Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block via for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions ... check 'em out.

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THIS ONE IS, WELL, SUPER ...
The Item: Superman six-sheet (79-by-10 inch) movie poster (Columbia, 1948)
The Price: Bidding opens next week -- estimates as high as $20,000
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This massive and iconic piece is a rare one that Heritage has sold a trio of times in recent decades with sales pushing as high as $35,850 back in 2018, which was an anniversary point for this film. "Kirk Alyn donned the cape as both Superman and his mild-mannered alter ego, Clark Kent, battling the sinister Spider Lady (Carol Forman) across 15 action-packed chapters filled with flight, flying bullets, and cliffhanger thrills,” reads the Heritage listing. “This scarce large-format poster -- one of only a few known -- captures the excitement of that landmark cinematic moment. Carefully applied airbrushing, touchup, and replacement have addressed edge and fold wear, creases, fold and crossfold separation, some tears, and a few chips. Owing to these efforts, it now presents quite well."

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block via for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions ... check 'em out.

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A MONSTER HITS THE AUCTION BLOCK
The Item: Honus Wagner 1909 T206 Sweet Caporal back -- "The Garagiola Wagner" (SGC Authentic)
The Price: $1,625,000 after 35 bids (ends Feb. 28)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I’ll spare you the historic lore of this card -- hit the link for Heritage’s full recap of this one’s place in history -- but you should know that this one is already over halfway to its estimated $3M sale price in the wake of some modern cards making big headlines with big prices last year. Sure, this one is a low-grade copy -- but it’s real -- and this particular card was once owned by former MLB player. It was "the prized possession of baseball icon Joe Garagiola, whose nine seasons of Major League play was followed by decades of elite achievement as a broadcaster.” How did he get it? "Garagiola's son informed us that his dad's 1954 Giants uniform was part of the package he traded for this holiest of hobby grails,” Heritage said.

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block via for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions ... check 'em out.

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MODERN-DAY TREASURE OR A SUPER-FLASHY FLIP?
The Item: Shohei Ohtani & Aaron Judge 2025 Topps Chrome Update Dual Gold Logoman MVP Relic (/4)
The Price: $75,000 after 23 bids (ends Jan. 30)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This monster card came out of a pack in recent months -- well, at least its redemption did -- and it's already on the auction block for a cash-in. What is it? It's a card with the gold-threaded MLB logo patch off of game-used jerseys from the reigning MVPs from each league in 2024 as worn last year -- if you look closely at both images on the card you can see them, too. (Enhanced to make sure they stand out more? Not necessarily ... but they sure do pop on those tiny images.) Cards like these -- signed and unsigned as singles and immensely rare finds -- are some of the biggest pulls in the heavily produced brand with long odds. The back of the card has built-in windows for you to see the MLB Authentication stickers for these patches pulled from their jerseys (click to view and go look them up for yourself). Should these be a hold or moved immediately? I bet your answers are all over the place -- but the longer one waits, the more the chances other cards like this might be done over time, giving them more competition if they are all up for grabs at the same time. Ohtani and Judge are two of the game's biggest names of the here and now and figure to be later. How big among the all-timers? We'll find out when they are done ... but they are as safe as it gets right now, too.

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block via for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions ... check 'em out.

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THE BIGGEST BATMAN
The Item: 1966 Topps Batman (Black Bat) No. 1 The Batman (PSA 9)
The Price: $90,000 after 61 bids (ends Dec. 11)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Are non-sports "rookie cards" a thing? They are to many and this one fits the bill as this first card in the first set for the iconic character -- and it's already delivering big on the auction block where it will end this week. "Norman Saunders' bold brushwork captures the Caped Crusader in motion, surrounded by bursts of color that defined the campy, kinetic energy of 1960s pop culture," reads the Heritage listing. "This stunner is one of the highest-graded examples known, with none higher on the PSA population report ... it embodies the unmatched quality and care behind this legendary collection. Simply put, this is the Batman rookie every serious collector dreams of owning."

