Marvel ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #1 (March 1963), CGC 9.6 NM+, white pages, one of only five CGC 9.6 copies in existence and one of only three in its grade to have been offered for public sale in the past 10 years. Provenance: John B. Goodrich collection. It exceeded its high estimate by more than $170,000, selling for a heart-stopping $520,380.
YORK, Pa. – A super-clean, CGC 9.6 copy of Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963) – one of only five of its type and grade known to exist – set off a bidding war at Hake’s July 25-26 auction of pop culture memorabilia, rocketing to an astonishing final price of $520,380. The comic had been displayed at Comic-Con in San Diego and attracted huge interest from fans, a sure sign of what was to come.
Marvel ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #1 (March 1963), CGC 9.6 NM+, white pages, one of only five CGC 9.6 copies in existence and one of only three in its grade to have been offered for public sale in the past 10 years. Provenance: John B. Goodrich collection. Estimate: $350,000+. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions
YORK, Pa. – Hake’s July 25-26 auction of pop culture memorabilia serves as an exciting virtual showcase of “firsts” – first appearances of comic book superheroes, rare first issues, and first iterations of classic action figures. The 1,930-lot sale encompasses dozens of categories of America’s most sought-after collectibles, from political and sports to Star Wars and Transformers. View the fully illustrated catalog on LiveAuctioneers.
Unopened 1952 Topps baseball brick of eight factory-sealed 5-cent wax packs, with each pack containing five cards. Extraordinarily rare and most likely from Topps’ first series. Authenticated by Steve Hart, owner of Baseball Card Exchange. Sold above high estimate for $873,300 to a private collector
DENVER, Pa.- Star Wars fans and diehard sports buffs called the shots at Morphy Auctions’ February 1-3, 2023 auction, which attracted head-spinning prices and closed the books at nearly $3.1 million. The sale featured both a phenomenal single-owner collection of early Star Wars action figures and a vintage sports card selection that included one of the most sought-after treasures of the “unopened” realm: an intact 1952 Topps baseball wax-pack “brick” that sold for a staggering $873,300. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.
Star Wars 12C Luke Skywalker DT with double-telescoping lightsaber, mint on card. Estimate $10,000-$20,000
DENVER, Pa. – Just when Star Wars collectors thought they had seen it all, along came The Morphy Find. That’s the name that has been given to a recently unveiled trove of rare, high-condition Star Wars toys that sat undisturbed in original Kenner shipping cartons, largely forgotten, since the 1970s/’80s.
CRANSTON, R.I. – A copy of Timely Comics Marvel Mystery Comics #9 from July 1940 sold for $40,000 and three other vintage comic books topped the $10,000 mark at a Spring Comic, Toy & Sports Auction held May 21 by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers. Also, a 1970s or 1980s Wayland Flowers Madame puppet cracked the top ten.
Boba Fett L-slot rocket-firing prototype action figure, predecessor to the Boba Fett figure in Kenner’s popular 1979 Star Wars toy line, 3.75in tall, AFA-graded 80+ NM (archival case). Encapsulated with notarized CIB COA. Sold for a world-record price of $236,000 against an estimate of $100,000-$200,000
YORK, Pa. – The enduring, multigenerational appeal of Star Wars action figures and related collectibles was never more obvious than on June 2nd, when Hake’s first-ever Special Event Auction featuring memorabilia from the legendary franchise closed the books at $903,000. The online auction, whose final bid was received at 11:14 p.m., achieved a 100% sell-through rate and set multiple new world records in so doing. In Hake’s last two auctions, 500 lots of Star Warsmaterial have sold for a combined $2.1 million.
Copy of Timely Comics Marvel Mystery Comics #9 (July 1940), graded CGC 4.0, est. $30,000-$50,000
CRANSTON, R.I. – A copy of Timely Comics Marvel Mystery Comics #9 from July 1940 and a Madame puppet created and used by entertainer Wayland Flowers in the late 1970s or early 1980s will headline a Spring Comic, Toy & Sports Auction on Saturday, May 21, conducted by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
Kenner 1979 Star Wars Boba Fett rocket-firing prototype action figure, J-slot, version 2, bears copyright stamps, AFA-graded 50 VG. Archivally encapsulated with Collectible Investment Brokerage (CIB) COA. Sold for $204,435, a world auction record for any Star Wars action figure
YORK, Pa. – Record-setting prices just kept on coming at Hake’s $3.2 million online auction of pop culture rarities and didn’t stop until the last-minute clash of the titans that determined ownership of the sale’s top lot: a Star Wars Boba Fett “J-slot” rocket-firing prototype action figure. Conceived by Kenner in 1979, the J-slot Boba Fett Version 2 was designed with a J-shape triggering mechanism on its back for firing off rockets, but the toy never made it to the production stage due to safety concerns. On that basis alone, the pre-production archetypes became immediate rarities, but more than four decades of Star Wars mania have catapulted the J-slot prototype to an extraterrestrial level of desirability. The coveted example offered by Hake’s ignited a bidding war that ended at a sky-high $204,435 – a new auction record for any Star Wars action figure.
1979 Star Wars Boba Fett rocket-firing prototype action figure, J-slot, version 2, bears copyright stamps, AFA-graded 50 VG. Archivally encapsulated with Collectible Investment Brokerage (CIB) COA. Extremely rare and sought after. Sold for above-estimate price of $204,435, inclusive of buyer’s premium.
YORK, Pa. – Last night Hake’s in York, Pennsylvania, set a new world auction record with the sale of a Kenner Star Wars Boba Fett rocket-firing prototype action figure. The Version 2 J-slot prototype, made in in 1979, attracted 27 bids before closing at $204,435. It was won by an online bidder in California.
1979 Star Wars Boba Fett rocket-firing prototype action figure, J-slot, version 2, bears copyright stamps, AFA-graded 50 VG. Archivally encapsulated with Collectible Investment Brokerage (CIB) COA. Extremely rare and sought after. Estimate $100,000-$200,000
YORK, Pa. – In the Star Wars universe, few characters are as fascinating to fans as the cool and enigmatic bounty hunter Boba Fett. Helmeted and garbed in Mandalorian armor, the noncommunicative Boba appears in both the original and prequel Star Wars trilogies. In the 2002 prequel Attack of the Clones, it is revealed that Boba is the genetic clone and adoptive son of Jango Fett, another famously feared bounty hunter. This exciting disclosure only added to the burgeoning Boba Fett mystique.