The June sale became the highest-grossing non-Disney, non-Anime animation art auction ever held, led by a record Grinch production cel.
By Intelligent Collector Staff | June 22, 2026
Sixty years after Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas first aired, the Grinch delivered a major result for animation art collectors at Heritage Auctions.
Heritage’s June 19-21 The Art of Everything Cool — Vol. VIII Signature® Auction realized more than $1.73 million, drew more than 3,100 bidders and achieved a 100% sell-through rate. The result established a new benchmark as the highest-grossing non-Disney, non-Anime animation art auction ever held.
The top result was a record-setting Grinch production-cel setup from the 1966 special, represented in the Heritage catalog by Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas Rare Sequence of 3 Grinch Production Cels Over a 30-inch Pan-Size Key Master Background Signed by Chuck Jones. The work sold for $115,900 and set an all-time auction record for a hand-painted Grinch production cel.
The strength of the sale extended beyond one holiday classic. Hanna-Barbera also set a new mark with The Jetsons Rare Pair of Production Cels Featuring George, Jane, Judy and Elroy From the Opening Sequence, which realized $14,640. Peanuts material remained strong as well, with a Charles Schulz Peanuts daily strip from June 27, 1959 bringing $34,160, and a production cel from A Charlie Brown Christmas featuring Charlie Brown and Linus selling for $24,000.
Collectors also competed for art from The Simpsons, SpongeBob SquarePants, Looney Tunes, Batman, Scooby-Doo and The Nightmare Before Christmas, reinforcing the market’s appetite for recognizable characters with lasting cross-generational appeal.
For sellers, this auction makes the “best place to sell” argument especially clear. Animation art depends on the right collector mix: nostalgia buyers, production-art specialists, franchise collectors and high-end character collectors. Heritage’s record-setting result shows why it is a best place to sell animation art when a piece has the image quality, franchise history and cultural recognition to stand out.
Source: Heritage Auctions press release (June 22, 2026).