A copy of the first appearance of Superman in his own comic is selling on November 22, and has already attracted a pre-sale bid of $3.3 million (with premiums).
Superman #1 by DC was published in the summer of 1939. It gave the Man of Steel his own title after the pioneering superhero became a sensation in Action Comics.
Action Comics #1 launched with Superman on the cover in April 1938. It is now the world’s most valuable comic book. A copy of it sold for $6 million in April 2024.
This copy of Superman #1 is described by Heritage Auctions, who will sell it in their Comic Books Signature Auction that is due to close with live sales from November 20 – 22, as “the pinnacle of comic collecting.”
It carries a 9.0 condition rating (very fine/nearly mint) from CGC, an independent authentication and grading service. It is, say Heritage, the best-condition, unrestored copy of the comic ever sold, and that they have sold fewer than 100 copies of the first issue of Superman.
In 2022, a copy rated 8.0 sold for $5.3 million privately. In 2024, another copy, rated 7.0, sold for $2.3 million at auction.
The invitation to keep the back cover as a poster made Superman #1 in mint condition even rarer. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
Culturally, the issue is full of firsts.
It was the first single-character superhero comic and made Superman the first caped hero to appear in two titles.
The cover art is by Superman co-creator Joe Shuster. His collaborator Jerry Siegel wrote the stories inside.
Shuster also did the inside-back-cover artwork that helps make this copy such a rarity. Readers were invited to cut off the back page as a poster. So, despite a huge print run of around 1 million copies, examples in pristine condition are vanishingly rare.
Other comparable copies have listed values of $2.2 million and $3 million.
This copy already has a $2.7 million bid (that rises to $3.3 million with buyer’s premium) a full 15 days before the sale.
