Marvel Archives - Auction Central News

Morphy’s Aug. 2-3 auction merges classic toys with pop culture memorabilia

BBCE-authenticated, unopened 1971 Topps NHL Hockey wax box containing 24 packs of 10 cards each, with a likelihood of gem-mint examples of Ken Dryden’s rookie card, or cards for HOFers like Orr, Howe and Hull included in the selection. Estimate $12,000-$24,000

DENVER, Pa. – Morphy’s spring toy auction, which took in $3.1 million, made headlines worldwide with its phenomenal single-owner collection of factory-boxed Star Wars figures and a sports card selection that included an $873,300 Topps baseball wax-pack brick. No other event in Morphy’s 20-year history could top that one for the amount of social media buzz or the number of pre-sale inquiries from prospective bidders. The fun will resume on August 2-3, when Morphy’s presents its summer offering of Toys & General Collectibles featuring both classic toys and pop-culture favorites: vintage sports cards, comic books and early video games. Bid absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.

Bid Smart: Women are wielding their superpowers in today’s comic books

A Batman Adventures #12 (September 1993), picturing Batgirl flanked by two female villains on the cover, earned $1,628 plus the buyer’s premium at Hake’s Auctions in November 2019. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Since they were first published, comic books have been mostly male-centric. They were and still are, created primarily by boys and men for just that audience: boys and men. In today’s collector marketplace, rare vintage comic books starring Batman, Superman, the Green Lantern and Spider-Man can bring six- and even seven-figure prices. But one would be hard pressed to find a comic book featuring a female character on the cover that hits the five- or six-figure price range — not yet, anyway.

Avengers Batgirl Batman Black Widow Bruneau & Co. comic book Dark Phoenix DC Comics Detective Comics Green Lantern Hake’s Auctions Heritage Auctions Joker Marvel Ms. Marvel Natasha Romanoff Poison Ivy Sara Pezzini Spider-Man Spider-Woman Supergirl superman Witchblade Wonder Woman

MVPs in multiple pop culture categories drove in $2.57M total at Hake’s

James M. Cox and Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1920 jugate button, 1-inch diameter, believed to have been a salesman’s sample. One of only six of its type known to exist, this button was the crown jewel of the legendary John Hilhouse collection. Sold for $100,300 against an estimate of $35,000-$50,000

YORK, Pa. – Hake’s served up a pop culture feast at their March 21-22 Premier Auction, with one exciting rarity after another eliciting pre-sale comments like, “I’ve never seen one of those in the marketplace before” or “I never even knew that piece existed.” Closing at $2,570,000 inclusive of buyer’s premium, the two-day event was led by heavy hitters from the baseball, political memorabilia, Star Wars, comic art and vintage toy categories. Many items powered past their high estimates, and some set new world auction records along the way.

action figure Babe Ruth baseball Batman comic book Cox Roosevelt button DC Comics Devastator Eternia Series Ewok Ewoks Hake's Hasbro Honus Wagner Jawa Jimi Hendrix jugate Legion of Super-Heroes Magneto Marvel Masters of the Universe memorabilia Optimus Prime original comic art playset political button pop culture star wars superman Toltoys Transformers X-Men

Comic books, pop culture, fashion and art join forces in Jan. 28 auction

The ‘Great Wall of Comics’ displayed at Urban Culture Auctions, a division of Palm Beach Modern Auctions. Photo credit: PBMA Staff

LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. – On Saturday, January 28, Urban Culture Auctions, a division of parent company Palm Beach Modern Auctions (PBMA), will offer bidders 90 lots of prized comic books, including many key issues. Key issues – those featuring character debuts and major narrative moments – are especially sought after by collectors and can command significant prices compared to others in the same series.

Alexander McQueen Amazing Fantasy #15 CGC CHROMA comic book Darth Vader Fantastic Four Ferragamo George Perez Howard Finster Justice League of America KAWS Louis Vuitton Marvel Mr. Brainwash Murakami Purvis Young Silver Age comic Spider-Man Urban Culture Auctions X-Men

Pop culture rarities, Americana drive Hake’s auction total to $2.4M

Encased Star Wars (1978) 3.75in Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi 12 Back-A double-telescoping lightsaber action figure with SKU on footer denoted earlier production, AFA 75 Ex+/NM. Extremely rare and only the third carded specimen of its type ever to be offered by Hake’s. Sold for $79,178. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions

YORK, Pa. – Financial markets may be taking a breather, but there’s never a time out for those who pursue investment-grade vintage collectibles. Hake’s, the auction house that lit the fire for America’s pop culture obsession 55 years ago, rang up yet another high-flying auction total on November 15-16, achieving excellent prices across many specialty categories and closing the books at $2.4 million.

