Posted in: Comics, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Batman, superman

Blockbuster High Grade Superman #1 & Batman #1 $13M Sale Sets Record

The highest graded Batman #1 CGC 9.4 has sold for a record $6,000,000, while the second-highest-graded Superman #1 CGC 8.5 has sold for $7,000,000.

The very top end of the vintage comic book market is showing signs of a realignment the likes of which has not been seen since 2010.  In that year, during a three-day period, high-grade copies of Action Comics #1 (the first appearance of Superman) and Detective Comics #27 (the first appearance of Batman) hit and then quickly surpassed the $1 million mark, the first time comic books had ever reached that level.  Recently, we've seen the highest graded Superman #1 CGC 9.0 tip-toe up to the $10 million mark with a $9.12 million sale, and then the highest graded Action Comics #1 CGC 9.0 (one of two copies in this grade) blew past it with a market-stunning $15 million sale.  Now, Heritage Auctions has announced a $13 million transaction involving the highest-graded Batman #1 CGC 9.4 for $6 million, and the second-highest-graded Superman #1 CGC 8.5 Edgar Church/Mile High copy for $7 million.  The Batman #1 CGC 9.4 sale is a record price for a copy of that issue in any grade, with this copy having previously sold for $2.22 million in 2021. The Superman #1 CGC 8.5 Edgar Church/Mile High is the second-highest price ever paid for a copy of this issue, with this copy having previously sold in January 2022 as a CGC 8.0 for $5.3 million.

This sale is also an interesting illustration of market dynamics, with the CGC 8.5 second-highest graded Superman #1 selling for more than the sole highest graded CGC 9.4 Batman #1.  There are a number of factors that contribute to this.  For reasons we have discussed here at length, Superman #1 (95 Universal entries on the CGC census) is notoriously difficult to obtain even by the standards of a major early comic book key issue, and is certainly significantly more difficult to obtain in any grade than Batman #1 (174 Universal entries on the CGC census).  This is particularly true in high grade, with only two copies of Superman #1 having been graded in CGC 8.5 or higher, and seven copies of Batman #1 listed in that same grade range.  Additionally, this copy of Superman #1 comes from the fabled Edgar Church pedigree, the single most important comic book collection that has been or ever will be amassed, which has long held a mystique all its own for many collectors.

The transaction was facilitated by Heritage Consignment Director Nathan Howerton in collaboration with Jordan Seymour of SemperFi Comics.  Seymore notes that, "We may be witnessing a transformational era in comic collecting. The combination of extreme rarity, global demand and sophisticated buyers has permanently reshaped the ceiling of this market. These books are no longer simply nostalgic artifacts — they are tangible pieces of world culture."  With the addition of these two sales, the top of the sales record charts, including sales that surpass the $3M barrier, currently looks as follows:

• Action Comics #1 CGC 9.0 January 2026 $15,000,000
• Superman #1 CGC 9.0 November 2025 $9,120,000
• Superman #1 CGC 8.5 February 2026 $7,000,000
• Batman #1 CGC 9.4 February 2026 $6,000,000
• Action Comics #1 CGC 8.5, April 2024 sale for $6,000,000
• Superman #1 CGC 8.0 January 2022 $5,300,000 (note: this copy is now graded CGC 8.5)
• Amazing Fantasy #15 CGC 9.6 September 2021 sale for $3,600,000
• Action Comics #1 CGC 8.5, April 2021 sale for $3,250,000
• Action Comics #1 CGC 9.0 April 2014 $3,207,852
• Action Comics #1 CGC 6.0 Rocket Copy January 2022 $3,180,000
• Captain America Comics #1 CGC 9.4 April 2022 $3,120,000

DALLAS, Texas (Feb. 5, 2026) — Heritage Auctions, in collaboration with SemperFi Comics, has completed one of the largest private comic transactions ever recorded, involving two comic books once purchased at the newsstand for 10 cents each: a Batman No. 1 CGC 9.4, the highest-graded known copy, for $6 million, alongside the second highest-graded copy of Superman No. 1, a CGC 8.5 Mile High pedigree copy, for $7 million.

Following November's record-setting $9.12 million auction sale of Superman No. 1 CGC 9.0, Heritage Consignment Director Nathan Howerton saw an opportunity to place two more historic treasures owned by a longtime Heritage client and personal friend. After several discussions between Howerton and the owner, the two agreed to explore whether both books could be sold together in a private transaction.

"It was more than a transaction to me," says Howerton. "It was a chance to help two friends, by placing two incredible pieces of history in a new home."

Instrumental in making the transaction a reality was Jordan Seymour of SemperFi Comics, a Marine Corps veteran like Howerton. Seymour works closely with a network of serious dealers, collectors and investors and made the final connection to the ultimate buyer.

The CGC 9.4 Batman No. 1 exists at the summit of scarcity — a condition so rare it elevates the book from collectible to cultural icon. Featuring the earliest solo adventures of the Dark Knight and marking the debuts of both the Joker and Catwoman, the issue is a foundational pillar of modern superhero mythology. This sale resets the issue's own world record for the most expensive Batman comic ever sold by nearly threefold.

Its companion in the deal, the Mile High pedigree Superman No. 1, carries an equally profound legacy. Revered for their exceptional preservation and historic provenance, Mile High copies represent the gold standard of Golden Age collecting — books that have transcended hobby status to become investment-grade treasures.

For Seymour, the sale signals something far greater than a single record: "We may be witnessing a transformational era in comic collecting. The combination of extreme rarity, global demand and sophisticated buyers has permanently reshaped the ceiling of this market. These books are no longer simply nostalgic artifacts — they are tangible pieces of world culture."

Indeed, the momentum behind elite comics has never seemed stronger. Once traded primarily among passionate enthusiasts, the finest examples are now aggressively pursued by high-net-worth collectors, family offices and alternative-asset investors who recognize the maturation of the collectibles market as well as their historical importance, the long-term endurance of superhero mythology and the timeless appeal of characters who have inspired generations.

The buyer, choosing discretion over recognition, remains anonymous. Now, somewhere beyond the public gaze, a new collector safeguards two of the most powerful symbols ever put to print — icons whose stories changed popular culture forever.

"In addition to the record-setting, industry-leading Comic Book and Comic Art auctions we're best known for, our team is constantly advising and working to help our worldwide clients with all aspects of their collections, often placing such treasures as these in the perfect hands via direct sale when that route is a better fit for them," says Howerton.

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