Heritage Auctions

Archie Comic Book Sets New World Record

Filed under: Auctions

He's no Superman or Batman but Archie Andrews, the lead character of the Archie comic books, proved he can hold his own on the auction floor. At Heritage Auctions' Feb. 24-25 Signature Vintage Comics & Comics Art Auction a CGC-certified 8.5 copy of Archie Comics #1 brought a world record price of $167,300 (including 19.5% Buyer's Premium). It's a record for Archie but is also the highest price ever paid for a non-superhero comic book. It sold to a West Coast collector who has been collecting Archie comic books for decades and was looking for a copy of Archie Comics #1 in top condition.

"Archie may have a ways to go to catch the likes of Superman and Batman, his Golden Age counterparts," said Lon Allen, Managing Director of Comics at Heritage, "but you can bet that collectors sat up and took notice when this comic brought that price. This amount exceeds the priciest of Spidey and Hulk comic books we've sold, which brought in excess of $125,000 each."

There's more in store for Archie Comics. Jon Goldwater, CEO of Archie Comics, recently gave an interview about the future of the brand saying he wants to make Archie and the gang a reflection of what's going on with kids today in high school. The comic introduced a gay character, an interracial romance and other changes. Perhaps most interesting is the fact that Archie Comics is also working with the legendary Stan Lee, co-creator of most of Marvel's superheroes, on a secret project. Keeping the brand in the public eye is also good for the value of the earlier comic books.

The Heritage auction reached a total of $4,270,483, with more than 2,375 bidders vying for 1,262 lots. More of the original artwork of Scrooge McDuck, done by his creator, Carl Barks,was also up for sale. Barks' Business as Usual, 1976, a painting of Uncle Scrooge in his massive money bin went for $179,250 and other Bark's paintings including also sold well.

Other items that sold well included R. Crumb's original art for the two-page story, "Kitchen Kut-Outs," from Zap Comics #1 which went for $47,800. The five original production proof pages from Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of "The Bat-Man" in 1939, found in 1975, in an old steamer trunk destined for the landfill brought $69,011 altogether, with the proof for Page 3 – the first time we see "The Bat-Man" – bringing the most at $19,120.

Tags: archie comics, batman, comic book, comic book collecting, comic books, heritage auctions

Anti-Communist Comic Books Are A Collector's Find

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

When discussing comic books on this website I've mainly mentioned superheroes but that's not the only type of rare comic book that does well at auction. Heritage Auctions' upcoming Vintage Comics and Comic Art auctions feature another shadowy section of the comic book world. The sales include a large selection of esoteric comic books from the collection of Pennsylvania collector Todd Warren. Mr. Warren's collection delves into an intriguing subset of the comic book world, anti-communist comic books.

Blood Is The Harvest, shown at right, is from 1950, and shows a Red Army firing squad on the cover aiming their guns at blindfolded peasants. This comic is a rare book. According to Steve Borock, Consignment Director at Heritage supposedly only 13 copies exist. The auction also includes If The Devil Would Talk, another rare one with only 80 existing copies and The Red Iceberg, with a cover that shows a giant red iceberg (representing communism's spread) with an Uncle Sam figure in a rowboat. Other comics from Mr. Warren's collection include similar themes with titles such as How Stalin Hopes We Will Destroy America, Is This Tomorrow, Double Talk, and Two Faces of Communism. "These are a real time capsule of the Cold War days, from the time period when comics were considered one of the more effective ways to reach a mass audience," Borock said. A same grade copy of Blood Is The Harvest last sold at Heritage for over $3,000 back in 2003. This one should do at least as well.

Tags: Anti-communist, Comic Books, Heritage Auctions, Rare Comic Books

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Elvis' Ring, Marilyn's Long Underwear Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

When it comes to celebrity collectibles, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe remain two of the most bankable names. The upcoming Signature Music & Entertainment Auction at Heritage Auctions, Beverly Hills features items from both stars along with one of the famous Beatles "Butcher" cover records.

