Superman Sets New Record & Older Collectors Offload Gems
The first edition sold for $5.3 million, and a huge Phillies collection
Cultured is a newsletter that gets readers up to speed on the most interesting things going on at the intersection of finance, art, collectibles, NFTs, and more. Cultured is produced by Otis, an alternative investment platform that was recently acquired by Public.com.
Love Cultured? Spread the word and share this newsletter with a friend!
🗞 STORIES OF THE DAY
The first Superman comic sold for a record $5.3 million
A copy of Superman #1 sold for $5.3 million in a private sale back in January. The sale set a new record for a comic book and marks the return of the Man of Steel to the top of the comic book market.
The comic was graded 8.0 Universal by Certified Guaranty Company, tying with one other edition for the highest-graded Superman #1 certified by CGC. Superman #1 is one of the rarest comics, and even mid-quality copies go for significant sums.
But the record price is due largely to this copy’s lineage. It comes from the Edgar Church/Mile High collection, which is widely considered to be the highest-quality collection of comic books and the gold standard for assessing the quality of a collection.
Our Take: Pedigree + quality = record-breaking saleÂ
In a red-hot collectibles market, items need to have something special to stand out. This copy has the ideal combination of high-quality and an excellent backstory. Like PGA, CGC’s certification can significantly raise the value of a comic book. Add to that this kind of provenance and you have the makings of a record-breaking deal.
A massive Phillies memorabilia sale brought in over $400,000…and that’s only part 1
Philly area resident and obsessive Phillies collector Bill White is one lucky man. The first part of his massive 76-year collection of memorabilia just sold for more than $400,000 at auction.
White started by collecting Phillies baseball cards. He’d then send away the cards to players and request autographs. His collection soon grew to encompass larger and rarer items, including Baker Bowl stadium seats and rare pennants.
The craziest part is that this massive sale is only part 1 of 3. The other two auctions are set for August and November.
Our Take: The older generation are selling off their collections — it’s a great opportunity for younger collectors.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen older collectors take advantage of the market to offload their collections. Many times, these sellers have been collecting for decades, making their collections the stuff of legend. For younger collectors, it’s a great opportunity to find rare gems and start building their own collections.
✨ AROUND THE INTERNET
The first edition of Captain America sold for more than $3 million at auction — a new record.
The auction house that sold Tom Brady’s last touchdown football (which, of course, was not his final touchdown) has agreed to refund the buyer.
A gorgeous collection of Patek Philippe timepieces is going up for auction at Christie’s.
Jack Dorsey’s NFT of his first tweet sold for $2.9 million last year. It’s now going for just $14,000 in the latest sign that the digital collectibles market has matured significantly.
Less than a week after MSCHF unveiled their new Wavy Baby sneakers, they’re headed to court to fight off a copyright infringement case from Vans.
