for highest selling comic books, right behind Marvel Comics #1.
This record-breaking sale could inject more energy into this hot market. With Amazing Fantasy #15 and Batman #1 long overdue for some monster sales of their own, comic book lovers may be in for a wild ride.
Conor is a life long sports card enthusiast who started collecting in the early ’90s, inspired by hometown heroes like Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Tom Brady, and David Ortiz. Like many ’90s hoops fans, he also started building (and continues to build) a modest Michael Jordan collection.