FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CLEVELAND – JANUARY 1, 2011 – This is the time to remember 2010. Here are the Most Surprising Prices, Record Prices and Great Stories from 2010.
December 2010
It was “save our history” week at New York auctions, with record prices set at Sotheby’s for three items:
1) The highest price ever paid at auction for a U.S. Presidential document was $3,778,500 for an 1863 copy of the Lincoln Emancipation Proclamation
2) The guidon (the flag carried on a pole that identifies the unit going into battle) carried in Custer’s 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn sold for $2,210,500
3) The third bit of history was the document that listed the 13 rules for the game of basketball invented by James Naismith in 1891. It sold for the highest price of all, $4,338,500. See Dec. 15, 2010, Kovels Komments.
Another piece of history was auctioned in February. George Washington’s personal map of the Battle of Yorktown, which descended through the family of an aide to Washington, auctioned for $1.15 million at James Julia Auctions. See Feb. 17, 2010, Kovels Komments.
Bottles of vintage champagne were salvaged last summer from a shipwreck that happened near Finland and Sweden sometime between 1832 and 1844. Close to 50 sealed bottles are expected to sell for about $68,000 each. See Dec. 1, 2010, Kovels Komments.
A signed Babe Ruth home run baseball hit in 1934 sold earlier this month for $264,500 at an auction at the Louisville Slugger Museum in Kentucky. See Nov. 24, 2010, Kovels Komments.
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
A lot of comic books set records this year. The price for the rare 1940 Batman No. 1 comic book was $55,269. Found in Alaska, it was sold by Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas. See Aug. 11, 2010, Kovels Komments.
June 2010
April 2010
Action Comic No. 1, the famous first appearance of Superman, has sold for an even higher record price (see Feb 24, 2010). The new record price – $1.5 million. See April 7, 2010, Kovels Komments.
March 2010
Batman can beat Superman–at least he did once in 2010. On Thursday, Feb. 25, Detective Comics No. 27, which featured the first appearance of Batman, sold for the new record price of $1,075,500 at a Heritage Galleries auction. See March 3, 2010, Kovels Komments.
February 2010
Action Comics No. 1, one of about 100 copies known to exist, sold in a private sale for $1 million. It was in great condition. See Feb. 24, 2010, Kovels Komments.
Not many stuffed horses sell for $266,500, but probably no other horse is as famous as Trigger, the palomino used by Roy Rogers on television and in the movies. Christie’s and High Noon jointly auctioned the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum collection, including Trigger. See July 21, 2010, Kovels Komments.
June 2010
The world record price for a sports uniform was set last week at a Canadian auction house. The 1972 hockey jersey worn by Paul Henderson of Team Canada in the Summit Series sold for $1.275 million (U.S.). Henderson scored the winning goal for Canada in the deciding game against Russia. See June 30, 2010, Kovels Komments.
An autograph by a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Button Gwinnett, sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $722,500. The rare Gwinnett signature was on a letter. See June 23, 2010, Kovels Komments.
Ever heard of “Dave the Slave”? He made pottery in Edgefield, South Carolina, in the 1830s. A jug bought for $25 years ago sold at an Eagles Basket Auction in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, for $13,000. See June 23, 2010, Kovels Komments.
April 2010
The Gutenberg Bible is probably the most famous book in Western civilization–the first book printed with moveable type. There are 21 complete copies of the 42-line Bible in existence. It sold for $5.4 million at Christie’s, a record price at auction for a printed book. See April 28, 2010, Kovels Komments.
January 2010
About Kovels.com
Terry Kovel has written more than 98 books about collecting, including the best-selling annual price book, Kovels’ Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide. The 2011 guide is now in stores. Terry publishes a subscription newsletter and writes a syndicated newspaper column that appears in more than 150 newspapers and digital publications. She and Ralph starred in the weekly HGTV program, Flea Market Finds with the Kovels. The Kovels website, Kovels.com, offers 700,000 free prices and other information for collectors, including books, special reports, a weekly emailed letter to collectors, marks and an archive of other informative material. Since Ralph’s death in 2008, the Kovel brand has been continued by Terry Kovel and her daughter, Kim Kovel.
KOVELS’ ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES PRICE GUIDE 2011
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