Kick off the new year in the right way with the Universal Live collectibles auction. Taking place Jan. 1 in Wheeling, Ill., the auction will offer intriguing pieces of memorabilia, antique weapons, art and sports collectibles. An accompanying online auction will be held at iCollector.com for anyone who wants to celebrate the new year by bidding on these items from the comfort of their own home.

Sculpture and art auction
Two American icons come together to form lot #850315, which is an art print of Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench produced and signed by legendary American artist Leroy Neiman. There will also be a fine art print by Judith Bledsoe (lot #850309), the American artist who died earlier this year. The work, which is of a reclining woman dressed in a patterned outfit, is also signed by Bledsoe.

A metal sculpture of a cowboy on a horse (lot #850439) that was produced by Frederic Remington, an artist who specialized in depicting Western Americana, will be one of the more sought after pieces come Jan. 1. And anyone interested in Asian art will surely be interested in two Thai temple guardian dog sculptures (lot #850373), which measure 34-inches tall by 36-inches long, and are emblazoned in black, white, red and gold.

Antique firearms auction
For those who are interested in the history of gunsmithing, there will be plenty of unique antique firearms on the block at Universal Live on New Year's Day. An incredibly rare prototype of a Civil War-era pepperbox revolver (lot #850168) is one of the more interesting examples of the craft, and a boot pistol with a percussion cap (lot #850403), manufactured during the same era, will also be available.

Collectibles auction
Fans of classic cartoons will be happy to find animation cels from some of the most beloved series of all time. "Scooby Doo" items are prominently featured, with a set of three images of the show's eponymous hound, signed by their artist, Bob Singer (lot #850295), being especially notable. Scooby's pal, Shaggy, will also get his time in the auction block sun, as a set of animation cels depicting the different looks of the spaced-out crime fighter (lot #850482) will also be up for sale.

All of these items are just the tip of the iceberg, though, as there will be more than 600 lots on the block Jan. 1, including collectible coins and military garb. Anyone who can't make it to the Chicago area in person will definitely want to check out iCollector.com to have their chance at bidding on this remarkable collection of goods.