Auction Recap

From Charizard to Caboose: A Look Back at Our September Cards & Collectibles Auction

Most collections start small. Maybe it was a Pokémon card you traded for at recess, a record you borrowed from your dad and never gave back, or a teddy bear that somehow survived every move. Our September Cards & Collectibles Auction was full of those kinds of stories, more than 550 lots of them, and honestly, it was one of the most fun catalogs we’ve put together in a while.

What Had Everyone Talking

If you collect cards, you probably already know about the two Charizards. We had a Dark Charizard 21/82 and a Base Set 2 Charizard 4/130, both vintage Wizards of the Coast cards, and they were easy favorites around the office. There were also Pokémon binders, Magic: The Gathering collections, a sealed Digimon gift box, and graded rookie cards from Alex Rodriguez, Trae Young, and Zion Williamson for the sports fans.

Speaking of sports, the memorabilia side had some real wall pieces. An autographed Aaron Judge Yankees jersey came with its certificate of authenticity, and it sat alongside a signed Matt Ryan Falcons jersey, a multi-signed Team Canada hockey jersey, and a whole crew of Seattle Mariners bobbleheads that anyone who grew up watching the M’s would recognize.

And then there were the records. Over 150 lots of vinyl covered just about everything, from Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash to Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, and Taylor Swift. Our team definitely spent some time flipping through those boxes.

Where This Auction Really Went Deep

Some collections in this sale weren’t just a few nice pieces. They were the kind people spend decades building.

Comic fans found a strong lineup of horror and cult titles, including a numbered Purgatori Museum Edition, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 gold foil variant signed by Joe Bennett, and big runs of Buffy, Groo the Wanderer, and Hellblazer. The Steiff collection was full of mohair bears, limited editions, and international exclusives, many still in their original boxes with tags and certificates.

The model trains might have been our favorite part, mostly because they felt so Alaskan. Alaska Railroad locomotives in that classic blue and yellow, White Pass & Yukon Route cars, and an Aleutian Islands Fishing & Mining Co. boxcar made it feel like a little piece of home. Add in a 1962 Barbie Dream House, a sealed LEGO Icons Boutique Hotel, a Nintendo GameCube, and some still sealed Super Nintendo games, and there was a lot of childhood nostalgia in one warehouse.

Of course, every good auction has a few surprises. This one had Alaska-themed Monopoly, a vintage Anchorage puzzle, a handmade alien sculpture named Nancy, and a boxed Boring Company “Not-A-Flamethrower.” We don’t make the rules. We just catalog them.

Why People Keep Coming Back

Every lot started at just $5, so seasoned collectors and first-time bidders were shopping right next to each other. Bidding was online, which meant buyers from all over Alaska and beyond could join in. Local winners picked up from our Anchorage warehouse, and everyone else could have their items shipped by our in-house team.

Got a Collection of Your Own?

If you’ve got cards, comics, records, toys, or memorabilia sitting in a closet in Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, Kenai, or anywhere else in Alaska, we’d love to take a look. Whether it’s one shelf or a lifetime of collecting, we’ll handle the photos, the listings, the marketing, and the sale, so you don’t have to.