The Heritage Auctions auction room in the city of Dallas experienced a day destined to go down in the annals. During the Comic Books Signature, an event that attracts collectors from all over the world, a copy of Superman n. 1 of 1939 reached 9.12 million dollars, a figure that allowed it to become the most expensive comic ever sold. The specimen in question, found last year in an attic in Northern California, has exceeded all expectations and has erased the previous record, held by a copy of Action Comics n. 1 rated 8.5 and sold for $6 million in 2024.
A record that rewrites the history of collecting
The vice-president of Heritage Auctions, Lon Allen, defined the day as “memorable”, underlining how the value achieved reflects both the exceptional condition of the book and the personal story linked to its discovery. The vintage comics market is going through a phase of growing attention, supported by collectors willing to invest sums that were considered unthinkable until a few years ago. Allen recalled how Superman #. 1 represents a pillar of pop culture, symbol of the transition from simple entertainment to a collector’s item capable of moving an international market.
The score assigned by CGC experts, 9.0 out of 10, fueled buyer interest. Such a high rating is already rare for a book from the 1930s; reaching it after decades spent in a cardboard box protected only by newspaper makes the case almost unique. It is in fact one of the very few copies known with a grade equal to or higher than 6.0, an inestimable heritage considering that less than one hundred copies of this first edition still exist, including restored copies.
Heritage Auctions co-founder Jim Halperin highlighted how the new record could mark a turning point for popular culture collecting. The growing interest, combined with the growing transparency of the market, is pushing enthusiasts towards a sector now perceived as solid, traceable and capable of offering new investment opportunities.
The facts
The story of the discovery has the flavor of those completely unexpected discoveries, which in an instant can change the destiny of a family. Three brothers from Northern California, returning to the family home during the Christmas holidays to look after the objects that belonged to their missing mother, found themselves faced with a collection that had remained hidden for decades. In the attic, under piles of yellowed newspapers and among cobwebs that testified to years of abandonment, six precious comics purchased by the woman and her brother in a period between the Great Depression of ’29 and the entry of the United States into the Second World War have resurfaced.
For years the mother had hinted to her children that she owned a valuable collection, without however ever showing any details, a story that the three had always perceived as one of the many stories that are passed down in all families. Only after opening the boxes did they understand the significance of that forgotten treasure. Among the various books kept by the woman, the biggest surprise was the copy of Superman n. 1, published in 1939 when National Allied decided to take the name Detective Comics Inc., a prelude to the identity that readers around the world would later know as DC.
After the find, the brothers contacted Heritage Auctions to ask for an appraisal. The message landed on Lon Allen’s desk one Sunday morning, prompting him to quickly plan a trip to San Francisco. The meeting proved decisive: the intact corners, the liveliness of the colors and the solidity of the back convinced the experts that it was an extraordinary copy. The extraordinary rating of 9.0 awarded by the CGC confirmed the first impressions.
Allen recalled how the climatic conditions of Northern California had a decisive role in the conservation of the volumes. In a hotter and more humid area, such as Texas, such a delicate material could have suffered irreparable damage. The geographical fortune of the family was added to the involuntary care of the mother, who had put away the books with the intention of preserving them, even if with extremely simple tools.
The historical value of Superman n. 1 is well known to experts: in 2022 another copy had reached 5.3 million dollars, while the previous year a copy of Action Comics n. 1 had reached 6 million. The copy discovered in the attic, with clearly superior conditions and a personal story capable of fascinating collectors and enthusiasts, surpassed both sales and set a new standard in the sector.
Italian comics worth thousands of euros
Even the historic Italian comics production offers collector’s items capable of reaching high prices, although far from the millionaire valuations of the rarest pieces on the international market.
Among the most sought after series, the first giant version of Tex stands out, published in 1954. The series, made up of 29 books, has an average price of around 2,000 euros per single copy. We can mention Zagor’s debut comic, “The Forest of Ambushes”, which costs around 1,200 euros.
The value can rise up to 3,000 euros for the first Diabolik issue, entitled “The King of Terror”.
Even the most recent production includes collector’s items of considerable value. The first issue of Dylan Dog, “Dawn of the Dead”, published in 1986, represents one of the most coveted copies, and a copy in excellent condition can be sold for between 150 and 200 euros.
