Historic Superman Comic Is Poised To Sell For $5 Million at a Dallas Auction

Heritage Auctions is about to make you seriously regret throwing your childhood comics away.

The auction house is gearing up for the Comics and Comic Art Signature Auction, a “history-making” event on Thursday, April 4. The event will offer a staggering collection of rare comic books, original art by icons such as Stan Lee and even an early pitch for the character of Superman.

One item up for grabs is currently poised to become the most valuable comic book ever sold at auction.

Action Comics #1, “the most important, impactful comic book ever published,” according to a statement from Heritage, was released in June 1938. The comic book is notable as the first appearance of Superman, who is seen lifting a car in a cover drawing that is likely recognizable to even casual fans. This comic served as a jumping-off point not only for the character of Superman, but for the superhero genre as a whole.
“This was uncharted territory back then," said Barry Sandoval, vice president of Heritage Auctions, at a preview event for the media on Monday. “I mean, he’s just lifting a car, right? If you pick up a superhero comic these days, guys are throwing planets around or flying through a star or whatever. [...] But this was just something unlike kids had ever seen up to that point.”

Over 200,000 copies were printed in the original run, and the comics were largely bought by kids who, for the most part, did what kids do with comics.

“I’m sure there are copies of these the kids read in the bathtub back then,” Sandoval told the press at a special media viewing on Monday. “And there were a heck of a lot of copies that moms just threw in the trash.”

Today, only 100 copies of Action Comics #1 are known to exist. A copy believed to be among the best preserved in the world is the flagship item at the Comics and Comic Art Signature Auction. Bidding has surpassed a whopping $5 million, well ahead of the previous record held by a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 (the first appearance of Spider-Man), which was sold by Heritage in 2021.

For collectors on a budget, Heritage is auctioning off a second original copy of Action Comics #1, which is in a slightly poorer condition and has had to be restored. This bargain option is expected to go for a modest $300,000. It originally sold for 10 cents.

Some may wonder what would induce a person to spend millions on a comic book. According to Sandoval, comics abide by the same rules as everything else: supply and demand.

“Something like an Action Comics #1 is desirable at any rate, because it’s pretty rare,” he tells the Observer. “There are certain things that are valuable but come up all the time, and others that just have that scarcity factor going for them.”
The condition of the comic plays into the value as well. As the auction house's two copies of Action Comics #1 demonstrate, a difference in quality can mean a difference in millions of dollars.

“We also have some things like the Tales of Suspense with the first Iron Man appearance that you saw,” Sandoval says. “We happen to have the nicest copy that’s known to exist. That would be a lot easier to find if you’re not as picky about the condition, but collectors tend to be very picky.”

Comics are graded on a scale of 10 by the Certified Guaranty Company, and all comics sold by Heritage include the certification. The higher-valued Action Comics #1 is graded at an 8.5. The lesser-valued copy received an 8.0 after restoration.

(In case you're as curious as we were, Sandoval told us that he has had the chance to flip through an original Action Comics #1 before, but has not directly touched the one currently for sale.)

Another landmark item up for auction is a three-page pitch for an early version of Superman that was typed and signed by co-creator Jerry Siegel in 1934. The document lays out the original origin story of Clark Kent, an infant sent back in time by the last man on Earth to save mankind. It comes across more like science fiction than the superhero genre we’re all familiar with today.

“While the idea is a trifle fantastic — a man with infinite strength — I think it will follow the lines you like,” reads the charmingly humble introduction. The outline was written four years before the debut of Superman in Action Comics #1, when Siegel was just 19 years old.

This wealth of early information about Superman should thrill fans of the Man of Steel, even if they aren’t able to bid on the items themselves.

Other comic books up for auction include the debuts of Spider-Man, Batman and the original solo Superman comic. Heritage’s collection of original art includes Stan Lee's first drawings of Iron Man, which are up for auction alongside its corresponding comic book.

And to the delight of those whose knowledge of comic book art begins and ends with internet memes, Heritage is also auctioning an original copy of Captain America Comics #1 from 1941. Its cover is best known to fans as “the one where Captain America punches Adolf Hitler in the face.”
The Comics and Comic Art Signature Auction takes place Thursday, April 4, through Sunday, April 7, with proxy bidding until noon, Thursday. The public can browse the full collection (and, if so inclined, place their bids) online at Heritage Auctions’ website.