The ring shown at right is Elvis Presley's black star sapphire ring. The ring is in a nugget style often favored by the King and the black star sapphire is one of his favorite stones. The 14K gold setting is also set with small diamonds. This ring was worn by Elvis in the 1970s and later given as a gift to his tour promoter, Tom Hulett. The lot comes with two color 8" x 10" photos of Elvis wearing it during a concert performance as well as a certificate of authenticity from Mr. Hulett. It is estimated to bring $15,000.

Few undergarments sell as well as those belonging to blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe. But Heritage isn't auctioning off frilly lace here, instead they are selling set of red-and-white striped thermal underwear worn by the actress on the set of the movie "Bus Stop." It's believed the thermals were worn on set, most likely between takes while filming in Idaho. This item is expected to bring over $5,000.

Tags: beatles butcher cover, elvis presley, heritage auctions, marilyn monroe

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Rare Early Disney Animation Cel Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Animation cels have become popular collectibles, combining art with a heavy dose of nostalgia. Cels are transparent sheets which the images are drawn and painted and they were used for early traditional animation. They are available at a wide range of price points from around a hundred dollars to many thousands depending on the complexity of the image and the significance of the final work that it is part of. Disney cels are often among the most prized with the flagship mouse, Mickey, being particularly important. Disney discontinued the use of cels in favor of computer animation several decades ago.

Heritage Auctions is selling off a Mickey Mouse animation cel, that they term the world's most valuable. The Band Concert Production Cel Animation Art, Walt Disney, 1935 – will be part of Heritage Auctions Feb. 24-25 Signature Comics and Comic Art Auction. The Band Concert is a funny, short cartoon, showing Mickey's orchestra of colorful characters playing, no matter what is happening around them. It is estimated to sell for $100,000 and is thought to be the only production setup in existence from the first Mickey cartoon that features Mickey and the entire band. The image area measures approximately 12" x 9.5", matted and framed to an overall size of 26.75" x 22.75" and has been professionally restored. The cel comes to Heritage via the Kerby Confer Collection. Confer is known to be one of the most serious collectors of original Disney material. Confer bought the cel in 2001. The cel appears on a list of most expensive animation cels which says that it sold for over $400,000 back in 1999.

"This cel is, in many ways, the ultimate Mickey Mouse item a collector could ever hope to acquire," said Barry Sandoval, Director of Operations of the Comics category at Heritage. "The Band Concert was the very first theatrical Mickey Mouse cartoon in color, and has long been cherished by Disney fans worldwide."

Tags: animation cel, animation cels, disney, heritage auction, heritage auctions, mickey mouse

Rare Batman Pages Saved From Trash Could Sell For Thousands

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

We've seen several copies of Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of "The Batman" sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars but what price will the original 1939 production proofs for pages 2-6 of Detective Comics #27 fetch? The original art for the comic book hasn't surfaced but these rare pages, part of Heritage Auctions' Signature Vintage Comics & Comic Art Auction on February 24, are perhaps the next best thing. A proof page in comics is a test run of the uncolored page.

The pages were rescued in 1975 from an old steamer trunk sitting on a curb awaiting trash pick-up in Queens. Sharp-eyed Mario J. Sacripante saw the trunk outside of the building where he lived, and Bob Kane, Batman's creator, had also lived for many years. Sacripante had an idea about what he had found and later learned that Kane had lived there. The treasure trove also includes original Bob Kane sketches, gag panels, art class notebooks and an incomplete copy of Detective #27. "Holding some of these pages next to the printed comic I was struck by the details of the art that are better visible here," said Barry Sandoval, Director of Comics Auction Operations at Heritage. "Very little original comic book art from the 1930s has survived, so this is probably the closest a collector would ever get to owning original art from one of the most collectible comic book stories ever."

