THE COLLECTIBLES POWERHOUSE BROKE RECORDS IN ILLUSTRATION ART, SPORTS CARDS, COMIC BOOKS, MOVIE MEMORABILIA, AND MORE
By Christina Rees | January 6, 2026
If 2025 proved anything at Heritage Auctions, it is that a company accustomed to breaking records can still find new ways to surpass its own milestones. By year’s end, Heritage posted $2,158,204,321 in total sales, topping 2024’s $1.867 billion result. Again, Heritage posted its highest annual total in the auction house’s history and the latest of five consecutive record-breaking years. This was not a year defined by a single outlier or momentary surge, but by sustained excellence across dozens of collecting categories – from illustration art and historic sports collectibles to rare coins, comic books, and the cultural artifacts that have shaped generations.
The result underscores Heritage’s position as the world’s largest collectibles auction house and reflects a truth that became increasingly clear throughout the year: Collectors remain deeply committed to objects that matter – culturally, historically, and emotionally – and they continue to turn to Heritage to acquire and successfully market those objects.
“Every year, we’re reminded that the passion for collecting isn’t cyclical – it’s enduring,” says Steve Ivy, Heritage’s co-founder and CEO. “What made 2025 so extraordinary wasn’t just the final total, but the consistency and depth behind it. It proves Heritage’s strength across categories, the highest level of trust from collectors around the world, and a shared belief that great objects deserve serious scholarship and global visibility.”
This original ‘Rosebud’ sled from 1941’s ‘Citizen Kane’ became one of the most valuable pieces of movie memorabilia when it sold for $14.75 million in a July 2025 Heritage auction.
Tom Jung’s original artwork for the historic half-sheet poster for 1977’s ‘Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope’ realized $3.875 million in a December 2025 Heritage auction, making it the most expensive piece of movie poster art ever sold at auction.
The Moments That Defined the Year
The year’s most memorable moments arrived with cinematic flair. In July, Charles Foster Kane’s ‘Rosebud’ sled from Citizen Kane, one of the most evocative symbols in film history, realized $14.75 million. Long regarded as a cornerstone of American cinema, the sled’s sale instantly became one of the most valuable pieces of movie memorabilia ever sold at auction and another defining moment for Heritage’s Entertainment category.
That momentum carried into December, when collectors competed fiercely for original film art tied to one of cinema’s most enduring franchises. The original 1977 half-sheet artwork created by illustrator Tom Jung for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope realized $3.875 million, making it both the most valuable piece of Star Wars memorabilia and the most valuable piece of movie poster art ever sold at auction. The result underscored the growing recognition of original film art as both cultural history and serious fine art.
That enthusiasm for iconic storytelling extended beyond film and television and into the historical and literary worlds that helped shape modern popular culture. In December’s Rare Books auction, a complete three-volume first-edition set of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings realized $250,000 at Heritage, establishing a new world auction record for an unsigned set of the landmark works. Long recognized as the defining achievement of 20th-century fantasy literature, the result underscored the growing recognition of science fiction and fantasy as foundational pillars of collecting.
The sale formed part of a standout year for Heritage’s Historical category, which closed 2025 with $15.8 million in total sales, while all Pop Culture-related material – including film artifacts, original movie art, and entertainment collectibles – enjoyed its own banner year, totaling $94.7 million.
Frank Frazetta’s defining image of Conan the Barbarian broke auction records when it sold for $13.5 million in a September 2025 Heritage auction.
A Groundbreaking Year for Comics, Comic Art, and Fantasy
One of the most consequential moments of the year and one that resonated far beyond the comics world arrived in September with the sale of Frank Frazetta’s iconic 1967 Conan novel cover painting, widely regarded as a defining image of the character and a cornerstone of modern fantasy art. The painting realized $13.5 million, establishing a new world record auction price for any work by Frazetta and for any comic or fantasy artwork ever sold at auction.
Completed in 1966 and published the following year by Lancer/Ace, the oil-on-canvas masterpiece – often referred to as Man Ape – did more than illustrate Robert E. Howard’s literary hero. It helped transform Conan into a visual icon and permanently reset expectations for what popular illustration art could be.
The record-setting result extended a remarkable run of Frazetta milestones achieved at Heritage over the past several years and anchored a banner year for Comics & Comic Art, which closed 2025 with $216.2 million in auction sales, the department’s second-highest total ever.
