Bruneau & Co.'s Pop Culture Auction, Aug. 8, Features X-Men #1, Pokemon Booster Boxes, Goudey Cards

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A copy of Marvel Comics X-Men #1 from September 1963, two Pokémon booster boxes from 1999, Goudey baseball cards for star players from the 1930s, and original cover art for Drift Marlo #1 from 1962 will all come up for bid in Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers’ Summer Pop Culture auction slated for Tuesday, August 8th, beginning at 4 pm Eastern time.

Also titled a Comic, Sports, TCG (Trading Card Games) & Toy auction, the 478-lot sale will offer an eclectic mix of comics, sports, toys, and associated collectibles from collections across New England, online and live in the Bruneau & Co. gallery at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston. A preview will be held in the gallery on auction day when doors open at 8 am.

“I am so excited to offer an electric sale of comics, toys and sports, which is one of the largest catalogs we have produced for pop culture in a while, as we’ve been busy with single owner collections and museum collections,” said Travis Landry, Bruneau & Co.’s Director of Pop Culture.

Landry added, “I’m anxious to see what the early baseball cards, including the Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio cards, do in today’s market. Also, the group lots were a lot of fun to sort. I’m excited for the collectors to see them cross the block.”

The Goudey cards aren’t graded highly, but that will open the door for collectors looking to add Goudey examples to their collections in any condition. They include a 1933 Babe Ruth card #133, graded BVG 1 Poor (est. $3,000-$5,000); a 1933 Lou Gehrig card #92, graded BVG 1 Poor (est. $1,000-$1,500); and a 1938 Joe DiMaggio #250 Heads-Up rookie card, graded BVG 1.5 Fair (est. 1,000-$1,500). All of the Goudey cards are individually housed in BVG cases.

The copy of Marvel Comics X-Men #1 from Sept. 1963 features the origin and first appearance of the X-Men and Magneto (est. $8,000-$12,000). The book is graded CGC 3.5, with off-white pages, and is presented in a CGC case. Also, a copy of Marvel Comics Amazing Spider-Man # 121 from June 1973, featuring the “death” of Gwen Stacy and an appearance by the Green Goblin, graded CGC 9.6, with white pages and in a CGC case, should finish at $1,800-$2,400.

The 1999 Pokémon Wizards of the Coast Base Unlimited booster box, factory sealed with tight and intact WOTC branded cellophane wrap, showing Charizard box art with a single country code on the bottom, has an estimate of $8,000-$12,000. It’s a great, fresh-to-the-market booster box from the original purchaser. The new owner will have to decide whether to break the box.

The same dilemma awaits the winning bidder for the 1999 Pokémon Wizards of the Coast Fossil 1st edition booster box, which is also factory sealed with tight and intact cellophane wrap. It’s beautiful and fresh-to-the-market, also from the original purchaser (est. $8,000-$12,000). Both this and the other Pokémon booster box show some wear that’s to be expected from storage.

Original cover artwork for Dell Publishing’s Drift Marlo issue #1 from May-July 1962 is an oil and pastel on board painting of the space detective who first captured readers in newspaper comic strips before his first comic book appearance in this issue. A truly awesome piece of comic art, the painting is 24 inches by 17 inches and is signed illegibly (est. $2,000-$3,000).

Lot 289 is a collection of 25 copies of Warren Publishing’s Vampirella comics (#1-#31). It’s a mid-grade group, with books ranging in grade from about 5.0 to 8.0. Included is the 1972 annual. Vampirella #1, featuring the first appearance of Vampirella, is graded CGC 6.5, with off-white/white pages. The others are #2-#19, #21, #24, #26, #28 and #31 (est. $1,800-$2,400). 

Beckett graded baseball, hockey and basketball cards will feature a 1966-1967 Topps Bobby Orr #35 rookie card, graded BVG 3.5 Very Good + (est. $2,000-$3,000); and a 1979-1980 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky #18 rookie card, graded BVG 7 Near Mint (est. $1,800-$2,400). Toys will include factory sealed G.I. Joe action figures and accessories.

Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, bidLIVE.Bruneauandco.com and the mobile app “Bruneau & Co.” on iTunes or GooglePlay.

To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the Summer Pop Culture auction slated for Tuesday, August 8th at 4 pm Eastern time, visit www.bruneauandco.com. Updates posted often.