A comic book holy grail discovered by three brothers who were sorting through their late mother’s belongings in their family’s Northern California home. Last holiday season, the family unearthed a treasure trove. Her mother had kept her vintage comic books for decades “hidden in the attic under layers of flimsy, faded newspaper and cobwebs.”
“They were in their 50s and 60s, and their mother always told them she had an expensive comic book collection, but she never showed them,” said Ron Allen, vice president of Heritage Auctions. He added with a smile, “This is a twist on the old ‘My mom threw away my comics’ story.”
Among those old comic books was a brand new copy of “Superman #1” by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The release of DC Comics in 1939 marked the first time a character introduced in a comic book had their own series, creating one of the most influential titles in comic book history. Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938 and launched the industry.
The family also discovered five early issues of Action Comics: #9 (CGC 6.5), #12 (CGC 9.0), #15 (CGC 9.4), #18 (CGC 9.0), and #21 (CGC 8.0).
“Until then, she had carefully tucked the box deep in the attic, hidden and safe,” Allen said. “But as the years passed, life brought a series of losses and changes. The demands of daily survival took center stage, and the box of comics once kept with care and purpose was forgotten. Until last Christmas.”
Their mother, father, and uncle were all avid readers, and the boys grew up loving books as well. Intentionally or not, the youngest brother says that included the comics that all three brothers had collected. My oldest two counted Superman, Batman, and the X-Men among their favorite heroes, and my youngest brother was a fan of the New Teen Titans. They collected DC, Marvel, and early Image titles until their early 20s. Their parents never encouraged them to buy and read comics. “They were just happy that we were reading it,” says the youngest brother.
If this fairy tale isn’t incredible enough, the family is in for another surprise after sending the book to CGC for grading. What is the grade? CGC 9.0, off-white to white pages. According to CGC’s announcement, it is an incredible grade, making it the “highest grade universal copy ever.” The book will be auctioned during Heritage’s Comic Autograph Auction in November.
“It’s almost unbelievable that of the approximately 1 million copies of ‘Superman #1’ printed in 1939, only 200 remained in CGC’s grading over 25 years,” said CGC President Matt Nelson. “In addition to the considerable rarity of Superman #1 today, the fact that this copy is the best preserved copy CGC has ever seen is extraordinary. We are thrilled to recognize this as the finest copy in existence.”
And it is no exaggeration to say that this discovery is the holy grail. The top three books on Overstreet’s Top 100 Golden Age Comics list are Action Comics #1 (DC, 1938), which featured the first appearance of Superman; Batman first appears in Detective Comics #27 (DC, 1939). And Superman #1. This newly discovered copy of Superman #1 is the highest ranking entry in the CGC Census. The only one that comes close is 8.5, which sold for $5.3 million in a private sale in 2022. CGC graded the issue an 8.0, but the following year Heritage Auctions raised the issue to an 8.5, making it even more valuable.
“This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime story, one that will be immortalized in the folklore of popular culture,” said Heritage Co-Chairman Jim Halperin. “A newly discovered, first-class copy of one of the greatest comic books in the history of comics is the stuff dreams are made of. This auction has the potential to set a new milestone for this hobby, and we are honored to be entrusted with this holy grail.”
Courtesy of Heritage Auctions Courtesy of Heritage Auctions Golden Age comics rarely survive in good condition, but Superman #1 posed an additional challenge. The pinup inside tempted the kids to cut it out with scissors.
We suspect that because nearly every child wanted a Superman pinup and, as suggested, cut out the back cover along the dotted lines, many copies were made that would today be low-grade items, even if they had survived.
If you’re interested in bidding, be sure to check out Superman #1 and other Action Comics issues. These issues will be featured in Heritage’s Comic Autograph Auction from November 20th to 22nd.
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