A paperboy spent his teen years buying comics. 80 years later, they made his daughter a millionaire

Many people dream of finding something valuable hidden away in an old corner of their home, and for Los Angeles native Megan, that turned out to be the reality. While cleaning up her grandmother's house a few years back, she stumbled upon her dad's comic book collection. Her dad started collecting them when he was just 13 and worked as a paperboy. However, at that time, he didn't know how much those comics he bought as a kid would fetch his family. This life-altering discovery is exactly the heart of the newest video from Retro Games Plus, where the host, Travis Landry, reveals the real value of this terrific collection. Shared on May 4, 2026, the video has already amassed 221,727 views so far.

Landry makes the trip to L.A.

The entire incident starts with Megan calling Landry to assess her father's decades-old comic collection. Her father was a former paperboy in rural Maine and bought these comics with his earnings fresh off the rack. One stack that ultimately yielded a pricey Superman comic was originally bought for $3. Once Landry arrived, Megan presented him with a "trash bag" full of comics, and although they were pretty awesome in their own right, the crown jewel of the stack came when Megan brought the second bag, which contained "Detective Comics #27." Now, what's so special about this comic? 

First appearance of Batman

Well, the thing that makes it so special and rare is the fact that this was the first time Batman appeared in a comic. Although it wasn't in the best possible condition, just having the comic was more than enough. Landry proceeded to give Megan an estimate of how much this comic alone would fetch in an auction. "I would say conservatively, at an auction for this one comic, you're going to be in the range of $200,000 to $300,000," Landry told her. It made her knees buckle in disbelief. Beyond this masterpiece, the haul included a prestigious run of "Action Comics," such as the 31st edition of "Detective Comics" and "Platinum Age" rarities.

The total auction value

Now, even though the "Paper Boy" collection, as Landry named it, had some of the most sought-after comics, the auction didn't take place until April. When it finally did, it brought Megan an incredible $1,317,280 for the entire collection, with the "Detective Comics" issue featuring Batman leading the sale at $683,000. However, instead of keeping all the proceeds, Megan chose to share the earnings with her siblings and other family members.

Motivation behind collecting comics

Although Megan's father didn't think much of the return-on-investment (ROI) while buying these comics, many people who collect comics are obsessed with their value proposition. According to a MagnifyMoney survey, in which more than 1,500 collectors participated, nearly 83% of them believe that their collection will pay off its dividends one day. Additionally, collecting is much more common than most of us think, with almost 6 of 10 people in America being collectors of some sort. However, this does come at a cost, with each collector on average spending around $6,000 on their hobby. 

Readers gush over forgotten treasure

People in the comments section of the video were absolutely thrilled. @brendas.1374 wrote, "One day I cleaned out my grandparents' attic and found my dad’s old baseball card collection from the 1950’s. I struck gold!!! A Hank Aaron rookie, lots of Mickey Mantles, a Roberto Clementine rookie, and much more. I couldn’t believe it." At the same time, @Bruce7649-h6k commented, "I actually gasped when he revealed the 'Detective Comics #27.' What a treasure. And such a sweet lady. Her dad is taking care of her one last time."

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