Tags: batman, comic book collecting, comic books, detective comics 27, heritage auctions

Original Little House On The Prairie Art Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art, Children, Books

Many of us grew up with the much beloved Little House on the Prairie book by Laura Ingalls WIlder. The cover art used starting in the 1950s and continuing up to present day, a soft-pencil drawing of the Ingalls family in a covered wagon by illustrator Garth Williams will be part of Heritage Auctions' February 11 Signature® Illustration Art Auction in Beverly Hills. This piece is expected to bring in over $8,000 and joins 99 other Little House drawings, spread across 30 lots, in the auction.

Williams' scenes of the close-knit frontier family replaced the extremely stylized versions by Helen Sewell that had been used since the 1930s. "So many of us saw America's heartland through the eyes of Garth Williams, through these exact drawings," said Barry Sandoval, Director of Operations of Comics & Comic Art at Heritage, "and the cover is the most famous of them all. With his wonderful soft-pencil art, Williams conveyed the majesty of the prairie, but also the warmth of a family that had to stick together through all of its hardships." Sandoval goes on to say that Williams went on a six-month trip to research his drawings, meeting with Wilder in Mansfield, Missouri and also visiting other states where the Wilder family lived.

Tags: Heritage Auction, Heritage Auction Galleries, heritage auctions, laura ingalls wilder, Little House books, Little House on the Pr, little house on the prairie

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"Miracle On Ice" Gold Medal Brings In Over $310,000

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

Last month we wrote about the planned auction of the first "Miracle on Ice" 1980 Olympic hockey gold medal ever offered in a public auction. It was estimated to sell for $100,000 as part of a sports memorabilia auction to be conducted by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas and online on November 5, 2010. and it greatly exceeded that goal, selling for $310,700. Spirited bidding by 16 collectors who vied online and by telephone for the prize boosted the price. Part of the lure had to be that it was the first one to hit the market and also the sentiment attached, a connection to a time when the U.S. was transfixed by the accomplishments of an underdog team taking on the world and, against the odds, achieving the dream.

"The winning bidder is a Western United States rancher who enjoys many categories of collectibles, but this was his first purchase from our sports department. He is very excited to own this iconic piece of American sporting history," said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auctions.

The gold medal was awarded to Mark Wells, then 21 years old and a center for the U.S. team," said Chris Ivy, Director of Heritage Sports Collectibles. It was created by Tiffany & Co. The obverse shows a raised torch framed between the words "XIII Olympic Winter Games" and the Olympic rings. The reverse shown above has a tree with the raised text "Lake Placid 1980" and the engraved lettering "Ice Hockey, Mark Wells." The medal hangs from its original powder blue and white ribbon. Wells privately sold the medal earlier this year to an anonymous collector who consigned it to the Heritage auction.

Tags: heritage auctions, hockey medal, lake placid, mark wells, miracle on ice, olympic gold medal

"Miracle On Ice" Gold Medal Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

For the second time in just a week we are seeing another of the world's most prized trophies, an Olympic gold medal, go up for auction. The first 1980 "Miracle on Ice" Olympic hockey gold medal ever offered in a public auction is estimated to sell for $100,000 or more next month. It is being offered in a sports memorabilia auction to be conducted by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas and online on November 5, 2010.

"It is the first time any of the Olympic gold medals awarded to the 20 players of the 1980 'Miracle on Ice' U.S. hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union has ever been offered in a public auction, and it should bring six figures. This gold medal was awarded to Mark Wells, then 21 years old and a center for the U.S. team," said Chris Ivy, Director of Heritage Sports Collectibles.

Tags: gold medal, gold medal for sale, heritage auctions, mike wells, olympic gold medal

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Is The Bride Of Frankenstein The World's Most Valuable Movie Poster?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

A couple of weeks before Halloween seems the perfect time to take a look at a rare horror movie poster up for sale. Heritage Auctions is selling the only known The Bride of Frankenstein (Universal, 1935) teaser one sheet Style E movie poster, from the collection of Todd Feiertag as part of its Beverly Hills Signature Movie Poster Auction November 11-13, 2010. This rare poster, believed to be the only one of its kind, is estimated at over $700,000.

