During the 2024 holiday season, three brothers from Northern California made a monumental discovery at their family home. The brothers were going through items in their late mother’s attic when they found six comic books that she and her brother bought between the Great Depression and World War II. Included among the books is a CGC 9.0 copy of Superman #1.

Three months after finding the books, the brothers contacted Heritage about their find. Now they are being offered in Heritage’s Comic Books Signature Auction on November 20-22, 2025.

“They’re in their 50s and 60s, and their mom had always told them she had an expensive comics collection but never showed them,” Heritage Vice President Lon Allen said. “It’s a twist on the old ‘Mom threw away my comics’ story.”

Superman #1 is one of the most valuable and important comics within the hobby. The book features the origin of Superman, the debuts of Ma and Pa Kent, the first mention of Krypton in comics, and a Superman pin-up on the back cover. It is Superman’s first self-titled book with a story by co-creator Jerry Siegel and cover and art by co-creator Joe Shuster. Superman #1 is the second most valuable comic starring the Man of Steel, following his first appearance in Action Comics #1.

The other five books that the brothers found are early issues of Action Comics. They include Action Comics #9 CGC 6.5 (Fred Guardineer cover), #12 CGC 9.0 (Zatara sci-fi cover), #15 CGC 9.4 (fifth Superman cover), #18 CGC 9.0 (last non-Superman cover), and #21 CGC 8.0 (Ultra-Humanite appearance).

“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,” the youngest brother said.

He shared that his mother and uncle read comics as children, which was one of their few luxuries at the time. When they became adults, the mother and uncle decided to give the comics to her sons (the brother was a lifelong bachelor who did not have children).

“Until then, she carefully tucked the box away, deep into the recess of the attic, hidden but safe,” the youngest brother said. “But as the years unfolded, life brought about a series of losses and changes. The demands of everyday survival took center stage, and the box of comics, once set aside with care and intention, was forgotten. Until last Christmas.”

This copy of Superman #1 could set a new record for the world’s most valuable comic. The issue previously held the record when the CGC 8.0 Edgar Church (Mile High) copy sold for $5.3 million in a brokered sale that CGC reported in April 2022. The current record holder is the Action Comics #1 CGC 8.5 Kansas City Pedigree copy that Heritage sold for $6 million in April 2024.

“This is truly a once in a lifetime story, and one that will go down permanently in popular culture lore,” Heritage Co-Chairman Jim Halperin said. “A newly discovered, highest-graded copy of one of the greatest comic books in the history of the medium is the stuff dreams are made of. This auction may set a new milestone for the hobby, and we’re honored we were entrusted with this grail of grails.”