YORK, Pa. – Hake’s Auctions’ final auction of 2019 is also its largest offering of the year, boosted in no small measure by an out-of-this-world selection of rare and highly prized Star Wars items. The top-tier lineup showcases nearly 400 lots of Kenner prototypes and test shots; newly unearthed early production pieces, foreign and rare variants; multi-packs, store displays, and the piece de resistance: a Boba Fett J-slot rocket-firing prototype. The fully illustrated catalogs can be viewed on LiveAuctioneers.
The current world auction record for a Star Wars toy is $112,926, achieved by the AFA 85 NM+ Boba Fett L-slot rocket-firing prototype that shot to the top of Hake’s July 11 sale. The first documented Star Wars collectible to break the six-figure barrier, it crushed the previous world record price for a Star Wars figure – $86,383 – which was set by an unpainted L-slot prototype, graded AFA 85, that sold at Hake’s in March 2018. The ultra-rare J-slot Boba Fett entered in Hake’s November 6-7 auction is tipped to reach the $200,000-$500,000 range. If achieved, the new record price will propel Star Wars collectibles into the same exclusive investment league as fine art and classic cars.
“The Star Wars section is like an auction within an auction, and the quality is unprecedented,” said Hake’s president Alex Winter. “We can’t recall ever seeing a Star Wars selection as impressive as this one in any auction, either ours or anyone else’s.”
Among the Star Wars lots poised for success is a newly discovered Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi 12 Back-A AFA 70 EX+ double-telescoping action figure on a blister card with a white footer. From Kenner’s 1978 Star Wars toy line, this coveted rarity is estimated at $75,000-$100,000.
From the same toy line and also estimated at $75,000-$100,000, a Darth Vader 12 Back-A AFA 75+ EX+/NM double-telescoping action figure is one of few carded examples known to exist. Both the Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader are accompanied by notarized CIB LOAs. A third double-telescoping figure from the legendary 1978 Kenner release, a Star Wars Luke Skywalker 12 Back-C AFA 80 NM example on an unpunched card, could reach the $10,000-$20,000 range.
AFA has graded only two examples of a Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back encapsulated 47 Back Walrus Man sample blister card containing a 4-inch white-caped action figure of Bib Fortuna. Graded AFA 80 NM, the card to be auctioned was used for sample purposes for Kenner’s 1984 ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’ toy line because the Bib Fortuna “Jedi” card was not yet ready for use. Copyrighted 1982 Lucasfilm Ltd, it comes with a CIB LOA. Estimate: $50,000-$75,000
Also featured: original comic book art, Negro League Baseball panoramic photo, circa-1859 abolition signs
More than 1,000 comic books, from the Platinum to Modern Age, will be auctioned, including nearly every Marvel Silver Age key issue and one of the most sought-after of all Golden Age books: Timely’s Captain America Comics #1. CGC Qualified 4.0, it features the origin and first appearance of Captain America, Bucky, and their nemesis Red Skull. The March 1941 comic could reach $35,000-$50,000.
Another gem, DC Comics’ Showcase #4, published September/October 1956 and graded CGC 5.0 VG/Fine, contains the origin and first appearance of the Silver Age Flash (Barry Allen). The book is considered to have been instrumental to the return of comic book superheroes at the onset of the Silver Age. Estimate: $20,000-$35,000. Other significant Silver Age comics in the auction include X-Men #1, CGC 7.0, with the origin and first appearance of the X-Men and Magneto, $10,000-$20,000; and two examples of Amazing Spider-Man #1. One of them is CGC-graded a solid 6.0 Fine, while the other, graded CGC 3.5 VG, is distinguished by its vintage Stan Lee signature. Each is estimated at $10,000-$20,000.
Comic book art has had an epic run in the marketplace, and it’s only expected to continue at Hake’s auction with Al Milgrom’s original pen and ink art for the cover of Captain America Volume 1 #242, published by Marvel in February 1980. The action-packed cover shows Captain America throwing his shield, which connects with Iron Man’s head. Estimate: $20,000-$35,000. For Disney fans, the Tom Wood original art for The Grasshopper and the Ants, which originally appeared in adapted form in the April 1934 issue of Good Housekeeping, is entered with a $10,000-$20,000 estimate.
The auction’s political section includes many rarities, with two warranting special mention. A pair of circa-1859 painted textile banners emblazoned “John Brown Was Our Friend” and “Equal Rights to all” refers to abolitionist John Brown, who led an unsuccessful raid on the Federal Armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. He was indicted for the killing of pro-slavery Virginians, inciting a slave insurrection, and treason. His execution by hanging was widely covered by the media and has never faded from America’s collective memory. Carefully conserved by the owner, these banners carry a $10,000-$20,000 (joint) estimate. A similar message is seen on a copyright-1904 “Teddy [Roosevelt] The Rough Rider” presidential campaign button that says “His Policy Equal Rights For All.” Estimate: $5,000-$10,000
With each passing year, Negro League Baseball memorabilia attracts new collectors and higher prices. An exceptional rarity leads the November 6 session, a 1927 Eastern Colored League Opening Day panorama photograph depicting the Philadelphia Hilldales and Newark Cuban Stars before their opening game in Richmond, Virginia. The only known example of its type, it is estimated at $5,000-$10,000. Another sports highlight, a baseball signed by Babe Ruth to “Jack Jr.” and dated Nov 27, 1926, comes with a Hake’s COA and JSA LOA. Estimate: $5,000-$10,000
Concert posters include an original first printing of a 1966 Family Dog broadside promoting a Grateful Dead show and featuring Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley’s “Skeleton & Roses” design. Signed by Mouse, it is estimated at $20,000-$35,000.
Hake’s Nov. 6-7, 2019 auction is now open for bidding. View the catalog online at LiveAuctioneers.com. For information, call 866-404-9800 (toll-free) or 717-434-1600. Email hakes@hakes.com.
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