A JOURNEY THROUGH THE HERITAGE AUCTIONS ARCHIVES OFFERS A VIEW INTO ONE OF THE MOST PIVOTAL YEARS IN U.S. HISTORY
By Rhonda Reinhart
There was no shortage of monumental moments in 1963, from MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech to JFK’s assassination. But not all the year’s events were so fraught. 1963 also saw the Beatles release their first album, Coca-Cola introduce its first diet soda, Lawrence of Arabia win an Academy Award for Best Picture and Bell Telephone debut the first push-button phone. Below, we take a look back at some of the year’s major moments in politics, sports, pop culture and more.
COMICS
Spider-Man might have made his big debut in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy No. 15, but it wasn’t until March 1963 that Spidey swung into his first starring series. Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man No. 1 retells Spidey’s origin story and features the first Fantastic Four crossover. This copy of the popular Silver Age comic, graded NM+ 9.6 by Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), sold for $336,000 in a November 2022 Heritage auction.
AMERICAN ART
As “illustrator of the American people,” Norman Rockwell celebrated democracy through a wide array of professions: from farmers, factory workers and teachers to doctors, soldiers and U.S. presidents. The artist particularly admired John F. Kennedy, whom he depicted in contemplation for this April 6, 1963, cover study for The Saturday Evening Post. The signed oil-on-canvas realized $187,500 in a December 2020 Heritage auction.
SPORTS
From 1954 to 1973, Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron averaged 36 home runs each year and finished his career in 1976 with a staggering 755 homers. Aaron’s 1963 Topps card, issued at the pinnacle of his career, emerged from packs while the power hitter put up league-leading numbers for both home runs (44) and RBIs (130). Graded Gem Mint 10 by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), this copy of the Hammerin’ Hank classic sold for $222,000 in a November 2022 Heritage auction, setting a record for the card in any grade.
MUSIC
When Columbia Records released Bob Dylan’s second studio album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, on May 27, 1963, the musician was a mere 22 years old. Featuring Dylan originals such as “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” the album solidified the young folk singer’s status as a bona fide songwriter and went to No. 22 on the Billboard charts. In July 2022, Heritage sold an original stereo pressing of the album with four deleted tracks for $150,000.
AMERICAN HISTORY
On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. climbed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, ready to deliver prepared remarks to the March on Washington’s 250,000 attendees. What the marchers heard instead was King’s now legendary “I Have a Dream” speech, the partly improvised address that became one of the most important moments in the Civil Rights Movement. In February 2020, Heritage sold an advance copy of the famous speech for $7,500.
POLITICS
After President Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963, officials gathered inside Air Force One for the swearing-in ceremony of Lyndon B. Johnson. In this iconic photograph, which realized $21,250 in an August 2018 Heritage auction, LBJ takes the oath of office flanked by Lady Bird Johnson and Jacqueline Kennedy. The photo is inscribed by Johnson to Secret Service agent Woody Taylor, who was a witness to the ceremony.
RHONDA REINHART is editor of Intelligent Collector