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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Auction Buzz is a regularly appearing look at some of the variety found out there on the block ... check 'em out.

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NEW RECORD COMING IN DECEMBER?
The Item: Frank Frazetta, "Conan The Berserker" original art used on Conan The Conqueror (Lancer/Ace, 1967)
The Price: $10,000,000 opening bid (ends Dec. 10)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This classic couldn't wait to appear here next month when it hits the block via Dallas-based Heritage Auctions -- that starting price shows that it's a big deal right now and that this one will likely end up being as big as it gets when it's sold.

First, a nugget about that opening price for those who might not know ... earlier this year, a Frazetta painting of Conan sold via Heritage for a record $13.5 million -- that one was for the cover of the first Lancer/Ace paperback book in a 12-part series -- and this comes from a later book with a visual that helped inspire the modern-day take on the iconic character beyond just paintings. "This intricately detailed and action-packed image stands as the best of the series for many collectors, and the painting is indisputably one of the small handful of Frazetta's most desirable from the upper echelon of his greatest hits," reads the Heritage listing. "Combining Frazetta's very best elements of fantasy iconography and classic artistry, Conan has never appeared more powerfully heroic -- even super heroic -- than in this unforgettable scene. ... The bold composition is one of the artist's most iconic, immediately recognizable, and memorable. Conan absolutely dominates the detailed battlefield, and Frazetta masterfully employs red highlights that swirl throughout, culminating in his bloody sword, victoriously raised, seemingly slicing through the entire atmospheric sky and serving as the dramatic punctuation of the composition.

This 15-by-19 painting also was later used for the cover art on metal band Molly Hatchet’s third studio album (Epic Records, 1980) to further its legacy, which also includes countless appearances on Frazetta prints, posters, shirts and even guitars ... but that's just one part of its history. It's presently owned by Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, who is a serious collector of horror and fantasy artwork and posters and he bought this piece directly from the legendary artist for $1 million back in November 2009. It's appeared in a book about his collection and been displayed along with other pieces he owns in museum exhibits.

"When Hammett acquired it, Frazetta had sold virtually none of his major paintings, and Hammett had his pick of treasures -- choosing Berserker above them all," reads the Heritage listing. "To put that staggering price in perspective, soon after the artist's passing in 2010, Frazetta's original pen-and-ink comic book cover for Weird Science-Fantasy No. 29 -- widely considered to be the greatest comic book cover of all time -- sold for just $380,000, which itself was far more than any comic art had sold for previously. That's all to make clear what a premium both Frazetta and Hammett placed on this showpiece."

Check out this video to hear Hammett describe it all.

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs -- this isn't even the only item with a million-dollar opener coming in December.

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Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block ... check 'em out.

It's going to be a busy end of the year for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions with a number of regularly scheduled events as well as some showcase auctions with high-profile stuff all on the calendar. This time, we look at a few things from a few active sales this month.

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AS SUPER AS IT GETS
The Item: Superman No. 1 (DC, 1939) -- CGC 9.0
The Price: $2,850,000 after 97 bids (ends Nov. 20)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of those finds that makes headlines early on and then will make an even bigger one once it's sold -- and that's happening later this month. Only 209 copies of this iconic and massive first issue have been graded by CCG and only 93 of those are un-restored or without other grading caveats. Of the 93 graded, nothing tops this copy. It's the lone CGC 9 and there's only one 8.5, one 8.0, two 7.0s and everything else is single-digits until you get down to CGC 1.5 ... so this one is as elite as it gets. "This copy represents the pinnacle of comic collecting," reads the Heritage listing. "Not only is this the highest-graded unrestored copy Heritage has ever offered, but it also holds the top position on the CGC census, outranking the likes of several esteemed pedigreed copies including the Mile High and Davis Crippen copies." The 8.0 sold for $5.3 million in 2022 and Heritage sold a 7.0 copy for $2.34 million last year. It survived all these years in an attic of a California home and will easily set a new sales record before it finds a new home.

