A rare and pristine Superman comic found in an attic that could fetch over $6 million at auction is serendipity at its finest. Serendipity means the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way, and this discovery fits that definition perfectly. Imagine the euphoria of the three brothers who discovered the comic in their late mom’s home. Not only would the trio be happy they read comics as kids and their mom bought them for the children, but it must also feel like she is helping them even after she is gone. Dallas based Heritage Auctions said, “Three Northern California brothers taking stock of their late mother’s belongings in their family home during the holiday season last year discovered she had for decades held onto a cache of old comic books, tucked away in an attic beneath layers of brittle faded newspapers and cobwebs.”
In addition to the money making copy of the first Superman comic issued in 1939, the brothers uncovered a treasure trove of five early copies of Action Comics, the publication that introduced Superman to the world in its premiere issue. Heritage Auctions said, “Six treasured comics, kept since she and her brother bought them between the Great Depression and the looming World War II, will likely result in a life changing windfall at Heritage’s Comic Books Signature Auction, and could include the world’s most valuable comic book.”
After finding the book, the brothers contacted Heritage Auctions for a sale and it took only a few days for the team to be in San Francisco and examine the valuable and iconic assortment. The siblings even shared that their mom often told them she had an expensive comic collection but never revealed it. Boy, do they believe her now. Heritage Auctions’ comic book auction takes place November 20 to 22.
Attics have a strange habit of hiding fortune. Just like these brothers stumbled upon a comic collection that will fetch millions, someone found an 18th century Qianlong period porcelain vase that sat in a shoebox in a French attic and sold at Sotheby’s Paris for $19 million, 32 times its estimate. On another occasion, a painting by Italian master Caravaggio was discovered in a French attic. The auction house estimated up to $170 million for the painting from 1607.
Update: The vintage high-grade copy of a forgotten Superman comic book has set a record at auction, selling for a little over $9 million through Heritage Auctions. It is a sheer example of extraordinary luck, considering it survived for decades protected only by a couple of old newspapers in a cardboard box. Even so, its condition still earned a nine on the 10-point comic grading scale. It will now rest in far better conditions as the most expensive comic book ever sold at an auction.
