Show us an old and interesting object you own

[BraveBold]

Acquired this pretty recently at auction. It is the -first- publication of Superman - published in early April, 1938, several weeks before Action Comics #1 was on newsstands. The publication is in the form of a large advertisement/preview (a full page black and white reproduction of the cover of Action Comics #1). For those unaware, a fine condition copy of Action Comics #1 will generally sell in the $3-6m range and about 100 copies exist.

This issue sells (at most) in the low-six figure range and there are only about a dozen known copies… For me it is an interesting historical artifact and something I plan to pass down to my kids… interesting from both the cultural side (given Superman’s influence on generations of art, literature and media) and from the advertisement side as well (a classic and rare ad). It also happens to be the oldest comic I own (by a smidge)…and a great piece of Americana.

Here is the book and below is the advertisement featuring the first published image of Superman (and the start of the superhero genre). It was also part of litigation around the related IP… but that’s a whole other fascinating story.