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block ... check 'em out.

It's going to be a busy end of the year for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions with a number of regularly scheduled events as well as some showcase auctions with high-profile stuff all on the calendar. This time, we look at a few things from a few active sales this month.

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ANOTHER BIG JORDAN
The Item: Michael Jordan Oct. 26, 1984 (NBA Debut) Chicago Bulls season-ticket stub (PSA 4)
The Price: $65,000 after 25 bids (ends Sept. 27)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Last month, a Michael Jordan (and Kobe Bryant) card sale via auction re-wrote some hobby history and, while we're confident this one won't fetch $12.9 million, this one is in some rare air. It has already hit its estimated price from the auction house and while its grade is low there are only three higher. "The most important athletic debut of the post-war era?" asked Heritage in its listing. "A strong argument could be made. Perhaps only Wayne Gretzky could challenge Michael Jordan in balloting seeking to identify the most dominant figure of his respective major sport, but once you step outside the sports arena and into the wider popular culture, M.J. leaves The Great One in his dust. He remains one of the most recognizable humans on the planet two decades after his retirement from the NBA." Jordan scored a modest 16 points in a 109-93 win over the Washington Bullets on this night and only 14 of these have been grade overall.

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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Update: The card sold for $12,932,000 -- an all-time record for any sports card -- at 1:45 a.m. Sunday morning.

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It's already topped the $7-million mark with time to go before the auction ends tomorrow night, but there's no telling the heights this card might reach.

There's a realistic chance that the Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs card will become the priciest sports card of all time -- not just priciest basketball card ever -- when the dust settles at ends Heritage Auctions on Saturday and it's really only got two rivals.

Right now, with its buyer's premium attached, this card sits at $7,015,000 after 46 bids (click to view) and that already gives it the title of the biggest basketball card of all time. The previous NBA high was for a similar modern card, a 2009-10 Panini National Treasures Steph Curry Logoman auto, that sold privately for $5.9 million to an investment fund July 2021.

And there aren't too many past auctions that top that.

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Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block ... check 'em out.

It's going to be a busy second half of the year for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions with a number of regularly scheduled events as well as some showcase auctions with high-profile stuff all on the calendar. This time, we look at a few things from a few active sales this month.

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AS BIG AS IT GETS
The Item: Michael Jordan & Kobe Bryant 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs (1/1) -- PSA 6
The Price: $4,150,000 after 32 bids (ends Aug. 23)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one has plenty of time remaining but as you can tell it's already one of the biggest monsters to ever hit the auction block -- and that's with the grade that, well, would be a bummer on any other card from the modern era. But, with game-used NBA logos from two of the game's all-time greats and their ink? Well, it's all about the card, not that dinged corner. "Do you hear that rumbling? It's the sound of the standing world record price for a basketball card getting ready to fall," Heritage said in its listing. "For five years, the 2009-10 National Treasures Steph Curry logoman autograph card has enjoyed the view from the top of the heap, the $5.9 million private sale to an investment fund in July 2021 demonstrating the virtually unlimited elasticity of the market's upper edge. ... We're proud and privileged here at Heritage for the opportunity to take the title back for the auction world," Heritage continued, "providing the manner of competition and high drama that private transactions lack, and which serves as a far more fitting tribute to the iconic subjects this remarkable trading card celebrates." ... This one is estimated by Heritage to top the $6-million mark when it's sold.

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

Continue reading →

Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block ... check 'em out.

It's going to be a busy second half of the year for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions with a number of regularly scheduled events as well as some showcase auctions with high-profile stuff all on the calendar. This time, we look at a few things from a few active sales this month.

