Hake’s to auction fresh pop culture collections, prototypes, other rarities, Mar. 21-22

Marvel ‘Fantastic Four’ #1 comic book, Nov. 1961, CGC 5.0 VG/Fine. Features origin and first appearance of the Fantastic Four. Stan Lee story/Jack Kirby cover and art. Estimate $20,000-$35,000; and Marvel ‘The X-Men’ #1 comic book, Sept. 1963, CGC 7.0 Fine/VF. Origin and first appearance of The X-Men and Magneto. Stan Lee story/Jack Kirby cover and art. Estimate $20,000-$35,000

YORK, Pa. – Hake’s Auctions, America’s foremost source of rare and expertly authenticated pop-culture and historical memorabilia, will launch into the 2023 auction season with a March 21-22 offering of more than 1,900 choice lots from 200+ collector categories. From Star Wars to sports, vintage toys to rock ‘n’ roll, there’s plenty to discover in the online catalog.

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Vintage Halloween collectibles: so popular, it’s scary

A 1980s Remco action figure of the Phantom of the Opera brought $814 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2020. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Halloween ranks among the biggest holidays in the vintage collectibles market, second only to Christmas. Halloween-themed offerings range from the whimsical to the downright scary. Movie monster figures, dolls and build-your-own-creature model kits have long been popular with Halloween-focused collectors. The material has evolved from toys built by and played with by children to purpose-made holiday keepsakes that can bring hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars at auction.

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Morphy’s Aug. 9-10 toy auction a bonanza of rare robots, space toys, banks, high-grade comics

Extremely rare S.Y. (Japan) battery-operated Electroman Robot. Bump-and-go action. Fresh to the market from a European collection. Estimate $50,000-$100,000

DENVER, Pa. – Many a great toy and bank collection is highlighted by rarities acquired from Morphy’s, which still holds the world record for the highest-grossing one-day toy auction of all time. Many would recall the record-setting event: Morphy’s 2007 sale of the legendary Stephen and Marilyn Steckbeck bank collection, which drew national TV crews to the Pennsylvania gallery and knocked down an astonishing $7.7 million.

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