action figure Al Plastino baseball Beatles Ben Kenobe Brooklyn Dodgers comic book Don't Tread On Me Flag Gadsden Flag Hake's Jackie Robinson Lex Luthor Marvel mickey mouse Obi-Wan Kenobe Princess Leia robot Sandman Spider-Man star wars Steve Ditko Super Mario superman Thor Transformers video game Zelda

Hake’s Nov. 15-16 auction answers demand for Star Wars collectibles, vintage video games

Left: ‘Journey Into Mystery’ #83, August 1962, features origin and first appearance of Marvel’s God of Thunder, The Mighty Thor. CGC 5.5 Fine. Estimate $10,000-$20,000; Right: Marvel ‘Tales Of Suspense’ #39, March 1963, features origin and first appearance of Iron Man. CGC 4.5 VG+. Estimate $10,000-$20,000

YORK, Pa. – The quest for early Star Wars collectibles has reached a fevered pitch, but the auction market tells us the journey is just beginning. Interest in Star Wars items is stronger than ever, especially for prototypes and samples, rare variations, and toys produced in low numbers or no numbers at all. To some, it may seem that Hake’s – the auction house holding numerous world records for Star Wars material – has already sold the ultimate rarities from that wildly popular category. But exciting surprises continue to emerge, some from unexpected sources, and those fresh consignments and new discoveries will be front and center at Hake’s November 15-16 pop culture auction.

Action Comics action figure Al Plastino Beatles Ben Kenobi Benjamin Franklin cartier Civil War Civil War flag comic book Donkey kong G.I. Joe GI Joe GoldenEye 007 Halo Iron Man Kenner Lex Luthor Mario Marvel Nintendo Obi-Wan Kenobi original comic art Pikachu Pinocchio PlayStation 4C Princess Leia Rareware star wars Super Smash Bros superman Thor video game

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.

Aurora model kit cast iron bank comic book Gang of Five Electroman gumball machine J & E Stevens Judd Machine Man MAD magazine marbles Marvel mechanical bank Monkey and Coconut bank pedal car robot Seek Him Frisk space gun Spider-Man toy train travel agency model airplane truck Vampire vending machine

Hake’s pop culture auction hits $3.2M; Star Wars prototype figure tops $204K

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.

Boba Fett comic art comic book GI Joe Hasbro Incredible Hulk Jawa Johnny Cash jugate Kenner Marvel music poster political button prototype star wars superhero The Empire Strikes Back

Hake’s auctions Capt. America shield for $259,540, closes 2021 at $10M+

Captain America ‘hero-prop’ shield created by Marvel Studios senior prop master Russell Bobbitt and used by Chris Evans for close-up shots in the 2019 film ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ Near-pristine condition. Sold for $259,540, the highest price ever paid at auction for a Marvel movie prop

YORK, Pa. – A Captain America “hero-prop” shield screen-used by Chris Evans in Marvel Studios 2019 blockbuster Avengers: Endgame sold for a heart-stopping $259,540 at Hake’s Auctions on November 3. The marquee item in a Nov. 2-3 online auction of premier entertainment and historical memorabilia, the star-emblazoned shield opened at $20,000 and attracted 17 bids before selling to its new owner, Wilmot “Wil” Creasy. A commercial analyst with Creasy Group, a Western Australia business focused on mining and metals exploration and investment, Creasy now adds iconic aluminum to his burgeoning pop-culture portfolio, which reportedly also includes extremely rare Pokémon cards [Instagram: Pokewizard96].

Abraham Lincoln Avengers Avengers: Endgame Captain America comic comic book comic strip art EC Comics Hake's Marvel Mathew Brady mickey mouse Negro League political memorabilia rock concert posters star wars

Capt. America ‘Avengers: Endgame’ shield tops quarter-million-dollar mark at Hake’s

Captain America aluminum ‘hero-prop’ shield created by Marvel Studios senior prop master Russell Bobbitt and used by Chris Evans for close-up shots in the 2019 film ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ One of the most important Marvel film props ever to come to auction, and in near-pristine condition, it sold on Nov. 3, 2021 for $259,540. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions

YORK, Pa. (ACNI) – A Captain America “hero-prop” shield screen-used by Chris Evans in Marvel Studios 2019 blockbuster Avengers: Endgame has sold at auction for $259,540. The marquee item in Hake’s Nov. 2-3 online auction of entertainment and historical memorabilia, the star-emblazoned shield opened at $20,000 and attracted 17 bids before selling to its new owner, Wilmot “Wil” Creasy. A commercial analyst with Creasy Group, a Western Australia business focused on mining and metals exploration and investment, Wil Creasy now adds iconic aluminum to his burgeoning pop-culture portfolio, which also reportedly includes extremely rare Pokemon cards.

Avengers Avengers: Endgame Captain America Captain America shield Chris Evans Marvel

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