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DARK KNIGHT IN DEMAND
The Item: Batman tin robot with original English box (Nomura Toys, 1966)
The Price: $5,250 after 29 bids (ends July 11)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This vintage Japanese toy is a foot-tall prime piece of pop culture with an obvious 1960s feel yet with some aspirations of something more for the future -- it's a battery operated tin toy and it's complete with its Adam West-styled box and fabric cape. This one is "an iconic fusion of superhero flair and vintage tin toy charm" per Heritage and it's one of two known styles -- this one has the serious face and one with the switch button in red. Heritage calls this "a standout from the golden age of Batman collectibles, blending Japanese craftsmanship with Gotham nostalgia."

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

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Ichiro Suzuki’s 2001 MLB arrival didn’t just change the game on the field — he helped feed growing international demand for baseball cards via plenty of new premium brands that helped pave the way for the ultra-deluxe stuff of today.

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A legendary career and baseball journey on two continents makes its final stop this month in Cooperstown, N.Y., and the Hall of Fame and there’s a lot that can be said about that in several directions. 

Ichiro Suzuki changed the game with his arrival in MLB, eschewing the longball in favor of speed and hits — lots and lots of hits. But, “hits” are also the story of all those years when it comes to baseball cards with the prized rarities found in packs with autographs on them — or pieces of memorabilia in them — being an unstoppable force in those years. 

Of course, hits didn’t start with the Japanese star’s arrival, but many of his cards in sets alongside another now-legendary 2001 rookie, Albert Pujols, helped change the cardboard world even faster. Demand for their stuff prompted several new brands from several companies making MLB cards back then to try new things, capitalizing on their new stars who could move packs and boxes of cards -- just like they could move players around the bases and move butts into seats to watch games. One could argue that 2001 was in part a big piece in the evolution of what we see in today’s sports card landscape -- a focus on rarities with small print runs and with premium prices that weren’t like the wax paper-wrapped pocket-change treasures of not that many years before. 

Now, what’s to come here is absolutely not a definitive list of top cards — and it’s not one purely based on volatile values or one limited solely to Rookie Cards. Why? There’s a lot to choose from for Suzuki on all fronts — there could be several ways to take on this challenge. He has more than 50 different Rookie Cards between his 1993 Nippon Professional Baseball and 2001 Major League Baseball debuts (depending on how you want to argue about RC definitions) and he had roughly 500 cards in 2001 alone. Many of them are rarer cards where it is impossible to own them all thanks to small print runs and rare serial-numbered versions. 

In all, he appears on more than 19,000 different cards made over the years between NPB and MLB -- and even though his playing career ended in 2019 his cardboard career has not. He’s got a place in the game in seemingly every new baseball card set on the way and that figures to be the story for the rest of cardboard eternity. He’s not just a Hall of Famer … he’s an international icon.

Here’s a small sampling of 25 Ichiro Suzuki cards that are both fun and notable.

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One of the sports collecting universe's biggest conversation hubs has a new sponsor.

Heritage Auctions will now have an advertising display presence and regularly appearing spotlight items on the Blowout Cards Forums beginning on July 1.

Heritage is the largest collectibles auctioneer and third-largest auction house in the world with more than 2 million registered bidder-members on HA.com from 195 countries and annual sales exceeding $1.87 billion. Based in Dallas, Heritage was established in 1976 and regularly offers a wide range of auction genres beyond just sports collectibles, sports cards, and trading/game cards. Those include rare coins, currency, art, comic books and comic art, movie posters, entertainment and music memorabilia, timepieces and jewelry, handbags, historical/political memorabilia, books and manuscripts, photographs, nature and scientific relics, wine, real estate, American, European & Asian fine art, and much more. Membership is free to Forum members and allows free, searchable access to almost 8 million Heritage auction records (including over 400,000 sports lots) with images, full descriptions and price realized. Join at www.ha.com/blowout.

