Page 59 - JOAApril21

History Makers and Record-Setters

he marketplace for pop culture collectibles has yet
to show signs of cooling down. Of course, there
Tare many market watchers who are waiting to see
what happens when more people are able to get out, go
back to work, and engage in normal activities once again,
but the COVID-inspired pause that added fire to an
already smoldering collectibles field has yet to let up.

Bill Everett: The February 4, 1931, Mickey Mouse daily, with pencils by Floyd Gottfredson and inks by Earl
Creator of The Duvall, sold for $61,72 on February 25, 2021, at Hake’s. photo: Hake’s Auctions
Sub-Mariner Lincoln and Hamlin “Wide Awake” 1860 hand-painted all-seeing eye
As the creator of Namor, the parade banner realized $143,104, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sub-Mariner, Bill Everett (1917- multi-signed Birmingham Jailhouse logbook pages from Dr. King’s
1973) was responsible for one of incarceration, during which time he penned his “Letter from a
Timely Comics’ three main Birmingham Jail,” closed at $130,909. It was hand-signed by him 12
characters (the other two were times and represents the most ever paid for an MLK-signed item.
Captain America and The A number of notable sports and political items rounded out the
Human Torch). Timely, of spirited Wednesday-closing session in which these pieces were offered
course, was the pre-war and prior to the Thursday session, which traditionally features the pop
World War II era incarnation of culture collectibles.
Marvel Comics (that name Among the attention-grabbers was a trio of originals for Mickey
would emerge in the early ‘60s). Mouse daily strips. The February 4, 1931 strip from the “Mickey
Namor was likely the first Mouse vs. Kat Nipp” story, with pencils by longtime (and many would
very successful anti-hero in the say definitive) Mickey comic artist Floyd Gottfredson and inks by Earl
comic book world since he was Duvall, sold for $61,729.
This Bill Everett-illustrated page is from nearly constantly at war with The February 26, 1931 strip by Duvall (the first of his Mickey
Daredevil #1 (1964), the first appearance of the surface-dwelling humans. Mouse syndicated art to ever come to auction) hammered for $36,054,
the Marvel Comics character. Motion Picture Funnies and the October 25, 1930 strip by Gottfredson (his earliest
photo: Heritage Auctions Weekly #1 featured the Mickey strip to come to auction) and Hardie
character’s first appear- Gramatky closed at $24,013.
ance, which was then expanded for Marvel Comics #1. Both The original cover art for Action Comics
comics appeared in 1939. #329 featuring Superman by pencil artist Curt
Everett wrote and drew Namor in many different titles for Swan and inker Sheldon Moldoff flew to
Timely both before and after his service in World War II. $48,964. The 12-1/2” x 18-3/8” thin artboard
During the 1950s, as Timely evolved into Atlas, he illustrated features the pen and ink art “twice-up,” which
Marvel Boy, Venus, and the first appearance of Simon Garth, means double the size at which it was repro-
The Zombie, among other work. duced on the comic itself, was originally
The artist continued to contribute as the company became published by DC in October 1965. The cover
known as Marvel Comics, as well. Among his other efforts is dominated by a large, full-body image of
was the first issue of Daredevil. His last lengthy work in comics Superman in the center wielding the Super-
was a 1972-1973 run on his original character, Sub-Mariner. Sword of Krypton and a large Super-Shield, and
it represents one of only a handful of times Swan
Hake’s Sets New House Records and Moldoff collaborated.
Hake’s Auctions established a new record for the compa- Among the comic book offerings in the auction,
ny, the nation’s first pop-culture auction house, when its February 24-25, the most notable has to be the CGC-certified 4.0
2021 event closed with a tally of $2.9 million. Not only did the auction The oversized (12-1/2” x 18-3/8”) original example of Amazing Fantasy
post that new record, but it also eclipsed the company’s previous sell- cover art for Action Comics #329 (October #15, the first appearance of the
through rate, the volume of bidders, and the number of bids placed. 1965) by Curt Swan and Sheldon Moldoff Amazing Spider-Man, which
While this column is, of course, focused on the pop culture ele- closed at $48,964 at Hake’s. closed at $35,850.
ments, it’s impossible not to give a nod to the stunning six-figure results photo: Hake’s Auctions
Hake’s chalked up for two serious pieces of American history. A J.C. Vaughn is the Vice-President of Publishing for Gemstone
Publishing. Gemstone’s Amanda Sheriff contributed to this column.

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