YORK, PA.- Hake’s Americana rang up yet another seven-figure total on July 14-16 with its $1.2 million online/absentee Auction #215, featuring outstanding private collections of pop culture antiques and collectibles. Bidding competition was fierce, and many record prices were set across a broad range of categories.
A 1958 hardcover first edition of Stride Toward Freedom which its author, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., signed and personally inscribed to Chief Justice Earl Warren made a powerful statement in the opening session when it sold for $49,335 against an estimate of $20,000-$35,000 (all prices quoted include 15% buyer’s premium). The historically important tome was the centerpiece of the political memorabilia section and attracted bids well into the early morning hours of July 15th.
Warren’s leadership was widely credited in the Supreme Court’s 1954 unanimous decision on Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark bill that banned segregation in public schools. In a bold hand, Dr. King inscribed the book: “To Justice Earl Warren, In appreciation for your genuine good-will, your great humanitarian concern, and for your unswerving devotion to the sublime principles of our American democracy. With warm Regards, Martin L. King Jr.”
After Warren’s death in 1974, the book remained in the Warren family’s personal library until its consignment to Hake’s auction.
“The price paid for the book did not surprise us. It is a historic artifact of the highest magnitude and truly a one-of-a-kind piece,” said Alex Winter, President of Hake’s Americana. “Both men associated with the book were integral figures in the Civil Rights Movement, and the importance of their legacy cannot be overstated. For this important work of literature to be signed by the author, Dr. King, to Chief Justice Warren places it in its own stratosphere when compared to other MLK Jr.-signed pieces, or any artifact associated with social consciousness, for that matter.”
Winter said he believes the price paid for the book may be a world record for any book signed by King, or possibly for any artifact signed by King.
Over the years, political memorabilia of all types have performed exceptionally well in Hake’s sales. In the July 14th session, a Taft and Sherman presidential/vice-presidential jugate picturing the two 1908 election candidates with Miss Liberty was bid to an above-estimate price of $5,605.
Impeccable provenance went a long way to fire bidder interest in several private collections, including the career archive of Negro League and multinational Hall of Famer Martin Dihigo (Cuban, 1906-1971). The archive included Dihigo’s prized collection of 1923-24 Gutierrez and Billiken cigarette/cigar baseball cards, which he began at age 17. It sold within estimate for $25,745.
High-quality Disney items from renowned collectors Doug and Pat Wengel, and other high-end sources, were strong across the board. The category was led by an extraordinary set of large Old King Cole store displays replicating Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which sold near the top of its estimate range for $18,075.
Hake’s recorded bids totaling more than $250,000 on the 120 featured lots from the late Ken “Franco” Toscanini’s Superman collection. Toscanini’s vast holding incorporated not only comics, but also premiums, licensed merchandise, movie promos, original art and more – all in crisp, beautiful condition.
“Superman fans knew that many of the pieces in Franco’s collection were so rare, they might never appear in the auction market again in their lifetimes. Once a collector owns something really rare, it stays in their collection and they’re not going to give it up,” Winter observed.
Examples would be the Superman Golden Age Christmas comic book rack topper produced in 1940 to promote eight National (DC) Comics titles. One of only two known examples, it reached $24,035, almost five times its high estimate. An original-release 1941-43 Paramount Pictures/Fleischer Cartoons linen-mounted Superman poster also flew past its pre-sale estimate to settle at $17,395; while a Superman Paint Set entered with a $700-$1,000 estimate produced a surprising $10,755 payday.
Bidders also swarmed all over the vintage concert posters in the sale. One of few known examples of an original first-printing poster promoting the 1968 Jimi Hendrix Experience show in Washington, D.C., achieved $6,070. A 1958 Diana Ross & the Supremes pictorial cardboard poster for an appearance at the Hershey (Pa.) Sports Arena made $5,945; and a 1955 poster publicizing the Lucky 7 Blues Show in Atlanta rocketed to $5,695 against an estimate of $200-$400.
Summarizing the auction results, Winter said: “From top to bottom we knew this auction was filled with amazing items, many from pedigreed collections of major importance. Obviously our bidders agreed, as we saw some of the most explosive closing-day bidding in the entire 48 years of our operation. The prices realized are a testament to the ongoing demand for premium-quality pop culture collectibles.”
