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Rare Superman comic book sells for $9.12 million in a new record in Texas
A copy of Superman comic book was found under layers of dust in a good condition with slight signs of wear and ageing.
A copy of the first Superman issue, which three brothers found while cleaning out their late mother's attic, has fetched them $9.12 million this month at a Texas auction house. The comic book was discovered alongside other rare comics that their mother and her siblings had collected around World War II.
The brothers discovered comic books in a cardboard box under layers of brittle newspapers, dust and cobwebs in their mother's San Francisco home, Associated Press reported.
Earlier, she told her children about a valuable comic book collection in her possession, but the children never found it until they put her house for sale and decided to comb through the items in the basement, Lon Allen, vice president of comics at Heritage Auctions, said.
After finding the comics, the brothers sent a message to the auction company, after which Allen flew out to San Francisco earlier this year to inspect their copy of "Superman No. 1" and show it to other experts for appraisal.
Talking about the chances of finding the comic books, Allen said, “It was just in an attic, sitting in a box, could have easily been thrown away, could’ve easily been destroyed in a thousand different ways.”
The "Superman No. 1" comic, released in 1939 by Detective Comics Inc., is one of a small number of copies known to be in existence and is in excellent condition, Allen said. He further said that the Man of Steel was the first superhero to enter pop culture, helping boost the copy's value among collectors.
This marks a new record for the most expensive comic book sold this year. Last year, an “Action Comics No. 1,” which first introduced Superman to the world, was sold for $6 million. In 2022, another Superman No. 1 sold for $5.3 million.
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How auction company identified comic book
A small, in-house advertisement printed in the comic book helped the experts to confirm that the book originates from the first edition of 500,000 Superman No. 1 copies ever printed. These rare comics are estimated to be fewer than 500 in existence today.
The Dallas-based Heritage Auctions company said that though the comic books were not given any special protection, the cool climate of Northern California helped in preserving it. It was found with a firm spine, vibrant colours and crisp corners.
The book was in good condition with slight signs of wear and ageing. A comic grading company, CGC, graded it 9.0 out of 10.
The three brothers, in their 50s and 60s, did not wish to be identified due to the windfall involved, nor did the buyer of the comic book, according to the auction house.
“This isn’t simply a story about old paper and ink,” one brother said in a statement released by the auction house. He said that it was never just collectable but rather a "testament to memory, family and the unexpected ways the past finds its way back to us.”
