Van Eaton Galleries is proud to present A Celebration of Popular Culture, their latest exhibition and auction! This collection brings together nearly 700 items of popular culture history, representing some of the most nostalgic, scarcely seen, and most-prized artifacts of the last 60 years. Highlights of this auction include rare toys from “The Toy Scout,” Joel Magee, including rare collectibles from Batman, Lost in Space, The Munsters, Bewitched, and much more! Other highlights come from Darryl Roth, son of famed artist and custom car designer Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, which include Ed Roth’s personal Hot Wheels based on his “Beatnik Bandit” hot rod, as well as vintage model kits and slot cars based on his designs. Additionally, this collection includes rare original film posters from such classics as Creature from the Black Lagoon and Forbidden Planet, as well as collectibles from animated films and shows, Star Wars, James Bond, Walt Disney, Marvel, and props and collectibles from the Disney Parks.
Here are some incredible highlights from this 2 day sale:
Lot 3 – Creature From The Black Lagoon One Sheet Poster
(Universal, 1954) An extremely rare original one sheet poster for Creature from the Black Lagoon. Considered one of the greatest monster films of all time, this was Universal’s re-entry into the genre. The result was an absolute masterpiece, and the Gill-man proved popular enough to star in several sequels and still remains a classic monster to this day. Offered here is the highly desirable one sheet for this iconic film, featuring artwork by Albert Kallis. Measuring 41″x27.25″, poster is in very good condition with some edge and surface wear, including minor scuffing. The poster has been professionally linen-backed for its preservation.
Lot 148 – Jason Voorhees Mask Prop From Jason X
(New Line Cinema, 2001) An original prop mask from the slasher film, Jason X. This iconic hockey mask is worn by Jason Voorhees in this futuristic take on the popular Friday the 13th series. Very few of these masks were created during production, making this mask a rare piece of cinematic history. The mask is created in an acrylic resin which has been hand-painted, with leather straps attached on the reverse, and felt padding on the interior. This prop comes from the collection of renowned film historian Chris Kiszka, and a Letter of Authenticity from Kiszka will be provided with the item. Measuring approximately 8.5″x7″, the mask is in very good condition with some wear from use. Much of the inner felt has worn away from use.
Lot 202 – Guardians of the Galaxy Rocket Raccoon Life Size Replica
(Marvel, c.2018) An exceptionally rare life-size replica of Rocket Raccoon from Marvel’s box office hit, Guardians of the Galaxy. This replica was created for the world-famous wax museum, Madame Tussauds, as an addition to their popular Marvel exhibit. Only three of these life-like replicas were created. Rocket’s pose is instantly recognizable from the scene in which he is arrested and booked on the planet Xandar. This museum-quality figure is expertly created in mixed media including silicone, faux fur, dental acrylic, and metal wiring. A custom “Guardians” themed base has been added to the figure for a stunning display. Rocket stands 36″ tall, and the replica measures 56.5″ tall including the base. The condition is very good, with some wear throughout from its original use, including small worn areas along the ears and nose. This item may require special shipping arrangements, please inquire for details and estimates.
Lot 437 – Dragon Ball Z: Broly Super Saiyan Transformation Cel
(Toei, 1994) An original cel setup and background of Broly’s Legendary Super Saiyan transformation from Dragon Ball Z: Broly – Second Coming/Kiken Na Futari! Supa Senshi Wa Nemurenai. The three-layer cel setup consists of a base layer with the image of Broly’s body, a second layer with his hair and pants, and then a final effects layer of his Saiyan energy, all three of which rest over a scene-matching hand-painted background. Also included is a production drawing of the base layer cel. Measuring approximately 10.75″x10.5″, the cels are in very good condition with some minor tearing along the top edges of the cels which does not affect the image, and two of the corners of the background have been removed. The cels and the panoramic background have both been trimmed, and some of the paint on the cels has been professionally restored. Cels from Dragon Ball Z are exceptionally scarce, with cels of such a fan-favorite character in as excellent of a pose as this being almost impossible to find. This original pan-cel of Broly’s iconic transformation pose is one of only two known to exist, and is arguably the most sought-after image from the series. The matching background and cel layers are not stuck together, as is the case with many cels from this era, making this a truly stunning and rare piece of production artwork.
Lot 633 – Hot Wheels 1968 “Sweet 16” Store Display
(Mattel, 1968) An extremely rare vintage Hot Wheels store display from the legendary toy line’s inaugural year of manufacture, featuring the complete “Sweet 16” set of Redline cars produced by Mattel. Released to immediate popularity, Hot Wheels have been ubiquitous since their debut in 1968. Unlike the more faithful scale models of everyday vehicles produced by Matchbox, Hot Wheels drew on the eye-catching designs coming out of the California car customizer scene. This innovative design was coupled with superior performance thanks to a torsion bar suspension, low friction wheel bearings, mag wheels, and slick tires, which allowed Hot Wheels to leave their competitors in the dust. Consisting of a multi-tiered cardboard Mid-Century auto show style display, the first row of cars are arrayed under arches printed with their model names, the second tier are arranged on a stage with model names printed below, and three cars sit on platforms, one on either side of the structure and one at the pinnacle. The cars include Beatnik Bandit, Custom Barracuda, Custom Camaro, Custom Corvette, Custom Cougar, Custom Eldorado, Custom Firebird, Custom Fleetside, Custom Mustang, Custom T-Bird, Custom Volkswagen, Deora, Ford J-Car, Hot Heap, Python, and Silhouette. The display measures an impressive 10″x26″ and 9″ deep and is in very fine condition, with minor reinforcement repairs made to the platforms and a new plastic cover applied for a stunning clear presentation. This rare store display is nearly impossible to find in any condition, with one such as this surviving as a true relic of Hot Wheels history. This item may require special shipping arrangements, please inquire for details and estimates.
With over 700 lots of great priced items ready to sell, bidders can enjoy a great week leading up to the auction. All items are online with photos, descriptions and estimated values. Van Eaton Galleries is the world leader in Disney collectibles and memorabilia and are happy to answer all questions via email or phone.