collectible

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Precious Moments Artist 'Never Took the Credit'
Precious Moments Artist
'Never Took the Credit'
OBITUARY
May 24, 2024 6:45 AM CDT

Precious Moments Artist 'Never Took the Credit'

Sam Butcher's drawings of biblical figures led to thousands of collectible figurines

(Newser) - Sam Butcher, the artist who created the Precious Moments figurines depicting angelic teardrop-eyed children, has died. He was 85. The company said in a Facebook post that he died early Monday surrounded by family, per the AP . It said his life's mission was "to share God's gift...

Trump's 'Major Announcement' Is Trump Trading Cards

Former president is selling $99 NFT collectibles

(Newser) - Donald Trump teased an upcoming "major announcement" Wednesday on Truth Social, and on Thursday he unveiled it . His 2024 running mate, perhaps? Nope, Trump is selling what he calls "digital trading cards" featuring none other than himself, reports the Washington Examiner . "These limited edition cards feature amazing...

Someone's Old Video Game Worth Almost a Million Bucks

Nintendo cartridge of the 'Legend of Zelda' fetches $870K

(Newser) - An unopened copy of Nintendo’s "The Legend of Zelda" that was made in 1987 has sold at auction for $870,000. Heritage Auctions in Dallas said the video game sold Friday. The auction house said it was a rare version that was created during a limited production run...

A 'Child' Is Born, and Immediately Ascends Amazon

Baby Yoda from 'The Mandalorian' tops plush toy list, but it won't be available for a few more months

(Newser) - The hot item of the holiday season is none other Baby Yoda , the character also known as "The Child" in Disney Plus' The Mandalorian—but no one's going to be unwrapping him (and it is a him ) for several more months. Variety reports an 11-inch Mattel "...

Super Mario Bros. Game Sells for $100K

Sealed cartridge is from 1985 test launch

(Newser) - A copy of the 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario Bros. has sold for a stunning $100,150 at auction, believed to be a record for a single game. But gamers hoping their own copy of the hugely popular game could be worth a fortune are likely to be...

In 'Devastating Betrayal,' 100 Star Wars Items Stolen

Suspect is a close friend of the owner

(Newser) - Some $200,000 in Star Wars collectibles have vanished just like the Millennium Falcon jumping to light speed. The owner of the world's largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia and the envy of every fan in the galaxy announced Monday that 100 items, including "rare and important pieces,...

Inverted Jenny Stamp Returned for $50K Reward

Just one stolen stamp remains missing

(Newser) - A rare 1918 US postage stamp featuring an upside-down plane that was stolen six decades ago and ended up in Northern Ireland was returned to its American owner on Thursday. Keelin O'Neill, who inherited the stamp several years ago from his grandfather, turned it over at the World Stamp...

Great-Grandpa's Old Paper Bag Hid $1M Find

7 rare Ty Cobb baseball cards were inside

(Newser) - Relatives considered tossing the torn paper bag they found in the southern home of their late great-grandfather earlier this year. It's a good thing they didn't: Buried beneath old postcards and papers was one of the biggest discoveries of rare baseball cards ever. On Wednesday, memorabilia expert Joe...

Experts Confirm Violin Played on Deck of Titanic

Bandmaster was performing 'Nearer, My God, to Thee'

(Newser) - A salt-stained violin that sank with the Titanic a century ago may soon come up for auction, the New York Post reports. Experts have authenticated the instrument, and say that bandmaster Wallace Hartley played it in the ship's final moments as he led his eight-member group in performing "...

Auschwitz Sign Stolen for Nazi Collectors

Alleged culprits weren't Nazis, they were just 'ordinary thieves'

(Newser) - The five men arrested for stealing Auschwitz’s infamous sign aren’t neo-Nazis, they’re just "ordinary thieves" who were working for memorabilia collectors, police say. “There is a huge market on the internet for this kind of stuff,” said one expert in Holocaust studies. “Many...

Tight Times Force Sentimental Sell-Offs

But many make far less than they'd hoped from collectibles

(Newser) - With money tight, many are seeking to part with collectibles they’d hoped to hold onto—and reaping smaller rewards than they’d expected, the Chicago Tribune reports. “I wanted my daughter to have some sort of family heirloom. It can’t be that way right now,” said...

Collectors Hunt for Obamabilia Treasures

Experts struggle to pick future keepers from sea of merchandise

(Newser) - Collectors are sifting through a sea of Barack Obama memorabilia searching for items that will be the gems of the future instead of tomorrow's junk, the Washington Post reports. Vast quantities of knick-knacks, ranging from dancing presidential dolls to Obama mints, have left even experts stumped about what to buy....

Olympic Collectors Go for Gold
 Olympic Collectors Go for Gold 
Aug 8, 2008 4:50 PM CDT

Olympic Collectors Go for Gold

Medals, torches, and sweaty uniforms fetch top dollar

(Newser) - The 2008 Olympics have barely begun and collectors are already jockeying for possession of Beijing memorabilia. But serious shoppers are bypassing the hundreds of official knickknacks, hoping instead to score big-ticket items such as medals and sweaty uniforms, Portfolio reports. It's serious business: A gold medal from the 1904 Games...

DEA Bust Yields Trove of Rare Baseball Cards

Agency now holds $280K worth of vintage Ty Cobbs, others

(Newser) - Long accustomed to confiscating snazzy cars and jewelry from those who run afoul of the law, the DEA found itself in possession of something a little more unusual when it nabbed a Tennessee doctor who was dispensing fraudulent prescriptions—an impressive collection of baseball cards worth $280,000. The doc...

'Jenny' Stamp Sells for $825K
'Jenny' Stamp Sells for $825K
Dec 28, 2007 7:24 AM CST

'Jenny' Stamp Sells for $825K

Prized misprint may be most famous collectible stamp

(Newser) - An inverted "Jenny stamp," one of philately's most sought-after collectibles, just sold to a private collector for $825,000, slightly less than a record price. The stamp is a 1918 misprint, which shows a Curtis JN-4 (Jenny) biplane flying upside-down. Only 100 were printed. The buyer is a...

Fate of Ball No. 756 Put to Vote
Fate of Ball No. 756 Put to Vote
Sep 18, 2007 6:59 AM CDT

Fate of Ball No. 756 Put to Vote

America to decide: Donate to Hall of Fame, brand with an asterisk, or launch into space?

(Newser) - Designer and prankster Marc Ecko successfully bid over $750,000 for Barry Bonds' record-breaking home-run ball. Now he's ready to get rid of it, and told Today's Matt Lauer that America will decide how: donate it to the Baseball Hall of Fame, give it to the Hall of Fame with...

16 Stories