BlowoutCards.com, the leading online retailer of sports and other trading cards in the hobby today, was founded in 1999 and has more than 40,000 registered users on the forum -- an always-open community in support of the website, which also is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week with more than a million boxes in stock with a particular focus on modern cards — sports, non-sports, gaming and more. Atop that, Blowout has a hobby blog updated daily, live online box breaks, active social media channels and creative promotions to help collectors enjoy their hobby for less.

Collectors in the Northern Virginia area can also visit The Fantastic Store — Blowout’s brick-and-mortar storefront. If you have any questions, send them to support@blowoutcards.com.

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Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com.

For years now, autographed books coming direct from the publishers -- or direct from the authors themselves -- have been an affordable way to collect ink from notable names in all realms of pop culture.

It's not a perfect system with stamped autos, fakes and autopens sometimes in the mix -- a problem for publishers to catch as they are not authenticators -- but thanks to dedicated collectors on the Blowout Cards Forum and elsewhere, those problems often get caught and fixed ... or at least become well-known enough to avoid if it's an issue that goes uncorrected.

Getting ink in-person is always best -- book tours still happen, of course -- but landing autographed editions from publishers, online sellers or celebs themselves via their websites or other appearances are common.

Our latest subject and autograph in this ongoing series? A name you probably don't know but the book is a unique one from a series of guides for collectors.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals is to rip a little less and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... 

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WELCOME TO THE COLLECTION 
The Item: Slash autographed Four (2022) CD cover (PSA/DNA authenticated)
The Price: Less than a jumbo box of flagship cards ...
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of my recent additions in the rock autograph realm as, well, that genre can be quite pricey -- too pricey, really -- but the cost was decent here for an autograph of the iconic Guns N' Roses guitarist who's stayed busy with many a project since that band disbanded and then reloaded in recent years. While I'd prefer a signed item showing him -- I have to flip this one over to see an image -- this PSA-slabbed CD cover that was likely among those sold via Newbury Comics back in the day worked for me. It was probably $100 less than it could be at times for a similar slabbed/third-party authenticated item. Meanwhile, it was probably about $50 more than the same thing but without third-party authentication and encapsulation. A signed and authenticated photo can end up around $500 if it looks good (sometimes more, sometimes less) while signed items can soar even higher. Why? Access -- Slash isn't exactly doing signings or conventions -- so the few times he's signed for his own album releases like this in more volume they get gobbled up and become ultimately the entry point (or only addition) for many. Count me right there. I wanted to add Slash to my stash ... but not break the bank.
Grab a box right here: Nothing for this ... hit non-sports on BlowoutCards.com

Keep reading for more interesting items ...

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If you're a regular reader here, then you know that Ballers has had a place in this Collecting Game-used series and other event-used pieces shown off here a few times over.

Why? A unique auction in the past saw a lot of props from the HBO series hit the open market via Heritage Auctions and Screenbid a few years ago and then remaining props and other pieces went off to a company that burns off props from all kinds of production companies over time for this and many other shows.

This one this month? Well, it's right there in the wheelhouse of all that -- a holiday pick-up of mine when the current company selling it all off actually offered discounts on items and I finally grabbed a piece that's fun, unique and has a tie to the big game this Sunday. If you know the show, then you know the tie-in.

If not, keep reading to see the details this time.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing: The Mick sets a new record, showing off Michael Jordan cards, new pulls and more.

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I must have done something to make the collecting gods happy ... because The One That Got Away came back to me.

This month's Collecting Game-used item is a piece of photo-matched Sports Illustrated history and you can see it above -- well, sorta -- in all its glory on the Dec. 5, 2016, issue. If you watch Ballers at some point, you'll likely see it somewhere there, too, but that research wasn't necessary for this one this time.

So what's the deal?

