A collection of sports cards may bring in as much as $20M and Fathom #1 hits the auction block as an NFT in this week's News Roundup!

Get Your Checkbooks Ready:

-Jaw-Dropping Card Collection of Dr. Thomas Newman Consigned to Memory Lane; Expected to Bring $20 Million+: When Florida physician Thomas Newman died of COVID-19, he left his family a huge legacy – a collection of sports cards worth some $20 million. The list of cards that will be available is what you’d expect to find in a hobby hall of fame, but one of them may well become the most valuable baseball card ever sold.  Newman owned the highest graded example of the 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53.  His PSA 9 stands alone in the population report—with none higher. The auction will consist of over 1,000 lots in all, with bidding expected to open June 21 and close July 10. More information will be available soon at MemoryLaneInc.com.

Hot Auctions:

-Fathom’ No. 1 Cover Hitting Auction Block as NFT: Starting May 20, Aspen Comics will auction off what it believes is the first classic comic book cover NFT officially authorized by the rights holder. Bidding begins at MakersPlace at 3:30 p.m. PT. The work from late artist Michael Turner is believed to be the first well-known piece of comic art to officially be sold as an NFT. Read more!

-Welcome to the HeART Of Rock & Roll Poster Auction #71: This auction includes several hot items of note, including Grateful Dead 1969 Hawaiian AOXOMOXOA Griffin-SIGNED Poster with a current bid of $7,875.00. This auction closes on May 23, 2021. Click here to check out the other groovy '60s posters!

-Batman Artist Neal Adams Puts Several Pieces Of His Comic Book Art Up For Auction As NFTs: Neal Adams, the veteran comic book artist best known for his time illustrating Batman, is set to offer up several of his pieces, including artwork featuring The Dark Knight, The Fantastic Four, and others, as NFTs. The nine NFTs, each of which represents one page of artwork from Adams’ illustrious career, will be made available to bid on through the next-gen auction site Portions.io.

-Concertposterauction.com 2021 Summer Poster and Memorabilia Sale! This auction features posters from Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and dozens more. The auction begins on Sunday, May 20, and closes Monday, June 7. Hot ticket items include "THE SEED" The Charlatans Red Dog Saloon 1965 AOR 2.1 Concert Poster and FD 14 "Zig-Zag Man" Big Brother Quicksilver Mouse/Kelley 1966 Avalon Poster. Check out all the entries and find more information here!

The Latest News:

-Strands of Kurt Cobain's hair Sell For $14k!: Six strands of the late Nirvana frontman's blond locks recently sold for a whopping $14,145 at an online auction. Hosted by the company Iconic Auctions, the winning bidder got to walk home with a few pieces of hair that were snipped from Cobain's head during the Bleach tour in 1989. Read more.

-eBay allows NFT trading on the platform: According to a Reuters announcement, major online marketplace eBay has introduced non-fungible token (NFT) auctions on its platform. At the moment, collectible sports and comic cards, and artwork are on sale. Likewise, the company will implement the auction mechanism for selected users, who meet certain requirements.

-US Target stores to stop selling Poke?mon cards after rising value prompts threats to staff: US retail giant Target will stop selling Poke?mon playing cards out of an “abundance of caution” for its staff and other shoppers. The re-sale value of the cards has increased dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic, prompting chaos and threats to staff. Target will also stop selling MLB, NFL and NBA sports playing cards. Read more.

-The Ultra-Rare Video Game Over 25% Of People Want To Own: Is it the game's importance in Nintendo's history that inspired almost 26% of voters to choose "Nintendo World Championships" as their most-desired video game? While it may not be the absolute most valuable Nintendo game, it's certainly up there.

-Chaos in $6B collectibles industry: What happens when leading sports card grading service shuts down amid boom? Back on March 30, PSA Authentication and Grading Services, a company long considered the gold standard in the sports card collectibles grading field, shut down several of its services. The reason: It was overwhelmed with customer demand.  The result was a months-long backlog of card and memorabilia submissions from hobbyists and dealers, leaving the white-hot industry in a lurch. Cards are still trickling back to their owners, but turnaround times are currently lasting months.  In May 2020, the president and CEO of Collectors Universe (PSA's parent company), Joe Orlando, revealed to shareholders that the card backlog was more than one million cards. It grew since, prompting the shutdown. Read more.

-Joan Jett teams with Z2 Comics for new graphic novel anthology: Joan Jett is to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her biggest hits with a new graphic novel anthology. The legendary rock singer is teaming up with Z2 Comics for ‘Joan Jett And The Blackhearts 40 x 40’ to celebrate four decades of her albums ‘I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll’ and ‘Bad Reputation. Read more!

Take Note:

-Shadow Man's Cullen Bunn talks about becoming a comic book writer: Shadow Man: Remastered scribe Cullen Bunn talks about his journey to comic book writing and what it means to work in the industry today. Read or watch the full interview here!

-Get Ready for a Duo CGC In-House Private Signing Opportunity with All-time Great, John Romita Jr. and Super Inker, Scott Hanna: CGC is thrilled to welcome one of comics’ most distinguished artists, John Romita Jr., and the super-talented, Scott Hanna, to a duo In-House Private Signing.  Romita Jr. and Hanna are also offering their highly collectible Remarques and 11 x 17 sketches by Romita Jr. with an option for inking by Hanna in addition to their signatures! Check out all the details here.

-CCG Offers $2,500 Bonus to New Employees as Hiring Push Continues: CGC is seeking to immediately hire dozens of employees across all of its categories and for nearly all positions, including entry-level, specialist, and management positions. All new employees will receive comprehensive, paid training by CCG. To fill the multitude of positions available, CCG is increasing its sign-on bonus to $2,500 for each new hire! Learn more and apply at collectiblesgroup.com/careers.

What did you think about this week's hottest auctions? Let us know in the comments!