by Kevin Zelman

A copy of “Superman No. 1,” the 1939 issue that introduced
everyone to the Man of Steel in his first solo title, sold for
$9.2 million on Thursday at an auction run by Heritage, in
near-pristine condition.

This price beats the previous record, set in 2024 when “Action
Comics No. 1,” the comic where fans met the Kryptonian hero,
sold for $6 million. Even prior to that, a copy of “Superman No.
1” held the record with a sale of $5.3 million in 2022.

For a comic being 86 years old, it’s in excellent condition,
being graded a 9.0 out of 10 by the Certified Guaranty
Company, the leading third-party grading service for
comic books.

This rare comic was discovered by three brothers in a box
full of yellowed newspaper clippings, while they were in the
attic of their late mother’s house.