FROM PARTY PICS AND SPECIALIST PORTRAITS TO IMAGES OF TOP LOTS, THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE MOMENTS THAT DEFINED THE YEAR AT AMERICA’S AUCTION HOUSE
It has been another exciting, jam-packed year at Heritage Auctions, which means thousands of photographs have been snapped over the past 12 months, from beautifully styled catalog shoots to on-the-scene event pics. In what turned out to be a monumental task, we sifted through them all to present this list of our 10 favorites. Astute Intelligent Collector readers and Heritage clients might remember some of these photos from previous issues and catalogs, but some of them have never been published until now.
1. A Super Day for Superman’s Debut
Photo by Josh David Jordan
On April 4, this copy of Action Comics No. 1, the comic book that introduced Superman to the world in 1938, sold for $6,000,000 at Heritage Auctions, making it the most valuable comic in the world. Graded CGC Very Fine+ 8.5, this issue from the Kansas City Pedigree is one of the world’s finest copies. Only two other unrestored issues featuring Superman’s first flight – or, at least, his first leap over a tall building – have ever graded higher.
2. The Mother of Auctions Makes a Major Splash
Photo by Josh David Jordan
From start to finish, Heritage’s Game of Thrones:The Auction proved almost as thrilling and historic as the HBO series itself. By the time the completely sold-out October 10-12 event ended, it had realized $21 million thanks to more than 4,500 bidders worldwide who vied for the 900-plus costumes and props. That includes the auction’s top lot: the original touring Iron Throne, which realized $1,490,000. Here, fans line up for a preview of the auction at Heritage’s New York gallery.
3. Gorgeous Jewels for a Good Cause
The second session of Heritage’s Fall Fine Jewelry Signature® Auction consisted of an impressive single-owner collection whose $640,000 proceeds benefited the Mayo Clinic, the Remember the Alamo Foundation and San Antonio’s Witte Museum. Among the collection’s offerings were more than 80 pieces of Nini jewelry. A third-generation jewelry designer from Thailand, Nini Hale started her business in 1997 in Houston and made a name for herself with her bold use of brightly colored stones. Heritage’s September 30 sale was the first major auction of her jewelry, including the showstopping pink sapphire-and-diamond bracelet pictured here.
4. A Record-Breaking Babe Ruth Jersey Hits the Road
Photo by Tommy Noel
The New York Yankees road jersey Babe Ruth wore when he called his shot in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series became the world’s most valuable sports collectible when it realized $24,120,000 during Heritage’s August 23-25 Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction. A month before the auction, the photo-matched jersey – which Heritage’s Director of Sports, Chris Ivy, calls “the most significant piece of American sports memorabilia ever offered at auction” – made one more stop at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, where its homecoming was celebrated by players and fans alike.
5. A Toast to Heritage’s Expanded London Office
Heritage celebrated its newly expanded London office in Mayfair with a grand opening event February 8. The new space, in the heart of the city’s art and luxury district, is part of Heritage’s commitment to increasing its reach to collectors around the world. During the party, guests previewed selections from a variety of Heritage auctions, including its April 16 Prints & Multiples Signature® Auction, which featured works by collector favorite Keith Haring.
6. The Premiere of Imperial Fabergé & Russian Works of Art
Photo by Josh David Jordan
The Imperial, pre-Soviet Russia was awash in extraordinary art and culture, and on May 17 Heritage presented an Imperial Fabergé & Russian Works of Art Signature® Auction – its first auction dedicated to the country’s stunning cultural history and output predating the Russian Revolution of 1917. Highlights included museum-quality works by Fabergé, as well as Russian paintings, icons, porcelain and more from the Estate of Princess Maria Romanoff. From The Nelkin Collection came an exceptional selection of Fabergé, Moscow enamels and Russian Imperial porcelain.
7. Pulp Magazines Take the Spotlight
Photo by Josh David Jordan
When Certified Guaranty Company announced in February that it would start authenticating pulp magazines, the grading service sent a message to the collecting world that people like Rick Akers already knew: The pulp marketplace was primed for a transformation. “The entry of CGC into pulp magazine grading has solidified the market for new collectors, in a good way,” says Akers, Vice President of Comics at Heritage Auctions. “Interest and activity have surged.” In August, Akers sat down with Intelligent Collector for a pulp-themed photo shoot and a chat about the thriving pulp market.
8. Diamonds Prove To Be an Hermès Bag’s Best Friend
In the Exceptional Collection by Hermès, luxury handbags meet fine jewelry, and in Heritage’s December 5 Luxury Accessories Signature® Auction, several diamond-studded stunners from the highly coveted collection caught bidders’ attention. With a sale price of $250,000, the standout was a 25cm Matte White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Birkin with 18k white gold hardware and 4.05 carats of brilliant pavé-set diamonds.
9. Treasures From Planet Hollywood
Photo by Tommy Noel
For five days this spring, during Heritage’s Treasures From Planet Hollywood auction, movie buffs from around the world vied for props and costumes from some of cinema’s most beloved and influential films. Fans also came out in droves to preview the auction’s offerings at a one-night-only event at Heritage’s Beverly Hills office. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cyborg assassin from Terminator 2: Judgment Day was there, as was the auction’s top lot: the wood panel from Titanic that saved Rose – but, controversially, not Jack – which sold for $718,750 to float to the top of the March 20-24 event.
10. A Long-Awaited Reunion at the Judy Garland Museum
Photo by Josh David Jordan
It was a cold, clear day in February when several members of the Heritage Auctions team traveled to the Judy Garland Museum to witness a reunion nearly 20 years in the making. During a private ceremony, collector Michael Shaw was reunited with his pair of Ruby Slippers stolen from the Minnesota museum in the summer of 2005. Federal agents and local authorities spent almost two decades tracking down the Technicolor treasures from 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, and on December 7, Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers found a new home when the iconic shoes realized a record-shattering $32,500,000 during Heritage’s Hollywood/Entertainment Signature® Auction.