Goldin's December Pop Culture auction opened for bidding on November 30th. With hundreds of items offered in plenty of categories including comics, video games, VHS tapes, non-sports cards, and more, there is plenty worth looking through. Here are some of the pieces we're watching.

Comics:

There's a little of everything in this auction. Every item has an automatic opening bid of $100, with bidding moving up in increments of $20 after that. As far as comics go, they're offering some DC and Timely books, lots of mid-tier low/mid/restored Golden Age books, some mid-grade Silver Age Keys and semi-keys, a couple of Bronze, and then some higher-grade Copper/Modern books. Of these, many are Yellow Label Signature Series.

If you're interested in mid-tier cowboy characters, it's worth taking a look at a CGC graded 6.0 Crackajack Funnies #9, published in 1939 by Dell Comics. 

This book is notable for featuring the first appearance (and cover) of Red Ryder in comics. In fact, its 1939 print date predated the Red Ryder radio series, which began in 1942.  This copy has Off-White to White Pages.

There are only 18 unrestored copies of this issue on the census, and the last record of this comic in an identical grade sold at auction was back in 2004 for a little over $500 (through Heritage Auctions). 

We have some big Uncle Scrooge/Duck Tales fans here at GoCollect, so this one definitely caught our attention. 

This is a 1947 Del Comics Four Color Walt Disney's Donald Duck #178 - the first appearance of Uncle Scrooge in comics. This copy is a CGC Restored Grade 3.0 with Cream to Off-White Pages.

Yes, it is the dreaded Restored Purple Label, but it's slight - there's some glue on the spine. The writer and artist, Carl Barks, was one of the three inaugural inductees of the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. 

While an identically graded and labeled copy has not hit the auction block in recent history,  2.5 Purple Labels sold for $250.53 in January 2021 and for $160 in December 2020, both through eBay.

Here's one you don't see at auction very often. It's a 1948 Dell Comics Popeye #1, graded CGC 7.0 with Off-White to White Pages.

Popeye’s comic book debut features cover art by Bud Sagendorf, the assistant of Popeye creator E.C. Segar.  According to CGC’s census report, only 34 copies of this comic book have achieved a higher grade, out of a total of 66 Blue Labels registered.

The three most recent sales of this grade have landed at $250.95 (3/18/18, Heritage), $155.00 (10/11/15, eBay), and $199.56 (7/27/08, Heritage). Given that we've not seen a copy at auction since the Covid boom hit, where do you think it could land?

Peanuts seems to stand the test of time, likely due to the popularity of the holiday specials and the iconic Charles Shulz comic strip. Still, there is definitely a sector of collectors interested in the Peanut comics books, as well. This copy of 1958 Dell Comics' Peanuts #878 is graded CGC 7.5 by CGC and has Off-White to White Pages.

This art in this book was not by the gang's usual artist, the aforementioned Charles Shulz, but was overseen and led by Dale Hale, a member of a crew of artists working for Schulz and who did advertising artwork for him.

This is the first of three Peanuts Four Color issues. It's been all over the place as far as auction sales go. The most recent three to sell have gone for $790.22 (eBay, 1/20/19), $537.00 (Hakes, 7/13/17), and $1,434 back in August of 2015 through Heritage Auctions.

There are several variants of this issue, with this presented copy being the 10 cent variant.

Video games up for grabs

As far as video games go, they have a decent selection up for auction.  Here are a few of the higher grades worth a look.

1982 Atari 2600 (USA) "Spider-Man" Sealed Video Game - WATA 9.8/A++ - From Goldin's description, "Offered here is a sealed and graded copy of “Spider-Man,” published by Parker Brothers for release on the Atari 2600 in 1982. This vertical scrolling action game is the first “Spider-Man” game and the first video game based on a Marvel Comic book character. This presented copy comes from a sealed factory six-pack and features the back box assembled upside down. This presented 1982 copy features a “Made in USA” label on the “Cardboard” clamshell."

Sales of this game have been all over the place, with the most recent three going for $2,500.00 (10/21), $1585.00 (9/21), and $4,988 (6/21), all identically graded and all selling through eBay.

This game has a 1-year sales average of $2,674 and a 90-day average of $2,043.

1988 NES Nintendo (USA) "Zelda II: The Adventures of Link" Sealed Video Game - WATA 9.6/A - Per Goldin's description, "Encapsulated and graded 9.6 with a “First-Party H-Seam” seal rating of A by WATA Games. Offered here is a sealed and graded copy of "Zelda II: The Adventures of Link" developed and published by Nintendo for release on the Nintendo Entertainment System on December 1, 1988. The game introduced a magic meter and "Dark Link" into the franchise. The game sold 4.38 million copies worldwide.

This presented copy features a "REV-A" label, a "4 Line Warranty," a "9-Digit Zip with a USA-1 Code," and a "Classic Series 1992" label, all indicators that this copy was produced between March 1990 and December 1994."

9.6s have been having a decent year, though all recorded sales are of the slightly-higher-graded 9.6 A+. The grade has a 1-year avg $38,400 after 4 sales in 2021.

1996 SNES Super Nintendo (USA) "Super Star Wars" Sealed Video Game - WATA 9.8/A++ - Goldin describes this entry, "Offered here is a sealed and graded copy of “Super Star Wars” developed by Sculptured Software and LucasArts and published by JVC Musical Industries and Nintendo for the Super Nintendo.
The game is noted for its graphics, gameplay, music, and faithfulness to the film.
This presented copy features a “Made in Japan” label, an “E” rating label from the ESRB, and a “3-Line Warranty” label on this “83% Fiber” box.
A sealed copy of “Super Star Wars” that helped rejuvenate the franchise on gaming consoles comes with an excellent seal rating of A++ and a stellar overall box grade of 9.8." 
The highest grade sold at auction has been a 9.6 A++, which sold in September of this year for just shy of $6,000 through eBay.

Plenty more to look through...

If comics and video games aren't your scene, take the time to peek through the other collectible categories offered in Goldin's December Pop Culture auction. They have a large selection of graded VHS tapes available to bidders. VHSs as a graded collectible are beginning to pop up more and more at auction as interest turns to nostalgic tapes like Ghostbusters and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial.

There are also hundreds of Pokemon, Magic, and other non-sports cards, including a duo of a 2012 Pokemon Black & White Next Destinies Full Art Uncut Sheet and a 1999 Pokemon Jungle #4 Uncut Sheet up for bids.

Goldin's December Pop Culture Auction closes on December 8th. Check out all the entries HERE, and happy bidding!

*This blog is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as investment advice.