This copy of 1939’s ‘Superman’ No. 1 holds the record as the world’s most expensive comic book after selling for $9.12 million in a November 2025 Heritage auction.
Comic books themselves delivered one of the year’s most remarkable stories. In November, the highest-graded copy of Superman No. 1 (DC, 1939) ever certified – a CGC 9.0 example discovered by a California family in the attic of their late mother’s home – realized $9.12 million. The result made the Man of Steel’s first solo comic the most valuable comic book ever sold at auction, shattering the previous record of $6 million set by Action Comics No. 1 at Heritage in 2024.
Protected for decades by little more than a stack of yellowed newspapers in a cardboard box, the book served as a powerful reminder that even in a market defined by blockbuster prices, discovery and provenance continue to drive some of the hobby’s most thrilling moments.
“Our strength comes from consistency and credibility,” says Jim Halperin, Heritage’s co-founder and Co-Chairman, who continues to oversee the Comics & Comic Art category. “Collectors know that when they bring their most important material to Heritage, it will be handled and marketed with the utmost care, integrity, and expertise.”
This one-of-one Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant dual-signed Logoman sold for a record-breaking $12.93 million in an August 2025 Heritage auction.
Sports Collecting at Championship Level
Heritage’s Sports category delivered another championship-caliber year in 2025, finishing with $189.2 million in auction sales and reinforcing the auction house’s position as the leading platform in the market for elite sports cards and collectibles.
Among the year’s most electric moments was the August sale of the 2007–08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs card signed by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, a singular 1/1 gem that realized $12.93 million. Uniting two of the most influential athletes of the modern era, the result was the most ever paid for a sports card at auction and exemplified the extraordinary depth of Heritage’s Sports calendar in 2025.
Modern collectibles proved formidable. In May, a 1992–93 Michael Jordan game-worn Chicago Bulls uniform, photo-matched to 17 games from the season that completed the Bulls’ first three-peat, realized $2.62 million. Conclusively matched to a season of that dynasty, the uniform represents Jordan at the height of his powers and remains one of the most important NBA artifacts ever offered at auction.
Baseball legends continued to command fierce competition as well. During the summer, a 1960 Mickey Mantle game-worn and signed New York Yankees jersey, photo-matched to multiple appearances including the 1960 All-Star Game, realized $5.246 million, ranking among the most significant Mantle uniforms ever sold and reaffirming the enduring demand for museum-quality game-used treasures.
‘So You Want to See the President!’ was born of Norman Rockwell’s 1943 visit to the White House. The suite of four panels sold for $7.25 million in a November 2025 Heritage auction.
American Art Reaches a Historic High
Heritage’s leadership in American Art and Illustration reached a historic peak in November, when Norman Rockwell’s So You Want to See the President! (1943) realized $7.25 million at Heritage’s most successful American Art auction ever, an event that totaled $14.76 million.
Rockwell’s only known suite of four interrelated paintings on paper was acquired by the White House Historical Association, the nonprofit founded by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961, in what many regarded as a cultural homecoming. Created during World War II and commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s press secretary Stephen T. Early, the work transforms a White House waiting room into a vivid cross section of American democracy.
For more than four decades the panels were displayed in the West Wing on long-term loan, making them a familiar presence to presidents, dignitaries, and visitors alike. Their return to an institution dedicated to preserving White House history underscored both the work’s national importance and Heritage’s role as a steward of America’s cultural legacy.
The auction shattered the auction record for a Rockwell work on paper and marked the highest price paid for a Rockwell painting at auction since 2018.
This 1927-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle realized $3.84 million in a January 2025 Heritage auction.
This Chang Tso-lin Pattern 1927 dollar sold for $4.32 million in a December 2025 Heritage auction.
Coins, Currency, and a Global Market
Founded as a numismatics auction house in 1976, Heritage remains deeply rooted in numismatics, and 2025 reinforced that legacy in dramatic fashion: Numismatics auction sales ended the year above $470 million.
