Three brothers were clearing out their family attic in California after their mother passed away. They ended up finding a pristine copy of the first ever edition of Superman. And after a long, strenuous auctioning process, they ended up getting a $9.12 million check for the piece of treasured memorabilia.
The first ever edition of the original comic book superhero came out in 1938. Written by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, their original intention was always giving immigrants a path to assimilating to the American traditions. Having fled from Nazi-occupied Europe, the two were excited to disseminate their understanding of what heroism meant, and that’s how the Superman motto of “truth, justice, and the American way” emerged.
One could argue that the comics played a huge part in the war effort later on by always creating an image of positive gains during some of the darkest periods of the 20th Century. And it’s still relevant, of course. A lot was said about James Gunn’s latest version of the superhero and how it entangles with modern-day geopolitics. Gunn particularly denied that his movie had anything to do with Israel and Gaza’s war — but anyone who saw the actual movie could easily tell what the message was. Sometimes even the writers themselves can’t recognize what ultimately inspired them.
That’s all to say that comic books remain a core art form of American culture. Sure, they may not have the reverence of a Leonardo da Vinci painting or a William Shakespeare play, but their intentions and impact are just as large to the American psyche, make no mistake. And if ever the original copies were stored in a museum, they’d need better security than the Louvre.
But because of how they were consumed and thought of when they first came out, collectors have been having such a hard time finding an original copy of Superman in pristine condition. That was until these 3 brothers just popped up with one that appraisers rated a 9 out of 10.
According to NBC, Heritage vice president Lon Allen released a statement that read, “Superman No. 1 is a milestone in pop culture history, and this copy is not only in unprecedented condition, but it has a movie-worthy story behind it. I was glad to see the price reflect that and am honored Heritage was entrusted with this iconic book.”
Heritage Auctions have had the pleasure of selling other copies of Superman No. 1, but the highest amount they have ever been able to get was $6 million. So this was a record. The brothers had apparently always been hearing stories from their late mother that she had original copies of comic books that could be worth a fortune, but they always dismissed them.
Next time your parents ask you to clean up the attic, take them up on that offer. Not only is it a great opportunity to bond, but you might just end up running into a family heirloom worth something substantive, too.
What a farewell gift the trio got from their mother.
