Childhood Trading Cards Could be Worth Pokémon(ey)
Occasionally, a specific smell will take me back to childhood. The scent of an elementary school, someone grilling in the backyard, chlorine from the public pool, and the smell of a freshly opened pack of trading cards all take me back to about 12-years-old. I’m definitely not the only one feeling a sense of nostalgia […]
Is Your Car Historic, Classic, Vintage, or Antique?
From Barrett Jackson to Russo Steele to the Mecum Auction taking place in Glendale this weekend, Arizona is well known for its collector car auctions. In fact, the most expensive car ever sold at auction in Arizona was a $9.9 million vintage 1937 Mercedes Benz 540 K Special Roadster sold by RM Sotheby’s in 2016. […]
Predicting 2022’s Most in Demand Auction Items
People love making predictions. Whether it’s who will win the Super Bowl, how the economy will perform or which politician will be victorious in the next election. It turns out, auctioneers are no exception to this rule. We enjoy predicting the future of our own industry, especially which secondary market items will be the most […]
Eight Strange Items Sold to the Highest Bidder
Human hair. Corpse tattoos. Celebrity genital castings. After being in the auction business for 15 years, there are few things people sell or buy that truly shock me. But even I raise my eyebrows at some strange items. The following seven collectibles certainly bring the ick factor. In fact, I predict they would shock the […]
Crashing Into History with Motorsports Memorabilia
In September of 1980, Gary Wells attempted to jump the fountains at Caesars Palace. He had recently jumped further distances, but, like Evel Knievel before him, the jump resulted in a devastating crash. At the beginning of November, we had the honor of auctioning off the motorcycle Wells rode and the helmet he wore during […]
Should I Donate My Art Collection to a Museum?
A frequent question I receive when helping to settle estates, is whether or not to donate items to a museum. This is especially true when the person whose estate we’re taking care of is or was an avid art collector. The answer to this question is deeply personal and depends on many factors. First and […]
Mom Was Wrong: Video Games Earn Top Dollar at Auction
Remember when your mom told you video games were a waste of time? That they’d never help you pay your bills? She was wrong. We’ve seen a huge uptick in the value of vintage video games recently, with new records being set every few weeks for the cost of these games at auction. In fact, […]
The Allure of Gemstones
A 59.6-carat pink diamond, known as the “Pink Star” sold at auction for $71.2 million in 2017. While the “Pink Star” holds the record for the highest priced gemstone ever sold, it is not the highest price per carat the world has ever seen. That honor goes to the 14.6-carat “Oppenheimer Blue” diamond that sold […]
How to Sniff Out a Valuable Vintage Perfume Bottle
Before becoming an auctioneer, I had no idea the huge variety of items people collect and consider valuable. Vintage perfume bottles is a category I would never have suspected to be valuable. But we regularly sell beautiful vintage perfume bottles worth hundreds of dollars or more. In fact, we sold an Art Deco Bohemian Czech […]
Fun with Funko Pops
Have you heard of Funko Pop collectibles? Even if you don’t know the name, you’ve probably seen them. Funko Pops, the increasingly popular 3.75-inch vinyl figures are easily identifiable by their square shaped heads, disproportionately small bodies and large, pupil-less eyes. In the past few weeks, we’ve sold more than 1,600 Funko Pops from one […]
Original Painting by Thomas Moran, “Father of the National Parks” to be Auctioned in Glendale Friday, June 18
Painting part of a large fine art collection, belonging to the late Edward and Frances Elliott, that will be part of the fist live auction at EJ’s Auction & Appraisal in more than a year GLENDALE, Ariz. (May 28, 2021) – An original Thomas Moran oil painting from, valued at an estimated $500,000 – $750,000, is […]
Rescuing Valuable Art from the Trash
We’ve all heard the stories about a rare piece of art that was found at a secondhand store or yard sale and sold for thousands of dollars. In fact, I’m sure we’ve all wished, at one time or another, that we could stumble across a painting or valuable art piece sure to make us rich. […]
