2023 has seen record-breaking memorabilia auction lots.
Despite worldwide political and economic turbulence, the sale rooms of the world have continued to witness strong performances.
In fact, COVID and this period of instability have only encouraged money into the top end of the memorabilia market.
COVID locked many people indoors for long periods. Passions were indulged, hobbies restarted, and when the lockdowns ended a lot of pent-up demand was released into real world auctions.
Memorabilia is also a great place to put your money if you want to diversify an investment portfolio.
So memorabilia auctions of 2023 have been exciting.
Good for buyers and sellers. And a revealing window on so many things - economy, sociology, celebrity culture... Why the big lots sell tells us a lot about ourselves.
Memorabilia auction lots have included the jaw-dropping and the inspiring, the surprising and the ground-breaking.
Here are 10 of the biggest sales of the year for you.
10 - Freddie Mercury’s Door: $525,000
This was certainly a lot of two halves.
The contents of the Queen singer’s Garden Lodge home were sold in September.
There were some standout lots: a crown, a piano, lyrics, Freddie’s own fine collections of Japanese and French art.
But this door is a beautiful monument to his stardom.
On one side, a plain, green wood surface, on the other messages and tributes to the inspiring front man.
How much did that door cost originally?
It can’t have been much.
In September, after more than 140,000 people had attended shows related to the sale, the garden door opened the sale, sparked a 15-minute bidding war, and surpassed its estimate by a factor of 25.
9 - The long-lost Star Wars X Wing: $3.1 million
It sounds like a plot line from the globe-conquering Star Wars empire, but the long lost X Wing was very real.
The spacecraft was 20-inches long and had been sitting in a cardboard box in the garage of Greg Jein, a model maker from the original film series.
Jein’s widow discovered it when Greg died and it was added to a sale of his estate to much excitement in the huge Star Wars fan community.
It didn’t disappoint, breaking the auction record for a used prop from the films when it realised $3.1 million.
8 - Lionel Messi’s World Cup shirts - $7.8 million
Lionel Messi, the greatest player in football’s history (or not, depending on your point of view), wore these six shirts while leading Argentina to their third world cup win, in Qatar in 2022.
Messi wore the shirts in the first half of six of his side's seven world cup matches. The only missing shirt is from one of the group stage games.
The collection came close to surpassing Diego Maradona's Hand of God shirt, which previously sold for $9.3m, and Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals jersey ($10.1 million).
7 - Elvis Presley’s gun: $200,000
King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, film star, musical innovator… and enthusiastic gun owner.
Elvis’ guns have been sold before. And they’re valuable. But this one has surpassed a King's Colt Python revolver that realised $172,500 and a Smith & Wesson Model 19-2 that achieved $195,500, both in 2017.
There was a double value to collectors in this piece, as it was gifted to Elvis not long before his death in 1977.
Beyond the King connection, it’s a gun that enthusiasts will love. It’s a Smith & Wesson Model 53 custom engraved to celebrate the US Bicentennial of 1976.
Bidders loved it so much that they blasted an estimate of $60,000 - $90,000 out of the water.
6 - Kurt Cobain’s Skystang guitar: $1.6 million
Kurt Cobain is the name in rock collecting right now.
And guitars are the holy grail.
This year’s sale of a 1993 Fender MG-69 Mustang was emblematic of this trend.
The so-called "Skystang I" is cemented to Cobain by masses of documentation and imagery. It was sold by his brother.
And the timing was perfect, sold on the 30th anniversary of the final Nirvana album, the Japanese-made instrument was played by Cobain at some of his last public appearances.
It shoots straight into top 10 lists of valuable guitars, but can any instrument ever top the Unplugged guitar that currently tops those lists at a value of $6 million? Perhaps if Paul McCartney ever starts to sell off some of the instruments he owns we’ll find out.
5 - Diana’s “Black Sheep” sweater: $1.1 million
Diana Princess of Wales is a figure associated with glamour.
