Superman copy found in mum's attic is most valuable comic ever at $9.12M
40 comments
·November 22, 2025dbacar
sebmellen
He added: “This isn’t simply a blurb of words and phrases. This is not just a stock statement from an LLM.
This is a testament to outsourcing, laziness and the unexpected ways technology finds ways to change every press release.”
tonyhart7
gotta add those "values" so the bidder got worth its money
larusso
It is interesting to me that something like this can have such a high value. It speaks meanly for the our shared cultural global connection when it comes to items like these. For what purpose other than saying: “I have a …” would you buy this? Or is it the believe the price only goes up and it gets bought as an investment? I mean specifically this item with this high price. I ask because I think the price is only as high if the item in question is still cultural relevant. So I assume you buy it and start shadow produce new Superman projects :)
onion2k
I ask because I think the price is only as high if the item in question is still cultural relevant.
Les Poseuses Ensemble by Georges Seurat was sold for $149m. Very few people have heard of it, care about it, or even like it considering it's pointillism which no one buys modern versions of. The world of art and collectables is entirely rich people speculating that the price (not value) will go up in the future.
1659447091
Found a bit more on the story behind this copy
https://www.ha.com/heritage-auctions-press-releases-and-news...
klipklop
I can hear Nic Cage get out his credit card from 1000 miles away to buy it.
johngossman
I have a b&w photo of my (considerably) older brother, from the early 1960s, reading a pile of comic books a foot high. The only cover visible is Spiderman #4. When I was a kid I used to stare at that picture and dream.
Needless to say, I kept all my old comics.
charcircuit
With this kind of case it's impossible to read the comic book, and it doesn't protect it from UV light. I prefer using covers that block UV light. This both protects it and allows you to read it.
evanelias
It really doesn't make sense to read a 9.0 condition key comic like this. If you really wanted to read it, you would be better off buying a second reading copy in terrible condition.
The cost of the reading copy would end up being less than the negative impact to the condition (and therefore value) of your mint copy from reading it a single time.
MomsAVoxell
You can read it (illegally) here:
https://www.zipcomic.com/superman-1939-issue-1
And I dare say, someone spending 9 million clams on this comic book is more than likely going to have it sitting in a very UV-protected vault somewhere ..
EDIT: Sorry - I didn’t realize that zipcomic.com is infringing the copyright - adding this note to point that out, but I will maintain my original link as intended. Better to read it on DC Universe Infinite, if you have access, or maybe it’s available through Libby or Hoopla library apps.
kristopolous
I assume it's just an inflation robust store of value.
If I was lucky enough to have to defend say a billion dollars from diluting over decades, a priceless comic sounds like a decent acquisition
muzani
My impression was the comic was worth so much because the widely available digital version loses something.
raverbashing
Yeah
Until they pass away and somebody finds it then puts it for sale, and so on...
charcircuit
Not everyone wants to break the law to read things from their collection. Also the physical experience of reading is much different than digital.
While you could store your collectable in a vault, many people enjoy displaying their collectables.
MomsAVoxell
Sorry .. I didn’t realize that zipcomic.com was illegal .. I’d assumed the copyright had expired[0], and checking on DC Universe Infinite isn’t possible, since it’s geolocked and I’m not in a country deemed worthy of it. It’s probably available in Libby or Hoopla, legally.
[0] It’s still copyrighted, although it seems that will expire in a decade or so, though. I guess I’ll read it then.
sneak
Not-for-profit copyright infringement on this scale is generally a tort and not a criminal act.
It’s a bit hyperbolic. It’s a webpage of a comic book.
pton_xd
What are the odds it's a forgery? Couldn't find any details on their grading method and how it was "positively identified to originate from the first print run of the issue" [0].
[0] https://www.ha.com/heritage-auctions-press-releases-and-news...
null
iced_beverage
For how they could tell it was from the first run, it says in the article you referenced:
> For decades, Allen says, nobody knew of a way to distinguish which copies came from that initial run. Then a grader noticed a key difference in a small in-house promotional spot advertising the upcoming Action Comics No. 14. In the first run, those ads included text reading “On sale June 2nd.” Subsequent print runs had updated it to “Now on sale.”
evanelias
Definitely not. It's CGC graded, and you can bet only their top graders would be involved. https://www.cgccomics.com/news/article/14678/superman-herita...
cm2012
The mother knew the potential value when she bought it, interestingly enough. Good for her!
anovikov
What's missing in the story is when did she buy it and how much she spent... Maybe it was an expensive purchase at that point already, like in 5 digits, and she invested a considerable portion of her savings?
opello
> Their mother had held on to the comic books since she and her brother bought them between the Great Depression and the beginning of World War Two, Heritage said.
It seems unlikely that in that time frame it would have been a 5 digit purchase. It still may have been a significant proportion of liquid cash or net worth though. I think it'd be an interesting detail to have too.
evanelias
It came out in 1939, which is in that time frame, so she probably bought it at a newsstand for the 10 cent cover price. I could be mistaken, but I don't think there was any real second-hand market for comic books at the time.
muzani
Does anyone know why this particular issue is so valuable? I'm assuming it's some mix of investment, timing, sentimental value, and rarity. But which ones particularly?
daseiner1
the article explicitly states that this original Superman #1 is the highest graded copy of all-time
it’s valuable for the same reason the mona lisa is valuable. it’s iconic, it is a singular object, it is one of a kind, it is a stable investment vehicle. they ain’t making more of them.
ChrisArchitect
An earlier submission of the auction house source had some details like it's one of only seven copies that have a grading score over 6.0 (it scored a record 9.0), and one of only 100 ever of any quality ever auctioned there.
Zenbit_UX
Your question is why is issue #1 of a very old and popular thing valuable?
skeuomorphism
A shame to hear that heritage auctions were the ones to handle this
opdahl
Why do you say that? I'm unfamiliar with Heritage Auctions.
stevekemp
Allegations they operated a pump and dump in conjunction with Wata games, a "grading" company.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Auctions#Controversie...
null
"He added: "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." """ Men going extreme in sentimental when they just sold a $9M collectible :).