U.S. Coins once again led the way with $254.9 million in auction sales, highlighted by the $3.84 million realization of a superb 1927-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, graded MS65+ by PCGS and approved by CAC. World & Ancient Coins achieved its highest total ever at $153.7 million, reflecting Heritage’s global reach. Among the year’s standout results was the 1927 Chang Tso-lin silver Specimen Pattern Dollar from China, from the storied Peh Collection, which realized $4.32 million in December.
Currency auctions added $61.9 million to the year’s totals, rounding out another powerful year for Heritage’s founding discipline.
Heritage’s December 2025 Pulps Signature® Auction saw many impressive results, including the $156,000 achieved for this copy of 1935’s ‘Spicy Mystery Stories’ No. 1.
This copy of the rare Prerelease Pokémon Raichu card sold for $550,000 in a September 2025 Heritage auction, setting the world record price for a single English-language Pokémon card.
Unlocking Overlooked and Emerging Categories
Heritage also demonstrated its ability to unlock value in categories long overlooked by the broader market.
In December, the auction house held its first Pulps Signature® Auction, a three-day event that realized $1.84 million and set multiple records. Featuring material from the extraordinary collection of Dr. Richard Meli, the auction was led by the June 1935 debut issue of Spicy Mystery Stories, which realized $156,000, and a high-grade copy of Weird Tales No. 118 featuring the iconic “Bat Woman” cover, which sold for $105,000, smashing its previous issue record.
Modern collecting also reached new heights in Heritage’s Trading Card Games category. The December auction realized $5.28 million, the highest total ever achieved for a TCG auction, surpassing the previous record set by Heritage in 2021. Leading the event was a First Edition Base Set Charizard Pokémon card, certified Gem Mint 10 by PSA, which realized $550,000, surpassing the pandemic-era record for the card at public auction.
That momentum began in September, when an extraordinarily rare Prerelease Raichu Pokémon card – the only example authenticated and encapsulated by PSA – also realized $550,000. The result set a world record for a single English-language Pokémon Trading Card Game card and highlighted the growing appreciation for true rarities from the hobby’s earliest days.
This three-cel sequence setup from ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ realized $102,000 in a December 2025 Heritage auction.
Animation Art’s Most Successful Year Ever
One of the year’s most compelling stories unfolded in Animation & Anime Art, which celebrated its most successful year ever, surpassing $16.6 million in total departmental sales and securing a second consecutive record-breaking year.
The Animation calendar closed on a high note in December when a three-cel sequence setup from A Charlie Brown Christmas realized $102,000, the highest price ever achieved for a Peanuts animation cel, timed to the beloved special’s 60th anniversary. Earlier milestones included the highest-grossing Disney Animation Art auction ever at $5.19 million and the highest-grossing Anime and non-Disney Animation auction at $3.2 million, confirming the category’s growing emotional and financial resonance.
This natural fancy pink diamond weighing 6.17 carats realized $2.18 million in a December 2025 Heritage auction.
Luxury Setting Records
Heritage’s luxury lifestyle categories enjoyed a strong year in 2025, highlighted by two record-breaking moments for Fine Jewelry. In September, Heritage celebrated its largest jewelry auction in company history with a $9.2 million fall event. And just a few months later, a 6.17-carat pink diamond brought $2.18 million, becoming the highest-priced item of jewelry in Heritage history. For the year, Fine Jewelry & Timepieces realized $48.4 million, Heritage’s highest total ever.
Likewise, Luxury Accessories, a category Heritage launched in 2011 (the first major auction house to do so), in 2025 tallied its all-time highest total: $12.9 million. On May 8, the World’s Greatest Chanel Handbag Collection realized $811,000 and, combined with Heritage’s Spring Luxury Accessories Auction, helped drive more than $3.36 million in luxury sales in a single day. The offerings included highly coveted Chanel minaudières and an exceptional diamond-studded Hermès Porosus Crocodile Birkin that realized $112,500.
A Year Built on Trust
Across more than 50 categories, Heritage’s record-breaking 2025 was powered by something less quantifiable than dollars alone: trust.
As the company looks ahead, the achievements of 2025 are less a culmination than a continuation. With expanding global participation, deepening category expertise, and a calendar filled with landmark auctions yet to come, Heritage enters the next year from a position of unmatched strength.
“If this year showed us anything,” Ivy says, “it’s that the desire to preserve history, to hold a piece of it in your hands, remains as powerful as ever. And we’re honored to play a role in that pursuit.”
