A first-edition copy of “Superman No. 1” sold Thursday for $9.12 million, the highest price ever paid for a comic book, according to Heritage Auctions.
The 1939 issue — discovered last year in a Northern California attic and graded CGC 9.0, the best known for this title — beat the previous all-time mark of $6 million set in 2024 by an 8.5 copy of “Action Comics No. 1,” also at Heritage, the auction house said in a press release. (RELATED: Brace Yourselves — James Comey Is Now A Literal Comic Book Character)
“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,” Heritage Auctions Vice President Lon Allen said in a release announcing the sale.
Action Comics #1 comic book of 1938 is pictured on February 23, 2010 in New York which had sold for USD 1 million, making it the first ever million dollar comic book. Image not from story. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), the grading firm, confirmed it authenticated and graded the book at 9.0 before the auction, calling it “the sole-highest for the issue.”
Heritage said the book had been protected only by old newspapers in a cardboard box and is one of just seven known copies of “Superman No. 1” with a CGC grade of 6.0 or higher. The auction headlined Heritage’s Comic Book Signature Auction, held Thursday through Saturday.
The $9.12 million result cements “Superman No. 1” as the most valuable comic on record, dethroning “Action Comics No. 1,” which features the character’s 1938 debut and held the prior record after selling for $6 million in April 2024.
