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Original Superman comic becomes the highest-priced comic book ever sold

309 points by 1659447091

by dbacar

7 subcomments

"He added: "This isn't simply a story about old paper and ink. This was never just about a collectible.
"This is a testament to memory, family and the unexpected ways the past finds its way back to us." """ Men going extreme in sentimental when they just sold a $9M collectible :).

by 1659447091

1 subcomments

Found a bit more on the story behind this copy
https://www.ha.com/heritage-auctions-press-releases-and-news...

by WalterBright

10 subcomments

I remember a painting was discovered, and there was speculation that it was a da Vinci. It was appraised at $30,000. If it could be proven to be a da Vinci, it would be worth a million.
For the same item.
Crazy.

by zkmon

3 subcomments

>> This is a testament to memory, family and the unexpected ways the past finds its way back to us
If that was a true feeling, then they wouldn't sell it away as soon as they find it, as if it is something they must dispose off immediately.
Sales culture is turning all men into drama queens.

by jebarker

1 subcomments

Not sure why I find this surprising, but this comic is worth twice as much as Napoleon's diamond encrusted brooch recently sold for [1]
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/world/europe/napoleon-dia...

by charcircuit

3 subcomments

With this kind of case it's impossible to read the comic book, and it doesn't protect it from UV light. I prefer using covers that block UV light. This both protects it and allows you to read it.

by sema4hacker

0 subcomment

Growing up, I had a closet full of terrific toys in great condition, many of them unusual and fairly rare. When I got back from my first year of college, I found that my Mom, unlike the mother in the article, had given them all away. I was so disappointed.

by larusso

5 subcomments

It is interesting to me that something like this can have such a high value. It speaks meanly for the our shared cultural global connection when it comes to items like these. For what purpose other than saying: “I have a …” would you buy this? Or is it the believe the price only goes up and it gets bought as an investment? I mean specifically this item with this high price. I ask because I think the price is only as high if the item in question is still cultural relevant. So I assume you buy it and start shadow produce new Superman projects :)

by cm2012

2 subcomments

The mother knew the potential value when she bought it, interestingly enough. Good for her!

by johngossman

3 subcomments

I have a b&w photo of my (considerably) older brother, from the early 1960s, reading a pile of comic books a foot high. The only cover visible is Spiderman #4. When I was a kid I used to stare at that picture and dream.
Needless to say, I kept all my old comics.

by muzani

3 subcomments

Does anyone know why this particular issue is so valuable? I'm assuming it's some mix of investment, timing, sentimental value, and rarity. But which ones particularly?

by OJFord

0 subcomment

My first thought reading the headline was that I would have no idea - could so easily throw away something apparently very valuable in such a scenario just because it's not something I know about.
> their mum had always told them she had an expensive comic collection
And perhaps they would have too, had they not known! (Or the mother not known either.)

by pton_xd

3 subcomments

What are the odds it's a forgery? Couldn't find any details on their grading method and how it was "positively identified to originate from the first print run of the issue" [0].
[0] https://www.ha.com/heritage-auctions-press-releases-and-news...

by skeuomorphism

1 subcomments

A shame to hear that heritage auctions were the ones to handle this

by klipklop

0 subcomment

I can hear Nic Cage get out his credit card from 1000 miles away to buy it.

by dmezzetti

0 subcomment

This is the epitome of why people go to yard sales

by tonyhart7

1 subcomments

its insane that quality is still that good, I have a comic book that already "rotten" despite have newer age

by AtNightWeCode

1 subcomments

Sounds like some sort of scam to me. The item is probably correct but the price seems way too high.

by libertine

1 subcomments

There's this new sentiment in the society of finding something rare with high value to flip it and make a bank. But the way it's being pursued... It just doesn't feel right.
It almost feels like it's gambling, because it's a sentiment that leaks into modern collectibles, like card games.
I'm not saying people don't value collectibles, or value nostalgia, or that some of these things should be limited to niches - the reality is that I can't quite put it into words, but a lot of it seems propped up... Or it's a false game everyone is knowingly playing, like a big Ponzi scheme.
These superman copies, or the first editions of mtg, or even some modern vintage games, were never intended to be collectibles - people used them and played with them, created memories, and the production runs were really limited in comparison to modern day production runs, that make those items actually rare... Like few hundreds or thousands have survived in good condition - which is an achievement for toys, games and comics that get used a lot.
Nowadays people buy stuff with high production runs, they never even create memories with the stuff... They slab stuff into a "hermetic" container right away, and get it graded...
It just feels fake.
Again I don't doubt people see value in this stuff, I just feel like they're valuing for the wrong reasons, and I can't wrap my head around how is that even sustainable.
Who is going to value the memory of "remember when I bought 5 booster boxes and pulled card X from the pack, with gloves on, put it in a sleeve and sent it to be graded straight away? Now those were the days!"
It's like people want to compress the randomness of time and social behavior into a predictable cicle of months, with minimal effort and to extract the maximum value out of it.
Am I overthinking this?

by frifraff

1 subcomments

[flagged]

by Galanwe

3 subcomments

I know nothing of this world of comics, I guess because it is essentially part of the US culture and did not penetrate much of Europe.
There has been a number of investigative shows arguing the valuation of collectibles in general (comics included) is largely driven by money laundering.
Is it some kind of conspiracy theory of is this legit ?