CGC-certified Superman #1 Sells for $720,000 at Auction

Superman #1 continues to leap tall buildings in the collectibles market. A rare copy of Superman #1 graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®) sold for $720,000 in the Palos Verdes Collection Showcase sale presented by Heritage Auctions on May 12, 2022. With a grade of CGC 5.0 (lot 83130), the book is exceeded in the CGC Census by a mere nine examples with the blue Universal label.

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Published in 1939 by DC Comics, Superman #1 was the first comic book devoted entirely to a single superhero. It followed the warm reception that comic book fans had for Superman’s 1938 debut in Action Comics #1 and subsequent issues. For many years, Action Comics #1 held the record for most expensive comic book, but it was dethroned last year by a Silver Age comic book featuring the first appearance of Spider-Man.

Superman regained the top spot of most expensive comic book in January 2022, when a Superman #1 graded CGC 8.0 sold for $5.3 million at a private sale. Just a few weeks earlier, a Superman #1 graded CGC 7.0 had realized $2.6 million in a ComicConnect sale, the eighth CGC-certified book to break the $1 million mark in 2022.

A second CGC-certified copy of Superman #1 (lot 83131) appeared in the May Heritage Auction. Graded CGC 1.0 – Qualified, it realized $69,000. According to the CGC Census, there are 167 graded copies of Superman #1, including 71 with the coveted blue Universal label and four more with the green Qualified label.

Other CGC-certified highlights in this auction included:

• a Captain America Comics #1 graded CGC 7.0 (lot 83099) that realized $312,000
• a Batman #1 graded CGC 4.0 (lot 83012) that realized $264,000
• an Incredible Hulk #1 graded CGC 6.5 (lot 83115) that realized $75,000
• an Amazing Fantasy #15 graded CGC 4.5 (lot 83006) that realized $72,000
• an Action Comics #19 graded CGC 9.0 (lot 83001) that realized $50,400
• an Avengers #1 graded CGC 8.5 (lot 83011) that realized $32,400

Prices realized include buyer’s premium.