It could be one of the most expensive movie poster ever. Heritage sold a poster that is tied for the second highest price realized for a movie poster, a Style B one sheet from The Black Cat, for $334,600 in 2009 which is behind the auction sale of The Mummy, in March 1997, for $453,500. This poster is from the same collection. The movie is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year. The listing says that the poster is unrestored with some border and interior pinholes, a few minor border chips and two clean tears that extend into the image, one at the top left and the other in the lower right, both supported on the back by paper tape. It has been graded by MP Grading and the Certificate of Authenticity and Grading Document is included.

[via Art Daily]

Tags: bride of frankenstein, heritage auctions, horror movie posters, movie posters

1962 JFK Cake Decoration Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Ever see the Seinfeld episode in which Elaine accidentally eats a piece of the Duchess of Windor's antique wedding cake? We wouldn't recommend that trick with the piece shown above, the Presidential Seal cake side decoration from President John F. Kennedy's May 29, 1962 birthday cake. The unique piece is being sold November 17 at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas.

The sugar decoration was taken home by decorated NYPD Detective Patrick "Patty" Larkin the night of the party. The piece is a relic from the famous night when Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to JFK at Madison Square Garden as the giant cake was brought in. Larkin, who was working security detail the night of the event, brought the piece home for his then-girlfriend, Lois. Now Larkin's widow, she says that at the end of the night he saw that it was going to be thrown out and he told a worker he really liked it, and wondered if he could have it. "The worker said, 'that's between (you) and the garbage,' and the rest is now really history." She says the piece went from closet to closet in their houses throughout the years and she's hoping that it will go to someone who can preserve it.

The side decoration carries a pre-auction estimate of $5,000+, is being offered as part of Heritage Auction Galleries November Grand Format American & Political Memorabilia Auction, taking place in-person at the company's Dallas headquarters, as well as live online at HA.com.

The auction features an important selection of John F. Kennedy items assembled to mark the 50th anniversary of his 1960 election, including treasures such as a gold presentation watch worn by JFK throughout the campaign, and what may well be the only example of Kennedy's trademark rocking chair to come with an authentication from the Kennedy family.

Tags: heritage auctions, jfk, john f kennedy, marilyn monroe, president kennedy

Charlotte's Web Art Sells Way Above Estimate

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Proving that sentiment sells, the original 1952 cover art for the best-selling children's book, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, brought an incredible sum at tonight's sale by Heritage Auctions in New York City. The cover art drawn by legendary children's illustrator Garth Williams sold for $155,350 more than five times the pre-sale estimate and a world's record for any of Williams' art.

"The buyer is an anonymous New York collector who did not say what his plans are for the art," said Barry Sandoval, director of operations for the comics and original comic art auctions at Heritage.

White's story of Wilbur the pig, Charlotte the Spider and Fern, the young girl who tries to save Wilbur from the slaughterhouse, has enchanted generations of children. Another famous drawing from the book, the page 95 illustration entitled, "There Was the Handsome Pig, and Over Him, Woven Neatly in Block Letters, Was the Word TERRIFIC," brought $95,600. The late artist's family consigned 42 of Williams' original illustrations for Charlotte's Web to the auction, and they brought a combined total of $780,245 (including the 19.5 percent buyer's premium paid by all winning bidders).

"The response to the Charlotte's Web art was tremendous, especially to the iconic cover art. We expected that the cover art would exceed our initial estimate of $30,000 or more, but for it to break $150,000 is breathtaking. It just shows how universally beloved this book and this art really are," said Sandoval.

Tags: art auction, charlottes web, childrens books, e.b. white, garth williams, heritage auctions, illustrations

Original Charlotte's Web Art Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Does the image above take you right back to your childhood? Near-complete art from Charlotte's Web, all-time best-selling children's paperback will be sold in Heritage Auctions' October 15 event. More than 40 original illustrations from the classic children's book including the cover art from the estate of legendary illustrator Garth Williams, will be part of Heritage Auctions Illustration Art Auction, taking place at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion, 2 East 79th Street, New York City.