In late 2020, a number of props, wardrobe pieces and other items used by cast members in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's hit HBO series were on the block via Heritage Auctions and ScreenBid. Thanks to some dumb luck back then, I noticed something that the prop masters, the auction company and, based on the price, even the bidders didn't among the more than 500 items up for grabs. One of the suits that was sold -- and there were many in the sale as Ballers might be known for those as much as anything else in Spencer Strasmore's world -- also was worn on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The blue and black plaid custom-made jacket and pants were right there waiting for me at Heritage with a "designed for Dwayne Johnson" tag inside and an opening bid that was easily within my budget -- as long as the bidding didn't get too crazy. How did I know it was that one? I'll get to that. (Spoiler: It's just like matching other pieces in this series of memorabilia stories.)

I was beyond excited about the auction. I lost sleep over it for a couple days before the Sunday sale because this was such an interesting find -- a piece cooler than just something worn on screen. The live auction couldn't come fast enough. I scouted all of the lots, took notes on what I liked and what looked good for the price. I didn't dare mention this piece of trivia at all here on The Buzz, though, but I did tell a couple of relatives. (They looked at me like I was crazy when I mentioned the start price for something I'd never wear.) Another plus for me was that the lot was pretty deep in the auction lineup with many suits dropping before and several after.

Once the auctions started, I took notes about what other suits cost and I scouted back-up pieces I might want -- but nothing truly came close to this one. Nothing. Early on, suits sold for way less than I expected. It really could be mine I thought, though some suits in signature colors (grey/silver) potentially from key moments, posters and DVD covers did sell for more. When my lot finally came up an hour or two in, my fingers went cold. I was nervous. I might have hyperventilated a little (not really ... but maybe ... it's all a blur). I bid. So did somebody else. I bid again (my first bids in Heritage history). They did, too. Deep breaths. I bid again. Than I paused legitimately thinking it was mine as the clock ticked down in slow-motion ... and yet it was not. Things then instantaneously went into fast-forward and there was no time to react once I realized it was gone. I was done faster than Erick Rowan at WrestleMania 32. I was stunned like my chin had just met "Stone Cold." I was hotter than this 'Mania moment. I was out of it -- both the auction running and the world for a bit. It was gone and it hurt. I recovered, though, and later landed another piece with a story that was perhaps bigger so at least there was some Buzzing about the Ballers auction. (That's a classic item, too, if I do say so -- hit that link.) And this tale with The One That Got Away was over, going untold, more than a year ago.

So ... what's the deal in the here and now? Fast-forward to three weeks ago today and a not-yet-caffeinated Buzz checked some Friday-morning email and saw a props-for-sale message from Attro Digital -- a name I didn't recognize but it was essentially the same mailing list for ScreenBid that I had signed up for back in the day. By chance, something caught my eye, so I clicked.

And then I saw "Ballers" ...

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This month's item in this Collecting Game-used series is a perhaps a bit loose in its definition of "use" but here we go ...

In January, I wrote about an item I picked up in last year's Ballers prop auction -- that one a copy of a book held by The Rock in one scene that was the subject of some viral chatter with Elizabeth Warren not all that long ago. Their tweets sparked more than a few stories online as the two went back and forth about her fandom for the show ... then, months later, that book popped up on the auction block with its feathered corners and even an odd extra item inside.

This time? A far more anonymous item that was in the auction and billed as "training-used" by a key character in one episode.

You can keep reading to see the details ...

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It's a TV show opening scene that seems simple enough, but it spawned a lot of Internet and TV chatter with millions (and millions) amused.

(Click for a closer view.)

Hot takes arrived left and right on entertainment sites and political pundits had their thoughts, too. (Left and right, I'm sure.) It was something simple and something planned that generated some buzz and even some high-profile tweets that went out to some 20 million people. (Meanwhile, the episode itself had just 588,000 people watching per Nielsen. Go figure.)

