Record-Breaking Sale: Two 10-Cent Comic Books Sell for $13 Million
Highest-graded Batman No. 1 pairs with Mile High pedigree Superman No. 1 in blockbuster private transaction facilitated by Heritage Auctions and SemperFi Comics
DALLAS, Texas (Feb. 5, 2026) — Heritage Auctions, in collaboration with SemperFi Comics, has completed one of the largest private comic transactions ever recorded: two comic books once purchased at the newsstand for 10 cents each have sold together for a combined $13 million. The transaction includes a CGC 9.4 Batman No. 1 — the highest-graded known copy — for $6 million, alongside a CGC 8.5 Superman No. 1 Mile High pedigree copy — the second highest-graded known example — for $7 million.
The milestone transaction follows Heritage’s record-setting $9.12 million auction sale of Superman No. 1 CGC 9.0 in November, after which Heritage Consignment Director Nathan Howerton approached a longtime Heritage client and personal friend about placing two additional cornerstone comics into a new collection through a private sale.
“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.”
Jordan Seymour of SemperFi Comics, a Marine Corps veteran like Howerton, was instrumental in closing the sale. Seymour works closely with a network of elite dealers, collectors, and investors, and made the final connection to the buyer.
The CGC 9.4 Batman No. 1 sits at the summit of Golden Age scarcity — a condition grade so rare it elevates the book from collectible to cultural icon. Featuring some of the Dark Knight’s earliest solo adventures and marking the debuts of The Joker and Catwoman, the issue stands as a foundational pillar of superhero mythology. The sale also resets the issue’s world record as the most expensive Batman comic ever sold, surpassing the prior benchmark by nearly threefold.
Its companion, the Mile High pedigree Superman No. 1 (CGC 8.5), carries an equally storied legacy. Revered for exceptional preservation and provenance, Mile High copies are widely regarded as among the finest Golden Age comics ever discovered — books that have transcended hobby status to become investment-grade cultural artifacts.
For Seymour, the sale signals a broader shift in the marketplace: “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.”
The momentum behind elite comics continues to build as high-grade, historically significant issues are increasingly pursued not only by lifelong collectors, but also by high-net-worth buyers, family offices, and alternative-asset investors — drawn by scarcity, cultural permanence, and the enduring power of characters that have shaped popular storytelling for generations.
The buyer, choosing discretion over recognition, remains anonymous.
“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.