Led By Captain America, Star Wars And Other Favorites, Hake's March 24-25 Auction 246 Totals $1.9m

By Author: Kelly McClain
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While the country was preparing to celebrate its 250th birthday, Hake’s hosted a grand celebration of its own. Premier Auction #246, which closed on March 24-25, presented more than 1,400 lots of historical Americana and pop culture collectibles in a sale that totaled $1.9 million. Fittingly, many of the lots featured wonderful examples of important political memorabilia.

“Hake’s continues strong into 2026, with bidders turning out in force for both sessions of our March auction,” said Hake’s General Manager Kelly McClain. “Each night brought impressive results with spirited bidding that saw several lots set new world record prices. We’re going to run with that energy, and collectors will be excited to know that our Action Figures Prototypes auction, which closes on April 29, is open for bidding right now.

Is there anything more American than Captain America? The overall top lot of the auction was a coveted copy of Captain America Comics #1 (Timely Comics, March 1941), with a CGC Qualified Grade of 4.0. The key Golden Age comic featured the origin and first appearance of Captain America, his young ...
... ally Bucky and their nemesis The Red Skull. The classic World War II cover by Jack Kirby showed Captain America punching Adolf Hitler. Other artists included Joe Simon and Al Liederman, with stories written by Simon, Kirby and Ed Herron. The comic achieved a world record price of $71,554.

A blister card containing a 2¼-inch-tall Star Wars Jawa action figure of the initial “Vinyl Cape” variety, made by Kenner in 1978, sold for a world record $55,152. It was graded AFA 95 Mint, the highest grade Hake’s had ever offered for the toy. There are only three known examples in an AFA 95 grade, according to the AFA Population Report, with none higher. Hake’s sold an AFA 90 Vinyl Cape Jawa in its July 2024 auction for $44,261. The one that just sold was on an unpunched card.

A Cox & Roosevelt 1920 Democratic campaign jugate button, the most beautiful of all Cox/FDR varieties and the most coveted campaign button to be found, soared past its $35,000 high estimate to finish at $45,578, a new record price. The 1-7/8-inch diameter button featured a waving American Flag at the bottom center and a perched eagle at the top. Collectors have a special fondness for jugates – buttons featuring presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Hake’s is proud to have sold the most jugates of any auction house.

FDR made another appearance with a “Re-Elect Roosevelt” 1936 campaign poster, a phenomenal example of Depression-era art that evoked the masterful WPA murals of that period. The poster was 24 inches by 34 inches and signed in the print at lower left by artist “W Sanger.” The selling price of $44,428 was more than double the estimate and a new world auction record for the poster and the artist. The striking graphics included six individuals, each holding a union picket line poster. The bottom read, “Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.” Hake’s believes it may have been one-of-a-kind.

Lot 917 was an item never before sold at auction: a rare G I Joe Cobra Set MSV consisting of a modified Stinger (Cobra Night Attack 4-WD) and a matching black Cobra version of the MMS (Mobile Missile System), offered as a Sears Exclusive and only made available for purchase in Canada. Manufactured in 1983 by Hasbro, the set was contained in a factory-sealed box with bilingual label and graded AFA 80 NM. The toy was being offered by the original owner, whose mother kept it packed away for decades. It sold for a record-setting $31,129, which was within estimate.

A rare Roosevelt “T.R. for President” real photo portrait button set a world record when it changed hands for $27,584. The 2¼-inch button with a clear, well-centered image of Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt was made for the March 1912 Oklahoma Republican Party convention in Guthrie. There were two major factions within the state party, ending with Roosevelt as the victor.

Acrylic original art by Ken Barr (1933-2016), showcasing the vibrantly-colored and detailed illustration used for trading card #167 in Topps’ Star Wars Galaxy Series 2, released in spring 1994, realized $27,584. It set a new record for an artwork by Barr. The illustration was large and impressive – 24¾ inches by 35 inches, minus the attached mat. A great group portrait, it included R2-D2, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, C-3PO and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The top half featured a large image of Darth Vader.

The Star Wars category also featured a Hungarian bootleg Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1987) blue card containing a nicely-painted Boba Fett action figure, packaged with a Chewbacca Bowcaster weapon as issued. The lot carried an ultra-high grade of AFA 85 and sold within estimate for $25,726, a new world auction record. Only three examples in total have been graded by AFA per its Population Report, and this was the single highest-graded example.

A rare Wilson and Marshall US Capitol Dome 1912 jugate button captured a world record at $21,524. The 1¼-inch button was perhaps the most attractive 1912 Wilson jugate featuring the US Capitol and the American Flag in bold colors. It was likely the finest example extant, according to Hake’s.

A boxing ticket stub from the February 25, 1964 heavyweight championship fight between champion Sonny Liston and challenger Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), graded PSA 5 (EX), bested the $10,000 high estimate by knocking down for $16,170. The ticket stub – showing it was for a $100 ringside seat – was autographed perfectly on the back by Clay, a feature that no doubt helped spike its value. The PSA/DNA Population Report indicates the ticket stub is one of only two signed copies and is by far the higher graded of the two.

A copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, graded CGC 3.5 and featuring the debut of Spider-Man, as well as the first appearances of Peter Parker’s Aunt May and Uncle Ben, breezed to $27,584. It was also Spidey’s first cover appearance, created by Jack Kirby.