Will Seippel, CEO of WorthPoint, enjoys watching the objects offered at auctions held by our WorthPoint Business Companions. We thought it might be an incredible thought for him to pick out a few of his favourite offered objects and clarify why these gross sales stood out to him. Gaining insights from Will is a superb method to study shopping for and promoting developments in our business. We need to empower you to purchase and promote with confidence. Check out his ideas on just a few of our companions’ latest gross sales.
On February 18, 2025, WorthPoint added 278,372 new objects to our database, totaling a whopping $17,493,711—in order that’s a mean of $62.84 per merchandise! Listed here are a few of my private favorites.
An Costly Rocking Chair
An odd merchandise was the excessive vendor on eBay. A rocking Eastlake Victorian camp chair, which was owned and utilized by none apart from Annie Oakley, offered for a surprising $37,500. Usually, this chair can be price solely $50-$150, however this one had some critical historical past behind it. It got here with a label on the underside that solely a troupe member of the Buffalo Invoice’s Wild West Present & Congress of Tough Riders may have had, and it was signed by Annie Oakley herself. Two forensic handwriting consultants authenticated the signature with Certificates of Authenticity, although oddly sufficient, their names and the pictures weren’t included within the sale. All of it appears just a little suspicious, particularly since I don’t know of any consultants who would authenticate such a high-value merchandise with out revealing extra particulars, however possibly they exist. It’s a chance, but when genuine, this chair is a key piece of historical past, having traveled with Annie herself throughout her time with the Wild West Present—probably used as she sat in it doing needlepoint in between performances. It’s really a uncommon treasure, and if the signature is confirmed, the brand new proprietor ought to work on higher documenting its provenance and authentication. This discover can be a big piece for any circus or present memorabilia assortment!
Three Cats Price a Lot of Cash
The cutest merchandise of the day was an 11.5″ x 14″ portray of a trio of black cats by well-known Canadian people artist Maud Lewis, painted within the second half of 1965. Maud, born in 1903, began portray playing cards at a younger age, and after marrying a fish peddler, she spent her days promoting fish and her paintings from door to door, dwelling in a one-room home. Ultimately, she turned a full-fledged artist, identified for her joyful, colourful work, which by no means offered for greater than $10 in her lifetime. This specific portray, one in all her iconic “Three Black Cats,” went for a formidable $31,264 at Miller & Miller.
This topic is a signature Maud Lewis picture and is usually paired with different variations like marmalade and white cats, however this one, with its vibrant apple blossoms and tulips, is really distinctive. Her small work have been usually influenced by arthritis, however her model, filled with magic and appeal, has endured—this one even appeared in a 1965 Toronto Star Weekly article titled The Little Previous Woman Who Paints Fairly Footage. It’s no shock that Maud’s works have grown in worth over time, with a file sale reaching $317,566 in 2022. A fast reminder: don’t toss outdated hand-painted playing cards you come throughout with out checking them first at WorthPoint—you by no means know, they may very well be price much more than you assume! Many house artists, like Maud, used to make them.
When the Stars Line Up
My final merchandise to notice right now was a PSA Licensed autograph by essentially the most well-known rapper of all time: 2Pac Shakur. Signed “Tupac Shakur Peace-Be Actual,” this autograph was written on a chunk of paper that had been minimize down for show functions. It included the unique live performance ticket from the Luther Vandross present, which 2Pac signed for the unique proprietor in 1994. The autograph obtained a grade of 8 and offered for a formidable $7,080.00. This piece of historical past was offered at Memorabilia Professional and contains a pencil signature (“9”) with a message that reads, “Peace – Be Actual!”
2Pac, the best-selling rap artist ever, in line with the Guinness Guide of World Data, offered over 73 million albums worldwide and left behind 17 high ten singles. His tragic loss of life in 1996 left followers clinging to something that would keep it up his reminiscence, and this signed piece—licensed by PSA/DNA—would undoubtedly try this. The autograph above is encapsulated and comes with the unique live performance ticket from the MGM’s “An Night with Luther Vandross” on January 8, 1994.
Will Seippel is the founder, president, and CEO of WorthPoint. Will has been an avid collector since 1974 and vendor of nearly all issues vintage—with an emphasis on ephemera— since 1984. He’s additionally the creator and founding father of HIP, an internet site dedicated to recording the perfect of the world’s historical past that has been saved on movie.
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