This Comic Book in the Attic Was Worth $9M; Find Out What Yours Are Worth This Weekend

Two years ago, three brothers clearing their late mother’s attic in Northern California found a box of old comic books, jammed beneath cobwebs, newspapers, and years of junk. What was inside the box? Comics, but not just any comics.

They found a first edition Superman No. 1 comic book from 1939, the experts at Dallas-based Heritage Auctions tell us.

The pristine copy was graded 9.0 by the Certified Collectibles Group, a trusted and experienced grading service for comic books, magazines, trading card games, sports cards, and other pop culture collectibles. This book became the most expensive comics ever sold at auction, fetching $9.12 million at Heritage Auctions in November 2025.

According to newspaper reports, the sons said their mom “had always told them she had an expensive comics collection but never showed them.”

Lon Allen, vice president of Heritage Auctions, said their mom and an uncle had purchased six comic books, including the first issue of Superman, between the Great Depression and World War II. The other five comic books were early issues of Action Comics, where Superman first appeared before getting his own comic book.

Those, too, were valuable: Action Comics issues from the late 1930s and early 1940s were worth millions. Heritage appraisers authenticated them as fine to near‑mint condition, making them even more valuable. How did they survive nearly a century? They remained in such good condition thanks to a mild preservative climate in their Northern California attic.

“If it had been in an attic here in Texas, it would have been ruined,” Allen said.

They Can’t Guarantee There’s $9M Sitting in Your Attic But…

There is likely treasure amid your trash. Heritage Auctions is giving you a chance to finally find out what that old collectible is worth this weekend at a free evaluation event.

Heritage Auctions does this only a few times a year: evaluate and price the stuff you want to shed or are tired of schlepping from house to house. And they do it for FREE!

Tomorrow and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., bring your stuff to 2801 W. Airport Freeway in Irving, where world-class appraisal experts can assess your stuff — be it ceramics, card sets, games, coins, tea sets, books, and more.

Heritage Auctions specializes in 50+ categories of fine art, historical and pop culture collectibles, and most luxury items. Limit three items to appraise, but HA is always happy to advise clients on a personal consulting level. Immediate consignments are available. That means, you could end up shedding that extra baggage right there in Irving.

Let This Be Your Clean-Up Nudge

We could all stand to edit down our stuff, but this is a great opportunity for real estate agents to gently nudge clients into cleaning out those attics and garages, digging into saved boxes, and literally shedding stuff for money.

We know today’s buyers are among the pickiest in generations: they want a sleek, turnkey home with no work to be done. To sell any home in today’s competitive market, there is no question that it must be clear of clutter, agents tell us.

“There are buyers, but they want new,” said Amy Yates with the Ryan Streiff team at Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate. “Pre-owned homes must be absolutely pristine.”

If You Go

Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9
9 a.m. to 4 p.m
Heritage Auctions, located at 2801 W. Airport Freeway in Irving
Limit 3 items per client

Heritage Auctions will have immediate consignment opportunities available on site. If you’re unable to attend, visit HA.com/AppraisalDays for other opportunities.