What is it? It's the opening-credits scene for the fifth season of Ballers and it had player-turned-agent-turned-businessman Spencer Strasmore (aka Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) reading a copy of Elizabeth Warren's 2017 book This Fight is Our Fight as he sat on the beach in the first episode. It all takes place quickly and Strasmore's down-time is interrupted first by his girlfriend (Arielle Kebbel) asking him why he never goes into the ocean -- then that's interrupted by a phone call from Bossman (aka the Ballers-world owner of the Dallas Cowboys) before he walks off down the shoreline to chat. The scene isn't about a paperback with tattered edges at all, really -- it's about the mystery of the water, what Strasmore might be hiding -- but that's how the book's brief on-screen life comes to an end.

Meanwhile, that actual copy of the book? Well, it's still alive and well.

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It's a simple mistake that's not supposed to happen since the United States Mint has strict standards, but, well, it happened.

And it's a bill that's worth a lot more than you might think as it sold for a ton Friday night via Heritage Auctions in Dallas.

What you see above is the Del Monte note -- and while you might think that collecting during the pandemic has been crazy this sale is absolutely bananas ... it sold for $396,000. That's way more than it originally sold for back when it was previously discovered and put onto the market.

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Blowout Cards may not catch 'em all ... but we're trying.

This Pokémon 1st Edition booster box sold for $360,000 via Heritage Auctions on Thursday night -- a mark that includes the buyer's premium and set a new record sale. That topped a $198,000 mark (also via Heritage) in September.

Our 36-pack box includes 396 untouched cards that could carry potential for perfect Gem Mint 10 copies of everything, including the rare Charizard card that has generated headlines on its own with some six-figure sales on its own in advance of the 25th anniversary of the game's arrival in the United States next February.

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The first night of Dallas-based Heritage Auctions' three-day Spring Sports Catalog Auction opened with some serious firepower that wasn't just about all of those vintage rarities that just shouldn't exist anymore.

It also included some impressive sales of rare singles from modern cardboard -- and some modern cases that probably don't exist anymore in high volume as the treasures inside them can command huge wads of cash, too.

Among five cards that commanded six-figure sales last night was the 2010 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Superfractor 1/1 autograph of former NL MVP Christian Yelich, which sold for $111,000 in a PSA 9 slab. Joining it was a 2011 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Superfractor 1/1 autograph (also a PSA 9) of Francisco Lindor, which went for $102,000. The other five six-figure cards were of Joe Jackson, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams -- cards either immensely rare or in high grades. A top-grade Michael Jordan 1986-87 Fleer Rookie Card just missed that club but set a new record for the card's sale.

A number of other key modern cards were scorchers, too -- check out a gallery and sales stats after the jump -- and some modern cases less than a decade old also commanded top dollar, too.

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Just 10 of the most-notable items in the sports world that were sold in 2018 totaled more than $8.4 million, ranging from a $2.8 million 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card to a baseball signed by the first class for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

And they all had one thing in common -- PSA or PSA/DNA authentication.

The Newport Beach, Calif.-based company recently took the time to examine the markets last year and touted its Top 10 for 2018. Keep reading to see everything on the list.

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The finest set of 1909-11 T206 baseball cards is on the market -- and it's being broken up -- this month via Dallas-based Heritage Auctions where it's expected to be a record-breaker.

"For hundreds of trading card collectors, this is the auction event of a lifetime," said Chris Ivy, director of sports collectibles for Heritage. "This auction is the vault door swinging open to reveal treasures unavailable anywhere else."

It's a lot of 520 cards that includes nine PSA 10s -- only 13 in all exist at that grade -- and nearly all of the cards in this one are the highest-graded specimens of their kind for this landmark set. More than 100 of the cards are PSA 9s and only one is graded below a PSA 7 (it's a PSA 6).

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A few pieces from one of rock's biggest names is hitting the market via Heritage Auctions and one lot alone -- a guitar and an iconic top hat -- is expected to fetch six figures.

A 1965 Gibson SG Cherry guitar used on stage by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tom Petty and one of his hats from his time with The Traveling Wilburys -- a supergroup that also included Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison -- are being sold together.

They're one of eight lots being sold by the Dallas-based auction house this month and the lot carries an opening bid of $150,000.

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