DALLAS, TX.- The theme of a few marquee lots in Heritage Auctions' June 26–27 Trading Card Games and Manga Signature® Auction could be "But wait — there's more!"Several of the most interesting lots are rare collectibles whose values are amplified by factors that take them from awesome to jaw-dropping.

The most dedicated collectors of Magic: The Gathering have the opportunity to bid on an extraordinarily rare set of cards made even more special — and almost certainly unique — by the artist signatures or sketches on each of the 285 pieces. The cards date back to 1993, the earliest days of the game as it took off in popularity. Publisher Wizards of the Coast created a Collector's Edition featuring all cards from the original release. Part of the process entailed printing Artist Proof copies, blank-backed cards with standard card fronts made to show artists what the final versions would look like. These were printed in very limited amounts, and many of them were destroyed, lost or given away before they took off as precious collector's items. Collecting all 285 known Artist Proofs is an incredible feat of dedication. To find signed versions or obtain signatures for every single one is an incredible accomplishment.

"It took the consignor 15 years to get all of them and get them all signed and sketched,"says Heritage Auctions Trading Card Games Managing Director Jesus Garcia. "This is probably the only one. And there are artists who have passed away, like Quinton Hoover and Christopher Rush, so for some there's no way to get more of them signed.”

Another lot in the auction also represents an awesome achievement of collecting made more unlikely still. A complete set of the 102 cards in the Pokémon First Edition Base Set is a triumph in itself, but for every single one of those cards to be certified a Gem Mint 10 is almost beyond belief.

"Getting this complete set all graded Gem Mint 10 is extremely hard, because some of these cards have very low populations,"Garcia says.





An uncut sheet from the First Edition Base Set that includes two First Edition Charizards would be an enviable centerpiece of any premier Pokémon collection. This uncut First Edition/Shadowless Base Set has the added distinction of having hung in the office of Wizards of the Coast CEO Vincent Caluori, who was crucial to the success of WotC properties Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons. Caluori recognized the commercial potential of the Pokémon Trading Card Game and worked with Nintendo to secure the distribution rights outside Japan. This sheet is labeled "Form 7" and includes both Shadowless and First Edition cards from the set. The four Shadowless cards with eight copies each were printed for different Theme Decks released for the Base Set, including Overgrowth, Zap!, Brushfire and Blackout.

And another lot offers an exceptionally rare opportunity to obtain all three of the trophy cards awarded at the 1998 Lizardon Mega Battle, known as the Charizard Mega Battle outside of Japan, where an estimated 15 copies were awarded. The Gold No. 1, Silver No. 2 and Bronze No. 3 Trainers with artwork created by famed Pokémon artist Mitsuhiro Arita "are arguably the most historically impactful cards in the Pokémon TCG,"Garcia says. They are Grails of the collecting community, with fewer than 20 of each in any condition listed on the PSA census.

Opportunities to acquire one are uncommon enough, but the chance to catch all three in one go is exceptionally rare — and could be a bargain, too, compared to the cost of picking them up one by one.

Following the success of the March 27–28 Trading Card Games and Manga Signature® Auction, Heritage's first Trading Card Games auction with a dedicated Manga section, this auction also features an impressive selection of Manga lots, including first appearances of iconic franchises.

Some of the most iconic Manga series were introduced to readers within the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump, including Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Slam Dunk, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and many more. Shonen Jump No. 1, the 1968 debut issue of the publication — which did not yet contain "Weekly"in the title, as it was initially biweekly —featured chapters from a handful of titles such as Kujira Daigo, Chichi no Tamashii and Harenchi Gakuen.

Yu-Gi-Oh! was among the monumental franchises that debuted in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump. Issue No. 1417 from September 30, 1996, introduces readers to Yugi Muto, a game-loving kid whose life is changed when he's finally able to solve the mysterious Millennium Puzzle, enabling the spirit known as Yami Yugi to take control of his body.

And Weekly Shonen Jump No. 32 from 2014 includes the debut chapter of the now immensely popular series by Kohei Horikoshi, My Hero Academia, which has become one of the top-selling Mangas and grown into a franchise that also includes a beloved anime series, trading card game, novel series and spin-off Manga series.

Other highlights in the auction include, to name just a few:

• Magic: The Gathering Arabian Nights Sealed Booster Box

• Pokémon Pikachu Illustrator Unnumbered Promo CoroCoro Comics

• Gem Mint 10 First Edition Base Set Pokémon Charizard 4

• Pokémon Skyridge Sealed Booster Box

• Pokémon Gengar 094 Japanese Vending Masaki Promo