The auction marks the first major event for Heritage in the city since the September opening of Heritage Auctions New York City at 445 Park Avenue, where the cover art is currently on public display for passersby in the "Heritage Window on Park Avenue."

Tags: charlottes web, childrens books, heritage auctions, illustration

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Elvis Memorabilia Heads To Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Had he survived, Elvis Presley would be celebrating his 75th birthday this year. The King lives again at Heritage Auctions' August 14th Elvis Auction at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. The auction is topped by the listing of Elvis Presley's White Knabe Grand Piano which is expected to bring in over $1 million. Other items up for bid include his original 1955 RCA Contract, a signed Graceland Purchase Agreement, personal address book, love letter, jumpsuit and handgun.

The piano is the same one we saw listed last year, it was used from 1957 to 1969 at Graceland (until Priscilla bought him a new gold-leaf-covered one). "This elegant musical instrument, so well-loved and played by Elvis, is presented with wonderful provenance back to the 1930s," said Doug Norwine, Director of Music & Entertainment Auctions at Heritage in a press release. The piano was also used in Memphis' Ellis Auditorium from the 1930s to 1957 and has also been played by other famous musicians including W.C. Handy, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Cab Calloway. Elvis bought the piano because of its significance and had it refinished in white.

Tags: elvis, Elvis Presley, graceland, heritage auctions, music memorabilia

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Luxist Photo Tour: Heritage Auction Galleries Entertainment Auction Preview

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Tomorrow will see the auction of some of Lucille Ball's personal effects sold as part of Heritage Auctions' Entertainment Auction in Beverly Hills. I swung by the Heritage Auctions office to check out some of the goods including the 1984 Rolls Royce Silver Spur sedan was owned and driven by the "I Love Lucy" television star and her second husband, Gary Morton. It is estimated to sell for upwards of $50,000

The items were consigned by Morton's third wife, former professional golfer Susie (McAllister) Morton who married him in 1996, seven years after Ball died. Lucie Arnaz, the daughter of Ball and her first husband Desi Arnaz, went to court in an attempt to stop the sale. On Friday a judge said that he would block it but then said that Arnaz would have to pay a bond of $250,000 in order to get a restraining order on the auction. Her lawyer, Ronald Palmieri, said that the amount was too high and could to be met and so the auction will take place. I decided to take a look at some of the contested goods first hand.

UPDATE: Heritage Auction Galleries reached a deal with Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill to return Ball's lifetime achievement awards to her daughter.

Tags: gary morton, heritage auctions, indiana jones, lucie arnaz, lucille ball, terminator

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Lucille Ball's Rolls-Royce Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

Lucille Balls' Rolls Royce will hit the market later this month at a Heritage Auction Galleries event in Beverly Hills, California. The 1984 Rolls Royce Silver Spur sedan was owned and driven by the "I Love Lucy" television star and her second husband, Gary Morton. Love letters from Lucy to Gary, her address book and other personal items owned by the beloved actress will be offered on July 17, 2010. The car has a white finish with a tan vinyl hard-top and the odometer shows 21,260 miles. Other items include Ball's personal address book with listings for phone numbers for famous celebrities of the era including Steve Allen, Jack Benny, Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, Gypsy Rose Lee, Dean Martin, Ethel Merman and Edward G. Robinson as well as her former husband, Desi Arnaz, and her television show co-stars, Vivian Vance and Gale Gordon. The items were consigned by Morton's third wife, former professional golfer Susie (McAllister) Morton who married him in 1996, seven years after Ball died.

Susie has lived with these relics of Lucy and Gary's life for more than 10 years and kept them out of respect for her late husband and Lucy's amazing legacy. Now she's ready to part with these treasures as she remodels her house to make it completely her own," said Doug Norwine of Heritage.

The Rolls has an opening bid of $25,000 and could sell for over $50,000.

Tags: gary morton, heritage auctions, i love lucy, Lucille Ball, Rolls-Royce Phantom

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