Iconic Auctions have established themselves as one of the world's leading auction houses for high-end memorabilia. They have a great range of items in each of their auctions, offering important items of sports, entertainment, music, and historical memorabilia. In conjunction with The 43rd National Sports Collectors Convention, which takes place in Chicago, Iconic Auctions are offering their yearly National Auction on July 29.
By looking at the auction catalog, there's definitely something for everyone. However, there are a few lots that stand out more than others. The best example is undoubtedly the first lot...a fully signed "Sgt. Pepper" album. Acclaimed by many as the Holy Grail of music memorabilia, a fully signed copy by The Beatles of their most iconic album isn't something you see daily. There are approximately 200 known albums that are signed by all four Beatles members. The majority of those are the band's 1962 debut album, "Please Please Me." To find later albums such as "Sgt. Pepper" and "Abbey Road" are exceedingly rare. The crown jewel, however, has always been "Sgt. Pepper." As of now, the current record for any signed album by The Beatles is $290,000. That sale took place in 2013, and it was – of course – a fully signed copy of Sgt. Pepper". Can Iconic Auctions beat that record? The auction ends on July 29.
Jeff Woolf, founder and President of Iconic Auctions, says that "there are only a couple known authentically signed Pepper's albums in the world. This lot provides collectors with a unique opportunity to join a very elite club. And, given the composition of how the signatures are assembled, it allows for a much broader scope of collectors to have an opportunity with this piece."
Related: From Haydn to Hip-Hop: Music for Collectors
During recent years we've seen Steve Jobs and Apple memorabilia selling for incredibly high amounts. Some examples are Steve Jobs' personally owned and worn Birkenstocks sandals that sold for $220,000. Another example is an Apple II manual signed and inscribed by Steve Jobs. The price? $787,000! Iconic Auctions recently sold a factory-sealed first-generation Apple iPhone 1 for over $40,000.
In their National Auction, they offer a very rare Apple Appreciation Certificate hand-signed by Steve Jobs. Although the minimum bid is $10,000, the lot is expected to sell for much higher. Iconic Auctions comments on the lot by saying that "Steve Jobs is obviously desirable in any form, given the tremendous rarity of his signature, but the fact that this is on an Apple-related document makes this piece a must-have for any collectors pursuing Jobs items. Anything with his signature directly related to Apple is seemingly going up in price realized with every auction."
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A National Auction without Babe Ruth wouldn't be complete, right? The auction features some very impressive Babe Ruth items, but there's one that shines more than the others. We asked Jeff Woolf, President of Iconic Auctions, about his thoughts on Babe Ruth bats in general, and this lot in particular, and he said, "Ruth signed bats are tremendously rare, overlooked and undervalued by the market. And in today's advanced collecting environment, I would imagine that it will change very soon. This is one of the nicest Babe Ruth-signed bats I've ever seen. You have to keep in mind that in order to sign a bat in his time, Ruth had to literally spend a minute or two rubbing away the finish so that the fountain pen would adhere. And unlike today, where everything is at your fingertips, bats were not readily available to the public. So, of the scarce few bats out there, signed by him, they were likely to be gifts given by Ruth to people that he knew well. Signed baseballs are nice, but what really made Babe Ruth the legend he is was the bats that he wielded."
Related: The Baseball Card Boom: A History of Trading Cards
In 2019, a New York Yankees jersey game-worn by Babe Ruth sold for a record price of $5.64 million. We've also seen the value of his baseball cards, as well as various signed or worn items, sell for incredible amounts over the years. It's fair to state that all high-quality Babe Ruth items will increase in value over the years.