I’m not sure many people will call this jumper, lovely though it is, "glamorous".
Yet, it set a record for Diana memorabilia as it left its estimates (from $50,000 and $80,000) in the shade as 44 bids pushed it up to $1.1 million.
The design is from the Warm & Wonderful label created by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne.
Diana was engaged to Prince Charles when she wore it, under the public spotlight for the first time, and charming the world.
Diana died in 1997 but retains an enduring fascination for an enormous fandom.
Her ex-husband is now king, her sons are (sometimes) controversial public figures, her legend is picked over in fiction form time and time again, and memorabilia associated with her is at the peak of Royal collecting.
4 - Michael Jordan’s “Last Dance” shoes: $2.2 million
Trainers (or sneakers if you prefer) are a big boom area in collecting.
That means rare examples of production models that you and I could buy in stores. It also means special editions. The second most valuable sneakers ever sold are a prototype for the shoes designed by Kanye West, which sold in 2022 for $1.8 million.
The record went flying this year, when a pair - well, the pair - of Nike Air Jordan 13s worn by Michael Jordan sold for $2.2 million at a New York sale. Jordan is in a class of his own when it comes to game-worn memorabilia, and particularly shoes.
The particular magic of these shoes is their appearance at the Last Dance, a series chronicling Jordan’s final victorious season with the Chicago Bulls.
Jordan handed the shoes, signed, to a ballboy. He sold them in 2020, getting $215,000 for them. He is now suing his advisors on that sale after this record-breaking total was reached at auction.
3 - Batman and Robin TV suits: $615,000
Batman is now such a long-lasting hit that each generation gets their own version of the character.
From noir comic character, to, well, very noir movie character.
60s Batman was very much of his time. A camp, fun, dayglo character played by actor Adam West with his tongue firmly in his cheek.
The costumes though are simple by modern film and TV standards. That didn’t detract from their value in a massive sale of TV memorabilia that took place in June.
This wasn’t the most valuable item in the collection of James Comisar, who collected TV memorabilia for a museum he was never able to open.
That honour went to the bar from long-running US sitcom Cheers, at $675,000.
2 - A Winston Churchill cigar - $32,000
Maybe calling this piece just a cigar slightly undersells it. It was a cigar with a fantastic story and a connection to Churchill that truly confirms its authenticity.
Leonard Herbert, who worked for Chequers, the official country house of UK Prime Ministers, was offered the cigar by Churchill at a 1953 lunch. Herbert wasn't feeling able to enjoy the cigar at that moment after trying to keep up with his host's alcohol consumption, and put the cigar in his pocket instead. He reported the PM polished off a bottle of brandy.
The cigar went 12 times over its estimate at a sale in May, which is a record for a Churchill cigar.
The appeal of this cigar is obvious, but why it rather than other Churchill stogies (like a half-smoked one bought by Piers Morgan in 2018 for £2,600) should be so attractive is a bit of a mystery.
1 - A Victoria Cross - $1 million
Australians won 20 Victoria Crosses during World War II. One of the most significant was sold this year, for $1 million.
There is some controversy about the sale of medals of valour. This one was sold by descendants of John French, who was awarded it for destroying three machine gun posts in the Battle of Milne Bay, New Guinea in 1942. French died in the action.
His posthumous citation recorded his "cool courage and disregard of his own personal safety". French, it said, "saved members of his section from heavy casualties and was responsible for the successful conclusion of the attack".
The action was important. It was a first land victory over Japanese imperial troops and allowed the Allies to make Milne Bay, the base they had successfully defended, a major hub for their campaigns.
French was buried on Papua where he died. His medal had stayed in his family since the war.
If you’re interested in buying or selling collectibles now is a great time to start.
You should find a ready market.
Or you might get the bargain that will help fund your retirement in future.
If you’d like to talk about it just call +44 (0)1534 639 998 or email info@paulfrasercollectibles.com.
