'Superman No. 1' copy found in attic sells for record price: Find out why

Superman’s appeal has never faded, captivating every generation, even in today’s AI boom—no matter the form.

The No. 1 issue of ‘Superman’ that was traced in a California attic last year has been auctioned at $9.12 million, making it the most expensive comic ever sold.

The comic, originally purchased for 10 cents, received a record-breaking price at Heritage Auctions in Dallas on November 20, 2025.

Just because the comic was preserved so well, it earned the title of “highest-ever graded copy.”

The reason behind getting such a massive auction prize was that fact that the comic was preserved so well that it ranked as the “highest ever graded copy," originally purchased for 10 cents.

A trio of three brothers hailing from northern California traced the issue of ‘Superman #1’ while sorting out their mother’s attic after her passing.

The 1939 comic was stored in a cardboard box, wrapped and hidden amid a stack of old newspapers.

Forgotten in the loft, they discovered five early issues of ‘Action Comics,’ the historic anthology from National Allied Publications that debuted Superman to the world.

But it was the copy of ‘Superman #1’ that proved most promising, becoming the most expensive comic auction ever sold.

Besides becoming the most expensive auction, it was part of DC’s first print run of half a million copies, the auction said in a statement.

This sale breaks the previous record set by a copy of ‘Action Comics No. 1,’ which introduced Superman in 1938 and was sold by the same auction house for $6 million in 2024.